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PCs for Grown-Ups: Getting the Most Out of Your Windows 8 Computer

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PCs for Grown-Ups: Getting the Most Out of Your Windows 8 Computer

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  • Copyright 2013
  • Edition: 1st
  • Book
  • ISBN-10: 0-7897-4961-0
  • ISBN-13: 978-0-7897-4961-1

If you have plenty of life experience, but not as much computer experience, this is your perfect Windows 8 PC guidebook! Paul McFedries explains all the basics in a friendly, relaxed tone that makes you feel at home, without ever patronizing you. Larger print and clear zoomed-in images help you quickly find what you’re looking for, and get to the point immediately.

Planning to buy a new computer? McFedries’ easy, up-to-date Buyer’s Guide will help you choose the right equipment at the right price. Already have your new computer? You’ll find dozens of simple tips, tricks, and shortcuts for every aspect of living with it. Step by step, McFedries shows you how to easily organize and manage all your digital photos, music, and movies. You’ll learn great new ways to work, learn, and play online… how to safely use Facebook and other social networks… and how to keep your computer secure and private. McFedries even teaches simple PC troubleshooting skills that could someday save you hundreds of dollars in repair costs! Why should kids have all the fun?

Paul McFedries, president of Logophilia Limited, is a technical writer, passionate computer tinkerer, and Windows expert. He has authored or co-authored more than 70 computer books, selling more than 4 million copies worldwide. His most recent books include Using iPhone, Using the Microsoft Office Web Apps, My Office 2013 RT, and Windows 8 In Depth. He also runs wordspy.com, a website that tracks new words and phrases entering the English language.

Sample Content

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Dealing with Digital Photos

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Table of Contents

1 Getting to Know the PC .................................................5

It’s What’s Inside That Counts ...........................................6

    The Central Processing Unit .....................................................................6

    Hard Drive ..................................................................................................7

    Memory ......................................................................................................9

    DVD Drive ................................................................................................10

    Memory Card Reader ..............................................................................10

    Expansion Cards .....................................................................................11

Judging a PC by Its Cover ..................................................14

    The Case .................................................................................................14

    What’s Up Front.......................................................................................16

    Ports, Ports, and More Ports ..................................................................17

A Sideways Look at Peripherals ......................................20

    Monitor ....................................................................................................20

    Keyboard .................................................................................................20

    Mouse ......................................................................................................21

    Printer ......................................................................................................21

    Sound System .........................................................................................21

2 Buying a PC .....................................................................23

Choosing a Computer Type .......................................23

    Tower PC .................................................................................................24

    All-In-One PC ..........................................................................................24

    Laptop PC ...............................................................................................26

    Tablet PC .................................................................................................27

Selecting a CPU ..................................................................28

How Much Memory Do You Need? ...................................29

Selecting Data Storage Options ......................................31

    Selecting a Hard Drive .............................................................................32

    Selecting an Optical Drive .......................................................................34

    Selecting a Memory Card Reader ...........................................................36

Choosing a Monitor ......................................................37

Purchasing Additional Software ..............................................39

Some Final Purchase Considerations .....................................40

3 Setting Up Your PC .......................................................41

Setting Up Your Work Area ................................................41

    Location, Location, Etc. ..........................................................................42

    Choosing Your Desk and Chair ...............................................................44

Connecting the Components ..........................................45

    Unpacking the Components ...................................................................45

    Positioning the System Unit ....................................................................46

    Some Notes Before Making Any Connections........................................47

    Connecting the Monitor ...........................................................................49

    Connecting USB Devices ........................................................................51

    Connecting the Keyboard and Mouse ....................................................54

Connecting Even More Devices ......................................56

    Sound System .........................................................................................56

    Memory Card ...........................................................................................58

    Wi-Fi Antenna ..........................................................................................59

    CD or DVD ...............................................................................................60

Connecting the Power Cords ................................................61

4 Taking Your PC for a Spin ............................................63

Starting Your PC ..................................................................63

Setting Up Windows 8 .........................................................65

    A Digression: Learning How to “Click” Things ........................................66

    Back to the Tour ......................................................................................66

    Starting Windows 8 Next Time................................................................68

Getting to Know the Mouse ...................................................69

Getting Comfy with the Keyboard .........................................69

Using Gestures on a Tablet ...................................................70

Taking a Tour of the Windows 8 Interface................................72

    The App Bar ............................................................................................74

    The Charms Menu ...................................................................................75

Navigating the Start Screen .....................................................76

Putting Your PC to Sleep ........................................................77

Restarting Your PC ............................................................78

Shutting Down Your PC ......................................................78

5 Learning Windows Basics......................................................79

Working with Apps ..................................................................80

    Starting an App .......................................................................................82

    Returning to the Start Screen .................................................................83

    Switching Between Apps ........................................................................83

    Shutting Down an App ............................................................................85

    Installing New Apps .................................................................................85

    Uninstalling Windows 8 Apps .................................................................87

Tracking Your Appointments .................................................87

Managing Your Contacts..........................................................90

Getting Directions to a Location.......................................91

Tracking a News Topic .......................................................93

Monitoring a Stock ..................................................................94

Following Your Favorite Team ..................................................95

Planning a Trip ..........................................................................97

6 More Windows Techniques You Should Know ....................101

Personalizing Windows 8 ....................................................101

    Changing Your Account Picture ............................................................102

    Customizing the Start Screen ...............................................................103

    Customizing the Lock Screen ...............................................................104

    Pinning a Program to the Start Screen .................................................105

    Resizing a Tile .......................................................................................106

    Moving a Tile .........................................................................................107

Searching Windows 8 .....................................................107

Working with Files and Folders .......................................109

    Creating a New File or Folder ...............................................................111

    Selecting Files and Folders ...................................................................112

    Copying and Moving a File or Folder ....................................................113

    Renaming a File or Folder .....................................................................113

    Deleting a File or Folder ........................................................................114

Overcoming Visual Challenges .........................................114

    Making Screen Items Appear Bigger ....................................................114

    Magnifying the Screen ...........................................................................115

    Switching to a High-Contrast Screen ...................................................116

    Making the Cursor Easier to See ..........................................................117

    Hearing What’s on the Screen...............................................................118

Adjusting the Volume .......................................................118

Overcoming Physical Limitations ......................................120

    Showing Notifications for a Longer Time ..............................................120

    Controlling Your PC with Speech Recognition......................................120

7 Dealing with Digital Photos ..........................................123

Getting Photos onto Your PC ...........................................123

    Transferring Photos from a Digital Camera ...........................................124

    Transferring Photos from a Memory Card .............................................126

    Scanning a Photo ..................................................................................127

    Taking a Photo with the PC’s Camera ..................................................129

Viewing Photos .................................................................129

    Looking Through Your Photos ...............................................................130

    Watching a Photo Slideshow ................................................................131

Fixing Your Photos .......................................................132

    Rotating a Photo ...................................................................................132

    Cropping Out Unwanted Elements .......................................................133

8 Working with Digital Music ..........................................135

Easy Listening with the Music App .....................................135

    Navigating the Music App .....................................................................136

    Buying Music .........................................................................................136

    Searching for Music ..............................................................................138

    Playing Music ........................................................................................138

Making Beautiful Music with Media Player .......................139

    Navigating Media Player........................................................................140

    Playing Music ........................................................................................140

    Playing a Music CD ...............................................................................142

    Copying Music from a Music CD ..........................................................143

    Copying Music to a Recordable CD .....................................................145

9 Working with Digital Video ...........................................147

Importing Video to Your PC ............................................147

    Importing Video from a Smartphone, Camcorder, or

    Digital Camera ...................................................................................148

    Importing Video from a Memory Card ...................................................149

Navigating the Video App ...............................................150

Renting or Buying Videos ..........................................151

    Renting a Movie.....................................................................................151

    Buying a Movie ......................................................................................153

    Buying a TV Show Season or Episode .................................................154

Searching for Movies and TV Shows ..............................155

Playing a Video ..............................................................156

Playing Video on Your TV ..............................................157

10 Getting Online ............................................................159

Getting Online Using a Broadband Modem Connected Directly to Your PC .....160

    Attaching the Internet Connection Cable ..............................................160

    Connecting the Modem to Your PC ......................................................162

    Registering the Modem .........................................................................163

    Creating a Windows 8 Broadband Internet Connection .......................163

    Making the Connection .........................................................................164

Getting Online Using a Wireless Broadband Connection ..........165

    What Is Wireless Networking? ..............................................................165

    Understanding Wireless Network Adapters ..........................................166

    Understanding Wireless Routers ...........................................................167

    Configuring the Wireless Router to Connect to Your ISP .....................168

    Configuring Your Wireless Network Settings ........................................171

    Registering the Modem .........................................................................172

    Connecting the Broadband Modem to the Wireless Router .................173

    Connecting to Your Wireless Network ..................................................174

Creating a Microsoft Account ............................................175

11 Surfing the Web .........................................................179

Understanding the Web .................................................180

Surfing the Web with Internet Explorer ............................181

    Entering a Web Page Address ..............................................................182

    Navigating the Pages You’ve Visited .....................................................184

    Opening Multiple Pages with Tabs ........................................................184

Searching the Web ............................................................186

Saving Your Favorite Pages ...............................................187

    Adding a Page to the Internet Explorer Favorites List ..........................187

    Pinning a Page to the Start Screen .......................................................188

12 Exchanging Email .....................................................189

Setting Up a Mail Account ............................................189

Handling Incoming Messages ..............................................192

    Handling Message Attachments ...........................................................194

    Replying to a Message ..........................................................................195

    Forwarding a Message ..........................................................................196

    Printing a Message ................................................................................196

    Moving a Message to a Different Folder ...............................................197

    Deleting a Message ...............................................................................197

