So if you have some speakers sitting around your house, blow off the dust and lets get them setup. As a quick FYI, I realize that you may not have my exact speaker system but connecting speakers to any computer is just a general task. They only thing that might change is wiring color and the amount of options that your system provides.

Setting up speaker placement

If you have a surround sound system with more then just 2 speakers it would be wise to lay them out ahead of time. You may find that you have to move certain things so that the wire coming from the speakers can connect to your system.

Connecting wires to your speakers

The above 2 images are the back of the amplifier that is connected to my speaker’s subwoofer. The top image is where the surround sound speakers connect to the amplifier itself. The bottom image is where the wiring connects from the amplifier to the computer. The green, black and orange ports are what we are concerned with in the bottom image.

My speakers came with the appropriate wires and this is what they look like halfway plugged into the amplifier. This is only to show you the color coordination! When setting up your speakers make sure you push the plugs all the way into the ports.

Connecting the speakers to your computer

If you look at the back of the computer case you may see something similar to the above 2 images. The image on the left is known as the I/O panel and is where you connect your mouse, printer, keyboard and other devices to your computer. The image on the right is located directly below the I/O panel and is showing you the sound card that is installed in the computer.

Notice the pink, green, blue, orange, black and gray circles in each image? These are connections for audio devices such as speakers, microphones, head phones and so on. Most computers newer then 3 years old will contain the 6 different colors. If your computer is older it may only contain 3 ports for audio and they could be one solid color or different colors.

If you enlarge the picture by clicking on it you may be able to notice icons located next to each colored circle. They are hard to distinguish in the picture but they are different and there is a good chance that your computer has icons next to each audio port as well. Typically the pink audio port is designated for a microphone while the other colored ports are designated for speakers and other devices.

All that I had to do to connect the speakers to my computer was plug the wires coming out of my amplifier in the corresponding colored audio ports on the back of my computer. As stated earlier I have not plugged in the wires all the way in order to show you the color matching. Make sure you plug the wires in all the way when connecting your speakers to your computer.

If you do not have a sound card to connect your speakers to your computer as in the above image you should be able to connect them into the audio ports on the I/O panel as I suggested earlier. Your speaker system may only contain one wire as well to connect to your computer. Should you only have one wire to connect to your computer you can try 2 things.

The first is just starting up a CD or movie on your computer and leave the sound on but low and try plugging the cord into each of the 3 ports. The second method is to consult your owner’s manual if one came with your computer. You can generally find a small booklet explaining what the ports are on the I/O panel and where speakers should be connected.

]]> http://computerlearningguides.com/how-to-connect-speakers-to-your-computer/feed 0 http://computerlearningguides.com/how-to-organize-your-desktop http://computerlearningguides.com/how-to-organize-your-desktop#comments Sat, 08 Nov 2008 03:34:58 +0000 Jarret http://computerlearningguides.com/?p=190 After owning your computer for awhile most likely your desktop has become filled with files, images and programs that you once downloaded. Maybe you still need to keep some of them but your desktop is not the place where they belong. You are not alone though, it is quite common for this to happen to most computer users and even I am guilty of it.

So I decided to write up this guide to teach you how to delete stuff from your desktop, arrange files, organize files and overall just keep a nice clean desktop that allows you to easily find what you are looking for.

How to delete files on your desktop

This is quite easy and is the same process as you would normally use to delete a file. Although there are a few ways to go about it.

• Right click the file you want to delete and select Delete from the menu
• Select the file that you would like to delete and hit the Delete button on your keyboard
• Click and drag the file you want to delete onto the Recycle Bin located on your desktop

Quick Tip: Instead of having the file go to your Recycle Bin you can have it deleted permanently by holding down the Shift key and the hitting the Delete button.

How to organize files on your desktop

Now that you have gotten rid of unused icons and files on your desktop it’s time to arrange the remaining files into a more organized pattern.

