PCs All-in-One For Dummies®, 5th Edition

Book description

One-stop shopping for everything you need to know about PCs!

If you're a PC owner, you have a pretty good idea of just how much there is to discover about your PC, whether you use it for work or play. Comprised of eight minibooks, this All-in-One guide covers essential PC topics from soup through nuts, including the latest updates to PC hardware, Windows 7, the Internet, Office 2010, digital media, upgrading and troubleshooting, social media, and home networking.

This new edition features expanded coverage of using popular social media such as Twitter, Facebook, WordPress, and blogging. Plus, you'll walk through the new Windows 7 operating system and explore revisions for each of the Office 2010 applications.

  • Provides PCs users of all levels of experience with a series of eight minibooks that include the most up-to-date coverage of PC hardware, Windows 7, the Internet, Office 2010, digital media, upgrading and troubleshooting, social media, and home networking

  • Explores step-by-step procedures for using the new Windows 7 operating system

  • Discusses updates to each of the Office 2010 applications, the latest features of version 8 of Internet Explorer, and new information on the latest PC hardware

  • Reviews ways to protect your PC from viruses, troubleshooting tips, and upgrading and supercharging your PC.

PCs All-in-One For Dummies covers everything you need to know in order to get acquainted with your PC!

Table of contents

  1. Copyright
  2. About the Author
  3. Author's Acknowledgments
  4. Publisher's Acknowledgments
  5. Introduction
    1. What's Really Required
    2. What's Not Required
    3. About This Book
    4. Conventions Used in This Book
      1. Stuff that you type
      2. Menu commands
      3. Display messages
    5. How This Book Is Organized
      1. Book I: PC Hardware
      2. Book II: Windows 7
      3. Book III: The Internet
      4. Book IV: PC Troubleshooting and Maintenance
      5. Book V: Office 2010
      6. Book VI: Fun with Movies, Music, and Photos
      7. Book VII: Upgrading and Supercharging
      8. Book VIII: Home Networking
    6. Icons Used in This Book
  6. I. PC Hardware
    1. 1. Starting with the Basics
      1. 1.1. Basic Terms
        1. 1.1.1. Hardware
        2. 1.1.2. Software
        3. 1.1.3. Peripherals
      2. 1.2. The Common Components of a Desktop PC
        1. 1.2.1. The computer
          1. 1.2.1.1. Consider thy form factor
        2. 1.2.2. The monitor
        3. 1.2.3. The keyboard and mouse
        4. 1.2.4. Speakers
      3. 1.3. Desktop PCs versus Laptop PCs
      4. 1.4. RAM and Processors: The Keys to Performance
      5. 1.5. Your Friend, Your Operating System
    2. 2. Additional Toys Your PC Will Enjoy
      1. 2.1. Printers
        1. 2.1.1. Inkjet versus laser printers
          1. 2.1.1.1. Laser printer advantages
          2. 2.1.1.2. Inkjet printer advantages
        2. 2.1.2. Photo printers
        3. 2.1.3. Label printers
      2. 2.2. Scanners
      3. 2.3. Keyboards, Tablets, and Pointing Things
        1. 2.3.1. Tickling keys wirelessly
        2. 2.3.2. Putting a tablet to work
        3. 2.3.3. Repeat after me: Buy a trackball!
      4. 2.4. Big-Time Game Controllers
      5. 2.5. Video and Digital Cameras
      6. 2.6. External Drives
        1. 2.6.1. Portable hard drives and DVD/Blu-Ray recorders
        2. 2.6.2. Backup drives
        3. 2.6.3. USB flash drives
      7. 2.7. Surge Protectors and UPS Units
    3. 3. Connectors, Ports, and Sundry Openings
      1. 3.1. Using USB Stuff
      2. 3.2. Riding in the Fast Lane with FireWire
      3. 3.3. Your Fossilized Serial Port
      4. 3.4. The Once-Renowned Parallel Port
