Table Of Content

spine=.768” Hardware/Personal Computers/PCs Making Everything Easier!™ Make simple repairs to your computer that extend its life and save you money Open the book and find: Dwoo rykoinug g por oinpteor plya?n Einc dm tohdee w wohrreyn w yiothu rt hcios macpcuetsesrib islen ’gt uide! (cid:127) Ianntdro odpuecrtaiotinnsg t soy ystoeumr PC’s parts Fix Y Fix You r O wn Com pute r Expert Corey Sandler shows you how to quickly uncover o what’s wrong and fix it by following easy steps. In no (cid:127) Wheaaylsth tyo keep your computer Fu For Seniors time, you’ll learn the best way to maintain your PC, solve or (cid:127) Steps for stopping viruses, hardware problems, restore system settings, troubleshoot rO malware, and spam issues, and more. Sw (cid:127) When to repair and when to e n (cid:127) Get to know the parts — from the mouse and keyboard to replace your PC n the monitor, printer, and connection ports, discover how PC i C components work (cid:127) How to change your computer’s o o memory r (cid:127) Inside the box — develop a working knowledge of your PC’s sm “brain” and the Windows operating system (cid:127) Tips for repairing Windows p (cid:127) Keep your PC healthy — follow tips and techniques for proper (cid:127) How to get your printer and u computer hygiene monitor working again t e (cid:127) Upgrade memory and replace drives — change your PC’s (cid:127) T ricks for fixing common PC r memory, hard disk drives, and CD/DVD drives problems (cid:127) Get Windows® back on track — repair, refresh, or reinstall Windows to quickly get up and running again Learn to: (cid:127) Diagnose the problem — use the Windows Troubleshooting Wizard and make changes to your injured PC using a list of (cid:127) Diagnose common problems solutions Go to Dummies.com ® using the index of symptoms (cid:127) Enhance security — take the steps needed to protect your PC for videos, step-by-step examples, from viruses and other threats how-to articles, or to shop! (cid:127) Translate error messages and know what to do (cid:127) Maintain your computer to help prevent future difficulties $24.99 US / $29.99 CN / £17.99 UK (cid:127) Recognize when you need to call Corey Sandler was the first executive editor of PC Magazine. He has ISBN 978-0-470-50087-3 for help 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 Corey Sandler as a journalist and broadcast documentary producer. Sandler Tom Badgett Badgett spine=.768” Get More and Do More at Dummies.com ® Start with FREE Cheat Sheets Cheat Sheets include (cid:127) Checklists (cid:127) Charts (cid:127) Common Instructions (cid:127) And Other Good Stuff! To access the Cheat Sheet created specifically for this book, go to www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/fixyourowncomputerforseniors 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. Check out our (cid:127) Videos (cid:127) Illustrated Articles (cid:127) Step-by-Step Instructions Plus, each month you can win valuable prizes by entering our Dummies.com sweepstakes. * Want a weekly dose of Dummies? Sign up for Newsletters on (cid:127) Digital Photography (cid:127) Microsoft Windows & Office (cid:127) Personal Finance & Investing (cid:127) Health & Wellness (cid:127) Computing, iPods & Cell Phones (cid:127) eBay (cid:127) Internet (cid:127) Food, Home & Garden Find out “HOW” at Dummies.com *Sweepstakes not currently available in all countries; visit Dummies.com for official rules. Fix Your Own Computer For Seniors FOR DUMmIES ‰ by Corey Sandler and Tom Badgett Fix Your Own Computer For Seniors For Dummies® Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc. 111 River Street Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774 www.wiley.com Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published simultaneously in Canada 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. 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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 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 for- mer Gannett and Associated Press newsman, he has appeared on NBC’s 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 part- ner in IdleAire Technologies Corporation, a national provider of HVAC, Internet, and other services for long-haul truck drivers. 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. 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. 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 Composition Services Project Editor: Tonya Maddox Cupp Project Coordinator: Katherine Crocker Acquisitions Editors: Katie Mohr, Tiffany Ma Layout and Graphics: Samantha K. Cherolis, Joyce Haughey, Christine Williams Copy and Development Editor: Kathy Simpson Proofreader: Jacqui Brownstein Technical Editor: Sandy Berger Indexer: BIM Indexing & Proofreading Services 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) 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 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 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