| Introduction | 1 |
| About This Book | 1 |
| Foolish Assumptions | 2 |
| Where to Start | 2 |
| Conventions Used in This Book | 3 |
| Icons Used in This Book | 4 |
| Where to Go from Here | 5 |
| Part 1 | Hello, Computer! | 7 |
| Chapter 1 | Computer 101 | 9 |
| The Fast Idiot | 10 |
| What a computer does | 10 |
| Hardware and software | 11 |
| Doubtless, You Have Some Questions | 11 |
| "What is a PC?" | 12 |
| "Do I need a laptop?" | 12 |
| "Can you be more specific?" | 12 |
| "Why not just use a tablet or smartphone instead of a computer?" | 12 |
| "Seriously, can a computer explode?" | 13 |
| Buy That Computer! | 13 |
| Step 1: Determine what you want the computer to do | 14 |
| Step 2: Choosing between a desktop and a laptop | 14 |
| Step 3: Calculate how much hardware you need | 15 |
| Step 4: Locate service and support | 15 |
| Step 5: Buy it! | 16 |
| What to Do with Old Computers | 16 |
| Disposing of a geezer desktop PC | 16 |
| Discarding that old laptop | 17 |
| A Final Thing to Remember | 17 |
| Chapter 2 | The PC Tour | 19 |
| The Many Shapes of PC | 19 |
| Around the Desktop PC | 21 |
| Exploring a typical computer system | 21 |
| Finding interesting things on the box's front | 23 |
| Stuff found on a desktop PCs rump | 24 |
| The I/O panel | 26 |
| Laptop Exploration | 27 |
| Chapter 3 | Setup, Connections, and Power | 31 |
| Desktop PC Assembly | 31 |
| Finding a place for the computer box | 32 |
| Setting the monitor | 32 |
| Laptop Setup | 33 |
| The Plug-In Guide | 35 |
| Plugging in the monitor | 36 |
| Attaching the keyboard and mouse to a desktop PC | 37 |
| Connecting to a wired network | 38 |
| Hooking up a printer | 38 |
| Adding audio stuff | 38 |
| It Must Have Power | 39 |
| Plugging everything into a power strip | 39 |
| Taking advantage of a UPS | 41 |
| Using the UPS (a short play) | 43 |
| Chapter 4 | To Turn On a Computer | 45 |
| Turn On the Computer | 45 |
| Powering on a desktop PC | 45 |
| Turning on a laptop | 46 |
| Here Comes Windows | 47 |
| Identifying yourself | 48 |
| Staring at the desktop | 49 |
| Working the taskbar | 50 |
| Accessing the Start menu | 51 |
| Settings and Controls | 52 |
| Summoning the Action Center | 52 |
| Using the Settings app | 53 |
| Visiting the Control Panel | 55 |
| Chapter 5 | To Turn Off a Computer | 57 |
| Goodnight, Computer | 57 |
| Finding the Windows power options | 58 |
| Putting the computer to sleep | 60 |
| Hibernating the computer | 51 |
| Shutting down the computer | 62 |
| Restarting the PC | 63 |
| Locking Windows | 63 |
| Signing out of Windows | 54 |
| Switching to another user | 64 |
| Shutdown Options and Configuration | 65 |
| Setting the power button's function | 65 |
| Determining what happens when you shut a laptop's lid | 67 |
| Should You Leave the Computer On All the Time? | 68 |
| "I want to leave my computer off all the time" | 68 |
| "I want to leave my computer on all the time" | 68 |
| Keeping a laptop on all the time | 69 |
| Part 2 | A Non-Nerdy Guide to Computer Hardware | 71 |
| Chapter 6 | A Peek Inside the Box | 73 |
| Computer Guts | 73 |
| Looking under the hood | 74 |
| Powering Mr. Computer | 75 |
| Lurking on the motherboard | 76 |
| Storing mass storage devices | 77 |
| The Processor Rules the Motherboard | 78 |
| Understanding the processor's role | 78 |
| Naming PC processors | 79 |
| Measuring processor speed | 79 |
| Discovering your PC's processor | 79 |
| Your Computer Is Also a Timepiece | 81 |