      5. 3.5. Meet Your Video Port
      6. 3.6. Audio Connectors You Likely Need
      7. 3.7. Keyboard and Mouse Ports on Parade
  7. II. Windows 7
    1. 1. Shake Hands with Windows 7
      1. 1.1. A Windows 7 Primer
        1. 1.1.1. Why Windows 7, anyway?
        2. 1.1.2. Flavors à la Windows
        3. 1.1.3. Upgrade or clean install
        4. 1.1.4. System requirements for the Big 7
          1. 1.1.4.1. Processor and RAM
          2. 1.1.4.2. Hard drive space
          3. 1.1.4.3. Graphics card
          4. 1.1.4.4. And now for the rest of the story
      2. 1.2. Starting and Shutting Down Windows 7
        1. 1.2.1. Shutting down completely
        2. 1.2.2. Restarting your PC
        3. 1.2.3. Using sleep mode
        4. 1.2.4. Yes, your PC can hibernate
        5. 1.2.5. Multiuser options
      3. 1.3. Your Windows 7 Controls
        1. 1.3.1. Icons
        2. 1.3.2. That constantly changing cursor
        3. 1.3.3. The Start menu
        4. 1.3.4. The taskbar
        5. 1.3.5. Menus and toolbars
          1. 1.3.5.1. The miracle of menus
          2. 1.3.5.2. Those tremendous toolbars
      4. 1.4. Using Bill's Funky Keys
        1. 1.4.1. The Windows keys
        2. 1.4.2. The Shortcut key
        3. 1.4.3. Other important keys
      5. 1.5. Using the Windows 7 Help System
        1. 1.5.1. Displaying Help
        2. 1.5.2. Searching for specific help
        3. 1.5.3. Yelling for assistance
    2. 2. The Many Windows of Windows
      1. 2.1. Managing Windows Means Productivity
        1. 2.1.1. Opening and closing windows
        2. 2.1.2. Scrolling windows
        3. 2.1.3. Minimizing and restoring windows
        4. 2.1.4. Maximizing and restoring windows
        5. 2.1.5. Moving windows
        6. 2.1.6. Resizing windows
        7. 2.1.7. Switching windows
      2. 2.2. A Field Guide to Icons
        1. 2.2.1. Hardware icons
        2. 2.2.2. Program icons
        3. 2.2.3. File icons
        4. 2.2.4. Folder icons
        5. 2.2.5. Shortcut icons
        6. 2.2.6. System icons
      3. 2.3. Selecting Icons
        1. 2.3.1. Selecting a single icon
        2. 2.3.2. Selecting multiple contiguous icons by dragging
        3. 2.3.3. Selecting multiple contiguous icons by clicking
        4. 2.3.4. Selecting multiple separated icons by clicking
      4. 2.4. Using the Toolbar
    3. 3. Windows 7 Basics
      1. 3.1. Running Applications from the Start Menu
      2. 3.2. Running Applications from Your Hard Drive
      3. 3.3. Running Applications from a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM
      4. 3.4. Running Applications from a Network Drive
      5. 3.5. Exiting a Program
      6. 3.6. Putting Your Files in Order
        1. 3.6.1. Copying and moving stuff
        2. 3.6.2. Creating a new folder
        3. 3.6.3. Deleting stuff with mouse and keyboard
        4. 3.6.4. Displaying properties
        5. 3.6.5. Renaming items
      7. 3.7. Emptying the Recycle Bin
      8. 3.8. Recovering Items from the Recycle Bin
      9. 3.9. Putting the Start Menu through Its Paces
        1. 3.9.1. Tossing the Recent Applications list
        2. 3.9.2. Using the Run item
        3. 3.9.3. Accessing printers
        4. 3.9.4. Working with your network
        5. 3.9.5. Configuring the Start menu
      10. 3.10. Handling the Taskbar
        1. 3.10.1. Switching programs
        2. 3.10.2. Controlling the notification area
        3. 3.10.3. Adding icons to the taskbar
        4. 3.10.4. Configuring the taskbar
      11. 3.11. Terminating a Program with Prejudice
      12. 3.12. How to Avoid Formatting a Floppy Disk
    4. 4. Advanced Windows 7
      1. 4.1. Personalizing Your Desktop
        1. 4.1.1. Changing the background
        2. 4.1.2. Using themes
