Synopses & Reviews
Learn to:
- Determine what you need in a PC and how to set it up
- Configure your PC, hook up a printer, and connect to the Internet
- Find your way around Windows® 8 and use the touchscreen
- Play movies and music, view photos, and explore social media
Your PC just wants to be understood. This book will make you both happy.
Nervous about starting a relationship with that box of chips and circuits? Fear not! Dan Gookin has been holding the hands of new PC users for nearly 20 years. This friendly guide tells you what to look for in a PC, how to work with Windows 8, ways to protect your files, what to do online, media management tips, and even basic stuff you were shy about asking.
- Just what you need follow Dan's advice for buying a PC and choosing one just for you
- Assembly 101 get plug-by-plug directions for connecting a keyboard, mouse, printer, and other peripherals
- Ah, memories learn about RAM, ROM, and flash memory, how much memory you need, and how to add more
- Do Windows tour the Start screen, use the charms bar, find and run programs, and create and manage files
- Get off my cloud explore storage options including optical discs, removable drives, and cloud storage
- Spinning the web choose an ISP, get online, browse and share web pages, and protect your PC with antivirus software and a firewall
- It's a digital life store and share photos, play music, watch TV and movies, and venture into social media
Open the book and find:
- How to start up and shut down your PC
- A peek inside the console
- Why USB ports are so useful
- How to resurrect a dead file or find a missing one
- A straightforward look at Windows 8
- The scoop on wired and wireless networking
- What Bluetooth is all about
- Helpful hints for parents
Synopsis
The all-time bestselling PC reference, fully updated for the newest technologies!Previous editions of this fun and friendly PC guide have sold more than three million copies, making it the bestselling PC reference in the world. Dan Gookin, the author whose straightforward and entertaining style is the foundation of the For Dummies series, gives you the same easy-to-follow guidance in this edition, fully updated for Windows 8, using the cloud, and all the newest PC bells and whistles. It's perfect for the absolute beginner as well as for anyone switching to the latest hardware and software.
- Updated with information on all the latest upgrades, this edition of a worldwide bestseller covers all the essentials of using a PC, and presents them in a fun, non-intimidating style
- Popular technology author Dan Gookin starts at the beginning with all the basics that other books assume everyone knows
- Covers setting up your PC, exploring the Windows 8 interface, using network hardware and software, getting online and browsing with the newest version of Internet Explorer, setting up an e-mail account, connecting to the cloud, and using cloud-based services
- Shows you how to install and upgrade programs and manage files and folders
- Explores working with digital photos, downloading music, watching movies, and participating in social media
PCs For Dummies, 12th Edition is the jargon-free, easy-to-use guide to everything you need to know about your PC.
About the Author
Dan Gookin wrote the original For Dummies book, DOS For Dummies, in 1991 and launched a phenomenon. Since then, his list of bestsellers keeps growing. More than 12 million copies of Dan's books are in print, and his books have been translated into 32 languages. Dan welcomes visitors at his website, www.wambooli.com.
Table of Contents
Introduction 1
What’s New in This Edition? 1
Where to Start 2
Conventions Used in This Book 3
What You Don’t Need to Read 4
Foolish Assumptions 4
Icons Used in This Book 4
Getting in Touch with the Author 5
Where to Go from Here 5
Part I: Hello, PC! 7
Chapter 1: What Is This Thing, This PC? 9
Chapter 2: The PC Knobs, Buttons, and Doodads Tour 17
Chapter 3: PC Setup 29
Chapter 4: On and Off 41
Part II: The Nerd’s-Eye View 51
Chapter 5: Deep Inside the Console 53
Chapter 6: PC Memory 65
Chapter 7: Mass Storage 75
Chapter 8: Merry Monitor Mayhem 89
Chapter 9: Input This! 101
Chapter 10: System Expansion 117
Chapter 11: P Is for Printer 125
Part III: Basic Computing 157
Chapter 14: The Windows Tour 159
Chapter 15: It’s the Software Chapter 169
Chapter 16: Fun with Files and Folders 179
Chapter 17: The Grim Topic of File Management 193
Chapter 18: Save Your Butt When You Really Screw Up 203
Chapter 19: The Optical Disc Factory 213
Part IV: Networking Nonsense 223
Chapter 20: The Non-TV Kind of Network 225
Chapter 21: Network Abuse 235
Chapter 22: Why Does This Book Have a Bluetooth Chapter? 247
Chapter 23: As Little of the Internet as Possible 255
Chapter 24: PC Nightmares 263
Part V: Your Digital Life 271
Chapter 25: The Whole Digital Photography Thing 273
Chapter 26: Electronic Entertainment 285
Chapter 27: Sharing Your Life Online 297
Chapter 28: Kid-Safe Computing 309
Part VI: The Part of Tens 317
Chapter 29: Ten PC Commandments 319
Chapter 30: Ten Tips from a PC Guru 323
Index 329