Easy Computer Basics, Windows 8 Edition

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.

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