        3. 4.1.3. Changing system sounds
        4. 4.1.4. Adding the Sidebar and gadgets
      2. 4.2. Switching Views and Sorting Items
      3. 4.3. Don't Forget the Preview Pane!
      4. 4.4. What's This Stuff in the My Users Folder?
      5. 4.5. A Word about Libraries
      6. 4.6. Share the Documents ... and Other Stuff
      7. 4.7. Using Your HomeGroup
      8. 4.8. Creating a Shortcut
      9. 4.9. Multiuser Operation For Dummies
        1. 4.9.1. Logging in
        2. 4.9.2. Be my guest
      10. 4.10. Fax Me, Please
        1. 4.10.1. Setting up faxing under Windows 7
        2. 4.10.2. Sending faxes
      11. 4.11. Doing the Multimedia Thing
        1. 4.11.1. Playing your MP3 files
        2. 4.11.2. Viewing and downloading digital photographs
        3. 4.11.3. Recording your own CDs
        4. 4.11.4. Watching a DVD movie
    5. 5. Taking Control of the Control Panel
      1. 5.1. First, Put the Control Panel on the Start Menu!
      2. 5.2. Configuring the Date and Time
        1. 5.2.1. Date and Time tab
        2. 5.2.2. Additional Clocks tab
        3. 5.2.3. The Internet Time tab
      3. 5.3. Changing Personalization Settings
        1. 5.3.1. Theme
        2. 5.3.2. Desktop background
        3. 5.3.3. Sounds
        4. 5.3.4. Screen saver
      4. 5.4. Adjusting Display Settings
      5. 5.5. Choosing AutoPlay Options
      6. 5.6. Adjusting the Power Options
      7. 5.7. Tweaking the Keyboard
        1. 5.7.1. The Speed tab
        2. 5.7.2. The Hardware tab
      8. 5.8. Adjusting Thy Mouse
      9. 5.9. Configuring Internet Options
        1. 5.9.1. The General tab
        2. 5.9.2. The Security tab
        3. 5.9.3. The Privacy tab
        4. 5.9.4. The Content tab
        5. 5.9.5. The Connections tab
        6. 5.9.6. The Programs tab
        7. 5.9.7. The Advanced tab
      10. 5.10. Uninstalling and Repairing Programs and Features
      11. 5.11. Fine-Tuning User Accounts
      12. 5.12. Configuring Phone and Modem Options
        1. 5.12.1. The Dialing Rules tab
        2. 5.12.2. The Modems tab
        3. 5.12.3. The Advanced tab
  8. III. The Internet
    1. 1. Making Sense of the Internet
      1. 1.1. Exactly What Is the Internet, Anyway?
      2. 1.2. Exploring the Potential of the Web
        1. 1.2.1. Surf the Web
        2. 1.2.2. Build a Web site
        3. 1.2.3. Blogging
        4. 1.2.4. E-mail and instant messaging
        5. 1.2.5. FTP file transfer
        6. 1.2.6. Newsgroups
        7. 1.2.7. Webcams and Web videoconferencing
        8. 1.2.8. Enjoy digital media over the Internet
      3. 1.3. Understanding Internet Connections
        1. 1.3.1. Dialup connections
        2. 1.3.2. DSL connections
        3. 1.3.3. Cable modem connections
        4. 1.3.4. Satellite connections
      4. 1.4. "What Exactly Do I Need?"
    2. 2. Adding an Internet Connection to Windows 7
      1. 2.1. Gathering the Account Incantations
      2. 2.2. Making the Physical Connection
      3. 2.3. Creating a New Dialup Connection in Windows 7
      4. 2.4. Creating a New DSL, Satellite, or Cable Connection in Windows 7
      5. 2.5. "Is My Connection Alive?"
      6. 2.6. "My Connection Appears to Be Dead"
    3. 3. Protecting Your Internet Privacy
      1. 3.1. What Can Really Happen?
      2. 3.2. Common Sense Goes a Long Way
        1. 3.2.1. Passwords
        2. 3.2.2. Risky behavior
        3. 3.2.3. E-mail
      3. 3.3. Using the Built-in Windows 7 Firewall
      4. 3.4. Using Antivirus Software
    4. 4. Cruising the Web with Internet Explorer
      1. 4.1. Running Internet Explorer
      2. 4.2. The Explorer Window and Basic Controls
        1. 4.2.1. More buttons for your buck
        2. 4.2.2. Finding a home page
      3. 4.3. Navigating the Web
