Essential Laptops: The Illustrated Guide to using your Laptop

382 Pages·2018·20.26 MB·English

by  Kevin Wilson

Essential
Laptops
Kevin Wilson
Essential Laptops
Copyright © 2018 Elluminet Press
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Publisher: Elluminet Press
Director: Kevin Wilson
Lead Editor: Steven Ashmore
Technical Reviewer: Mike Taylor, Robert Ashcroft
Copy Editors: Joanne Taylor, James Marsh
Proof Reader: Mike Taylor
Indexer: James Marsh
Cover Designer: Kevin Wilson
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About the Author
Kevin Wilson has made a career out of technology and showing others how to
use it. After earning a master’s degree in computer science, software
engineering, and multimedia systems, Kevin worked as a tutor and college
instructor, helping students master such subjects as multimedia, computer
literacy and information technology. He currently serves as Elluminet Press
Publishing’s senior writer and director, he periodically teaches computing at
college in South Africa and serves as an IT trainer in England.
Kevin’s motto is clear: “If you can’t explain something simply, you haven’t
understood it well enough.” To that end, he has created the Computer Essentials
series, in which he breaks down complex technological subjects into smaller,
easy-to-follow steps that students and ordinary computer users can put into
practice.
Table of Contents
Essential Laptops 2
About the Author 3
Table of Contents 4
Choosing a Laptop 8
What are you using it for? 8
Common Tasks 9
Understanding Laptop Specifications 9
What Processor? 10
Operating System 11
Memory (RAM) 12
Hard Disk - HDD or SSD? 13
CD/DVD/Bluray drive 13
Ethernet 15
Video Interfaces 16
Audio Ports 18
Graphics Card 19
Screen Size 20
Touch Pad 20
Mouse 21
Setting up your Laptop 22
Setting up your Laptop 22
Install the Battery 22
Plug In & Power Up 23
Laptop Ports 24
Running Windows the First Time 25
Regional Settings 26
Terms Of Use 27
Connect to your WiFi 27
Enter WiFi Password 28
Sign in for the First Time 28
Set a PIN Code 29
Set up OneDrive 29
Meet Cortana 30
Privacy Settings 30
Connecting to a WiFi Network 31
Setup your Printer 33
Getting Around Windows 10 36
The Touch Pad 36
Left Click & Right Click 36
Move Pointer 37
Tap 38
Scroll 38
Pinch & Spread 39
Start Menu 40
Tile Folders 41
Customising your Start Menu 42
Add Tiles to Start Menu 42
Move Tiles on the Start Menu 45
Remove Tiles from Start Menu 46
Resize Tiles on Start Menu 46
Pin Icons to your TaskBar 47
File Explorer 48
Home Ribbon 49
Share Ribbon 50
View Ribbon 50
Sharing Files from File Explorer 50
Basic File Management 52
Creating Folders 52
Moving Files 53
Copying Files 55
Renaming Files 56
External Drives 57
OneDrive 58
Files on Demand 59
Enable and Disable On Demand 59
Making files available Offline 60
Task Bar 61
Action Centre 62
Task View Button 63
Using Multiple Desktops 64
Multiple Screens 65
Using Projectors 67
Duplicate PC screen onto Second Screen 68
Second Screen Only 69
PC Screen Only 69
Extend PC screen onto Second Screen 69
Using Continuum 70
Desktop PC/Laptop 71
Tablets 71
For Phones 72
Arranging Windows on Desktop 72
Moving a Window 73
Resizing a Window 73
Minimise, Maximise & Close a Window 74
Using Windows Side by Side 75
Window Snap Feature 75
Keyboard Shortcuts 77
Other Features 78
Dynamic Lock 78
Storage Sense 78
Blue Light Reduction 79
App Power Throttling 81
Pairing Devices with Bluetooth 82
Cortana Personal Assistant 83
Using Cortana 84
Other Features 86
Customise Cortana 90
Internet, Email & Communication 94
Microsoft Edge Web Browser 94
Bookmarks 95
Annotations & Notes 97
Pen Tool 98
Highlighter Pen 99
Typed Notes 100
Saving Notes 101
Reading Mode 101
More Options 102
Print a Page 103
Pin a Website to the Start Menu 104
Pin Website to TaskBar 105
Change your Start Page 106
Tab Preview Bar 107
Set Aside Tabs 108
Edge Extensions 109
Web Payments & Microsoft Wallet 112
Other Browsers Worth Noting 116
Google Chrome 116
FireFox 117
Mail App 117
Adding Other Email Accounts 118
Using Mail 120
Calendar App 122
My People 126
FaceBook App 128
Skype 129
Making a Call 130
Screen Sharing 132
Mobile Hotspot 134
Getting Things Done 136
App Store 136
Maps App 138
Get Directions 139
Street View 141
Ink Directions 142
Measure Distances 143
Annotations 144
Explore in 3D 145
Weather App 147
News App 149
Alarms & Clock App 150
Voice Recorder 152
eBooks 153
Reading eBooks 155
Calculator App 156
Unit Converter 157
Currency Converter 157
Photos App 158
Story Remix 164
Creating Remixes 164
Sharing Remixes 165
Editing & Customising Remixes 166
Add Text Titles 167
Add Music 167
Slideshow Motion 169
Export & Share your Creations 170
Groove Music App 171
Groove Music Pass 173
Game Mode 175
Film & TV App 176
Picture-in-Picture 179
Playing DVDs 180
Microsoft Office 365 181
Create a Microsoft Account 181
Purchasing Office Online 182
Downloading Office 2016 Suite 186
Open Office 188
Google Drive 190
Create a Google Account 191
Creating Documents, Spreadsheets & Presentations 192
Maintaining your Laptop 194
Anti-Virus Software 194
Windows Defender 194
Avast 195
AVG 196
Security Centre 197
Virus & Threat Protection 198
Device Performance & Health 199
Firewall & etwork Protection 199
N
App & Browser Control 199
Family Options 199
Controlled Folder Access 199
Exploit Protection 201
Backing Up your Files 202
Creating a Backup 202
Adding Folders 205
Setting Backup Schedules 206
Restoring Files 207
Password Recovery 208
Windows Update 211
Settings 211
Scheduled Updates 212
Bandwidth Limiting 212
Disk De-fragmentation 214
Start-Up Programs 218
Resetting Apps 221
System Recovery 223
Advanced Start up 224
Create a Recovery Drive 225
Some Useful Utilities 228
Piriform CCleaner 228
Malwarebytes 229