Information
Some basic information that may be useful to you.
Keyboard Symbols Phonetic Alphabet Keyboard Shortcuts Trouble Shooting Record Keeping
Symbols
There are many symbols on our keyboards that may not be used often. Use the chart below to look up the names of any you may not know.
| ~ | Tilde | ! | exclamation mark | @ | at (commercial at) |
| # | Hash, number, pound (US) | $ | Dollars | % | Percent |
| ^ | Carat | & | Ampersand, and | * | Asterisk, star |
| ( | Left bracket | ) | Right Bracket | - | Minus, dash, hyphen |
| [ | Left square bracket | ] | Right square bracket | = | Equals |
| { | Left curly bracket | } | Right curly bracket | + | Plus |
| < | Less than, left angle bracket | > | Greater than, right angle bracket | \ | Back slash |
| : | Colon | ; | Semi-colon | / | Forward slash |
| ' | Single quote | " | Double quote | _ | Underscore |
| , | Comma | . | Full stop, dot | ? | Question mark |
| | | Pipe | ₤ | Pound (UK) | ` | Acute |
Keyboard Symbols Phonetic Alphabet Keyboard Shortcuts Trouble Shooting Record Keeping
Phonetic Alphabet
The phonetic alphabet is useful when you need to spell something to another person over the telephone. The most common example would be typing in an installation code or giving someone a command to type when trying to fix a computer problem.
Often M and N can get confused, as can F and S. The phonetic alphabet makes it clear what letter the other person is saying. When saying a number such as four, say "number four".
If you were to say the chemical name for water to someone (H2O) you would say, "hotel, number two, oscar"
| Letter | Pronunciation | Letter | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Alpha (AL fah) | N | November (no VEM ber) |
| B | Bravo (BRAH VOH) | O | Oscar (OSS cah) |
| C | Charlie (CHAR lee) | P | Papa (pah PAH) |
| D | Delta (DELL tah) | Q | Quebec (keh BECK) |
| E | Echo (ECK oh) | R | Romeo (ROW me oh) |
| F | Foxtrot (FOKS trot) | S | Sierra (see AIR rah) |
| G | Golf (GOLF) | T | Tango (TANG go) |
| H | Hotel (hoh TELL) | U | Uniform (YOU nee form) |
| I | India (IN dee ah) | V | Victor (VIK tah) |
| J | Juliett (JEW lee ETT) | W | Whiskey (WISS key) |
| K | Kilo (KEY loh) | X | X Ray (ECKS RAY) |
| L | Lima (LEE mah) | Y | Yankee (YANG key) |
| M | Mike (MIKE) | Z | Zulu (ZOO loo) |
Keyboard Symbols Phonetic Alphabet Keyboard Shortcuts Trouble Shooting Record Keeping
Keyboard Shortcuts
Many programs share 'standard' keyboard short cuts. A short cut is typically using one key in conjunction with another, for example CTRL B
When the CTRL or ALT keys are used in conjunction with another key, you press and hold the CTRL or ALT key and press another key.
CTRL B means press and hold down the CTRL key, then press B, then release the CTRL key. CTRL B in most programs turns bold type on or off.
The chart below shows common uses only and may not apply to every program you use.
| CTRL A | Select all | CTRL B | Turn bold on or off |
| CTRL C | Copy | CTRL F | Find |
| CTRL H | Replace | CTRL I | Turn italics on or off |
| CTRL N | New | CTRL O | Open (file) |
| CTRL P | CTRL S | Save (file) | |
| CTRL U | Turn underline on or off | CTRL V | Paste |
| CTRL X | Cut | CTRL Y | Redo |
| CTRL Z | Undo | ||
| F1 | Help | ALT F4 | Exit |
| CTRL ALT DEL | Reboot or Task Manager | ||
| PrtSc | Copy full screen to clipboard | ALT PrtSc | Copy current window to clipboard |
| ALT TAB | Change between open applications | CTRL ESC | Start menu |
Keyboard Symbols Phonetic Alphabet Keyboard Shortcuts Trouble Shooting Record Keeping
Trouble Shooting
Trouble shooting problems isn't as hard as it seems. There are a number of simple rules that breaks the whole process down into much smaller easier steps.
