Skills Lab 1: Know Your Machine
Practice stations: set up a workstation, find a PC's specs, build and back up a folder tree, change settings and fix planted faults.
⌨️ Start with your 10-minute typing warm-upBy the end, you will be able to:
- Connect a monitor, keyboard, mouse and headset to the right ports, start a computer safely, prove each part works and shut it down properly.
- Find and record a PC's processor, RAM, storage and free space, take a screenshot, and build a correctly named folder tree from a ZIP file, backed up to a USB drive that they eject safely.
- Change three settings and put them back exactly, and find and fix two faults using the R-C-S-A fix-it habit, describing a problem clearly.
What you need
No computer at home? Print the PDF and practise on paper.
Follow these steps in order
Tick each step when you finish it. Your ticks are saved on this device, so you can stop and come back later.
Typing check ⏱️ 10 min
Do the 3-minute typing check on page 1 and write down your speed and accuracy.
Stations 1 and 2 ⏱️ 30 min
Do the tasks on pages 2 and 3 on a real computer. Watch the time limit, then tick the checklist honestly.
Explore the 3D lab ⏱️ 15 min
Play with the 3D model below. The 🎯 missions tell you exactly what to do next (this session has two labs). When you finish every mission, this step ticks itself.
Fix and re-try ⏱️ 15 min
Go back to any station you did not finish or got wrong, and try it again. Then fill in your score sheet on page 6.
Finished? Check your answers
Station 1 (Page 2): monitor: HDMI or VGA (whichever the PC and monitor share); keyboard and mouse: USB-A; headset: audio jack (green for sound out, pink for the microphone on desktops) or USB. Start-up order: power strip (adult), system unit, monitor. Tests: typing in Notepad, opening Start with the mouse, a sound in the headset. Shut down from Start → Power → Shut down.
Station 2 (Page 3): values depend on the PC; they must match Settings → System → About and This PC. Photos sum: free GB × 1,000 ÷ 4 (for example 80 GB free → about 20,000 photos). Memory or storage: more RAM helps most, because many open tabs fill the worktable; a bigger drive is a bigger storeroom, not a bigger table.
Station 3 (Page 4):
Documents > Portfolio_YourName > Writing > English_Poem_YourName.txt,Pictures > Art_GhanaFlag_YourName.png,Specs > Specs_YourName.txt, with an identical copy of the whole folder on the pen drive, and the drive ejected with the "Safe to remove hardware" message.Station 4 (Page 5): Part A: each setting is back to its "Before" value. With UK layout, Shift + 2 types
"; with US layout it types@. The extra layout has been removed. Part B: depends on the faults you planted; the log should name the symptom, the step (usually S for mute, Airplane mode, Wi-Fi, Caps Lock, Num Lock, Windows + P; C for an unplugged receiver or cable) and the exact fix. A good help description has what I did, what I see, the error (or "no error message") and what I tried.Rate yourself and save your work ⏱️ 5 min
Tick how confident you feel on the last page, then press 🖨 Print / Save as PDF in the workbook to keep a copy. On a shared computer, press Clear my answers when you have saved it.
🎉 Session 10 complete!
Brilliant work. Next up: Session 11: The Internet & Your Browser.
Go to Session 11 →🔌 Plug It In
Connect a monitor, printer, headset, webcam and more to the right ports, pair a Bluetooth headset and set up a projector. Follow the 🎯 missions on the right: they tell you what to do next.
🛠️ Fix-It Workshop
A computer with problems: no sound, no internet, a frozen app, a full drive. Follow the fix-it habit to find and fix each one. Follow the 🎯 missions on the right: they tell you what to do next.
Stuck? Try this
Most problems are one missed word. Look for the Panic Button or Help box in the workbook.
Refresh the page. On a very old computer it may not show 3D. The workbook still has everything you need.
Answers save on the computer you typed them on. Open the workbook on that same computer and browser.
Ask your mentor, a teacher or a friend. Show them the step number you are on.