PCs For Dummies®, 11th Edition

PCs For Dummies®, 11th Edition

by Dan Gookin
Released September 2007
Publisher(s): For Dummies
ISBN: 9780470137284

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Book description

Over the 15 years since the first edition of PCs For Dummies, PCs have become immensely faster and more powerful. They have also sprouted new and wondrous capabilities at a dizzying pace. This 11th Edition of the all-time bestselling PC guide has been polished and honed to deliver everything you need to know about your twenty-first-century PC — from what plugs into what to adjusting your monitor to burning DVDs, and much more.

Whether you want to go online, install a firewall, live the digital life, or finally get a handle on the whole computer software concept, this fun, plain-English handbook is here to answer all your questions PC questions. You'll find out why Windows Vista is the way to go and how to use it to get everywhere else. And, you'll pick up Web and email tricks and learn about all the new levels of PC security. Discover how to:

  • Set up your PC

  • Use Vista menus

  • Store your stuff on Memory Cards

  • Record live TV

  • Download digital photos

  • Connect to a wireless network

  • Explore the Internet safely

  • Print perfect documents, photos, and more

  • Use your PC as the new hub of your digital world

Complete with helpful hints on how to avoid beginner mistakes, a list of extras and accessories you may want for your PC, and insider tips from a PC guru. PCs for Dummies, 11th Edition is the one PC accessory you can't do without.

