Computer Basics Absolute Beginner's Guide, Windows 10 Edition (includes Content Update Program)

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 150 best-selling books over the past 25 years. His books for Que include Easy Computer Basics, My Windows 10 Computer for Seniors, My Facebook for Seniors, My Pinterest, and My Social Media for Seniors.   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.   Learn more about Mr. Miller at his website, www.millerwriter.com. Follow him on Twitter @molehillgroup.

Introduction    1

How This Book Is Organized    3

Which Version of Windows?    4

Conventions Used in This Book    4

Menu Commands    4

Shortcut Key Combinations    5

Web Page Addresses    5

Special Elements    5

There’s More Online    6

Chapter 1  How Personal Computers Work    7

What Your Computer Can Do    8

Good for Getting Online    8

Good for Social Networking    8

Good for Communicating    9

Good for Sharing Photos and Home Movies    9

Good for Keeping in Touch    9

Good for Entertainment    9

Good for Keeping Informed    10

Good for Work    10

Good for Play    10

Inside a Personal Computer    11

The Motherboard: Home to Almost Everything    11

Microprocessors: The Main Engine    12

Computer Memory: Temporary Storage    13

Hard Disk Drives: Long-Term Storage    14

Solid-State Drives: Faster Long-Term Storage    14

CD/DVD Drives: Storage on a Disc    15

Keyboards: Fingertip Input    16

Mice and Touchpads: Point-and-Click Input Devices    18

Network Connections: Getting Connected    19

Sound Cards and Speakers: Making Noise    19

Video Cards and Monitors: Getting the Picture    20

Other Parts of Your Computer System    21

Providing Additional Functionality with Peripherals    21

Doing What You Need to Do with Software and Apps    22

Making Everything Work—with Windows    22

Different Types of Computers    23

Desktop PCs    24

Notebook PCs    25

Tablet PCs    27

Hybrid PCs    28

Which Type of PC Should You Choose?    29

Don’t Worry, You Can’t Screw It Up—Much    30

Chapter 2  Setting Up and Using a Notebook Computer    33

Understanding Notebook PCs    34

Connecting Peripherals and Powering On    36

Getting Connected    36

Powering On for the First Time    37

Chapter 3  Setting Up and Using a Desktop Computer    39

Understanding the Components of a Desktop Computer System    40

Before You Get Started    42

Connecting a Traditional Desktop PC    43

Connect in Order    43

Connect by Color    44

Connecting an All-in-One Desktop    45

Turning It On and Setting It Up    46

Getting the Right Order    46

Powering On for the First Time    46

Chapter 4  Getting to Know Windows 10—for New Computer Users    49

Introducing Microsoft Windows    50

Starting and Logging In to Windows    50

Getting to Know the Windows Desktop    52

Learning Basic Operations    53

Pointing and Clicking    53

Double-Clicking    53

Right-Clicking    54

Dragging and Dropping    54

Mouse Over    54

Moving and Resizing Windows    54

Maximizing, Minimizing, and Closing Windows    55

Scrolling Through a Window    56

Peeking at the Desktop    57

Using Dialog Boxes, Tabs, and Buttons    57

Using the Start Menu    59

Navigating the Start Menu    59

Launching a Program    60

Reopening Recent Documents    60

Using the Taskbar    60

Deciphering Taskbar Icons    60

Opening Applications and Switching Between Windows    61

Using Jump Lists    61

Managing Taskbar Buttons    63

Switching Between Programs    63

Learning Important Windows Shortcuts    63

Shutting Down Windows—and Your Computer    65

Chapter 5  Getting to Know Windows 10—If You’ve Used Windows Before    67

A Short History of Windows    68

Early Windows    68

Windows Goes Mainstream    69

Starting It Up with Windows 95    69

Windows XP, Vista, and 7    70

Then Came Windows 8    70

Introducing Windows 10    71

Windows 10 for Windows 8/8.1 Users    72

Windows 10 for Windows 7 Users    73

Windows 10 for Windows XP Users    74

The Most Important New Features of

Windows 10    75

Back to the Desktop (Goodbye, Start Screen)    75

The Start Menu Returns—Better Than Ever    77

Modern Apps in Desktop Windows    79

More New Stuff    80

Chapter 6  Using Windows 10 on a Touchscreen Device    83

Understanding Windows 10’s Tablet Mode    84

Using Tablet Mode    84

Scrolling Through the Tiles    86

Opening a Tile    86

Finding Additional Apps in the All Apps List    86

Using Windows 10 with a Touchscreen Display    87

Tapping    87

Pressing and Holding    87

Swiping    87

Panning    87

Zooming    87

Rotating    88

Other Important Touch Operations    88

Chapter 7  Working with Files, Folders, and Online Storage    89

Understanding Files and Folders    90

Using File Explorer    90

Launching File Explorer    91

Exploring the File Explorer Window    91

Working with Ribbons and Tabs    92

Navigating the Folders on Your PC    93

Viewing Files and Folders    93

Changing the Way Files Display    93

Sorting Files and Folders    94

Grouping Files and Folders    94

Searching for Files    95

Performing Basic File and Folder Operations    95

Creating New Folders    96

Renaming Files and Folders    96

Copying Files    97

Moving Files    97

Deleting Files    98

Working with the Recycle Bin    98

Restoring Deleted Files    98

Managing the Recycle Bin    99

Working with Compressed Folders    100

Compressing a File    100

Extracting Files from a Compressed Folder    100

Copying Files to Another Computer    101

Copying Files over a Network    101

Copying Files with a Portable Drive    101

Copying Files via Email    102

Working with Cloud-Based Storage    102

Accessing OneDrive from File Explorer    102

Using Microsoft OneDrive    103

Syncing Files on Your PC to OneDrive    104

Evaluating Other Online Storage Services    105

Chapter 8  Personalizing Windows    107

Personalizing the Windows Desktop    108

Changing the Desktop Background    108

Changing the Accent Color    109

Choosing a Windows Theme    110

Customizing the Taskbar    111

Customizing the Start Menu    112

Personalizing the Lock Screen    112

Changing the Lock Screen Background    112

Displaying a Slide Show on the Lock Screen    113

Adding Apps to the Lock Screen    114

Changing Your Account Picture    114

Setting Up Additional User Accounts    115

Setting Up a New Family Member    116

Setting Up Other Users    118

Switching Users    119

Logging Out    119

Logging In with Multiple Users    120

Configuring Other Windows Settings    120

Configuring Settings with the Settings Tool    120

Configuring Settings from the Traditional Control Panel    123

Chapter 9  Connecting Other Devices to Your PC—and Your PC to Other Devices    125

