Getting to know your computer and phone: hardware, operating systems, files and folders

You don't need to be "good with computers" to use them well at work. You need a few basic ideas, and the confidence to explore. This lesson covers the parts of a device, what an operating system does, and how to keep your files where you can find them.

Hardware: the parts you can touch

• Processor (CPU): the device's brain. A faster processor runs programs more smoothly.
• Memory (RAM): short-term working space. More memory lets you keep more apps or browser tabs open without slowing down.
• Storage: where files and apps are kept, measured in gigabytes (GB). When storage is full, the device slows down and can't save new files.
• Screen, keyboard, mouse or trackpad, camera, microphone and speakers: the ways you put information in and get it out.
• Ports and connections: USB, charging, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

A smartphone has all the same parts, just smaller.

Software: the operating system and apps

The operating system runs the whole device and lets you start other programs. Common ones are Windows and macOS on computers, and Android and iOS on phones. Apps (or programs) do specific jobs: a browser for the internet, a word processor for documents, WhatsApp for messages.

Keep your operating system and apps updated. Updates fix security problems as well as adding features. Course T3 explains why this matters.

Files and folders

A file is one saved item: a letter, a photo, a spreadsheet. A folder holds files, and can hold other folders. A clear folder structure saves hours of searching.

A simple structure for work:

• Business
• Customers
• Invoices (with a folder per year)
• Marketing
• Suppliers
• Templates

Name files so you can find them

Use names that say what the file is and when: 2026-10 Invoice 014 Dube Catering.pdf is better than Document1.pdf. Starting with the date (year first) keeps files in order.

Basic skills to practise

• Create, rename, move and delete a folder.
• Save a file into the right folder, not just "Downloads".
• Search for a file by name.
• Use copy (Ctrl+C or Cmd+C) and paste (Ctrl+V or Cmd+V).
• Check how much storage is free, and delete files you don't need.

A South African example

Precious started an online clothing business from her phone in Mthatha. Photos, invoices and supplier quotes were all mixed together in her gallery and downloads. She spent one afternoon creating folders for each type of file and renaming her invoices by date and customer. When a customer disputed a payment, she found the invoice in seconds.