PCs For Dummies

Your PC’s Technical Information and Stuff

The following technical information is specific to your own computer — stuff that you’ll probably reference from time to time but won’t necessarily bother storing in your brain. Print this page and write down the information, and then save the page with the other material that came with your computer.

Make and model: ____________________

Serial number: ______________________

Microprocessor: _____________________

RAM (MB): _________________________

Hard drive capacity (GB): __________

Keys to press on start-up to enter PC Setup program:

______________ ___________________

Drive C is    ___ my PC's first hard drive.

Other drives

Drive ___ is a hard drive.

Drive ___ is a hard drive.

Drive ___ is an external backup drive.

Drive ___ is an optical drive.    ___ Recordable

Drive ___ is an optical drive.    ___ Recordable

Drive ___ is a memory card drive. Type: _________________

Drive ___ is a memory card drive. Type: _________________

Drive ___ is a memory card drive. Type: _________________

Drive ___ is a memory card drive. Type: _________________

Drive ___ is _________________.

Drive ___ is _________________.

The Things That Plug into Your PC

Here’s a list of standard computer peripherals — items that attach to the PC console. Make a note of how each item is attached. This information can help you reconnect everything later, in case you ever need to move the computer or take it to the repair shop.

Important Contact and Support Information for Your PC

Use this space to fill in the phone numbers or e-mail addresses of the various people who can help you with your computer, in the event your PC acts up. And, oh yes, it will act up.

Computer dealer or retail store: ___________________________

Sales rep (name/ext.): ___________________________________

Next sales rep after the first one gets fired:___________________

Dealer tech support: ____________________________________

Operating system support: _______________________________

ISP: _________________________________________________

ISP tech support: ______________________________________

Computer guru: _______________________________________

Helpful Hints about Your PC

Here are some essential tips for working with your PC. Keeping your PC in good working order prolongs its life and prevents you from losing important data.

• The Help key in Windows and in most other programs is F1.

• There is no Help key to remind you that the Help key is the F1 key.

• Always save your stuff. Save when you first create something, save as you go along, save when you stand up to take a break, and save before you quit your programs.

• Delete only the files or folders that you created yourself.

• You can delete a shortcut file; doing so doesn’t delete the original.

• When you mess up, immediately press Ctrl+Z, the Undo keyboard command. That should rectify whatever transgression you just committed.

• If you need to open the computer console, unplug it first. No one wants to be electrocuted while trying to fix their PC. It makes a terrible obituary.

• You can connect and disconnect USB devices to and from the computer while the computer or the device is on.

• Get used to working with the mouse by playing computer games, especially card games.

• Get used to avoiding work on the computer by playing computer games, especially card games.

• The best gift you can buy your PC is more memory.

• Remember to properly eject and safely remove any removable media in Windows; don’t just yank something out of your PC.

• The key to understanding software is to know what a file is.

• When e-mailing a graphical image, be sure to save or convert the image to the JPG or PNG file format.

Logging Your Internet Information

Use this information to help keep track of your Internet account information and other, trivial tidbits that you should keep in one location (other than your brain or your PC):

Internet login name: _________________________________

Internet password: (Write down elsewhere.)

My e-mail address: __________________________________

My e-mail password: (Write down elsewhere.)

My ISP's domain name: ______________________________

My web e-mail address: ______________________________

My web e-mail password: (Write down elsewhere.)

Other e-mail address: ________________________________

Other e-mail password: ______________________________

POP server name: ___________________________________

SMTP server name: _________________________________

Favorite flavor of ice cream: