Laptops for Dummies: 7th Edition

Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
Introduction
	About This Book
	And Just Who Are You?
	Icons Used in This Book
	Where to Go from Here
Part 1 This Laptop Thing
	Chapter 1 The Portable Computing Quest
		The History of Portable Computing
			The Xerox Dynabook
			The Osborne 1
			The loveable luggables
			The Model 100
			The lunch buckets
			Dawn of the PC laptop
			The search for light
		Modern Laptops
			The notebook
			The subnotebook
			The tablet PC
	Chapter 2 A Laptop of Your Own
		Do You Need a Laptop?
			Why you need a laptop
			Why you don’t need a laptop
		Laptop Shopping
			Things to ignore when buying a laptop
			Things to heed when buying a laptop
		Software for Your Laptop
			The operating system
			Other software
		Laptop Hardware Buying Decisions
			Important laptop hardware guts
			Communications options
			The green laptop
		Service, Support, and Warranty
		The Final Step: Buying Your Laptop
Part 2 Say Hello to Your Laptop
	Chapter 3 From Laptop Box to Lap
		Laptop Box 101
			Removing the laptop from the box
			“How long should I keep the box?”
			Submitting the warranty
		Set Up Your Laptop
			Finding a place for the laptop
			Charging the battery
			“Should I plug the laptop into a UPS?”
		Bye-Bye, Old Laptop
			Deciding when to retire an old laptop
			Disposing of the old laptop
		What to Do Next
	Chapter 4 To Turn On a Laptop
		Turn On Your Laptop
			Step 1: Open the lid
			Step 2: Adjust the lid for optimal viewing
			Step 3: Locate the power button
			Step 4: Punch the power button
		It’s Windows!
			Running Windows for the first time
			Activating Windows
			Signing in to Windows
		What’s Next?
			Migrating your files
			Reinstalling your programs
			Adding other accounts
	Chapter 5 To Turn Off a Laptop
		End Your Laptop Day
			Keeping the laptop on all the time
			Finding the shutdown options
			Shutting down your laptop
			Restarting Windows
			Putting Mr. Laptop to sleep
			Hibernating the laptop
			Locking Windows
			Signing out of Windows
			Switching to another user
			Shutting down when the laptop doesn’t want to
		Shutdown Options and Configuration
			Setting the power button’s function
			Determining what happens when you shut the lid
			Activating hibernation
	Chapter 6 Traditional Laptop Tour
		Around Your Laptop
			Locating removable storage slots
			Attaching the laptop to something sturdy
			Keeping the air circulating
			Discovering the webcam
		The Pluggable-Innable Holes
		Look at the Pretty Lights!
		This Isn’t Your Daddy’s Keyboard
			Exploring the keyboard layout
			Finding the secret numeric keypad
			Having fun with the Fn key
		This Isn’t Your Momma’s Mouse
			Using a touchpad
			Obtaining a real mouse
	Chapter 7 The Tablet PC Tour
		Tablet PC Types
		The Tablet PC Tour
		The Pen Is Mightier than the Mouse
			Introducing the digital pen
			Using the pen as a mouse
		Touchscreen Text Typing
			Summoning the touch keyboard
			Exploring the touch keyboard varieties
			Typing control-key combinations
			Scribbling text on the screen
		Windows Does the Tablet PC
		Special Tablet PC Software
	Chapter 8 Your Laptop and Windows
		The Big Windows Picture
			Viewing the desktop
			Exploring the Start button menu
			Working on the taskbar
			Visiting with the Action Center
			Using the supersecret shortcut menu
			Shouting at Cortana
		Windows and Your Stuff
			Exploring your laptop’s storage
			Accessing your User Profile folder
			Finding programs
		Settings and Options
			Opening the Settings app
			Visiting the Control Panel
			Using the Quick Settings
			Accessing the Windows Mobility Center
Part 3 Out and About with Mr. Laptop
	Chapter 9 You and Your Laptop
		User Accounts
			Accessing your user account info
			Eschewing an online account
			Setting an account PIN
			Changing your user account picture
			Adding online accounts
		The Perfect Display
			Setting the display resolution
			Changing the desktop wallpaper
			Adding a screen saver
			Setting the display orientation
			Adjusting screen brightness
		Removable Storage
			Adding storage
			Using the AutoPlay notification
			Controlling AutoPlay settings
			Ejecting media and storage devices
		The Software Side
			Adding new software
			Removing software
	Chapter 10 Portable Power
		The Battery Will Get a Charge Out of This!
			Using the battery (or not)
			Locating the laptop’s battery
			Monitoring the battery
			Charging the battery
			Using a second battery
			Replacing the battery
		When the Power Gets Low
			Setting low-battery warnings
			Using the Battery Saver
			Reviewing the power management plan
	Chapter 11 The Printing Chapter
		The Great Printer Hunt
			Finding printers in Windows
			Connecting a printer directly to your laptop
			Adding a network or wireless printer
			“What is the default printer?”
		Something Needs Printing
			Printing a document
			Stopping a printer run amok
			Printing when you don’t have a printer
			Printing a PDF document
		A Portable Printer for Your Laptop
	Chapter 12 Expanding Your Laptop’s Universe
		USB Expansion Options
			Understanding the USB thing
			Attaching and removing a USB gizmo
			Dealing with USB-powered devices
			Using a USB hub
			Perusing potential USB goodies
		The Bluetooth Thing
			Checking for Bluetooth
			Pairing with a Bluetooth gizmo
		The Laptop Becomes a Desktop
			Using a full-size keyboard and mouse
			Adding a monitor
			Running the laptop with its lid closed
	Chapter 13 O the Places You’ll Go
		In the Bag
			Features to look for
			Things to pack in your laptop bag
			Things to do before you leave
		Flying with Mr. Laptop
			Is your laptop case one carry-on bag or half a carry-on bag?
