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SEE IT DONE. DO IT YOURSELF. It’s that Easy! Easy Computer Basics, Windows 8 Edition teaches you the fundamentals to help you get the most from your computer hardware and software. Fully illustrated steps with simple instructions guide you through each task, building the skills you need to perform the most common computer tasks. No need to feel intimidated; we’ll hold your hand every step of the way.
Learn how to…
Customizing the Windows 8 Start Screen, Colors, and Other Settings
Download the sample pages (includes Chapter 5 and Index)
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