Tài liệu Fix your own computer for seniors for dummies- P1 doc

• Get to know the parts — from the mouse and keyboard to the monitor, printer, and connection ports, discover how PC components work • Inside the box — develop a working knowledge of you

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Corey Sandler Tom Badgett

Open the book and find:

• Introductions to your PC’s parts and operating system

• Ways to keep your computer healthy

• Steps for stopping viruses, malware, and spam

• When to repair and when to replace your PC

• How to change your computer’s memory

• Tips for repairing Windows

• How to get your printer and monitor working again

• Tricks for fixing common PC problems

Corey Sandler was the first executive editor of PC Magazine He has written more than 160 books, including all editions of Laptops All-in-One

For Dummies Tom Badgett has published more than 50 books and hundreds of magazine articles on technical topics He has also worked

as a journalist and broadcast documentary producer.

Hardware/Personal Computers/PCs

$24.99 US / $29.99 CN / £17.99 UK

ISBN 978-0-470-50087-3

Go to Dummies.com® for videos, step-by-step examples,

how-to articles, or to shop!

Make simple repairs to your computer that extend its life and save you money

Do you go into panic mode when your computer isn’t working properly? End the worry with this accessible guide!

Expert Corey Sandler shows you how to quickly uncover what’s wrong and fix it by following easy steps In no time, you’ll learn the best way to maintain your PC, solve hardware problems, restore system settings, troubleshoot issues, and more

• Get to know the parts — from the mouse and keyboard to the monitor, printer, and connection ports, discover how PC components work

• Inside the box — develop a working knowledge of your PC’s

“brain” and the Windows operating system

• Keep your PC healthy — follow tips and techniques for proper computer hygiene

• Upgrade memory and replace drives — change your PC’s memory, hard disk drives, and CD/DVD drives

• Get Windows ® back on track — repair, refresh, or reinstall Windows to quickly get up and running again

• Diagnose the problem — use the Windows Troubleshooting Wizard and make changes to your injured PC using a list of solutions

• Enhance security — take the steps needed to protect your PC from viruses and other threats

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Start with FREE Cheat Sheets

Cheat Sheets include

• Checklists

• Charts

• Common Instructions

• And Other Good Stuff!

Get Smart at Dummies.com

Dummies.com makes your life easier with 1,000s

of answers on everything from removing wallpaper

to using the latest version of Windows

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• Videos

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*Sweepstakes not currently available in all countries; visit Dummies.com for official rules.

To access the Cheat Sheet created specifically for this book, go to

www dummies.com/cheatsheet/fixyourowncomputerforseniors

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Fix Your Own Computer

For Seniors

FOR

by Corey Sandler and Tom Badgett

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Fix Your Own Computer For Seniors For Dummies®

Published by

Wiley Publishing, Inc.

111 River Street Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774 www.wiley.com

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600 Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/ permissions.

Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the

Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies.com, Making Everything Easier, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associated with any prod- uct or vendor mentioned in this book.

LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: THE PUBLISHER AND THE AUTHOR MAKE NO SENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE CON- TENTS OF THIS WORK AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE NO WARRANTY MAY BE CREATED

REPRE-OR EXTENDED BY SALES REPRE-OR PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS THE ADVICE AND STRATEGIES CONTAINED HEREIN MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR EVERY SITUATION THIS WORK IS SOLD WITH THE UNDERSTAND- ING THAT THE PUBLISHER IS NOT ENGAGED IN RENDERING LEGAL, ACCOUNTING, OR OTHER PRO- FESSIONAL SERVICES IF PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE IS REQUIRED, THE SERVICES OF A COMPETENT PROFESSIONAL PERSON SHOULD BE SOUGHT NEITHER THE PUBLISHER NOR THE AUTHOR SHALL

BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES ARISING HEREFROM THE FACT THAT AN ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE IS REFERRED TO IN THIS WORK AS A CITATION AND/OR A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF FURTHER INFORMA- TION DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE AUTHOR OR THE PUBLISHER ENDORSES THE INFORMATION THE ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE MAY PROVIDE OR RECOMMENDATIONS IT MAY MAKE FURTHER, READ- ERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT INTERNET WEBSITES LISTED IN THIS WORK MAY HAVE CHANGED OR DISAPPEARED BETWEEN WHEN THIS WORK WAS WRITTEN AND WHEN IT IS READ

For general information on our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S at 317-572-3993, or fax 317-572-4002.

For technical support, please visit www.wiley.com/techsupport.

Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats Some content that appears in print may not

be available in electronic books.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2009940282 ISBN: 978-0-470-50087-3

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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About the Author

Corey Sandler is the author of more than a hundred books with more

than two million copies in print in more than twenty languages A mer Gannett and Associated Press newsman, he has appeared on NBC’s

for-Today show, the Travel Channel, and National Public Radio, and has

been profiled on CNN

His fascination with the mystery of the life and death of Henry Hudson took him on a year-long, 25,000-mile journey to England, Norway, Svalbard, and the North Pole; up New York’s Hudson River to its source, and deep into Canada’s wilderness of Hudson Bay and James Bay

Sandler lives on Nantucket island, off the coast of Massachusetts

About the Contributing Author

Tom Badgett is a writer and entrepreneur He founded one of the first

national personal computer sales and programming companies in 1980

He was a founding owner of the tenth-largest Internet service provider

in 1994 (U.S Internet, now part of Earthlink), and was a founding ner in IdleAire Technologies Corporation, a national provider of HVAC, Internet, and other services for long-haul truck drivers

part-Badgett is a prolific writer, having published more than 50 books and hundreds of magazine articles for major U.S and international publish-ers on technical topics from computer software to computer communi-cations and security He produced more than 30 instructional videos and interactive DVD programs on similar topics, also marketed interna-tionally Badgett has worked as a magazine writer and technical editor (Ziff-Davis, McGraw-Hill), broadcast DJ, journalist and documentary producer for radio and television He taught computer programming, journalism, photography, technical writing, and speech and theater at the college level for several years

He holds a BA in language and an MA in documentary film from the University of Tennessee

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Author’s Acknowledgements

Publishing is a team sport, and I had some great players and coaches all around Thanks to Tonya Cupp, Katie Mohr, and Kathy Simpson for their professional work on moving this title from concept to print And once again, to old friend Tom Badgett for coming off the bench to pinch-hit in a key moment of the game

Author’s Dedication

To my dad, now in his tenth decade, a senior amongst seniors

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Publisher’s Acknowledgments

We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments at http://dummies.custhelp.com For other comments, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S at 317-572-3993, or fax 317-572-4002.

Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

Acquisitions, Editorial

Project Editor: Tonya Maddox Cupp Acquisitions Editors: Katie Mohr, Tiffany Ma Copy and Development Editor: Kathy Simpson Technical Editor: Sandy Berger

Editorial Manager: Jodi Jensen Media Development Associate Producers:

Josh Frank, Marilyn Hummel, Douglas Kuhn, and Shawn Patrick

Editorial Assistant: Amanda Graham

Sr Editorial Assistant: Cherie Case Cartoons: Rich Tennant

(www.the5thwave.com)

Composition Services

Project Coordinator: Katherine Crocker Layout and Graphics: Samantha K Cherolis,

Joyce Haughey, Christine Williams

Proofreader: Jacqui Brownstein Indexer: BIM Indexing & Proofreading Services

Publishing and Editorial for Technology Dummies Richard Swadley, Vice President and Executive Group Publisher Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher

Mary Bednarek, Executive Acquisitions Director Mary C Corder, Editorial Director

Publishing for Consumer Dummies Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher Composition Services

Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services

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Contents at a Glance

Introduction 1

Part I: A Computer Is Not a Toaster 7

Chapter 1: Getting to Know the Parts You Can See 9

Chapter 2: Thinking Inside the Box 27

Chapter 3: Looking Through Windows and Other Software 47

Part II: Keeping Your PC Healthy with Preventive Maintenance 65

Chapter 4: Taking Care of Software 67

Chapter 5: Practicing Good Computer Hygiene 85

Chapter 6: Keeping Intruders out of Your Computer 103

Chapter 7: Getting Help When Prevention Fails 121

Part III: Fixing Sick Hardware 137

Chapter 8: Repairing the Monitor 139

Chapter 9: Solving Electrical and Mechanical Problems 157

Chapter 10: Installing Memory 175

Chapter 11: Changing a Drive, Made Easy 185

Chapter 12: Fixing a Malfunctioning Printer 209

Chapter 13: Taking Care of Your Mouse (or Trackball) and Keyboard 221

Part IV: Resetting the Operating System 237

Chapter 14: Repairing, Refreshing, and Reinstalling Windows 239

Chapter 15: Checking and Changing System Configuration 253

Chapter 16: Restoring Your Computer’s Settings 263

Chapter 17: Working in Safe Mode 279

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Part V: Troubleshooting Your PC 293

18: Managing and Troubleshooting Devices 295

19: Relieving Hard Times for Hard Drives 307

20: Fixing Common Problems 321

Glossary 335

Index 349

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Table of Contents

Introduction 1

About This Book 2

Foolish Assumptions 2

Why You Need This Book 3

Conventions Used in This Book 3

How This Book Is Organized 4

Time to Get Started! 6

Part I: A Computer Is Not a Toaster 7

Chapter 1: Getting to Know the Parts You Can See 9

Make a Point: Mice and Other Pointing Devices 10

Stay on Key: Keyboards and Other Input Devices 12

See Clearly Now: Monitors 13

Get the Picture (and Sound): Cameras, Speakers, and Microphones 16

Go Online: Modems and Routers 17

Put It on Paper: Printers 19

Connect the Parts: Ports and Hubs 21

Protect Your PC: Surge Protectors and UPS Devices 24

Chapter 2: Thinking Inside the Box 27

Assemble Your Toolkit 28

Get Grounded 30

Open the Computer’s Case 32

Find Out What Makes Your Computer Think 36

See Where Your Computer Stores Your Stuff 38

Tour the Computer’s Infrastructure 41

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Fix Your Own Computer For Seniors For Dummies

