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Dan Gookin
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Published:
December 2, 2015

PCs For Dummies

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Overview

The bestselling PC reference on the planet—now available in its 13th edition

Completely updated to cover the latest technology and software, the 13th edition of PCs For Dummies tackles using a computer in friendly, human terms. Focusing on the needs of the beginning computer user, while also targeting those who are familiar with PCs, but need to get up to speed on the latest version of Windows. This hands-on guide takes the dread out of working with a personal computer.

Leaving painful jargon and confusing terminology behind, it covers Windows 10 OS, connecting to and using services and data in the cloud, and so much more. Written by Dan Gookin, the original For Dummies author, it tells you how to make a PC purchase, what to look for in a new PC, how to work with the latest operating system, ways to protect your files, what you can do online, media management tips, and even basic topics you're probably too shy to ask a friend about.

  • Determine what you need in a PC and how to set it up
  • Configure your PC, hook up a printer, and connect to the Internet
  • Find your way around Windows 10 OS with ease and confidence
  • Play movies and music, view photos, and explore social media

If you're a first-time PC user at home or at work or just need to brush up on the latest technological advancements, the new edition of this bestselling guide gets you up and running fast.

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About The Author

Dan Gookin is a gizmo geek who's been writing about technology for over 25 years. In 1991, his DOS For Dummies became the world's fastest-selling computer book and launched the For Dummies series. Dan's 130+ books have been translated into more than 30 languages. Visit his website at www.wambooli.com.

