PCs: the missing manual

598 Pages·2005·8.68 MB·English

by  Andy Rathbone

PCs
THE MISSING MANUAL
Andy Rathbone
Beijing • Cambridge • Farnham • Köln • Paris • Sebastopol • Taipei • Tokyo
PCs: The Missing Manual
by Andy Rathbone
Copyright © 2006 O’Reilly Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
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December 2005: First Edition.
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herein.
This book uses RepKover™, a durable and flexible lay-flat binding.
ISBN: 0-596-10093-0
[M] [3/06]
Table of Contents
The Missing Credits...................................................................................ix
Introduction.................................................................................................1
Part One: Your PC’s Main Parts
Chapter 1:Inside Your PC..........................................................................7
Finding Out Your PC’s Horsepower..........................................................................................................8
The PC’s Case ...........................................................................................................................................10
Opening Your PC’s Case .........................................................................................................................12
Motherboard.............................................................................................................................................16
CPU (Central Processing Unit) ...............................................................................................................16
Adding Memory (aka RAM)....................................................................................................................18
Installing Expansion Cards......................................................................................................................25
Ports ...........................................................................................................................................................32
Power Supply and Battery ......................................................................................................................47
Chapter 2:Keyboards and Mice..............................................................57
Keyboard Basics.......................................................................................................................................57
Mouse Basics ............................................................................................................................................71
Game Controllers.....................................................................................................................................80
Chapter 3:Monitors and Video...............................................................83
Monitor Basics ..........................................................................................................................................84
Installing a Monitor..................................................................................................................................88
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PCs: The Missing Manual, eMatter Edition
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Plugging Two Monitors into One PC .....................................................................................................89
Plugging Two PCs into One Monitor .....................................................................................................93
Using TV Sets as Monitors.......................................................................................................................94
Watching TV on a PC ...............................................................................................................................99
Troubleshooting Your Monitor.............................................................................................................100
Video Card (aka Display Adapter) .......................................................................................................104
Chapter 4:Printers.................................................................................113
Printer Basics...........................................................................................................................................113
Installing a Printer ..................................................................................................................................119
Choosing Printer Paper .........................................................................................................................126
Adjusting Printer Settings ......................................................................................................................129
Printing Envelopes..................................................................................................................................131
Printing Specialized Items .....................................................................................................................132
Printing Digital Photos Professionally..................................................................................................135
Printing Digital Photos on an Inkjet Printer ........................................................................................138
Printing Web Pages ................................................................................................................................141
Printer Troubleshooting ........................................................................................................................142
Part Two: Multimedia
Chapter 5:Digital Cameras, Camcorders, and Webcams....................147
Digital Camera Basics ............................................................................................................................148
Moving Pictures from Camera to Computer ......................................................................................148
Moving Pictures from a Card Reader to a PC.....................................................................................152
Viewing and Editing Photos ..................................................................................................................153
Sharing Photos with Friends.................................................................................................................158
Troubleshooting Digital Cameras ........................................................................................................162
Camcorder Basics...................................................................................................................................164
Connect the Camcorder to Your PC ....................................................................................................164
Editing Video ...........................................................................................................................................167
Editing with Movie Maker .....................................................................................................................171
Webcams.................................................................................................................................................176
Chapter 6:Scanners................................................................................183
Choosing a Scanner ...............................................................................................................................183
Installing a Scanner................................................................................................................................184
Three Ways to Scan an Image..............................................................................................................186
Using Windows Scanner and Camera Wizard ...................................................................................188
Digitizing Old Photos and Slides ..........................................................................................................194
Troubleshooting Scanners ....................................................................................................................195
Chapter 7:Sound....................................................................................199
Understanding Sound Adapters (Sound Cards) ................................................................................199
Sending Sound into and out of Your PC .............................................................................................203
iv PCs: The Missing Manual
PCs: The Missing Manual, eMatter Edition
Copyright © 2008 O’Reilly & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved.