        1. 4.3.1. Simplifying surfing with Favorites
        2. 4.3.2. Searching for the hay in the needlestack
        3. 4.3.3. Doing the Tab thing
      4. 4.4. Downloading Files
      5. 4.5. Keeping Track of Where You've Been
      6. 4.6. Printing and Saving Web Pages
        1. 4.6.1. Putting the Web in print
        2. 4.6.2. Saving the best (for last)
    5. 5. Harnessing Your E-Mail
      1. 5.1. Introducing the Mail Window
      2. 5.2. Setting Up Your Mailbox
      3. 5.3. The Three R's: Receiving, Reading, and Replying
        1. 5.3.1. Receiving e-mail
        2. 5.3.2. Reading e-mail
        3. 5.3.3. Replying to and forwarding e-mail
        4. 5.3.4. To Bcc, or not to Bcc
        5. 5.3.5. E-mail housekeeping: Deleting and filing
      4. 5.4. Creating and Sending E-Mail
        1. 5.4.1. Formatting a message
        2. 5.4.2. Creating and sending a draft
        3. 5.4.3. Windows Live Mail 102
      5. 5.5. Sending and Receiving File Attachments
      6. 5.6. Spam: I Hate It — Truly I Do!
      7. 5.7. Working with Your Contacts
    6. 6. Instant Messaging Done Right
      1. 6.1. Selecting a Chat Client
        1. 6.1.1. AIM
        2. 6.1.2. ICQ
      2. 6.2. Running Windows Live Messenger
      3. 6.3. Configuring Windows Live Messenger
      4. 6.4. Keeping Track of Friends and Family
      5. 6.5. Chatting with Your Brethren
      6. 6.6. Selecting a Status
      7. 6.7. Squelching the Unwelcome Few
  9. IV. PC Troubleshooting and Maintenance
    1. 1. Easy PC Troubleshooting
      1. 1.1. Relax and Breathe Easy
      2. 1.2. The Troubleshooting Process, Step by Step
      3. 1.3. Drastic Things That You Won't Do Often
        1. 1.3.1. Using System Recovery Options
        2. 1.3.2. Reinstalling Windows 7
      4. 1.4. HELP! Additional Troubleshooting Resources
        1. 1.4.1. The Windows 7 Help system
        2. 1.4.2. Microsoft tech support
        3. 1.4.3. The Microsoft Web site
        4. 1.4.4. Those unsupported newsgroups
    2. 2. Maintaining Windows 7
      1. 2.1. Device Manager: The Hardware Tool
      2. 2.2. Checking Your Hard Drives in Windows 7
      3. 2.3. Defragmenting Just Plain Rocks
      4. 2.4. Be Smart: Back Up Your Stuff
      5. 2.5. Safeguarding Your System with System Restore
      6. 2.6. Have at Thee, Foul Virus!
      7. 2.7. Using Windows Defender
      8. 2.8. Windows 7 Boot and Recovery Options
        1. 2.8.1. Using Safe mode
        2. 2.8.2. Using the last known good configuration
      9. 2.9. Using Windows Update
        1. 2.9.1. The fully automatic way
        2. 2.9.2. The (somewhat) manual way
    3. 3. Maintaining Your Hardware
      1. 3.1. When Should You Move Your PC?
      2. 3.2. Avoiding Dust Bunnies
      3. 3.3. Watching Your Cables
      4. 3.4. Cleaning Monitors and Scanners
      5. 3.5. Cleaning Your Mouse and Keyboard
      6. 3.6. Cleaning and Maintaining Your Printer
        1. 3.6.1. Cleaning laser printers
        2. 3.6.2. Changing inkjet cartridges
        3. 3.6.3. Calibrating your printer
        4. 3.6.4. Cleaning inkjet cartridges
        5. 3.6.5. Refilling inkjet cartridges
  10. V. Office 2010
    1. 1. Introducing Office 2010
      1. 1.1. The Components of Office 2010
        1. 1.1.1. Word 2010
        2. 1.1.2. Excel 2010
        3. 1.1.3. PowerPoint 2010
        4. 1.1.4. Access 2010
        5. 1.1.5. Outlook 2010
      2. 1.2. Putting the Office Clipboard to Work
      3. 1.3. Using the Office Help System
        1. 1.3.1. Displaying the Help system
        2. 1.3.2. The three controls of justice
    2. 2. Using Word
      1. 2.1. Running Word
      2. 2.2. The Elements of Word
      3. 2.3. A Word about Views
        1. 2.3.1. Draft view
        2. 2.3.2. Outline view
