My First Computer Essay, Research Paper

My First Computer

Wow, what an experience it was to see for the first time a machine that could think!

This machine could do math, display graphics at the drop of a dime, and play two dimensional games (whic was all that was around back then). This wasn’t something that you normally saw. This was something that seemed to come straight out of a science fiction film. At least that was what I thought.

So my quest was clear to me. I was to learn how to manipulate a computer. So to start, all the computer nerds (such as myself) know that to run an old 286 (which was what I had) you need to know DOS. This is the toughest way to start. DOS is made up solely of typed command. Not like these point and click commands that we use in current times. At this point the mouse was just coming into to production, and was not very well-known. This is the time that I began to experiment with DOS. I started to teach myself how to do things such as run a program by typing it’s name and hitting enter (DOS’s simplest command). I also learned how to view the contents the contents of a hard drives directory by typing “dir” then pressing enter; this list of things that I learned to do with DOS goes on and on.

Then my dad brought me home a new computer. Man, I was excited! I waited outside for what seemed like hours for him to come home with it. It was a 486 with a 33 MHz processor, double speed CD-ROM drive, and 2400-baud modem. I was finally going to learn this new

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program called windows.. When I first put it all together I was in awe. This thing dwarfs my old computer, I thought. But this day was bitter-sweet. My sister, thinking that you had to push the CD-ROM tray for it to close, broke it’s tray (I nearly killed her). After this my next goal was to install a new CD-ROM. We sent the old one in (since it was still under warrantee) and had a new one sent out. I did go on and install my first piece of hardware; it was a thing of beauty. Now I was on my way. I was finally learning how to install components on a computer. One night while experimenting I accidentally erased my hard drive. So, as I have done before, I learned how to fix it. The only way to fix this problem was by first install DOS and then Windows, which I did.

After laying the groundwork for my knowledge of computers, I was to delve deeper into my quest for knowledge. I decided that I would never buy another computer. I would only build them myself. I tore apart my old computer and used it for scraps. Then I went out and bought new computer parts; a motherboard, central processing unit (CPU for short), etc. As usual, I ran into some difficulties; I went out to buy my CPU and bought the wrong on (this took me a few months to learn and get the right one). Finally, I built it (it was a Pentium 166 MHz in case you wanted to know). The feeling that I could rule the world was setting in at this point. Since then I have built many computers for other people and even built another one for myself (Pentium Celeron 333 MHz)

I have not yet completed my journey for computer knowledge. I’m still completely into learning computers n=in general. I now know hardware quite well, but I don’t know about software. Computers are still an awe-inspiring piece of work to me. I am now into learning

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programming and have too classes in the language of C++. Wow, what a feeling to work with a machine that thinks!