Choosing Music File Formats ...............................................................................................................213
PC Music for Musicians .........................................................................................................................215
Troubleshooting Sound.........................................................................................................................218
Chapter 8:Digital Music Players...........................................................223
Choosing a Digital Music Player ..........................................................................................................223
Your Digital Player and Your PC ..........................................................................................................226
iPod and iTunes......................................................................................................................................227
Windows XP’s Media Player .................................................................................................................239
Troubleshooting Digital Music Players................................................................................................247
Part Three: Storing Information
Chapter 9:Hard Drives and Floppy Drives...........................................253
Your PC’s Drives: An Overview ............................................................................................................253
Hard Drives: An Introduction ...............................................................................................................255
Your Hard Drive’s Available Space ......................................................................................................256
Removing Unused Programs and Files ...............................................................................................256
Speeding Up a Hard Drive....................................................................................................................260
Installing a Hard Drive...........................................................................................................................262
Troubleshooting Hard Drives ...............................................................................................................274
Floppy Drives: An Introduction ............................................................................................................277
Formatting a Floppy Disk......................................................................................................................278
Installing a Floppy Drive .......................................................................................................................278
Chapter 10:CD and DVD Drives............................................................281
CDs: An Introduction .............................................................................................................................281
Playing CDs .............................................................................................................................................282
Buying the Right Type of Blank CD......................................................................................................283
Ripping CDs.............................................................................................................................................286
Burning CDs............................................................................................................................................289
Duplicating CDs......................................................................................................................................298
Erasing CDs .............................................................................................................................................299
DVDs: An Introduction...........................................................................................................................300
Playing DVD Movies...............................................................................................................................301
Buying the Right Type of Blank DVD...................................................................................................302
Specialty Disc Formats ..........................................................................................................................304
Ripping DVDs..........................................................................................................................................305
Burning DVDs .........................................................................................................................................305
Buying a CD or DVD Drive....................................................................................................................307
Installing a CD or DVD Drive ................................................................................................................308
Troubleshooting CD and DVD Drives..................................................................................................312
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PCs: The Missing Manual, eMatter Edition
Copyright © 2008 O’Reilly & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved.
Part Four: Talking to the World
Chapter 11:Getting Online.....................................................................317
Different Ways to Connect to the Internet..........................................................................................317
Setting Up a Modem..............................................................................................................................324
Subscribing to an Internet Service .......................................................................................................327
Setting Up an Internet Connection ......................................................................................................330
Dialing into the Internet ........................................................................................................................335
Troubleshooting Online Connections..................................................................................................339
Chapter 12:Email....................................................................................343
Choosing an Email Program .................................................................................................................343
Setting Up Outlook Express ..................................................................................................................352
Composing and Sending Email ............................................................................................................355
Reading and Processing Email..............................................................................................................362
Managing Your Address Book..............................................................................................................368
Email Etiquette........................................................................................................................................370
Troubleshooting Email Problems.........................................................................................................372
Chapter 13:Surfing the Web.................................................................375
Choosing and Setting Up a Browser....................................................................................................375
Managing Forms and Passwords .........................................................................................................384
Blocking Pop-up Ads and Other Nuisances........................................................................................387
Browsing the Web..................................................................................................................................388
Viewing RSS Feeds .................................................................................................................................401
Chapter 14:Networking.........................................................................403
Choosing a Network ..............................................................................................................................404
Networking Hardware: What You Need .............................................................................................409
Setting Up a Simple Home Network....................................................................................................414
The Network Setup Wizard...................................................................................................................419
Securing Your Network .........................................................................................................................425
Sharing an Internet Connection ...........................................................................................................435
Sharing Printers ......................................................................................................................................437
Exchanging Files Between PCs..............................................................................................................439
Sharing Monitors....................................................................................................................................447
Networking Two PCs..............................................................................................................................448
Troubleshooting Network Problems ...................................................................................................458
Part Five: Maintenance, Security, and Troubleshooting
Chapter 15:Security...............................................................................463
Backing Up Your Computer..................................................................................................................463
Creating Passwords................................................................................................................................475
Activating Windows Update..................................................................................................................478
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Copyright © 2008 O’Reilly & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved.