Chapter 3: Looking Through Windows

and Other Software 47

Tour Windows 48

Open Control Panel 49

Customize Your Display 50

Set Internet Options 52

Configure Mail 53

Use the Network Setup Wizard 55

Configure Printers and Faxes 56

Explore Windows Accessories 58

Use Windows Explorer 59

View System Information 61

Run the Program Compatibility Wizard 62

Part II: Keeping Your PC Healthy with Preventive Maintenance 65

Chapter 4: Taking Care of Software 67

Check for Windows Updates Manually 68

Check for Windows Updates Automatically 70

Update Other Software 73

Check Your Service Pack Status 74

Check for and Install Service Pack Updates 75

Download and Configure Windows Live Applications 76

Fix Corrupted Program Files 79

Fix Corrupted Device Drivers 79

Uninstall a Misbehaving Program When All Else Fails 81

Chapter 5: Practicing Good Computer Hygiene 85

Run the System Configuration Utility 86

Run Microsoft Office Diagnostics 88

Clean Up Your Hard Drive 90

Defragment Your Hard Drive 91

Test for Chinks in the Security Armor 93

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Keep Things Cool 95

Mind Your Monitor 98

Pamper Your Printer 101

Chapter 6: Keeping Intruders out of Your Computer 103

Play Smart Defense 104

Configure Windows Security Center 105

Build a Firewall in Windows 107

Check for Viruses 109

Fight Malware 110

Stop Spyware 114

Avoid Getting Hooked by Phishers 116

Can That Spam 118

Chapter 7: Getting Help When Prevention Fails 121

Identify the Problem: Hardware or Software 122

Find a Helper 123

Get Remote Assistance in Windows XP 125

Get Remote Assistance in Vista 126

Get Remote Assistance in Windows 7 130

Weigh the Cost of Repair versus Replacement 132

Part III: Fixing Sick Hardware 137

Chapter 8: Repairing the Monitor 139

Check the Display 140

Troubleshoot the Display 143

Beat the Blue Screen of Death 144

Check and Change Display Settings in Windows XP and Vista 146

Check and Change Display Settings in Windows 7 147

Troubleshoot a Video Adapter in Windows XP and Vista 150

Troubleshoot a Video Adapter in Windows 7 152

Reset a Video Driver 153

Prevent Future Picture Problems 154

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Fix Your Own Computer For Seniors For Dummies

Chapter 9: Solving Electrical and Mechanical Problems 157

Diagnose a Failing Power Supply 158

Research a Replacement Power Supply 159

Remove and Replace the Power Supply 166

Replace the Cooling Fan 168

Mend a Modem 171

Chapter 10: Installing Memory 175

Find the Right Memory Module 176

Install a New Memory Module 177

Troubleshoot Jumbled Memory 181

Chapter 11: Changing a Drive, Made Easy 185

Determine What You Need 186

Install a New Internal Drive 193

Install a New External Drive 196

Partition the Drive 198

Format the Drive 199

Troubleshoot a New Internal Drive 202

Troubleshoot a New External Drive 204

Install a New Internal CD/DVD Drive 205

Test a New CD/DVD Drive 207

Chapter 12: Fixing a Malfunctioning Printer 209

Check Printed Pages for Problems 210

Test the Printer’s Hardware 213

Test the Printer’s Software 219

Chapter 13: Taking Care of Your Mouse (or Trackball) and Keyboard 221

Keep Your Keyboard Clean 222

Diagnose a Troubled Keyboard 225

Practice Good Mousekeeping 229

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Vet Your Mouse 232

Revive a Dead Mouse, Trackball, or Keyboard 235

Replace a Dead Mouse, Trackball, or Keyboard 235

Part IV: Resetting the Operating System 237

Chapter 14: Repairing, Refreshing, and Reinstalling Windows 239

Repair a Windows XP Installation 240

Repair a Vista or Windows 7 Installation 243

Refresh Windows 246

Know When to Reinstall Windows 248

Reinstall Windows 249

Chapter 15: Checking and Changing System Configuration 253

View and Document System Setup Screens 254

View System Configuration in Windows XP 256

Select Diagnostic Startup in Windows XP 258

Return to Normal Startup in Windows XP 260

View System Configuration in Vista and Windows 7 260

Chapter 16: Restoring Your Computer’s Settings 263

Undo Something You Just Did 264

Uninstall a Problematic Program 264

Choose the Right Utility to Solve Your Problem 267

Reset Your PC with System Restore 267

Create a Restore Point Manually in Windows XP 275

Create a Restore Point Manually in Vista 275

Create a Restore Point Manually in Windows 7 275

Revert to the Last Known Good Configuration 276

Chapter 17: Working in Safe Mode 279

Start Your Computer in Safe Mode 280

Make the Monitor Easier to Read in Safe Mode 283

Use Safe Mode Tools 284

Tiêu đề	Fix Your Own Computer For Seniors
Tác giả	Corey Sandler, Tom Badgett
Trường học	Wiley Publishing, Inc.
Chuyên ngành	Computer Repair and Maintenance
Thể loại	Sách kỹ năng
Năm xuất bản	2010
Thành phố	Hoboken

Định dạng
Số trang	30
Dung lượng	1,08 MB