| Chapter 7 | Computer Memory | 83 |
| Random Access Memory | 83 |
| One Byte at a Time | 85 |
| Memory Chips and Dips | 87 |
| Memory Q&A | 88 |
| "How much memory is in my PC right now?" | 88 |
| "Do I have enough memory?" | 89 |
| "Does my PC have enough memory?" | 89 |
| "Can I test whether my PC has enough memory?" | 89 |
| "Can I add memory to my computer?" | 90 |
| "Will the computer ever run out of memory?" | 90 |
| "What is virtual memory?" | 90 |
| "What is video memory?" | 91 |
| Chapter 8 | Disks and Drives | 93 |
| The Mass Storage System | 93 |
| Reviewing mass storage types | 95 |
| Measuring mass storage | 96 |
| Connecting mass storage | 96 |
| Removable Media | 97 |
| Adding storage | 97 |
| Ejecting storage media | 98 |
| Unmounting an external drive | 100 |
| Mass Storage Alphabet Soup | 101 |
| Handing out drive letters | 101 |
| Exploring drive icons and names | 104 |
| Checking drive capacity | 104 |
| Using mass storage | 106 |
| Chapter 9 | The PCs Graphics System | 107 |
| Graphical Guts | 107 |
| Discovering the display adapter | 109 |
| Attaching the monitor | 110 |
| The Monitor, the Screen, the Display | 111 |
| Classifying monitor types | 112 |
| Measuring a monitor | 112 |
| Reading monitor messages | 114 |
| Working the monitor's controls | 114 |
| Windows Controls What You See | 115 |
| Setting monitor resolution | 115 |
| Adding more monitors | 116 |
| Orienting a monitor | 118 |
| Chapter 10 | Input This! | 121 |
| Meet Mr. Keyboard | 121 |
| Attaching a keyboard | 121 |
| Examining the typical PC keyboard | 122 |
| Reviewing laptop keyboard layout | 124 |
| Controlling keyboard behavior keys | 126 |
| Finding the laptop's secret numeric keypad | 126 |
| The Pointing Device | 128 |
| Connecting a pointing device | 129 |
| Reviewing basic mouse parts | 129 |
| Moving the mouse | 131 |
| Using a touchpad | 131 |
| Wielding a digital pen | 132 |
| Changing pointing device settings | 134 |
| Touchscreen Input | 135 |
| Reviewing touchscreen techniques | 136 |
| Typing on a touchscreen | 137 |
| Voice Input | 138 |
| Chapter 11 | System Expansion | 141 |
| The Versatile USB Port | 141 |
| Reviewing USB standards - and colors | 142 |
| Knowing the USB cable connector varieties | 143 |
| Adding and removing USB peripherals | 144 |
| Using hubs to expand the USB universe | 145 |
| Working with USB-powered gizmos | 146 |
| Expansion Slots | 146 |
| Shopping for expansion cards | 147 |
| Installing an expansion card | 147 |
| Wireless Connections with Bluetooth | 148 |
| Accessing Bluetooth controls | 149 |
| Pairing a Bluetooth peripheral | 150 |
| Unpairing a Bluetooth device | 152 |
| The Laptop Becomes a Desktop | 152 |
| Using a full-size keyboard and mouse | 152 |
| Adding a monitor | 153 |
| Running the laptop with its lid closed | 154 |
| Chapter 12 | P Is for Printer | 155 |
| Step Aside, Gutenberg | 155 |
| Surveying the printer landscape | 156 |
| Touring the typical printer | 156 |
| Drinking ink | 157 |
| Eating paper | 158 |
| Choosing the proper paper | 159 |
| The Union of Printer and PC | 160 |
| Connecting the printer | 160 |
| Finding printers in Windows | 161 |
| Adding a printer manually | 162 |
| Setting the default printer | 163 |
| Printer Operation | 164 |
| Printing a wonderful whatever | 164 |
| Printing when you don't have a printer | 165 |
| Stopping a printer run amok | 166 |
| Chapter 13 | Webcams, Scanners, and Audio | 167 |