Preventing Theft .....................................................................................................................................481
Phishing ...................................................................................................................................................481
Adware, Spyware, and Other Threats .................................................................................................482
Installing a Firewall ................................................................................................................................490
Chapter 16:Fixing Common Problems.................................................495
Undeleting Deleted Files .......................................................................................................................495
Quitting Frozen Programs.....................................................................................................................497
System Restore.......................................................................................................................................497
Resetting Windows XP Passwords .......................................................................................................501
Troubleshooting Driver Problems .......................................................................................................503
Speeding Up a Slow PC.........................................................................................................................518
Windows Activation ...............................................................................................................................519
Windows’ Troubleshooters...................................................................................................................520
Chapter 17:Advanced Troubleshooting................................................521
Watching Your PC Start.........................................................................................................................522
Editing the BIOS Settings.......................................................................................................................525
Replacing Firmware ...............................................................................................................................533
Searching for Clues with Google .........................................................................................................534
Reverting to Old Programs ...................................................................................................................535
Swapping Parts.......................................................................................................................................536
Microsoft’s Knowledge Base ................................................................................................................536
Last Resort: Data Grabs with Knoppix.................................................................................................538
Part Six: Appendices
AppendixA:Setting Up a PC.................................................................543
AppendixB: Memory Cards and USB Drives..............................onlineat
www.missingmanuals.com/cds
AppendixC: Other Cool Things You Can Do Online...................onlineat
www.missingmanuals.com/cds
AppendixD: Dealing with Technical Support.............................onlineat
www.missingmanuals.com/cds
AppendixE: Packing a Laptop Bag..............................................onlineat
www.missingmanuals.com/cds
Index........................................................................................................551
Table of Contents vii
PCs: The Missing Manual, eMatter Edition
Copyright © 2008 O’Reilly & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved.
PCs: The Missing Manual, eMatter Edition
Copyright © 2008 O’Reilly & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Missing Credits
About the Author
AndyRathbonestartedgeekingaroundwithcomputersin1985
when he bought a 26-pound portable CP/M Kaypro 2X. Like
othernerdsoftheday,hesoonbeganplayingwithnull-modem
adapters, dialing computer bulletin boards, and working part-
time at Radio Shack.
He wrote articles for various techie publications before moving
tocomputerbooksin1992.He’swrittentheWindowsForDum-
miesseries,UpgradingandFixingPCsforDummies,TiVoforDummies,andmany
other computer books.
Today, he has more than 15 million copies of his books in print, and they’ve
been translated into more than 30 languages. Andy can be reached at his Web
site,www.andyrathbone.com.
About the Creative Team
PeterMeyers(editor)worksasaneditoratO’ReillyMediaontheMissingManual
series. He lives with his wife in New York City. Email:[email protected].
SarahMilstein(editor)isO’Reilly’ssenioreditorforMissingManuals.She’spleased
to finally understand that “1394” really means “FireWire.” Email: milstein@oreilly.
com.
CarlaSpoon(copyeditor)isafreelancewriter,editor,andproofreader.Sheworks
andfeedshertechgadgetaddictionfromherhomeofficeintheshadowofMount
Rainier. Email:[email protected]. Web:www.carlaspoon.com.
JimAspinwall (technicalreviewer) isaPCdeploymentprojectmanagerandcon-
sultant,andtheauthorofseveralPCarticlesandbooksincludingPCHacks,pub-
lished by O’Reilly. Email:[email protected].
Rob Bourns (technical reviewer) first learned about electronics in the Marines
whenheworkedasaGroundRadioRepairman.HenowworksasaSplicingTech-
nician for the phone company. He has lived in Sebastopol, California most of his
life. Email:[email protected].
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PCs: The Missing Manual, eMatter Edition
Copyright © 2008 O’Reilly & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved.