PCs: The Missing Manual Table of Contents
Here’s what you’ll find inside my latest book, PCs: The Missing Manual.
Part One: Your PC’s Main Parts
Chapter 1: Inside Your PC
- Finding Out Your PC’s Horsepower
- The PC’s Case
- Opening Your PC’s Case
- Motherboard
- CPU (Central Processing Unit)
- Adding Memory (aka RAM)
- Installing Expansion Cards
- Ports
- Power Supply and Battery
Chapter 2: Keyboards and Mice
- Keyboard Basics
- Mouse Basics
- Game Controllers
Chapter 3: Monitors and Video
- Monitor Basics
- Installing a Monitor
- Plugging Two Monitors into One PC
- Plugging Two PCs into One Monitor
- Using TV Sets as Monitors
- Watching TV on a PC
- Troubleshooting Your Monitor
- Video Card (aka Display Adapter)
Chapter 4: Printers
- Printer Basics
- Installing a Printer
- Choosing Printer Paper
- Adjusting Printer Settings
- Printing Envelopes
- Printing Specialized Items
- Printing Digital Photos Professionally
- Printing Digital Photos on an Inkjet Printer
- Printing Web Pages
- Printer Troubleshooting
Part Two: Multimedia
Chapter 5: Digital Cameras, Camcorders, and Webcams
- Digital Camera Basics
- Moving Pictures from Camera to Computer
- Moving Pictures from a Card Reader to a PC
- Viewing and Editing Photos
- Sharing Photos with Friends
- Troubleshooting Digital Camera Problems
- Camcorder Basics
- Connect the Camcorder to Your PC
- Editing Video with Windows Movie Maker 2
- Editing with Movie Maker
- Webcams
Chapter 6: Scanners
- Choosing a Scanner
- Installing a Scanner
- Three Ways to Scan an Image
- Using Windows Scanner and Camera Wizard
- Digitizing Old Photos and Slides
- Troubleshooting Scanners
Chapter 7: Sound
- Understanding Sound Adapters (Sound Cards)
- Sending Sound into and out of Your PC
- Choosing Music File Formats
- PC Music for Musicians
- Troubleshooting Sound
Chapter 8: Digital Music Players
- Choosing a Digital Music Player
- Connecting Your Digital Player to Your PC
- iPod and iTunes
- Windows XP’s Media Player
- Troubleshooting Digital Music Players
Part Three: Storing Information
Chapter 9: Hard Drives and Floppy Drives
- Your PC’s Drives: An Overview
- Hard Drives: An Introduction
- Finding Your Hard Drive’s Available Space
- Removing Unused Programs and Files
- Speeding Up a Hard Drive
- Installing a Hard Drive
- Troubleshooting Hard Drives
- Floppy Drives: An Introduction
- Formatting a Floppy Disk
- Installing a Floppy Drive
Chapter 10: CD and DVD Drives
- CDs: An Introduction
- Playing CDs
- Buying the Right Type of Blank CD
- Ripping CDs
- Burning CDs
- Duplicating CDs
- Erasing CDs
- DVDs: An Introduction
- Playing DVD Movies
- Buying the Right Type of Blank DVD
- Specialty Disc Formats
- Ripping DVDs
- Burning DVDs
- Buying a CD or DVD Drive
- Installing a CD or DVD Drive
- Troubleshooting CD and DVD Drives
Part Four: Talking to the World
Chapter 11: Getting Online
- Different Ways to Connect to the Internet
- Setting Up a Modem
- Subscribing to an Internet Service
- Setting Up an Internet Connection
- Dialing into the Internet
- Troubleshooting Online Connections
Chapter 12: Email
- Choosing an Email Program
- Setting Up Outlook Express
- Composing and Sending Email
- Reading and Processing Email
- Managing Your Address Book
- Email Etiquette
- Troubleshooting Email Problems
Chapter 13: Surfing the Web
- Choosing and Setting Up a Browser
- Managing Forms and Passwords
- Blocking Pop-up Ads and Other Nuisances
- Browsing the Web
- Viewing RSS Feeds
Chapter 14: Networking
- Choosing a Network
- Networking Hardware: What You Need
- Setting Up a Simple Home Network
- The Network Setup Wizard
- Securing Your Network
- Sharing an Internet Connection
- Sharing Printers
- Exchanging Files Between PCs
- Sharing Monitors
- Networking Two PCs
- Troubleshooting Network Problems
Part Five: Maintenance, Security, and Troubleshooting
Chapter 15: Security
- Backing Up Your Computer
- Creating Passwords
- Activating Windows Update
- Preventing Theft
- Phishing
- Adware, Spyware, and Other Threats
- Installing a Firewall
Chapter 16: Fixing Common Problems
- Undeleting Deleted Files
- Quitting Frozen Programs
- System Restore
- Resetting Windows XP Passwords
- Troubleshooting Driver Problems
- Speeding Up a Slow PC
- Windows Activation
- Windows’ Troubleshooters
Chapter 17: Advanced Troubleshooting
- Watching Your PC Start
- Editing the BIOS Settings
- Replacing Firmware
- Searching for Clues with Google
- Reverting to a Program’s Older Version
- Swapping Parts
- Microsoft’s Knowledge Base
- Last Resort: Data Grabs with Knoppix
Appendix
Appendix A: Setting Up A New PC
Appendix B: Memory Cards and USB Drives (free)
- Understanding Different Card Types
- Moving Data Between Cards to Your PC
- Moving Data Between a USB Drive and a PC
- Making a USB Drive Travel Kit
- Recovering Erased Photos from a Card
Appendix C: Other Cool Things You Can Do Online (free)
- Faxing With Your PC
- Gambling Online
- Using Google Maps
- Sending Greeting Cards
- Instant Messaging
- Playing Online Games
- Creating a Web Site
- Making Internet-based Phone Calls (VOiP)
Appendix D: Dealing With Technical Support (free)
- Getting Good Tech Support
- Sending Your PC to the Repair Shop