Easy Computer Basics, Windows 8 Edition

by Miller, Michael

• ISBN13: 9780789750051
• ISBN10: 0789750058
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-09-07
• Publisher: Que Publishing

Summary

This year, millions of beginner-to-intermediate-level PC users will be searching for the easiest possible way to master their new Windows 8 computers - and, with Easy Computer Basics, Windows 8 Edition, they'll find exactly what they're looking for. This full-color, utterly simple, step-by-step book has been carefully crafted to provide instant access to the tasks they every novice or casual computer user needs to master. Like all books in the Easy series, it's designed to teach visually: readers never have to work their way through lengthy text explanations. The latest edition of Easy Computer Basics, Windows 8 Editionis updated with coverage of Windows 8, which introduces the totally new Metro user interface. Given Metro's genesis as a mobile interface, and Microsoft's push towards a new breed of touchscreen computing devices, this new edition will include more hardware coverage than previous editions. In addition, this book will cover Windows 8's new Metro interface in depth, as well as feature increased coverage of social networking and cloud computing applications.

Author Biography

Michael Miller is a successful and prolific author with a reputation for practical advice, technical accuracy, and an unerring empathy for the needs of his readers.

Mr. Miller has written more than 100 best-selling books over the past two decades. His books for Que include Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Computer Basics, Easy Facebook, Facebook for Grown-Ups, My Pinterest, and The Ultimate Digital Music Guide.

He is known for his casual, easy-to-read writing style and his practical, real-world advice—as well as his ability to explain a variety of complex topics to an everyday audience.

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1 UNDERSTANDING PERSONAL COMPUTERS     2
Different Types of Computers     3
Getting to Know Desktop PCs     4
Getting to Know All-in-One PCs     5
Getting to Know Notebook PCs     6
Getting to Know Tablet PCs     7
Connectors     8
Hard Disk Drives: Long-Term Storage     9
Keyboard     10
Touchpad     11
Memory Card Reader     12
CD and DVD Drives     13
Display     14
Printers     15
CHAPTER 2 SETTING UP YOUR PC     16
The Windows 8 Lock Screen     17
Setting Up a Traditional Desktop PC     18
Setting Up a Notebook PC     21
Setting Up an All-in-One Desktop PC     22
Powering On     24
Logging On to Windows     25
Shutting Down     26
Adding New Devices to Your System     28
CHAPTER 3 SETTING UP A WIRELESS HOME NETWORK     30
How a Wireless Network Works     31
Setting Up Your Network’s Main PC     32
Connecting Additional PCs to Your Wireless Network     34
Adding Your Computer to a HomeGroup     37
Accessing Other Computers in Your HomeGroup     40
Accessing Other Computers on Your Network     41
CHAPTER 4 USING MICROSOFT WINDOWS 8     42
Exploring the Windows 8 Start Screen     43
Using Windows with a Mouse     44
Using Windows with a Touchscreen Display     46
Navigating the Windows Start Screen     48
Scrolling Through the Start Screen     49
Using the Charms Bar     50
Getting Help in Windows     52
CHAPTER 5 PERSONALIZING WINDOWS 8     54
Different Windows Lock Screens     55
Customizing the Lock Screen Picture     56
Adding Apps to the Lock Screen     58
Rearranging Tiles on the Start Screen     60
Making Tiles Larger or Smaller     61
Removing Tiles     62
Adding New Tiles to the Start Screen     63
Changing Windows Colors     64
Changing Your Profi le Picture     66
Confi guring Windows Settings     68
Setting Up Additional Users     70
Switching Between Users     73
CHAPTER 6 WORKING WITH WINDOWS 8 APPS     74
Apps on the Start Screen     75
Launching an App     76
Closing an App     77
Displaying All Apps     78
Searching for Apps on Your Computer     79
Pinning an App to the Start Screen     80
Switching Between Open Apps     81
Using the Maps App     82
Using the Weather App     84
Finding New Apps in the Windows Store     86
CHAPTER 7 WORKING WITH TRADITIONAL DESKTOP APPS     88
Exploring the Windows 8 Desktop     89
Displaying the Traditional Desktop     90
Scrolling a Window     91
Maximizing, Minimizing, and Closing a Window     92
Snapping a Window     93
Using Menus     94
Using Toolbars and Ribbons     95
CHAPTER 8 USING MICROSOFT WORD     96
Comparing Desktop and Web Versions of Word     97
Launching the Word Web App     98
Launching the Word Desktop App     100
Navigating the Word Web App     101
Entering Text     102
Cutting/Copying and Pasting Text     103
Formatting Text     104
Formatting Paragraphs     105
Saving Your Work     106
Printing a Document     107
CHAPTER 9 USING THE INTERNET     108
Comparing the Windows 8 and Desktop
Versions of IE     109
Connecting to an Internet WiFi Hotspot     110
Browsing the Web with IE     112
Opening Multiple Pages in Tabs     116
Switching Between Tabs     117
Saving Favorite Pages     118
Returning to a Favorite Page     119
Launching the Desktop Version of IE     120
Searching the Web with Google     121
Shopping Online     122
Bidding for Items on eBay     124
Buying Items on Craigslist     125
Finding News and Other Information Online     126
CHAPTER 10 COMMUNICATING WITH EMAIL     128
Windows 8 Mail App     129
Viewing Your Inbox and Reading Messages     130
Moving a Message to Another Folder     132
Replying to an Email Message     133
Composing a New Email Message     134
Adding Other Accounts to the Mail App     136
Using Web-Based Gmail     138
CHAPTER 11 SHARING WITH FACEBOOK AND OTHER SOCIAL NETWORKS     142
Comparing Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter     143
Setting Up a Facebook Account     144
Navigating Facebook’s Home Page     145
Finding Facebook Friends     146
Commenting on a Friend’s Status Update     148
Viewing a Friend’s Facebook Timeline     149
Posting a Status Update     150
Viewing a Friend’s Photos     152
Sharing Your Photos on Facebook     154
Sharing Interesting Images with Pinterest     156
Finding People to Follow on Pinterest     157
Finding and Repinning Interesting Pins     158
Pinning from a Web Page     160
Tweeting with Twitter     162
Following Other Twitter Users     163
Viewing All Your Social Activity from the Windows People App     164
CHAPTER 12 WATCHING TV AND MOVIES ONLINE     166
Playing a Video with the Video App     167
Watching Videos on YouTube     168
Watching TV Shows on Hulu     170
Watching Movies on Netfl ix     172
Downloading and Watching Movies via the Windows Video App     174
CHAPTER 13 PLAYING DIGITAL MUSIC     176
Exploring the Music App     177
Playing Music in Windows     178
Finding Music to Purchase in Windows     180
Downloading Music from the iTunes Store     182
Playing a CD with iTunes     184
Ripping a CD to Your Hard Disk with iTunes     186
Connecting an iPod to Your PC     188
CHAPTER 14 VIEWING DIGITAL PHOTOS     190
Navigating the Photos App     191
Transferring Pictures from a Memory Card     192
Viewing Your Photos in Windows     196
Ordering Prints Online     198
CHAPTER 15 WORKING WITH FILES AND FOLDERS     200
File Explorer     201
Navigating Folders     202
Navigating with the Navigation Pane     203
Changing the Way Files Are Displayed     204
Sorting Files and Folders     205
Creating a New Folder     206
Renaming a File or Folder     207
Copying a File or Folder     208
Moving a File or Folder     209
Searching for a File     210
Deleting a File or Folder     211
Restoring Deleted Files     212
Emptying the Recycle Bin     213
Compressing a File     214
Extracting Files from a Compressed Folder     215
CHAPTER 16 PROTECTING YOUR COMPUTER     216
Windows Control Panel     217
Opening the Control Panel     218
Using the Windows Action Center     219
Defending Against Malware with Windows Defender     220
Keeping Your Computer in Tip-Top Shape     221
Deleting Unnecessary Files     222
Deleting Unused Programs     224
Defragmenting Your Hard Disk     225
Checking Your Hard Disk for Errors     226
Backing Up Your Files with File History     228
Restoring Backup Files     229
Restoring Your Computer After a Crash     230
GLOSSARY     232
INDEX     238