| The Computer Is Watching You | 168 |
| Obtaining a webcam | 168 |
| Attaching the webcam | 169 |
| Securing the webcam | 169 |
| The Document Scanner | 170 |
| Computer Goes Beep | 171 |
| Setting up speakers | 172 |
| Using headphones | 174 |
| Configuring the speakers in Windows | 174 |
| Shhh - It's Listening to You! | 176 |
| Exploring microphone options and connections | 176 |
| Configuring the microphone | 177 |
| Securing the microphone | 177 |
| Part 3 | Network and Internet Stuff | 179 |
| Chapter 14 | The Networking Thing | 181 |
| The Big Networking Picture | 181 |
| Make the Network Connection | 185 |
| Connecting to a wired network | 185 |
| Accessing a Wi-Fi network | 186 |
| Connecting to a hidden Wi-Fi network | 187 |
| Checking and setting the network type | 188 |
| Break the Network Connection | 189 |
| Disconnecting from a wired network | 190 |
| Releasing the Wi-Fi connection | 190 |
| Forgetting a Wi-Fi connection | 191 |
| Chapter 15 | The Internet | 193 |
| What Is the Internet? | 193 |
| Internet Access | 194 |
| It's a World Wide Web We Weave | 195 |
| Finding another web browser | 195 |
| Browsing tips | 196 |
| Going undercover on the web | 196 |
| Searching-the-web tips | 198 |
| Stealing an image from a web page | 198 |
| Copying text from a web page | 199 |
| Printing web pages | 199 |
| Sharing a web page | 200 |
| Email Messages | 200 |
| Using an email program | 201 |
| Configuring email | 201 |
| Chapter 16 | Files from Elsewhere | 203 |
| Files Lurking on the Local Network | 203 |
| Activating Network Discovery | 204 |
| Accessing a network folder | 206 |
| Mapping a shared folder | 206 |
| Sharing a folder | 208 |
| Cloud Storage Synchronization | 209 |
| Understanding cloud storage | 209 |
| Exploring cloud storage options | 210 |
| Integrating cloud storage | 211 |
| Sharing a file from cloud storage | 212 |
| Chapter 17 | Internet Safety | 215 |
| Behind the Firewall | 216 |
| Finding the firewall | 216 |
| Dealing with a firewall warning | 217 |
| Beware the Bogus Website | 218 |
| Checking the website's security | 218 |
| Avoiding a phishing attack | 220 |
| Part 4 | On the go with Your Laptop | 223 |
| Chapter 18 | Portable Power | 225 |
| The Battery Will Get a Charge Out of This! | 226 |
| Using the battery (or not) | 226 |
| Monitoring the battery | 227 |
| Charging the battery | 229 |
| Replacing the battery | 230 |
| When the Power Gets Low | 230 |
| Setting low-battery warnings | 230 |
| Using the Battery Saver | 233 |
| Reviewing the power management plan | 234 |
| Chapter 19 | O, the Places You'll Go | 235 |
| In the Bag | 236 |
| Features to look for | 236 |
| Things to pack in your laptop bag | 237 |
| Flying with Your Laptop | 238 |
| Things to do before you leave | 238 |
| Laptop inspection | 238 |
| All aboard! | 239 |
| Air power | 240 |
| Airplane mode | 240 |
| In-flight Wi-Fi | 241 |
| Arriving at your destination | 241 |
| Café Computing | 242 |
| Find a good seat | 242 |
| Other tips 'n' stuff | 243 |
| In a Hotel Room | 243 |
| Mind the Laptop's Temperature | 244 |
| Chapter 20 | A More Secure Laptop | 245 |
| The Hot Laptop | 245 |
| Before Your Laptop Is Stolen | 246 |
| Attaching the laptop to something sturdy | 246 |
| Marking your laptop | 247 |
| Registering the laptop and its software | 247 |
| Paying attention to your environment | 248 |
| Protect Your Data with a Strong Password | 248 |
| The Laptop Reset | 250 |
| Part 5 | Security and Maintenance | 253 |