			Laptop inspection
			All aboard!
			Airplane mode
			Air power
			In-flight Wi-Fi
		Café Computing
			Find a good seat
			Other tips ’n’ stuff
		In a Hotel Room
		Mind the Laptop’s Temperature
	Chapter 14 Presentation Information
		The Show Must Go On
			Giving the dog-and-pony show
			Setting up your presentation
			Printing out a slide show
		To Create a Better Slide Show
			Starting your presentation
			Driving home your point
			Building a better presentation
			Keeping your audience awake
			Selling a presentation
	Chapter 15 A Laptop at Play
		The Laptop Media Player
			Exploring Windows Media Player
			Running the Photos app
			Using the Groove Music app
		Expand the Laptop’s Media Universe
			Ripping music from a CD
			Uploading pictures and videos from a phone or camera
			Taking a picture
		Media Sharing
			Copying media to your OneDrive
			Adding media from your OneDrive
			Connecting to a network media player
			Sharing your laptop’s media
		Laptop Phone Calls
		eBooks on Your Laptop
Part 4 Laptop Networking
	Chapter 16 The Networking Thing
		The Big Networking Picture
		Make the Network Connection
			Connecting the laptop to a wired network
			Accessing a Wi-Fi network
			Connecting to a hidden Wi-Fi network
			Tethering to a smartphone
		Break the Network Connection
			Disconnecting from a wired network
			Releasing the Wi-Fi connection
	Chapter 17 Network Life in Laptop Land
		Network Configuration
			Locating network central
			Setting the network security
			Controlling the Wi-Fi radio
			Forgetting a Wi-Fi connection
			Getting the laptop’s MAC address
		Your Laptop, Windows, and the Network
			Setting your laptop’s network name
			Exploring the network
			Checking the sharing status
			Sharing a folder
	Chapter 18 Your Files from Afar
		Files from Here to There
			Walking files between computers
			Using octopus net to connect computers
			Quickly transferring files over Ethernet
			Using the Windows Sync Center
		Cloud Storage Synchronization
			Understanding cloud storage
			Exploring cloud storage options
			Synchronizing cloud storage files
			Sharing a file from cloud storage
Part 5 Security and Maintenance
	Chapter 19 Internet Safety
		Security Central
			Viewing the Action Center
			Checking the Windows Security Center
		Keep Windows Up-to-Date
			Checking the update status
			Postponing an update
		The Malware Scourge
			Doing a virus scan
			Dealing with a quarantined file
		Behind the Firewall
			Finding the firewall
			Dealing with a firewall warning
		Safe and Private Browsing
			Browsing in secret
			Purging your web browsing history
		Location Information
		General Security Settings
	Chapter 20 A More Secure Laptop
		The Hot Laptop
		Before Your Laptop Is Stolen
			Marking your laptop
			Registering the laptop and its software
			Paying attention to your environment
			Attaching the old ball-and-chain
		Protect Your Data with a Strong Password
		Back Up Your Data
			Preparing for backup
			Configuring File History
			Checking the backup schedule
			Restoring an older version
			Restoring more than a single file
		The Laptop Reset
	Chapter 21 Laptop Troubleshooting
		The Universal Quick-Fix
			Restarting the laptop
			Signing out of Windows
		The Windows Troubleshooter
		Restore the System
			Doing a system restore
			Restoring the previous version of Windows
		Common Problems and Solutions
			“The keyboard is wacky!”
			Touchpad touchiness
			“My laptop won’t wake up”
			Power management woes
			“The battery won’t charge”
	Chapter 22 Laptop Maintenance and Upgrading
		New Laptop Hardware
		How ’bout Some New Software?
			Upgrading your software
			Upgrading to a new version of Windows
		Laptop Maintenance
			Maintaining the storage system
			Keeping it clean
			Grooming the keyboard
			Cleansing the screen
Part 6 The Part of Tens
	Chapter 23 Ten Battery Tips and Tricks
		Don’t Drop the Battery, Get It Wet, Short It, Play Keep-Away with It, Open It, Burn It, or Throw It Away
		Reduce the Screen’s Brightness
		Power Down the Hard Drive
		Add RAM to Prevent Virtual Memory Disk Swapping
		Keep Memory Empty
		Guard the Battery’s Terminals
		Avoid Extreme Temperatures
		Store the Battery if You Don’t Plan to Use It
		Understand That Batteries Drain Over Time!
		Deal with the Low-Battery Warning
	Chapter 24 Ten Handy Laptop Accessories
		Laptop Bag or Travel Case
		Spare Battery
		External Storage
		Cooling Pad
		Minivac
		USB Lamp
		Full-Size Keyboard and External Mouse
		Privacy Screen Filter
		ID Card or Return Service Sticker
		Theft-Prevention System
	Chapter 25 Ten Things to Throw in Your Laptop Bag
		Power Cord and Brick
		Spare Battery
		Mouse or Digital Pen
		Screen Wipes and Cleaner
		Laptop Lock
		Removable Media
		Headphones
		Office Supplies
		Cables, Cables, Cables
		Not the End of the List
Index
EULA