How to Turn on Your Computer

I'm a teacher at a local community college, teaching network operations and basic computer programming, and as such, I find myself immersed in code of some sort all day long. A couple of days ago, I did have to substitute for a teacher in a micro-computer operations class. That is a fancy name for a class that teaches people how to push a button and turn on a computer, log on to the Window Operating system, and then goes a bit further by teaching the students how to use MS Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Outlook.

Now, granted, in today's society, knowing how to use the MS Office applications is almost as essential as breathing, at least if is if you want to do most jobs. Even your manual labor jobs are beginning to require some basic level of computer proficiency to punch your time card or such things.

Being in the computer industry, so to speak, I was absolutely astonished by how many people in this class didn't have even a basic understanding of how to navigate with a mouse, much less how to use a computer. I figured in the internet age, most folks at least knew how to turn on a computer and surf the net, but I soon discovered I was wrong.

Okay, so the first thing you need to know is how to turn on a computer. I am going to assume the computer is already connected and plugged in - if not, stop reading now and call your technician or pay someone to come and hook it up for you. This guide is only to help you get started with the bare basics of computer operation after the computer is hooked up.

Every computer has a button or a switch to turn it on. Interestingly enough, I noticed that not all computer models, in fact, most of them, don't actually indicate that the button to turn on the computer is actually a power switch. Seriously, it doesn't say On/Off, or Power, of "Hey, dummy, push this!"

The power button on most models of modern computers will be found on the front of the computer. If the computer is, like most modern ones are, a tower or mini tower, (this means standing up taller than it is wide) then look for the front plating where there are other buttons and places to put stuff, and you'll find a button that is usually bigger than the rest, and that is probably your power button. Some have a funny symbol on it, or they will light up when you push them. If you're certain the computer is powered down (that is, turned off) then you probably won't hurt anything by pushing the wrong button, so don't be afraid to push the buttons.

If your computer is an older model, such as anything from back in the big mall hair and parachute pants days, it will probably lay flat instead of standing up tall, and the on/off switch will probably be located at the back of the computer and will not be a button, but rather an actual toggle switch. If you discover your computer has a toggle switch on the back for power, stop reading this immediately and drive to your nearest computer store and buy yourself something from this century.

Push the button firmly once and wait. If you see no lights, make sure the computer truly is plugged into the power source, and then push the button again. If still nothing happens, either give up and call tech support, drown your sorrows in a bottle of Beam, or try another button.

It's important to note that on some models of computers, the computer will not actually power on until you release the button. If you push the button and hold it, it will do nothing, so be sure you have released the button completely before you check to see if the computer powers up. Plus, it's really hard to do anything else on the computer if you're holding the power button down with one finger.

If you've tried all buttons on the computer and it still doesn't power on, and you've checked your power supply (made sure it's plugged into the electric socket), then my next recommendation would be to call your electric company and make sure you have paid the bill.

Assuming all works as it should, the computer should do something known as 'booting up'. Don't worry, it's not going to kick you. The way to tell if there's any power to the computer is simple:

--the computer will make noise when it is powered up properly. It's quiet, but you should be able to hear it.
--the computer monitor, that is the screen, which looks a little bit like a television screen, will flash and begin to show something on it's display.
--the button you pushed might light up, but if not, other buttons or lights on the computer should begin to glow.

If all these things happen, then you now have a properly powered up computer and you are ready to move on to the next step in the process, which is logging on to your computer.

Congratulations on taking the next step into the information technology world we live in today. Of course, I do have to wonder, if you are reading this because you really needed to know this information, how did you make it this far?