Getting to Know the Most Popular Peripherals    126

Adding New Hardware to Your System    127

Connecting and Using a Printer    129

Understanding Different Types of Printers    129

Connecting a Printer to Your Computer    132

Connecting a Printer to Your Network    133

Printing to Your System’s Printer    133

Connecting Portable Devices to Your PC    134

Connecting Your PC to Your Living Room TV    135

Chapter 10  Adding Storage and Backup    139

Understanding External Storage    140

Connecting an External Hard Drive    141

Backing Up Your Important Files    141

Backing Up to an External Hard Drive    141

Using Windows’ File History Utility    142

Backing Up Online    143

Chapter 11  Setting Up a Home Network    145

How Networks Work    146

Wired Networks    146

Wireless Networks    146

Connecting and Configuring    147

Setting Up a Wireless Network in Your Home    148

How It Works    148

What You Need    149

Making the Connections    150

Connecting Your Computer to Your New Network    150

Connecting via Ethernet    151

Connecting Wirelessly    151

Connecting Computers in a Homegroup    152

Creating a New Homegroup    152

Connect to an Existing Homegroup    153

Accessing Computers on Your Network    154

Accessing Homegroup Computers    154

Accessing Other Computers on Your Network    155

Chapter 12  Connecting to the Internet—at Home and Away    157

Different Types of Connections in the Home    158

Broadband DSL    158

Broadband Cable    159

Fiber Broadband    159

Broadband Satellite    159

Sharing an Internet Connection    160

Connecting to a Public Wi-Fi Hotspot    160

Chapter 13  Browsing and Searching the Web    163

Understanding the Web    164

Using Microsoft Edge    164

Browsing the Web with Edge    165

Revisiting History    166

Opening Multiple Pages in Tabs    167

Saving Your Favorite Pages    167

Returning to a Favorite Page    168

Displaying the Favorites Bar    169

Displaying a Page in Reading View    170

Browsing in Private    170

Setting a Different Start Page    171

Using Google Chrome    171

Searching the Web with Google    173

Understanding Web Search    173

Using Google Search    173

Constructing a Query    174

Performing an Advanced Search    175

Searching for Images    175

Using Wikipedia for Research    176

Understanding Wikipedia    176

Searching Wikipedia    177

Reading Wikipedia Articles    178

Searching—and More—with Cortana    178

Search Cortana from the Taskbar    179

Search Cortana from Microsoft Edge    180

Search Cortana by Voice    180

View News and Other Information    181

Set a Reminder    182

Chapter 14  Shopping and Selling Online    185

How to Shop Online    186

Step 1: Find an Online Store    186

Step 2: Find a Product    187

Step 3: Examine the Product    188

Step 4: Order the Product    188

Step 5: Check Out    189

Step 6: Confirm the Order    190

How to Shop Safely    190

Buying and Selling on eBay    191

How Does an eBay Auction Work?    191

Buying Fixed-Price Items    194

Protecting Yourself Against Fraudulent Sellers    194

eBay Selling, Step-by-Step    195

Buying and Selling on Craigslist    197

Understanding Online Classifieds    197

Browsing the Listings    197

Buying on Craigslist    198

Listing an Item for Sale    199

Making the Sale    201

Chapter 15  Sending and Receiving Email    203

How Email Works    204

POP/IMAP Email Versus Web Mail    204

POP/IMAP Email    205

Web Mail    205

Using Gmail    206

Navigating Gmail    206

Reading Messages    207

Viewing Conversations    208

Replying to a Message    208

Composing a New Message    208

Sending and Receiving Photos and Other Files    209

Using the Windows 10 Mail App    211

Checking Your Inbox    211

Sending New Messages    212

Adding Another Email Account    213