        3. 2.3.3. Print Layout view
        4. 2.3.4. Web Layout view
        5. 2.3.5. Full Screen Reading view
      4. 2.4. Typing, Selecting, and Editing Text
        1. 2.4.1. Typing like the wind
        2. 2.4.2. Selecting what you will
        3. 2.4.3. Editing text in Word
      5. 2.5. Finding and Replacing Stuff
      6. 2.6. Building Tables
      7. 2.7. Adding Bulleted and Numbered Lists
      8. 2.8. Adjusting Tabs and Margins
        1. 2.8.1. Setting margins with the ruler
        2. 2.8.2. Setting margins from the Ribbon
        3. 2.8.3. Setting tabs with the ruler
        4. 2.8.4. Setting tabs from the Ribbon
      9. 2.9. Applying Formatting
        1. 2.9.1. Font formatting
        2. 2.9.2. Paragraph formatting
        3. 2.9.3. AutoFormatting
      10. 2.10. Adding Graphics
      11. 2.11. Doing the Collaboration Thing
        1. 2.11.1. Using revision marks
        2. 2.11.2. Using comments
        3. 2.11.3. Using highlighting
      12. 2.12. Printing Your Document
      13. 2.13. Creating Web Pages with Word
    3. 3. Putting Excel to Work
      1. 3.1. Running Excel
      2. 3.2. Waltzing Around the Excel Window
      3. 3.3. Selecting, Entering, and Editing Cell Data
        1. 3.3.1. Filling a cell to the top
        2. 3.3.2. Moving around the worksheet
        3. 3.3.3. Selecting cells the easy way
        4. 3.3.4. Editing cell contents
      4. 3.4. Working with Numbers and Dates
      5. 3.5. Working with Rows and Columns
        1. 3.5.1. Resizing rows and columns
        2. 3.5.2. Inserting blank cells
        3. 3.5.3. Inserting cells from the Clipboard
        4. 3.5.4. Inserting rows and columns
      6. 3.6. Formatting in Excel
        1. 3.6.1. Font formatting
        2. 3.6.2. Cell alignment
        3. 3.6.3. Changing borders and shading
      7. 3.7. The Basics of Excel Formulas
      8. 3.8. Working with Graphics in Excel
      9. 3.9. Adding a Chart
      10. 3.10. Linking Cells
      11. 3.11. Adding Headers and Footers
      12. 3.12. Printing Your Worksheets
    4. 4. Performing with PowerPoint
      1. 4.1. Getting Your Bearings in PowerPoint
      2. 4.2. Changing Views
        1. 4.2.1. Normal view
        2. 4.2.2. Slide Sorter view
        3. 4.2.3. Notes Page view
        4. 4.2.4. Reading view
        5. 4.2.5. Slide Show view
      3. 4.3. Creating Slides
        1. 4.3.1. Inserting slides
        2. 4.3.2. Inserting a document
      4. 4.4. Typing, Selecting, and Editing Text
        1. 4.4.1. Adding text
        2. 4.4.2. Moving within text fields
        3. 4.4.3. Selecting text and objects
        4. 4.4.4. Editing text
        5. 4.4.5. Moving slide elements
      5. 4.5. Installing Graphics in Your Slides
      6. 4.6. Applying a Theme
      7. 4.7. Entering Notes
      8. 4.8. Using Movies and Sound
      9. 4.9. Building and Running a Slide Show
      10. 4.10. Making a Transition 'twixt Slides
      11. 4.11. Using Package for CD
      12. 4.12. Printing Your Document
    5. 5. Doing Database Magic with Access
      1. 5.1. Running Access
      2. 5.2. A Quick Tour of the Access Window
      3. 5.3. Creating Access Tables
      4. 5.4. Creating a Form with the Wizard
      5. 5.5. Entering and Editing Fields Manually
      6. 5.6. Using Access Templates
      7. 5.7. Printing Your Data
    6. 6. Staying in Touch with Outlook
      1. 6.1. Running Outlook
      2. 6.2. Elements of the Outlook Window
      3. 6.3. Configuring Your Mail Account
      4. 6.4. Reading and Replying to E-Mail
      5. 6.5. Composing and Sending Messages
      6. 6.6. Using File Attachments
      7. 6.7. Keeping Track of Your Contacts
        1. 6.7.1. Entering a contact
        2. 6.7.2. Editing a contact
      8. 6.8. Using the Outlook Calendar