| Chapter 21 | System Security | 255 |
| The Windows Security Center | 255 |
| The Malware Scourge | 258 |
| Doing a virus scan | 259 |
| Dealing with a quarantined file | 260 |
| Paying attention to the UAC warnings | 261 |
| Keep Windows Up-to-Date | 262 |
| Checking the update status | 262 |
| Postponing a Windows update | 263 |
| Exploring other updates and upgrades | 264 |
| Your Privacy | 265 |
| Locking the screen | 255 |
| Reviewing Windows privacy settings | 266 |
| Chapter 22 | An All-Important Safety Copy | 267 |
| Back Up Your Data | 268 |
| Obtaining backup storage | 268 |
| Configuring File History | 269 |
| Checking the backup schedule | 270 |
| Using cloud backup | 271 |
| The Restore Operation | 272 |
| Restoring an older version | 272 |
| Restoring more than a single file | 274 |
| Chapter 23 | Maintenance Chores | 277 |
| Mass Storage Duties | 278 |
| Checking storage | 278 |
| Freeing storage space | 278 |
| Checking for errors | 281 |
| Running defrag | 282 |
| Network Troubleshooting | 284 |
| The Windows Do-Over | 285 |
| General Cleaning | 286 |
| Keeping it clean | 286 |
| Vacuuming the keyboard | 287 |
| Cleansing the screen | 287 |
| Part 6 | The Part of Tens | 289 |
| Chapter 24 | Ten Computer Commandments | 291 |
| I | Thou Shalt Not Fear Thy PC | 291 |
| II | Thou Shalt Save Thy Work | 292 |
| III | Thou Shalt Back Up Thy Files | 292 |
| IV | That Shalt Not Open or Delete Things Unknownst | 292 |
| V | Thou Shalt Not Be a Sucker | 293 |
| VI | Thou Shalt Use Antivirus Software, Yea Verily, and Keepeth It Up-to-Date | 293 |
| VII | Thou Shalt Upgrade Wisely | 293 |
| VIII | Thou Shalt Compute at a Proper Posture | 294 |
| IX | Thou Shalt Keepeth Windows Up-to-Date | 294 |
| X | Thou Shalt Properly Shut Down Windows | 295 |
| Chapter 25 | Ten Battery-Saving Tips and Tricks | 297 |
| Don't Drop the Battery, Get It Wet, Short It, Play Keep-Away with It, Open It, Burn It, or Throw It Away | 298 |
| Reduce the Screen's Brightness | 298 |
| Keep the Laptop Cool | 299 |
| Keep Memory Empty | 299 |
| Disable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth | 300 |
| Change the Power Mode | 300 |
| Understand That Batteries Drain Over Time! | 300 |
| Deal with the Low-Battery Warning | 301 |
| Remember the Battery Saver! | 301 |
| Plug the Laptop into the Wall | 301 |
| Chapter 26 | Ten Handy Laptop Accessories | 303 |
| Laptop Bag or Travel Case | 304 |
| External Storage | 304 |
| Cooling Pad | 304 |
| Laptop Stand | 305 |
| Minivac | 305 |
| USB Lamp | 305 |
| Full-Size Keyboard and External Mouse | 306 |
| Privacy Screen Filter | 306 |
| ID Card or Return Service Sticker | 307 |
| Theft-Prevention System | 307 |
| Chapter 27 | Ten Things to Throw in Your Laptop Bag | 309 |
| Power Cord and Brick | 310 |
| Mouse or Digital Pen | 310 |
| Screen Wipes and Cleaner | 310 |
| Laptop Lock | 310 |
| Removable Media | 311 |
| Headphones | 311 |
| Spare Batteries | 311 |
| Office Supplies | 312 |
| Cables, Cables, Cables | 312 |
| Not the End of the List | 313 |
| Chapter 28 | Ten Tips from a PC Guru | 315 |
| Remember That You're in Charge | 315 |
| Mind Who "Helps" You | -316 |
| Give Yourself Time to team | 316 |
| Create Separate Accounts | 317 |
| Mind What You Download | 317 |
| Organize Your Files | 318 |
| Don't Reinstall Windows | 318 |
| Shun the Hype | 319 |
| Keep on Learning | 319 |
| Remember Not to Take This Computer Stuff Too Seriously | 320 |
| Index | 321 |