Chapter 16  Social Networking with Facebook and Other Social Media    215

Using Facebook    216

Signing Up and Signing In with the Facebook App    216

Getting to Know Facebook    216

Finding Friends    217

Searching for Friends    219

Viewing a Friend’s Timeline Page    219

Posting Status Updates    220

Determine Who Can—or Can’t—See a Status Update    222

Viewing Friends’ Updates in Your News Feed    222

Uploading Photos to Facebook    224

Viewing Photos    226

Managing Your Privacy on Facebook    227

Using Pinterest    229

What Pinterest Is and What It Does    229

Navigating the Pinterest Site    230

Viewing Boards and Pins    230

Following Other Users    231

Pinning Items    232

Repinning Existing Items    233

Creating New Board    234

Using LinkedIn    235

Personalizing Your Profile    236

Finding New Connections    236

Contacting Other LinkedIn Members    237

Using Twitter    237

Joining Twitter    237

Navigating Twitter    238

Tweeting with Twitter    239

Following Other Users    239

Customizing Your Profile    240

Using Social Networks—Smartly and Safely    240

Protecting Your Children    240

Protecting Yourself    241

Chapter 17  Video Chatting with Friends and Family    243

Video Chatting with Skype    244

Adding Contacts    244

Making a Video Call    245

Video Chatting in Facebook    246

Video Chatting in Google Hangouts    248

Chapter 18  Using Applications on the Desktop    251

Managing Applications in Windows 10    252

Finding Installed Apps    252

Pinning Apps to the Start Menu    254

Pinning Apps to the Taskbar    254

Adding App Shortcuts to the Desktop    254

Working with Applications    255

Using Menus    255

Using Toolbars and Ribbons    256

Closing an Open App    257

Working with Universal Apps    257

Exploring Windows 10’s Built-In Apps and Utilities    258

Exploring Windows 10’s Universal Apps    261

Weather    261

Maps    262

News    264

Sports    265

Money    265

Alarms & Clock    266

Chapter 19  Finding and Installing New Apps    269

Finding and Installing Apps from the Windows Store    270

Opening the Windows Store    270

Browsing the Windows Store    271

Searching the Windows Store    272

Downloading an App    272

Finding and Installing Apps from Your Local Retailer    273

Finding and Installing Apps Online    274

Understanding Cloud Computing Apps    275

Chapter 20  Doing Office Work    277

Getting to Know Microsoft Office    278

Using Office on the Desktop    278

Using Office Online    280

Which Version of Office Should You Use?    281

Word Processing with Microsoft Word Online    282

Exploring the Word Workspace    282

Working with Documents    283

Entering Text    283

Editing Text    284

Formatting Text    284

Checking Spelling and Grammar    285

Printing Your Document    285

Number Crunching with Microsoft Excel    285

Exploring the Excel Workspace    285

Entering Data    286

Inserting and Deleting Rows and Columns    287

Adjusting Column Width    287

Calculating with Formulas    288

Including Other Cells in a Formula    288

Quick Addition with AutoSum    289

Using Functions    290

Formatting Your Spreadsheet    290

Creating a Chart    291

Giving Presentations with Microsoft PowerPoint    292

Exploring the PowerPoint Workspace    292

Applying a Theme    293

Inserting New Slides    294

Adding and Formatting Text    294

Start the Show!    294

Exploring Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides    294

Using Google Docs    295

Using Google Sheets    296

Using Google Slides    297

Chapter 21  Staying Organized    299

Using the Windows Calendar App    300

Displaying Different Views    300

Creating a New Appointment    301

Using Web-Based Calendars    302

Using Web-Based To-Do Lists    303

Chapter 22  Viewing and Sharing Digital Photos    305

Transferring Pictures from Your Camera, Smartphone, or Tablet    306