Sending a Message .........................................................198

Minding Your Email Manners ...............................................199

    The Three B’s of Composing Email .......................................................200

    DON’T SHOUT! .....................................................................................200

    Take Your Subject Lines Seriously ........................................................201

    More Snippets of Sending Sensitivity ...................................................201

13 Maximizing Internet Security and Privacy .......................203

Avoiding Viruses ................................................................204

    Avoiding Viruses on the Web ................................................................204

    Avoiding Viruses in Email ......................................................................206

Keeping Spyware at Bay ................................................207

Listening to User Account Control ...................................209

Creating Secure Online Passwords ..................................211

Avoiding Online Scams ......................................................213

    Giving Out Your Credit Card Information Safely ...................................213

    Understanding Phishing Scams ............................................................214

    Preventing Identity Theft .......................................................................216

    Protecting Yourself from “419” Scams ..................................................217

14 Securing Your PC ....................................................219

Thwarting Snoops and Crackers .....................................219

    Taking Some Basic Precautions ............................................................220

    Locking Your PC ....................................................................................221

Checking Your Computer’s Security Settings .......................223

    Making Sure Windows Firewall Is Turned On .......................................224

    Making Sure Windows Defender Is Turned On .....................................225

    Making Sure User Account Control Is Turned On .................................226

    Making Sure the Administrator Account Is Disabled ............................227

    Making Sure the Firewall Is Up to Snuff ................................................227

15 Maintaining Your PC ...............................................229

Checking Free Disk Space .............................................229

Deleting Unnecessary Files ............................................231

Defragmenting Your Hard Disk ......................................233

Preparing for Trouble ......................................................234

    Backing Up File Versions with File History ............................................235

    Restoring a Previous Version of a File ..................................................236

    Setting System Restore Points .............................................................239

    Creating a Recovery Drive .....................................................................240

    Creating a System Image Backup.........................................................242

Setting Up a Maintenance Schedule .....................................244

16 Troubleshooting Your PC ..............................................247

Determining the Source of a Problem ..............................247

    Did You Get an Error Message? ............................................................248

    Did You Recently Change Any Windows Settings? ..............................248

    Did You Recently Change Any Application Settings? ...........................248

    Did You Recently Install a New Program? ............................................250

    Did You Recently Install a New Device? ...............................................250

General Troubleshooting Tips .............................................250

Troubleshooting Device Problems .................................251

    Troubleshooting with Device Manager ..................................................251

    Troubleshooting Device Driver Problems ..............................................253

    Rolling Back a Device Driver .................................................................254

Recovering from a Problem .............................................255

    Accessing the Recovery Environment ...................................................255

    Navigating the Recovery Environment ..................................................257

    Booting Up in Safe Mode ......................................................................260

    Recovering Using System Restore .......................................................261

    Refreshing Your PC ...............................................................................263

    Resetting Your PC .................................................................................264

    Restoring a System Image ....................................................................265

17 Repairing Your PC ....................................................267

What Tools Do You Need? ...............................................267

What Software Do You Need? ............................................272

Setting Up Your Work Area .............................................273

Playing It Safe ..................................................................274

    Keeping Yourself Safe ...........................................................................275

    Keeping Your Components Safe ...........................................................276

Opening the Computer Case ...........................................278

Making Cable Connections ..................................................280

Installing an Expansion Card ............................................284

18 Upgrading Your PC ....................................................291

Looking Inside the Computer .............................................292

Accessing the System Configuration Program ..........................294

Running the Device Manager and System Information Utilities ......296

Searching for the System Manual Online ....................299

Making the Old PC Run Faster ................................302

19 Buying PC Components .................................................303

Researching Parts Online ................................................303

    Checking Out Product Reviews ............................................................304

    Performing Price Comparisons .............................................................307

Researching Retailers Online .....................................309

Buying Parts Online ................................................311

Returning Parts Online ....................................................314

Buying Parts Offline ..................................................317

Buying Non–Shrink-Wrapped Parts......................................319

20 Replacing the Hard Drive ............................................321

How a Hard Drive Works .................................................321

Understanding Hard Drive Specs ...................................323

    The Hard Drive Interface and Throughput ............................................324

    The Hard Drive Form Factor ..................................................................330

    The Hard Drive Speed ...........................................................................330

Buying a Hard Drive .........................................................331

Removing the Old Hard Drive ......................................332

Installing a New Hard Drive ........................................335

Finishing Up ................................................................336

21 Replacing the CD or DVD Drive .....................................339

Buying a CD or DVD Drive ........................................339

Removing the Existing Optical Drive ................................341

Installing the New Optical Drive .........................................344

22 Adding More Memory ...................................................347

Understanding Memory Specs .....................................348

    The Memory Module Standard .............................................................349

    The Memory Type and Speed ...............................................................349

    The Memory Module Capacity ..............................................................350

Buying Memory ...............................................................350

Pulling Out the Old Memory Modules ................................352

Installing the New Memory Modules ...............................353

Index ...................................................................357

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