PCs For Dummies

Front Cover
John Wiley & Sons, Feb 9, 2011 - Computers - 408 pages
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.

 

Contents

Introduction
1
Your Computer Will Not Explode
7
The NerdsEye View
17
PC Setup
29
The Most Powerful Button OnOff
43
Windows Rules
59
Mysteries of the Console
71
Expansion Slots
78
The Digital Ear
219
Networking and InternetWorking
229
Networking and InternetWorking 229 Chapter 19 N Is for Networking
231
Ive Been Working on the Network
243
Cowboy Dans Internet Roundup
253
Flinging Files Freely
263
The Soft Side of Computing
283
Files The Key to Understanding Software
285

Jacks on the Box
85
Temporary Storage Memory
93
Permanent Storage Disks and Media
105
Glorious Graphical Goodness
119
Input Buddies Keyboard and Mouse
133
The Printers the Thing
149
Sounds Good
163
Mighty Modems
175
Positive PC Power Management
185
Picture This
193
PC TV
207
Organizing Your CompuJunk
297
File Control
307
Software Programs Applications
317
Making Your Own Discs
327
The Part of Tens
335
Ten Common Beginner Mistakes
337
Ten Things Worth Buying for Your PC
343
Ten Things Worth Buying for Your PC
345
Ten Tips from a PC Guru
349
Index
355
Copyright

Other editions - View all

Common terms and phrases

About the author (2011)

Dan Gookin has been writing about technology for over 20 years. He has contributed articles to numerous high-tech magazines and written over 110 books on personal computers, many of them accurate.
Dan combines his love of writing with his gizmo fascination to create books that are informative, entertaining, and not boring. Having sold more than 14 million titles translated into over 30 languages, Dan can attest that his method of crafting computer tomes seems to work.
Perhaps his most famous title is the original DOS For Dummies, published in 1991. It became the world’s fastest-selling computer book, at one time moving more copies per week than the New York Times #1 bestseller (though, as a reference, it could not be listed on the NYT bestseller list). That book spawned the entire line of For Dummies books, which remains a publishing phenomenon to this day.
Dan’s most popular titles include Word 2007 For Dummies, Laptops For Dummies, and Troubleshooting Your PC For Dummies (all published by Wiley). He also maintains the vast and helpful Web page www.wambooli.com.
Dan holds a degree in communications/visual arts from the University of California, San Diego. Presently, he lives in the Pacific Northwest, where he enjoys spending time with his sons in the gentle woods of Idaho.

Bibliographic information