If you are using Windows XP right click on your desktop and mouse over Arrange Icons By to see the available options.

The above image shows you the available options that you have to arrange icons on your desktop. The word icon just represents the files, folders and images that are on your desktop. While most of the options are self explanatory I will give a quick overview of some of them.

• Align to Grid – If you drag the icons around you may notice that they “stick” to a certain invisible line on your desktop. This is know as the grid and checking this feature will keep them lined up in a straight line
• Lock Web Items on Desktop – Prevents you from moving the icons on your desktop
• Run Desktop Cleanup Wizard – A Windows program that can help you remove items that you have not used in a long time

Windows Vista will give you the same options just split between 2 different menus after right clicking on your desktop.

How to add icons to your desktop

I realize this kind of goes against the whole point of this guide but it can help you in making things a bit more organized and provide access to your most used applications and programs. Instead of having to click through all the different levels of the Start Menu you can add an icon straight onto your desktop.

Manuever your way to your favorite program that you commonly access in the Start Menu as in the above image. Click on the icon or name of the program and then drag and drop it onto your desktop in order to create a shortcut to that program. Thats it! Now the next time you want to access that program just find it on your desktop and open it up.

Hate the image or color on your desktop background and want something more you? Learn how to change your desktop background.

Windows XP and Vista have slightly different ways to go about changing the screen resolution so I decided to post up both methods for those of you using one or the other.

Change Your Resolution In Windows XP

1. Click on Start and then click on Control Panel
2. Click on Appearance and Themes
3. Click on Change the screen resolution
4. If your monitor and video card support a larger resolution drag the slider to the right
5. Click Apply, the screen should flash quickly and your new settings should be in place
6. Click OK and you are all set

Try out different resolutions to see which will suit you best. You may find that one particular resolution is perfect for you while the next one is either too small or too big.

Change Your Resolution In Windows Vista

1. Right click on your desktop and select Personalize
2. Click on Display Settings
3. Move the slider either left or right to change the resolution
4. Click Apply, the screen should flash quickly and your new settings should be in place
5. Click OK and you are all set

Again, you may find that one resolution will suit you better then another. Try them all out should your video card and monitor support it to find the best resolution to fit your needs.

Finding the proper resolution can reduce eye strain as well as reduce headaches because it will be easier for you to read the text and see other items.

There are both schools online and offline that provide computer programming degrees. The AmericanIntercontinentalUniversity offers a Bachelor of Information Technology that focuses in Programming. A degree in computer programming will teach you how to build a dynamic user interface, employ desing architecture, develop test documentation and the requirements process to develop software specifications.

Baker College provides online courses in computer programming along with computer information systems and computer science degrees. Whether you choose to get your degree online of offline, computer programmers will always be needed. Advancements in software allow programmers to create exciting new technologies everyday that benefit the rest of the world.

Further Resources

InsideTech Degree and Certification Programs

Free Guide To $38 Million In Scholarships

GCFLearnFree.org – GCFLearnFree provides many different classes for computer training. Their classes last 3 weeks letting your work at your own pace while providing access to your class at any time. Lessons and assignments are posted each week while instructors review assignments and answer questions on the discussion boards.

Some of the classes that you find find at GCFLearnFree.org are Excel 2007, Word 2003, and PowerPoint 2007.

Jefferson High School – Located in Los Angeles, Jefferson High School lists a wide array of free online computer lessons. Many of their lessons that they have accumulated come from school districts around the country and they have provided a great list of resources just for you.

You can learn MS Office Basics, Excel, Photoshop, PowerPoint and more. Whether you are looking for information on how to use the internet or an introduction to FTP you can find it all here.

EducationOnlineForComputers.com – Specializing in online training for computer software, you can get free lessons on how to use some of today’s most essential sofware.

• Microsoft Word
• Microsoft PowerPoint
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They provide both free and subscription based computer software training. The free lessons are of high quality but if you are looking for a little bit extra knowledge you may want to spend the money for the subscription.