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pcs for dummies

CHEAT SHEET

Even though computers are supposed to make our lives easier, you may find it beneficial to print and complete some information about your personal computer (PC) on paper. You can use this as a reference for technical information, internet, and email information, or how all those wires and peripherals should be hooked up to your PC — even while the computer is off.
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Computers are about performing tasks quickly, and nothing helps humans speak and write more quickly than an acronym. It’s a marriage made in heaven. The computer industry loves creating acronyms, and computer marketing people and users love speaking them. This fine tradition dates back years to the first PC, which of course is an acronym for Personal Computer.
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No computer willingly coughs up its media for sharing. You must command Windows to provide your PC’s media as a resource, open and shared on the network. Heed these directions: Open the Control Panel. In Windows 10, press Win + X. In Windows 7, press the Win key. Choose Control Panel from the menu. Below the Network and Internet heading, click the link View Network Status and Tasks.
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Your PC doesn’t just sit there when other gizmos bump into it. The PC reacts instantly, installing software to access the gizmo. If the gizmo contains media, Windows asks you what to do next. That prompt is called AutoPlay. Dealing with another device Connecting another gizmo to your PC is met by a flurry of activity.
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The most common cloud service is file storage. A branch of folders and files on your PC’s mass storage system are duplicated on the Internet, available on the web or from any other Internet-connected gizmo. Adding a cloud storage service Whether your PC has a cloud storage subscription or not, you can always get one.
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When you decide you no longer want your PC to be a part of a network, you can disconnect it from a network. You can also go one step further and forget a Wi-Fi connection if you don’t want your computer to seek that connection again. Disconnecting from a network There’s no need to disconnect from a wired network.
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One way to increase storage capacity on a mass storage device is to find and remove files from your PC that you no longer need. Top on the list are huge files because they occupy a lot of space. The Windows Search command can easily help you locate such files.Follow these steps to locate large, brooding, pendulous files on your PC: Press Win+E to summon a File Explorer window.
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Here’s something you don’t want to do: Open up your PC console. It’s scary. It can screw up everything. It can even kill you, especially if you’re clumsy or just enjoy sticking your tongue to things that are highly electrified. So don’t do it! Okay, but, suppose you desire to add or replace something inside the PC console.
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To control various PC hardware settings, you’ll find yourself visiting one of two key locations in Windows. The first location, introduced in Windows 8, is the Settings app. The second location, common in all versions of Windows but hidden in Windows 10, is the Control Panel. Using the Settings app Apparently, it’s the desire of our Microsoft overlords to use the Settings app to control all aspects of Windows.
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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. Always use your best posture while you compute. Don’t slouch! Elevate your wrists. Don’t tilt your head too far down. Get a UPS for your PC. Plug the monitor, console, and external backup drive into the battery-backed-up sockets.
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If your PC sports two graphics ports, the system can handle two monitors. It would be like if your body had two necks, you could go shopping for a second head. Hat sales would go through the roof! The second monitor expands the desktop real estate, allowing you to get more work done! Or to see more stuff at once, if you loathe work.
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You can change the mouse settings on your PC. In Windows, you use the Mouse Properties dialog box to control, manipulate, and tease the mouse. To visit this dialog box, heed these directions: Open the Control Panel. In Windows 10, press Win+X and then choose Control Panel from the super-secret menu. In Windows 7, choose Control Panel from the Start menu.
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One vital storage information tidbit you’ll want to know for your PC is a media’s capacity. Specifically, you want to ensure that free storage space on a device doesn’t get too low. If it does, the PC starts acting sluggish and might even refuse to install new software or save files. As with feeding peas to a 3-year-old, it’s a situation you want to avoid.
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One of the most important things you do when first connecting to a network is to set the network type. This step is about security. Obviously, you want more network security when connecting to the car mechanic’s Wi-Fi than you do when connecting to your home network. In Windows 10, the two network types are: Public and Private.
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If you plan to write a lot of fast-paced theatrical drama on your computer, you’ll probably write the word Aaaaaaaaaaaaaa a lot. To do so, you press and hold the A key. After a delay, the A key repeats itself, spewing out the letter A like water from a fire hose. You can control both the delay and how fast the character repeats itself by using the Keyboard Properties dialog box in Windows.
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You’ll find the various printers available to your PC in a central spot in Windows. Windows 10 offers the Printers and Scanners part of the Settings app, but a better view is provided in the Devices and Printers window. Printers in the Devices and Printers window. To visit the Devices and Printers window, obey these steps: Summon the Control Panel.
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Nothing says that a widescreen PC monitor needs to be oriented like a movie screen. Some people like portrait, or tall, orientation, especially when dealing with spreadsheets or other listy items. The first step to changing the monitor’s orientation is to physically rotate the monitor. Some monitor stands allow for free rotation.
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Your PC has two network types, Public and Private. Say you goof and accidentally choose Public for your home network or Private (or Home) for Starbucks. If so, you need to change the network type. In Windows 10, to change the network type for a wireless connection, you must disconnect from the network and forget that connection.
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You will want to set up the Windows Firewall on your PC. In construction, a firewall slows the advance of a fire. It’s created from special slow-burning material and rated in hours. For example, a three-hour firewall takes, theoretically, three hours to burn through — and that helps protect a building from burning down before the fire department shows up.
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The PC monitor’s physical dimensions cannot change, but you can control the amount of stuff you see on the screen by adjusting the screen resolution. That’s the number of dots, or pixels, the monitor displays, measuring horizontally by vertically. To change the screen’s resolution in Windows 10, heed these directions: Right-click the desktop and choose Display Settings from the pop-up menu.
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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
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If you find yourself accessing a shared network folder all the time, consider mapping that folder to a drive letter in your PC’s mass storage system. Just follow these steps: Press Win + E to open a File Explorer window. In Windows 10, choose This PC from the left side of the window. This step isn’t necessary in Windows 7, because you already see the My Computer window.
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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): _________________________ Primary storage device capacity (GB): __________ Drive C is a ___ hard drive ___ SSD Drive ___ is a ___ hard drive ___ SSD Drive ___ is a ___ hard drive ___ SSD Drive ___ is an external backup drive.
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Even though computers are supposed to make our lives easier, you may find it beneficial to print and complete some information about your personal computer (PC) on paper. You can use this as a reference for technical information, internet, and email information, or how all those wires and peripherals should be hooked up to your PC — even while the computer is off.
Read More
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Your computer day involves more than just staring blankly at the monitor. Your supervisor is probably watching while you use the computer. When you work by yourself or are at home, please feel free to stare blankly at the monitor. When you want to get something done, you need to rustle up some programs. Hunting down programs in Windows Microsoft tries to make things super easy for Windows users.
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Being a hardware thing, the computer’s audio system serves subject to the PC’s potentate, the operating system. Windows exercises its dictatorial control in a place called the Sound dialog box. Sound control happens here. To display the Sound dialog box, follow these steps: Open the Control Panel. In Windows 10, press Win+X to display the super-secret menu, and then choose Control Panel.
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After an image makes the journey from a digital camera scanner into the computer, it becomes a file on your PC’s mass storage system. Specifically, it becomes a picture file. Windows allows you to do quite a few things with picture files, and you should be familiar with a few picture-file concepts if you plan to get the most from your PC as the center of your digital photography universe.
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Why grouse about the government spying on you and your PC when everyone seems so eager to freely share all of life’s trivial tidbits online anyway? For example, while you can post to Facebook while you’re sitting in the doctor’s office, it is illegal for the doctor to do so. Don’t let that stop you! Of all the social networking sites, Facebook is the king.
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Here’s a list of standard computer peripherals — items that attach to the PC console. Place an X in the box to indicate where 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. Peripheral Back USB port Fron
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A file shortcut is like a signpost. It references an original file that dwells elsewhere in the PC’s storage system. That way you can have multiple copies of a file in different folders, but not overstuff the primary mass storage device with wasted space. For example, if you were an author, you could have a copy of your current biography in two folders on your PC.
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Thanks to high-speed Internet, watching TV on your computer is no longer considered unholy. It used to be that to accomplish such a thing, you needed a hardware TV tuner jammed inside your computer. That’s still possible, though it’s more common these days to use the Internet to keep track of your favorite programs.
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The Windows 10 Settings app features a long list of privacy settings on your PC. These allow you to control which programs or apps have access to specific PC features as well as how your personal information is shared between apps. To view the slate of privacy settings, heed these directions: Press Win + I to open the Settings app.
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Use this information to help keep track of your Internet account information and other, PC-related 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.
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