Table of contents

  1. PCs For Dummies®, 11th Edition
    1. Copyright
    2. About the Author
    3. Contents at a Glance
    4. Table of Contents (1/3)
    5. Table of Contents (2/3)
    6. Table of Contents (3/3)
    7. Introduction
      1. What’s New in This Edition?
      2. Where to Start
      3. Conventions Used in This Book
      4. What You Don’t Need to Read
      5. Foolish Assumptions
      6. Icons Used in This Book
      7. Getting in Touch with the Author
      8. Where to Go from Here
    8. Part I: Your Computer Will Not Explode
      1. Chapter 1: A Painless Introduction to Computers (1/2)
      2. Chapter 1: A Painless Introduction to Computers (2/2)
        1. Simple Computer Concepts
        2. Hardware and Software
        3. The PC (As in PCs For Dummies)
        4. “Uh, About That Exploding Thing”
      3. Chapter 2: The Nerd’s-Eye View (1/3)
      4. Chapter 2: The Nerd’s-Eye View (2/3)
      5. Chapter 2: The Nerd’s-Eye View (3/3)
        1. PC Flavors
        2. Your Basic PC Hardware
        3. The Console Tour
      6. Chapter 3: PC Setup (1/3)
      7. Chapter 3: PC Setup (2/3)
      8. Chapter 3: PC Setup (3/3)
        1. Unpack the Boxes
        2. Set Up the Console First
        3. A General Guide to Plugging Things into the Console
        4. The Final Connection: Power
      9. Chapter 4: The Most Powerful Button (On-Off) (1/4)
      10. Chapter 4: The Most Powerful Button (On-Off) (2/4)
      11. Chapter 4: The Most Powerful Button (On-Off) (3/4)
      12. Chapter 4: The Most Powerful Button (On-Off) (4/4)
        1. Turn On Your PC
        2. Here Comes Windows!
        3. Turning the Computer Off (Shutdown)
        4. Power Button, What’s Your Function?
        5. Should You Leave the Computer On All the Time?
      13. Chapter 5: Windows Rules (1/2)
      14. Chapter 5: Windows Rules (2/2)
        1. The Smiling Face of Windows
        2. The Control Panel
        3. Network Control
        4. Places for Your Stuff
        5. Windows Help
    9. Part II: Computer Guts
      1. Chapter 6: Mysteries of the Console (1/3)
      2. Chapter 6: Mysteries of the Console (2/3)
      3. Chapter 6: Mysteries of the Console (3/3)
        1. A Look Inside the Console
        2. The Mother of All Boards
        3. The Microprocessor Is Not the Computer’s Brain
        4. Expansion Slots
        5. The PC’s Ticker
        6. About the PC’s Battery
        7. The Chipset
        8. The Source of PC Power
      4. Chapter 7: Jacks on the Box (1/2)
      5. Chapter 7: Jacks on the Box (2/2)
        1. Is It a Port, a Jack, or Just a Hole?
        2. All Hail the USB Port
        3. The Port of Many Names, IEEE
        4. Legacy Ports
      6. Chapter 8: Temporary Storage (Memory) (1/3)
      7. Chapter 8: Temporary Storage (Memory) (2/3)
      8. Chapter 8: Temporary Storage (Memory) (3/3)
        1. Why Memory?
        2. Delicious Chocolate Memory Chips
        3. Here a Byte, There a Byte, Everywhere a Byte-Byte
        4. Some Memory Q&A
        5. Adding More Memory to Your PC
        6. An Homage to Gilbert and Sullivan
      9. Chapter 9: Permanent Storage (Disks and Media) (1/3)
      10. Chapter 9: Permanent Storage (Disks and Media) (2/3)
      11. Chapter 9: Permanent Storage (Disks and Media) (3/3)
        1. Storage for the Long Haul
        2. The Hard Disk Drive
        3. The DVD Drive
        4. The Floppy Disk Drive
        5. Memory Cards
        6. External Storage
        7. Permanent Storage ABCs
      12. Chapter 10: Glorious Graphical Goodness (1/3)
      13. Chapter 10: Glorious Graphical Goodness (2/3)
      14. Chapter 10: Glorious Graphical Goodness (3/3)
        1. Proper Jargon Department
        2. The PC’s Graphics System
        3. Love Your Monitor
        4. Windows and Your Monitor
      15. Chapter 11: Input Buddies: Keyboard and Mouse (1/4)
      16. Chapter 11: Input Buddies: Keyboard and Mouse (2/4)
      17. Chapter 11: Input Buddies: Keyboard and Mouse (3/4)
      18. Chapter 11: Input Buddies: Keyboard and Mouse (4/4)
        1. Push the PC Keyboard’s Buttons
        2. Control the Keyboard in Windows
        3. Proper Typing Attitude
        4. You and Your PC Mouse Go Hand in Hand
        5. Basic Mouse Operations
        6. Dink with the Mouse in Windows
      19. Chapter 12: The Printer’s the Thing (1/3)
      20. Chapter 12: The Printer’s the Thing (2/3)
      21. Chapter 12: The Printer’s the Thing (3/3)
        1. Behold the Printer
        2. Printer Set Up
        3. Windows and Your Printer
        4. Basic Printer Operation
      22. Chapter 13: Sounds Good (1/3)
      23. Chapter 13: Sounds Good (2/3)
      24. Chapter 13: Sounds Good (3/3)
        1. Audacious Audio
        2. Audio Control in Windows
        3. Windows Makes Noise
      25. Chapter 14: Mighty Modems (1/2)
      26. Chapter 14: Mighty Modems (2/2)
        1. What Does a Modem Do?
        2. Types of Modem
        3. Setting Up a Dialup Modem
        4. Using the Dialup Modem
      27. Chapter 15: Positive PC Power Management (1/2)
      28. Chapter 15: Positive PC Power Management (2/2)
        1. What Is Power Management?
        2. Power Management in Windows
    10. Part III: It’s a Digital Life
      1. Chapter 16: Picture This (1/3)
      2. Chapter 16: Picture This (2/3)
      3. Chapter 16: Picture This (3/3)
        1. Getting Images into the PC
        2. Working with Graphics Files
      4. Chapter 17: PC TV (1/3)
      5. Chapter 17: PC TV (2/3)
      6. Chapter 17: PC TV (3/3)
        1. How to Turn a PC into a TV
        2. Something’s on Television!
        3. Moving Pictures
      7. Chapter 18: The Digital Ear (1/2)
      8. Chapter 18: The Digital Ear (2/2)
        1. Your PC Is Now Your Stereo
        2. The PC Can Talk and Listen
    11. Part IV: Networking and Internet-Working
      1. Chapter 19: N Is for Networking (1/3)
      2. Chapter 19: N Is for Networking (2/3)
      3. Chapter 19: N Is for Networking (3/3)
        1. The Big Networking Picture
        2. Networking Hardware
        3. The Software Side of Networking
      4. Chapter 20: I’ve Been Working on the Network (1/2)
      5. Chapter 20: I’ve Been Working on the Network (2/2)
        1. Windows Does the Network
        2. Network Sharing, Shared, and Unshared
      6. Chapter 21: Cowboy Dan’s Internet Roundup (1/2)
      7. Chapter 21: Cowboy Dan’s Internet Roundup (2/2)
        1. What Is the Internet?
        2. How to Access the Internet
        3. It’s a World Wide Web We Weave
        4. E-Mail Call!
        5. Quiz Answers
      8. Chapter 22: Flinging Files Freely (1/2)
      9. Chapter 22: Flinging Files Freely (2/2)
        1. Snagging Stuff from a Web Page
        2. Software from the Internet
        3. You’ve Got an E-Mail Attachment!
      10. Chapter 23: Internet and PC Security (1/3)
      11. Chapter 23: Internet and PC Security (2/3)
      12. Chapter 23: Internet and PC Security (3/3)
        1. Bad Guys and Superheroes
        2. Internet Explorer Tools
        3. The Windows Security Center
    12. Part V: The Soft Side of Computing
      1. Chapter 24: Files: The Key to Understanding Software (1/3)
      2. Chapter 24: Files: The Key to Understanding Software (2/3)
      3. Chapter 24: Files: The Key to Understanding Software (3/3)
        1. Do You Know What a File Is?
        2. Slap a Name on That File
        3. File Types and Icons
        4. Creating Files
      4. Chapter 25: Organizing Your Compu-Junk (1/2)
      5. Chapter 25: Organizing Your Compu-Junk (2/2)
        1. The Folder Story
        2. Famous Folders throughout History
        3. The Windows Explorer Program
        4. Let There Be Folders
        5. The Open Dialog Box
      6. Chapter 26: File Control (1/2)
      7. Chapter 26: File Control (2/2)
        1. Working with Groups of Files
        2. Files Hither, Thither, and Yon
        3. Finding Wayward Files
      8. Chapter 27: Software, Programs, Applications (1/2)
      9. Chapter 27: Software, Programs, Applications (2/2)
        1. Software Installation
        2. Running a Program
        3. Uninstalling Software
        4. Updating and Upgrading Your Software
      10. Chapter 28: Making Your Own Discs (1/2)
      11. Chapter 28: Making Your Own Discs (2/2)
        1. Your Personal Disc Factory
        2. Your Very Own Data Disc
        3. Disposing a Disc
    13. Part VI: The Part of Tens
      1. Chapter 29: Ten Common Beginner Mistakes (1/2)
      2. Chapter 29: Ten Common Beginner Mistakes (2/2)
        1. Not Properly Shutting Down Windows
        2. Buying Too Much Software
        3. Buying Incompatible Hardware
        4. Not Buying Enough Supplies
        5. Not Saving Your Work
        6. Not Backing Up Files
        7. Opening or Deleting Unknown Things
        8. Trying to Save the World
        9. Replying to Spam E-Mail
        10. Opening a Program Attached to an E-Mail Message
      3. Chapter 30: Ten Things Worth Buying for Your PC (1/2)
      4. Chapter 30: Ten Things Worth Buying for Your PC (2/2)
        1. Remember That You Control the Computer
        2. Realize That Most Computer Nerds Love to Help Beginners
        3. Use Antivirus Software
        4. Understand That Upgrading Software Isn’t an Absolute Necessity
        5. Don’t Reinstall Windows
        6. Unplug Your PC When You Upgrade Hardware
        7. Perfectly Adjust Your Monitor
        8. Subscribe to a Computer Magazine
        9. Shun the Hype
        10. Don’t Take It So Seriously
      5. Chapter 31: Ten Tips from a PC Guru (1/2)
      6. Chapter 31: Ten Tips from a PC Guru (2/2)
        1. Remember That You Control the Computer
        2. Realize That Most Computer Nerds Love to Help Beginners
        3. Use Antivirus Software
        4. Understand That Upgrading Software Isn’t an Absolute Necessity
        5. Don’t Reinstall Windows
        6. Perfectly Adjust Your Monitor
        7. Unplug Your PC When You Upgrade Hardware
        8. Subscribe to a Computer Magazine
        9. Shun the Hype
        10. Don’t Take It So Seriously
    14. Index (1/7)
    15. Index (2/7)
    16. Index (3/7)
    17. Index (4/7)
    18. Index (5/7)
    19. Index (6/7)
    20. Index (7/7)

Product information

  • Title: PCs For Dummies®, 11th Edition
  • Author(s): Dan Gookin
  • Release date: September 2007
  • Publisher(s): For Dummies
  • ISBN: 9780470137284