Connecting via USB    306

Transferring Pictures from a Memory Card    306

Transferring Photos from a Smartphone or Tablet    307

Scanning a Picture    307

Viewing Your Photos with the Windows 10 Photos App    308

Editing Your Photos with the Photos App    309

Automatically Enhancing a Photo    310

Rotating a Photo    310

Cropping a Photo    310

Removing Red-Eye    311

Retouching a Photo    312

Applying Filters    312

Adjusting Brightness and Contrast    313

Adjusting Color and Tint    313

Applying Special Effects    314

Using Other Photo-Editing Programs    315

Printing Your Photos    316

Choosing the Right Printer and Paper    316

Making the Print    316

Printing Photos Professionally    317

Sharing Photos at an Online Photo Site    318

Emailing Digital Photos    319

Chapter 23  Watching Movies, TV Shows, and Other Videos    321

Watching Streaming Video Online    322

Viewing Movies and TV Shows on Netflix    322

Viewing TV Shows on Hulu    325

Viewing Videos on Network Websites    327

Downloading Videos from the iTunes Store    328

Viewing Videos on YouTube    330

Searching for Videos    330

Viewing Videos    331

Sharing Videos    331

Uploading Your Own Videos to YouTube    332

Making Your Own Home Movies    332

Playing DVD Movies on Your PC    333

Watching Online Videos on Your Living Room TV    333

Chapter 24  Playing Music    335

Listening to Streaming Music Online    336

Listening to Spotify and Other On-Demand Streaming Services    336

Listening to Pandora and Other Personalized Playlist Services    338

Listening to Traditional Radio Stations Online    340

Purchasing and Downloading Digital Music    341

Purchasing Music from the iTunes Store    341

Purchasing Music from the Amazon Digital Music Store    343

Purchasing Music from Google Play Music    344

Playing Digital Music on Your PC    344

Playing Music with the iTunes App    345

Playing Music with the Groove Music App    346

Playing Music with Windows Media Player    347

Listening to CDs on Your PC    348

Playing a CD    348

Ripping a CD to Your PC    349

Burning Your Own CDs    349

Chapter 25  Protecting Your PC from Computer Attacks, Malware, and Spam    351

Safeguarding Your System from Computer Viruses    352

Watching for Signs of Infection    352

Catching a Virus    352

Practicing Safe Computing    353

Disinfecting Your System with Antivirus Software    354

Hunting Down Spyware    356

Defending Against Computer Attacks    356

Using the Windows Firewall    357

Using Third-Party Firewall Software    357

Fighting Email Spam    357

Protecting Your Email Address    358

Blocking Spammers in Your Email Programs    359

Resisting Phishing Scams    359

Shielding Your Children from Inappropriate Content    360

Using Content-Filtering Software    360

Encouraging Safe Computing    360

Chapter 26  Performing Preventive Maintenance and Dealing with Common Problems    363

Maintaining Your Computer    364

Cleaning Up Unused Files    364

Removing Unused Programs    365

Performing a Hard Disk Checkup with ScanDisk    366

Keeping Your Hardware in Tip-Top Condition    367

System Unit    367

Keyboard    368

Display    368

Printer    369

Maintaining a Notebook PC    369

Using the Windows Mobility Center    369

Conserving Battery Life    370

Securing Your Notebook    371

Troubleshooting Computer Problems    371

Troubleshooting in Safe Mode    372

Reacting When Windows Freezes or Crashes    373

What Causes Windows to Freeze?    373

Dealing with Frozen Windows    374

Dealing with a Frozen Program    374

Dealing with a Major Crash    375

Restoring, Resetting, or Refreshing Your System    376

Restoring Your System to a Previous State    376

Refreshing System Files    377

Resetting Your System to Its Original Condition    378

Index    381