PC QuickSteps Second Edition potx

[...]... changes When your 10 9 PC restarts, it will offer to boot from the DVD 18 18 PC QuickSteps PC QuickSteps Getting to Know Your PC Getting to Know Your PC For a full-featured home PC, choose Windows Vista Home Premium Edition For a budget home PC, choose Windows Vista Home Basic Edition For a standard business PC, choose Windows Vista Business Edition For a full-featured home-and-work PC (for example, a... desktop PCs and almost all laptop PCs On a desktop PC, you can install another graphics card and use it either in tandem with or instead of the built-in graphics card On a laptop PC, you can seldom change the built-in graphics card 7 (freeware; www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php); visit an automatic Getting to Know Your PC Getting to Know Your PC 7 7 10 PC QuickSteps PC QuickSteps 9 The network card enables your PC. .. Getting to Know Your PC 1 10 PC QuickSteps 9 • Understand What a PC Is and Does 8 Buying a New PC or Upgrading an Older One 7 This chapter explains what a PC is and what it does, advises you on how to choose a PC and operating system that meets your needs, shows you how to set up the PC, and tells you how to start the PC and shut it down Choosing between a Desktop and a Laptop PC • 5 PCs are indispensable... useful When you buy a new PC, the Understand Desktops and Laptops The two main types of PCs are desktops and laptops (see Figure 1-1) some basic programs for you After that, you can install 9 manufacturer usually installs the operating system and • 10 additional software to meet your needs 2 2 PC QuickSteps PC QuickSteps Getting to Know Your PC Getting to Know Your PC A desktop is a PC designed for use in... go from 0 to 60 in four seconds in searing discomfort Most manufacturers supply moderate monitors and basic Consider upgrading the monitor when you purchase Continued KEYBOARD PC QuickSteps PC QuickSteps Getting to Know Your PC Getting to Know Your PC 9 9 10 Almost every PC comes with a keyboard, but most manufacturers supply inexpensive, basic keyboards with their desktop PCs unless you choose to... you need software The first essential is an operating system, or OS The OS is the software that makes the 10 10 PC QuickSteps PC QuickSteps Getting to Know Your PC Getting to Know Your PC 1 1 CHOOSING BETWEEN A DESKTOP AND A LAPTOP PC If you’re planning to buy a PC, your first key choice is PC operate and enables programs to communicate with hardware components as necessary Programs, or applications,... you can run on a PC, but it’s by far the most popular The next most widely used OS for PCs is Linux (Macs—computers made by Apple Corporation—run Mac OS, which doesn’t run on PCs Macs can run Windows but typically don’t.) Figure 1-2 shows Xandros, a version of Linux aimed at consumers (rather than at businesses) PC QuickSteps PC QuickSteps Getting to Know Your PC Getting to Know Your PC 11 11 10 One... its basic look 15 15 10 PC QuickSteps Getting to Know Your PC Getting to Know Your PC PC QuickSteps 1 1 2 QUICKFACTS Your username Picture associated with your user account; click to change it BUYING A NEW PC OR UPGRADING AN OLDER ONE 3 If you have an older PC (for example, a hand-me-down), you may need to decide between upgrading your clunker to run Windows Vista or buying a new PC Windows Vista requires... your PC into a lowpower state without shutting it down More power options; displays a menu with other choices, such as Restart, Switch User, and Shut Down Figure 1-6: The Start menu gives you access to the programs and folders on your PC 9 10 Lock button; locks the screen so that nobody can use the PC without logging on 16 16 PC QuickSteps PC QuickSteps Getting to Know Your PC Getting to Know Your PC. .. is an all-in-one PC with an integrated keyboard, pointing device (such as a touchpad or a pointing stick), and monitor (in a lid that folds shut for protection) 2 • The processor, or microprocessor, is the main chip in the PC This is where the bulk of the computing gets done Your PC runs Windows courtesy of the Getting to Know Your PC Getting to Know Your PC 3 3 10 PC QuickSteps PC QuickSteps 1 1 TIP . Private IP Address Blocks 190 x PC QuickSteps PC QuickSteps xi 9 Chapter 9 Getting Maximum Use out of Your Laptop PC 191 Choosing Laptop PC Batteries 192 Manage Laptop PC Power Usage 192 Maximize. software to meet your needs. 1 2 PC QuickSteps Getting to Know Your PC PC QuickSteps Getting to Know Your PC 3 10 9 87 6 54 32 1 • A laptop is an all-in-one PC with an integrated keyboard, pointing. 231 109 8 76 54 32 1 PC QuickSteps v This page intentionally left blank Windows XP QuickSteps Storing Information vii PC QuickSteps vii Acknowledgments xiii Introduction xv Chapter 1 Getting to Know Your PC