Where to start

[notaclue]

Ok I admit I don't know dirt, nada, and I can't understand almost anything here. I bought a computer and am lucky I don't crash it on an hourly basis, so here's my plea. Can anyone be kind enough to direct me to where I need to go, or what I need to read, to learn about this incrediable new world? I really would love to become literate! Thanks for any advise you may have.

[stflook]

That is an extrememly vague question. There is so much to know about the world of computers that you couldn't possibly know all of it. For simply becoming computer-literate, I would recommend you look at buying a book from the "For Dummies" series. They make everything really easy, and you can learn from them really quick. I know they have a book "PCs for Dummies". That sounds like it's exactly what you're looking for. If you want to know other things, you will have to be more specific with your question.

[aarobonob]

ok..so i'm gonna be lazy cuz i know someone else will post more direct links... but this will teach you another lesson. to learn about comptuers, you must put in effort.

here are some pointers:
-read every newbie questions' post... catalog this info in your head then don't know a word? find a way to look it up. i'll get to that more
-search for "hackers" at yahoo... a better term might be "hackers not crackers" and such thing slike that.. alotof the time you will get "script kiddies" pages...which are those who are bent on destroying other people's systems and information just for some dumb fun. YOu may get the "crackers" pages, which are those who actually understand what they are doing and still act malicoulsy.. but when you get past all these, you will learn a little from the true hackers perhaps?
-visit local book shops and second hand places.. i go to a good will store or soemthing like that and buy computer books..most are "out dated" but almost all architecture of computers has beeen the same minus the new ME/XP anti-DOS scheme and Pentium four specifics. (if you don't know any of these words, just ask us here too )
-take junk from people... this is the best.. get old computers that don't work..they may still work or have glitches or something. then you can ask for advice on how to "fix" them... if all else fails, take them apart and just look at them.. take out the big box that pyou put your floppy disks in...count the number of pins and holes in the cords... take out the cdrom or harddrive...follow the cord... notice how many pins there is there.. this is an IDE cable.. anyways..
-finally, read what the next guy has to say...i'm sure h'ell be more apt to showing you websites and stuff..when i learned what i do know (which isn't uqite a lot) i didn't have the advantage of the net my first computer was a commodore 64/ vic 20.. perhaps you may not know what this is, but others will

and always, always feel free to ask even the dumbest questions on this board, because hey, we've asked them too..how else woould anyone here know this?

good'ay...

[Alcatraz]

Congrads on finding this site if you don't know anything about computers. This means you know how to use the internet, a very good thing to know. What operating system do you have? Windows?

Hmm...like stflook said, just go get a "For Dummies" book. I've never liked the title but they give some good information.

[stflook]

If she doesn't know anything about computers, she has Windows in one form or another. If it's a new machine, it's probably Windows ME (ewww...). If it's really new, it could have Windows XP (ewww...). Either way, ewww.....

[eesy]

the fact that you want to learn is all you need, i know very little compared to most guys on this site (and i'm sure many others are newbies also) but i'm learning everyday.

great job finding this site, because it has everything you need to get started and continue into really tricky stuff and completely understanding your computer

like stflook said, i would read about whatever you want to know about. Then play around with what you learn, this stuff is fun, take what you learned and do something with it. Experiance is the best teacher.

[briareus]

--> Hi notaclue, I too am a newbie, relatively speaking. Anyway, as MsMittens above explained, you can go to numerous sites and conduct numerous searches to find all sorts of info. However, while I have found alot out there, I have found most right here in AntiOnline, where I read the different posts alot, and don't forget to revisit posts after a time, as you may learn more in the meantime to give a new perspective to that which you have already read.

--> There is an awful to learn in the Forum, but in the Live security chat you can learn alot too. Just remember in the live chat to listen more than talk. You will get a feel for HOW security is approached, and may even learn nuts-and-bolts stuff too.

--> If you have a PC, I'd suggest these books (originally recommended to me by MsMittens, who is very knowledgeable):

->"Troubleshooting, Maintaining, & Repairing PCs" by Bigelow (get newest edition. I tend to keep this book handy)

->"All-In-One A+ Certification Guide" by Meyers (this book tends to sit open on my computer desk like a reference bible)

-> Also, for general theory and some VERY INTERESTING security information, find "Security Engineering" by Ross Anderson (get it before its banned--lol)

-> "CERT Guide to System and Network Security Practices" another good book, written in general terms so as to apply to different systems.

--> As with anything, practice, practice. You may find information by looking at various testing sites that show you your systems vulnerabilities, such as www.grc.com (run the shields test and others)

--> One more note, notaclue. You should post a reply here and tell us what system you are using, you may find you get more specific information.

[stflook]

Don't you think most of those books are a bit advanced for somebody just trying to become computer-literate? After all, you have to learn to walk before you can learn to fly. Computers are no different.

[tripstone]

If ya wanna learn the basics...DO NOT...I repeat...DO NOT even start to think about wasting your hard earned cash on the For Dummies series...you will still be a dummy...I "picked up" a JAVA FOR DUMMIES programming book...what a waste of my time...the basic thing in the book was how to download premade apllets and configure them...in all there were about ten lines of Java code learnt...I have read other For Dummy books as well and was equally disappointed...the O'Reilly In a Nutshell are very handy books as are The Bible series...but please do not waste your time...my two cents...hope your not offended Stflook...

[stflook]

Well, I'm certainly not offended. After all, you're entitled to your opinion just as much as I am. And given the wide range of topics he "For Dummies" series covers, there is no way one person could be writing them all, so there are bound to be lemons out there. How could I possibly be offended by you reporting one of them? However, I have the book "Firewalls for Dummies", and I found a lot of stuff that I didn't know before. So at least some of them do have educational value. Plus, they're written in layman's terms, so just about anybody can understand them.