Part A: Computer operations
Basic computer operations
Key takeaways
- Installing an application means obtaining the installer, running it and accepting the licence terms, choosing a location and optional components, completing the install (restarting if required) and finishing any first-run setup.
- Uninstall through the operating system's installed-apps or programs management screen; simply deleting the application's files leaves stray configuration and registry data behind.
- The operating system manages the device's hardware and is the platform every application runs on, which is why the same application often needs a separate installer for Windows, macOS or a mobile OS.
- A deleted file goes to the recoverable Recycle Bin or Trash first, and only then is it removed permanently.
- Safely eject a USB flash drive or external hard drive before unplugging it: ejecting flushes any pending buffered writes and closes open handles, preventing file corruption.
Before using any application, a user needs to be comfortable operating the device itself. This short opening chapter covers installing software, understanding how the operating system relates to it, managing files, and working with storage and peripheral devices, the practical baseline the rest of this paper assumes.
Installing software
Typical application installation steps
1. Obtain the installer (a download, or physical/USB media)
2. Run the installer and accept the licence terms
3. Choose an install location and any optional components
4. Complete installation and, where required, restart the device
5. Launch the application and complete any first-run setup (e.g. sign-in, default settings)
Uninstalling follows the reverse path, through the operating system's own installed-apps/programs management screen, rather than simply deleting the application's files, which typically leaves behind stray configuration and registry data.
Operating systems and applications
The operating system (Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS) manages the device's hardware and provides the platform every application runs on top of; an application cannot run without a compatible operating system beneath it, and must be built (or at least packaged) for the specific operating system it will run on, which is why the same application often needs a separate installer for Windows, macOS or a mobile OS.
Managing files and folders
- Creating a new folder to organise related files together
- Renaming, moving and copying files and folders
- Deleting files (to a recoverable Recycle Bin/Trash first, then permanently)
- Searching for a file by name or content
- Viewing and sorting files by name, date modified, size or type
Using external storage
An external storage device (a USB flash drive, an external hard drive) should be safely ejected through the operating system, not simply unplugged, before physical removal, since the OS may still be writing buffered data to it; ejecting first flushes any pending writes and closes open handles, preventing file corruption. A new device may also need to be formatted (prepared with a file system) before first use.
Peripheral devices
Exam tip
The safe-ejection step is a small but frequently tested practical detail, be ready to explain specifically why skipping it risks data loss (unwritten buffered data), not just that it is "good practice".
Self-check
(a) Outline the typical steps followed when installing an application program. (5 marks)
(b) Explain why an application cannot simply be deleted by removing its files, and state the correct way to uninstall it. (3 marks)
(c) Explain why a USB flash drive should be safely ejected before physical removal, rather than simply unplugged. (2 marks)
(d) State two peripheral devices commonly used alongside a word processor or spreadsheet, and the role each plays. (2 marks)
Show worked answer
(a) 1. Obtain the installer. 2. Run the installer and accept the licence terms. 3. Choose an install location and optional components. 4. Complete installation and restart if required. 5. Launch the application and complete any first-run setup.
(b) Simply deleting the application's files typically leaves behind stray configuration and registry data, since the installer wrote entries beyond the files themselves. The correct way is through the operating system's own installed-apps/programs management screen.
(c) The operating system may still be writing buffered data to the drive; ejecting first flushes any pending writes and closes open handles, preventing file corruption.
(d) Any two of: keyboard/mouse (primary input for text entry and navigation); printer (outputs a document or worksheet to paper); scanner (converts a physical document into a digital file); external monitor/projector (extends the display for presenting a document or worksheet).