        1. 6.8.1. Creating an appointment
        2. 6.8.2. Displaying appointments in Outlook Today
      9. 6.9. Printing within Outlook
    7. 7. Working with SkyDrive
      1. 7.1. Answers to Your Online Storage Queries
      2. 7.2. Signing In to SkyDrive
      3. 7.3. Marking Your Own Territory and Adding Files
      4. 7.4. Saving Files within Office Applications
  11. VI. Fun with Movies, Music, and Photos
    1. 1. Scanning with Gusto
      1. 1.1. What Happens inside a Scanner?
      2. 1.2. Your Friend, the Flatbed
      3. 1.3. Popular Scanner Features
      4. 1.4. Basic Scanning with Windows Live Photo Gallery
        1. 1.4.1. Acquiring the image
        2. 1.4.2. Rotating and cropping images
        3. 1.4.3. Converting and saving the image
      5. 1.5. Scanning Do's and Don'ts
      6. 1.6. Those Irritating (Or Invaluable) Copyrights
    2. 2. Dude, MP3 Rocks!
      1. 2.1. An MP3 Primer
      2. 2.2. Ripping Your Own MP3 Files
      3. 2.3. Listening to Your Stuff
      4. 2.4. Downloading to an MP3 Player
      5. 2.5. Using Other Sound Formats
        1. 2.5.1. WAV format
        2. 2.5.2. WMA format
        3. 2.5.3. AAC format
        4. 2.5.4. AU format
        5. 2.5.5. AIFF format
        6. 2.5.6. MIDI format
      6. 2.6. Burning Audio CDs from MP3 Files
    3. 3. Making Movies with Your PC
      1. 3.1. Getting the Lowdown on Windows Live Movie Maker
      2. 3.2. Rounding Up Clips and Images
      3. 3.3. Building Your First Movie
      4. 3.4. Adding Transitions without Breaking a Sweat
      5. 3.5. Adding Special Effects without Paying George Lucas
      6. 3.6. Adding Sound
      7. 3.7. You've Just Gotta Have Titles!
      8. 3.8. Previewing Your Oscar-Winning Work
      9. 3.9. Saving and Sharing Before Traveling to Cannes
        1. 3.9.1. Creating a digital video file
        2. 3.9.2. Sharing your masterpiece on YouTube
    4. 4. I Can Make My Own DVDs?
      1. 4.1. Welcome to Windows DVD Maker
      2. 4.2. Clips 'R Easy!
      3. 4.3. Time to Preview
      4. 4.4. Burning Your DVD and Celebrating Afterward
    5. 5. I'm Okay, You're a Digital Camera
      1. 5.1. How Does a Digital Camera Work?
      2. 5.2. The Pros and Cons of Digital Photography
      3. 5.3. Digital Camera Extras to Covet
        1. 5.3.1. External card readers
        2. 5.3.2. Rechargeable batteries
        3. 5.3.3. Lenses
        4. 5.3.4. Tripods
      4. 5.4. The Lazy Man's Guide to Composing Photographs
        1. 5.4.1. The rule of thirds
        2. 5.4.2. The rule of asymmetry
        3. 5.4.3. Using lighting creatively
      5. 5.5. Organizing Your Pictures
      6. 5.6. Downloading Your Images
  12. VII. Upgrading and Supercharging
    1. 1. Determining What to Upgrade
      1. 1.1. Making Performance Upgrades: CPU, Motherboard, and Memory
        1. 1.1.1. Upgrading your CPU and motherboard
        2. 1.1.2. Adding memory
      2. 1.2. Expansion Upgrades: eSATA, USB 2.0, and FireWire
      3. 1.3. Making Storage Upgrades: Internal and External Drives
        1. 1.3.1. Adding a hard drive
        2. 1.3.2. Adding a recorder or a tape drive
      4. 1.4. Making Sound and Video Upgrades: Sound and Video Cards
        1. 1.4.1. Sound cards on parade
        2. 1.4.2. Deciding which video card is right for you
    2. 2. Adding RAM to Your Hot Rod
      1. 2.1. Defining the Different Types of RAM
        1. 2.1.1. DDR
        2. 2.1.2. DDR2
        3. 2.1.3. DDR3
        4. 2.1.4. RDRAM
        5. 2.1.5. SDRAM
      2. 2.2. Figuring Out Which Type of RAM to Buy
      3. 2.3. Deciding How Much RAM Is Enough
      4. 2.4. Installing Extra RAM
    3. 3. Adding Hard Drive Territory to Your System
      1. 3.1. The Tale of Virtual Memory
