... to . . .
➟
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 ... pressing
Play on your camera.
Get Grounded
Always use one of the techniques in this section to
ground yourself before touching your computer’s
sensitive electronics; otherwise, you could create ... the mind of your PC.
➟
Use an antistatic strap. Place the antistatic strap
around one of your wrists. It usually interferes least
if you put it on your nondominant arm (left arm for
righties,...
...
marketers, promoters, salespeople, and crooks can
find your ID and make themselves your buddy in an
effort to reach you. Delete any name in your buddy
list that you don’t recognize.
Please purchase ... suddenly go strange
on your computer — if files are missing or renamed,
for example, or if your Internet home page has
changed without your knowledge. Do this even if
you scanned your PC recently, ...
Make sure that you always have the latest updates for
your antivirus or security program. Some programs check
for and download updates automatically based on a
schedule that you set. You can...
... color (16 bit for
65KB colors to 32 bit for more than 4 billion colors).
3.
Make any changes you want.
4.
Click OK to save your changes.
If youcan t check a problem with your video adapt-
er’s ... that you know to be working. (Maybe you
have another computer in your home or can take your
monitor to a friend’s house.) If the monitor delivers the
proper image, you know to concentrate your ... driver, you
can choose this option to uninstall the new driver
and reinstate the old one.
ã Disable: Dont click this button unless you have
more than one video adapter in your system. With
your...
... workspace, assemble your tools, and ground
yourself properly (see Chapter 2).
If you re replacing your boot drive, make sure to back
up any data that you want to save and install on your
new hard ... seems to check out at your end, call
your ISP’s support department. Someone there can
log in to your modem, test the settings, and probably
get things working again if you don’t have hardware ... book Fix YourOwn PC (Wiley
Publishing).
Determine What You Need
1.
Will you be installing a new boot drive — the one your
computer starts from — or an additional drive to use
for storage?...
... External drives simply plug into
your computer, so I discuss installing an internal
drive in this section.
1.
Prepare your workspace, assemble your tools, and ground
yourself properly (see Chapter ... chapter, I give you the lowdown on caring for these devices so
that you don’t have to replace them before their time — and show you
what to do when replacement day finally comes.
Keep Your Keyboard ... and DVD drives provide audio as well as data to
your computer. New drives use the data connection
for audio only. Check your documentation. If your
drive requires an analog audio connection,...
... process returns your system
to an earlier state — before you installed updates
or third-party software — but doesn’t affect your
data files.
➟
Your computer is able to start, and youcan get to ... is floating around your
office. Sooner or later, the going is going to get a bit
sticky. To give your mouse a clear path, wipe off your
desktop — and your mouse pad, if you use one —
once ... dry, reattach it to your
computer.
Youcan plug in a USB keyboard while the computer
is on. If your mouse is an older model with a PS/2
connector, reattach it before you turn on the power.
Diagnose...
...
Shut down your computer in one of the following ways:
ã If youcan see enough of the screen to follow the
standard Windows shutdown procedure, do that.
ã If you cant do a normal shutdown, press ... Windows installed
on your PC, you see options for each version; choose the
version that you want to restart. After youmakeyour
selection, your PC restarts in the selected version of
Windows.
... that
launch every time you start your machine. You ll recog-
nize some applications that you use regularly, such as
Microsoft Office or your antivirus program. The ones you
don’t recognize are...
... the check can t be performed while you re
using the disk and asks whether you want the utility to
check the disk the next time you restart your PC.
7.
Follow the appropriate step foryour version ...
administrator.
If you chose Scan for and Attempt Recovery of Bad
Sectors in Step 5, youcan continue to work on your com-
puter, if you want, while the test is under way. Youcan
get some idea ... including tools youcan use to diagnose
your current problems. You ll be asked to log in,
after which you see a dialog box.
If you don’t see this dialog box, it may mean that
your computer’s...
... this way,
you can check Device Manager for clues about which
component failed; for details, see Chapter 18.
Solve Basic Hardware Problems
➟
Your computer is suddenly silent. Make sure you
haven’t ... V: Troubleshooting Your PC
Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark.
➟
344
Fix YourOwn Computer For Seniors For Dummies
RIMM: A module for Rambus memory.
RJ-11: The ...
7.
Reinstall any applications that you want to use.
(Unfortunately, when you reformat a drive and rein-
stall Windows, you lose your other applications.)
You may want to keep the external...
... ➟
348
Fix YourOwn Computer For Seniors For Dummies
Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark.
356
Fix YourOwn Computer For Seniors For Dummies
ã K •
keyboard
freezing ... to your PCs parts
and operating system
ã Ways to keep your computer
healthy
ã Steps for stopping viruses,
malware, and spam
ã When to repair and when to
replace your PC
ã How to change your ...
Wizard and make changes to your injured PC using a list of
solutions
ã Enhance security take the steps needed to protect your PC
from viruses and other threats
Fix YourOwn Computer
For Seniors
Sandler
Badgett
spine=.768”
Please...
... to your PCs parts
and operating system
ã Ways to keep your computer
healthy
ã Steps for stopping viruses,
malware, and spam
ã When to repair and when to
replace your PC
ã How to change your ...
Wizard and make changes to your injured PC using a list of
solutions
ã Enhance security take the steps needed to protect your PC
from viruses and other threats
Fix YourOwn Computer
For Seniors
Sandler
Badgett
spine=.768”
... Dummies.com
đ
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...
...
As shown in Figure 5-32
, your job is to make a frame around the part of the page
that usually shows the information you want. If the Web site ever redesigns its
pages, it'll wreck your ... Done.
You canmake as many Web-clip widgets as you want.
But here's a big screaming caution: If you close one of these homemade widgets, it's gone
forever (or at least until you re-create ... full-blown, real-time widget.
At this point, youcan dress up your widget, adding a little polish to this raw clipping
you& apos;ve ripped out of a Web page. Click the button that appears when you...
... I’ll show you ways youcanmake simple
repairs to your computer that will extend its life, save you money, and
amaze the youngsters.
Foolish Assumptions
You have a computer and you want to ... not you ever need to make repairs, under-
standing computer physiology should help you
get more use out of your PC and makeyour
experience with it less frustrating.
1
Get ready to . . .
➟
Make ... to your PCs parts
and operating system
ã Ways to keep your computer
healthy
ã Steps for stopping viruses,
malware, and spam
ã When to repair and when to
replace your PC
ã How to change your...