- First determine exactly what the
problem is. Saying "my computer is broken" is just a tad vague.
- When did the problem start? Was it just after
installing new software? Have you added or removed some
hardware? Often problems have a cause that relates to something
that has been changed.
- Work through the problem in logical, single
steps. In other words try one thing at a time, if you change
several things at once you will never know what the cause of the
problem was.
- Document anything you are about to change so
you can change it back later if needed.
- Write down any error messages before
dismissing them from your screen. Search Google newsgroups to
see if others have had the same problems and how they fixed
them.
- If you are going to try something radical; backup your data FIRST!
Do the obvious things first:
- Check power is getting to all devices (plug in a desk lamp to test a power point)
- Shutdown Windows, turn EVERYTHING off and turn back on. Restart Windows. Its amazing how often things come good after being powered off.
- If your screen/keyboard/mouse appears faulty and you have a spare screen/keyboard/mouse etc on another computer, try swapping them.
- Check for viruses, adware/spyware. Update your antivirus and adware removal programs first.
- Install Windows Updates (service packs and critical updates)
- Install relevant driver updates
Get some help:
- Google is an excellent resource for problem solving, check out the news groups first.
- Talk to a qualified computer expert. Ask their advice.
- Friends may try to help but they often think they know more than they really do. I have fixed hundreds of problems that a 'computer literate' friend has caused or made a lot worse.
The information here may help you to isolate the problem to hardware, software or operating system.
There are some suggestions as to how you may proceed.
Please understand that this advice is generic and any action you take is at your own risk.
Is it hardware or software:
Hardware:
Hardware problems typically cause the computer to crash randomly. In other words, the computer may have problems regardless of the program(s) you are running at the time.
- Download Memtest (the precompiled Bootable ISO .zip file) and thoroughly test your computers RAM. Find it under 'Utility Software' on the downloads page.
- Disconnect the computer from the power point and open the case. Clean and reseat all cards, cables and socketed chips. Clean the gold plated contacts on RAM modules and PCI/AGP cards gently with a draftsman's pencil rubber. (White plastic erasers)
- Swap suspect devices with KNOWN WORKING ones if possible.
Software:
Software (application program) problems typically cause the computer to crash in the same way every time you perform a particular function such as printing, or saving.
If the problem occurs when you open a file, it may be the file itself that is the problem. Try opening a different file and see if the problem remains.
- Check the software vendors web site for known problems. Usually they have a frequently asked questions (FAQ) section.
- Check the software vendors web site for program updates.
- Search Google news groups. Use the program name and any error messages as the search terms.
- Uninstall and reinstall the problem application.
Operating Systems:
Operating system problems (i.e. Windows) can exhibit the same random problems as seen with hardware problems. This can make trouble shooting a bit trickier.
- Install the most recent service pack for your version of Windows. Service packs replace many system files so if the problem is caused by a corrupt Windows file, this may fix it. Service packs can be installed over an existing installation of the same or an earlier version service pack.
- Connect to the Windows Update Site and install all critical updates.
- Remove your hard disk and perform a clean install of Windows onto another hard disk. A new 40gig hard disk is about $100. If the problem is solved you have proven that it is not a hardware issue. You also have preserved all your data on your original hard disk.
Disclaimer:
The information above is a guide that may help you to solve some simple problems. It is not intended to turn you into a computer expert.
If you have any doubts about your ability to perform any of the suggestions above then leave it to an expert.
The cost for a professional to fix your problem may well be worth the time and frustration of trying to do it yourself.
Tinkering without sufficient knowledge can cause data loss. Always backup important information before attempting a repair.
Keyboard Symbols Phonetic Alphabet Keyboard Shortcuts Trouble Shooting Record Keeping
Record Keeping
One of the biggest frustrations as a computer technician is when the client doesn't have the information at hand to allow me to solve their problems. This is especially true of passwords and ISP information.
It often causes additional expense to the client due to the extra time required to get the answers I need.
Keeping a simple log (securely) of the information below saves time, frustration and money.
Download this chart as an Acrobat PDF file (right click and 'save target as')
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Keyboard Symbols Phonetic Alphabet Keyboard Shortcuts Trouble Shooting Record Keeping