      2. 3.2. Recognizing a Well-Dressed Hard Drive
        1. 3.2.1. Size definitely matters
        2. 3.2.2. How fast is your access?
        3. 3.2.3. What does rpm have to do with hard drives?
      3. 3.3. Internal versus External Storage
      4. 3.4. Adding a Second Internal Hard Drive
    4. 4. Partying with USB, FireWire, and eSATA
      1. 4.1. A Tale of Three Fine Ports
        1. 4.1.1. Comparing USB ports
        2. 4.1.2. I vote for FireWire
        3. 4.1.3. The latest power user port: eSATA
      2. 4.2. Or Do You Just Need a Hub?
      3. 4.3. Installing a Port Card
    5. 5. Pumping Up Your Sound and Video
      1. 5.1. Sound Card Features to Covet
        1. 5.1.1. 3D spatial imaging
        2. 5.1.2. Surround sound support
        3. 5.1.3. MP3 encoding support
        4. 5.1.4. Game and FireWire ports
        5. 5.1.5. MIDI ports
      2. 5.2. Shopping for a Monster Graphics Card
        1. 5.2.1. Just say, "PCI Express"
        2. 5.2.2. Exploring the differences between chipsets
        3. 5.2.3. Other video card features that you'll want
      3. 5.3. Installing Sound and Video Cards
  13. VIII. Home Networking
    1. 1. Do I Really Need a Network?
      1. 1.1. Discovering the Advantages of a Network
        1. 1.1.1. File transfer
        2. 1.1.2. Sharing that-there Internet
        3. 1.1.3. One word: Games!
        4. 1.1.4. Shared documents and applications
      2. 1.2. What Can I Connect To?
      3. 1.3. What Hardware Do I Need?
      4. 1.4. What Software Do I Need?
    2. 2. Ethernet to the Rescue
      1. 2.1. A Quickie Ethernet Primer
      2. 2.2. The Hardware You Need
        1. 2.2.1. Cables
        2. 2.2.2. Switches
        3. 2.2.3. NICs
      3. 2.3. Doing the Cable Dance
      4. 2.4. Configuring Windows 7 for Your Network
        1. 2.4.1. Ah, sweet DHCP
          1. 2.4.1.1. Setting up the host
          2. 2.4.1.2. Setting up the clients
        2. 2.4.2. Browsing the neighborhood
        3. 2.4.3. Sharing folders and documents
      5. 2.5. Printing across the Network
      6. 2.6. Using a Standard Switch with a Cable or DSL Modem
      7. 2.7. Troubleshooting Your Network
        1. 2.7.1. Windows 7 doesn't recognize my NIC
        2. 2.7.2. No lights show up on my network card(s) or switch
        3. 2.7.3. Nothing shows up when I browse
        4. 2.7.4. I can't connect (or print) to a shared printer
    3. 3. Going Wireless
      1. 3.1. Understanding Wireless Networking
        1. 3.1.1. Comparing wireless with wired
        2. 3.1.2. Keeping track of the standards involved
          1. 3.1.2.1. The original standard: 802.11b
          2. 3.1.2.2. The misfit: 802.11a
          3. 3.1.2.3. The mainstream: 802.11g
          4. 3.1.2.4. Raising the bar to 802.11n
          5. 3.1.2.5. The strangely named: Bluetooth
        3. 3.1.3. AC and phoneline networking
      2. 3.2. Using Wireless Hardware in Windows 7
        1. 3.2.1. Preparing to install
        2. 3.2.2. Installation tricks
        3. 3.2.3. Making the connection
    4. 4. Sharing Your Internet Connection
      1. 4.1. Why Share Your Internet Connection?
      2. 4.2. Sharing through Hardware
        1. 4.2.1. Wired sharing devices
        2. 4.2.2. Wireless sharing devices
      3. 4.3. Sharing through Software in Windows 7
    5. 5. Securing Your Home Network
      1. 5.1. Common Sense Tips for Wired Networks
      2. 5.2. Ensuring Security on Your Wireless Network
      3. 5.3. Using Shared Folders (The Right Way)
      4. 5.4. Knowing Why You Need NAT
      5. 5.5. Marveling at the Magic of Virtual Private Networking

Product information

  • Title: PCs All-in-One For Dummies®, 5th Edition
  • Author(s):
  • Release date: July 2010
  • Publisher(s): Wiley
  • ISBN: 9780470614549