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Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Inside Your PC

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It took them a decade, but computer engineers finally realized people don't enjoy opening a computer case to add new parts. The engineers tweaked the design, and now, unlike your computing forefathers, you don't need to reach for the screwdriver to install a new mouse—you simply plug its cable into a convenient outlet on your PC's case.

But although today's mice, keyboards, printers, scanners, monitors, and scores of other parts slip into a convenient jack, a few parts still hide inside the case. Some contain fragile circuitry that could be damaged by fumbling fingers. Others stay hidden simply because they rarely need replacing.

Today, you need to open your PC only when performing these occasional tasks:

• Adding or replacing memory if your PC runs too slowly (usually noticeable when you have several programs open simultaneously).
• Adding cards to your PC to give it new abilities—a FireWire port required by a digital camcorder, for instance.
• Replacing the power supply if your PC refuses to turn on.
• Changing the battery when your PC begins forgetting the time and date.
• Identifying parts that are causing problems.

This chapter gives you an introduction to your PC's case and the parts that call it home—the motherboard (Section 1.4), memory chips (Section 1.6), slots (Section 1.7.1), cards (Section 1.7), and power supply (Section 1.9). This introduction tells you what these parts do, when you need to find them, and, if necessary, how to repair or replace them.

Along the way, you'll learn how to look up your PC's computing "horsepower," a handy thing to know when puzzling over the System Requirements list on every software box. Finally, this chapter identifies all the connectors on the outside of your PC's case, what plugs into them, and what to do if a cable doesn't fit.

If you're a laptop owner, you're in luck: everything in this chapter applies to both laptops and PCs. "Laptop Life" boxes explain any differences on how to deal with them.

Video store clerks never interrogate their customers about their VCR's voltage or motor speeds. But try to buy software at a computer store or online, and you're expected to know these intimate details about your PC's inner workings. The System Requirements fine print for most software, including Windows XP, lists terms like these:

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Finding Out Your PC's Horsepower

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Video store clerks never interrogate their customers about their VCR's voltage or motor speeds. But try to buy software at a computer store or online, and you're expected to know these intimate details about your PC's inner workings. The System Requirements fine print for most software, including Windows XP, lists terms like these:

• Processing power. This refers to your CPU (Section 1.4), which stands for Central Processing Unit and is your PC's brain. Engineers measure a CPU's clock speed—how fast it thinks—in GHz (gigahertz) or MHz (megahertz). The bigger the number, the faster your CPU thinks. For example, Windows XP requires a 233 MHz CPU, but works faster if your PC's got a 500 MHz or faster CPU.
• RAM (Random Access Memory). Memory (Section 1.6), a temporary storage area for Windows to work in, is measured in megabytes (MB). The more RAM you pack into your computer, the more programs Windows can run simultaneously. Windows XP requires 128 MB of RAM, but works best with 512 MB or more.
• Video. Most software, including Windows XP, says it requires a "Super VGA" or higher resolution monitor (Section 3.1) and video adapter (Section 3.8.2), the internal device feeding all those pretty pictures to your monitor's screen. This cryptic requirement means very little. Nearly every computer sold in the last decade sports both a Super-VGA monitor (if it in fact ships with a monitor) and a Super-VGA video adapter. Some graphics-hungry programs, like games, also want to know the video adapter's brand, model, and amount of memory.
• Hard drive (hard disk) space. You may already know the size or storage capacity of your hard drive (Section 9.2), your computer's holding tank for stored programs and files. However, most software wants to know the amount of free space left on your hard drive. After all, your new software needs some elbow room. Windows XP, for instance, consumes two or three gigabytes of space; most programs require much less. Most hard drives today hold between 40 and 120 GB of space.
• CD drive reading and writing (saving) speed. Here, bigger numbers are better. Today's compact disc drives (Section 10.14.1) are fairly speedy, reading information at a speed of about 52X (the "X" means 52 times faster than the original CD models) and burning (recording) at about 32X—plenty fast for most software and file-saving tasks.

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The PC's Case

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Unlike your PC's glowing monitor, your PC's case usually sits unnoticed beneath the desk or in a dark corner. After you switch the power on or off, you usually touch the PC's case for only two reasons:

• You want to plug something into your PC, like a new mouse, digital camera, or glowing blue game controller.
• You want to place something inside your PC like new memory or a new drive, or you need to replace something that's not working.

Plugging something into the case is easy enough, once you find the right port (Section 1.8), a general term describing any hole, jack, or plug you use to connect things like a mouse or speakers to your PC. Putting something inside the case takes more effort, but it's probably easier than you think, thanks to the design of your PC's case.

Figure 1-1: This list shows the items most frequently mentioned in a software box's System Requirements' area. To see this information about your own computer, click Start → Help and Support → Use Tools to View your Computer Information and Diagnose Problems → My Computer Information → View General System Information about this Computer. Click the Print icon to have the printer spit out a handy crib sheet you can take to the store.

PCs aren't designed like cars, which force owners to find a specific muffler for their '67 Chevy El Camino. Most PC cases contain standard-sized parking spots called bays for sliding in standard-sized drives—boxy storage units like CD drives or hard drives. For example, almost any hard drive slides smoothly into almost any case's drive bays (Figure 1-2) and locks into place easily with screws or a bracket

The holes in your PC's case also line up exactly with the holes in the computer's motherboard (Section 1.4), a large flat card stuffed with your computer's main circuitry. And the holes in the PC's power supply (Section 1.9), a metal box that pipes electricity throughout your PC, also align with the holes in your PC's case. This "matching holes" design lets you easily attach standard-sized parts to your PC's case with just a few screws.

Many of your PC's other internal parts hail from the same IKEA school of easy assembly, but they use slots and matching tabs. For instance, the motherboard contains standard-sized slots, good for plugging in memory (Section 1.6), which comes on little circuit-filled sticks that let your computer juggle information.

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Opening Your PC's Case

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In most cases, opening your PC's case boils down to sliding off a side panel. But before starting, make sure you have a fresh backup of your most important files. Chances are, nothing catastrophic will happen. But since you should back up your files every day anyway, now's a good time to make sure last night's backup worked (see Section 15.1).

Before opening the case, turn off your computer and unplug its power cord from the wall. Then examine your computer to see where its case opens. Some newer, expensive computers pop open at the press of two large pushbuttons, as seen in Figure 1-3, top. (Cases on expensive computers sometimes have built-in padlock holders to keep out potential thieves.)

Figure 1-2: Top: Thanks to the standard design of a PC case, this hard drive slides easily into a shelf called a bay, where a mounting bracket holds it in place.
Bottom: Some bays hold items in place with screws. Note how the screw holes in the bay precisely align with the screw holes in the CD drive, making it easy for a few screws to hold the drive in place.

Many computers use two thumbscrews—screws with large round heads that you can twist off with one hand—to hold the side panel onto the case. Twist off the thumbscrews and slide off the panel with an easy push (Figure 1-3, middle and bottom). Older models sometimes use two or three regular screws instead of the easier-to-remove thumbscrews. Once you remove the screws or thumbscrews, slide the side panel toward the back of the computer and outward. After you move the panel a few inches, you should be able to easily pull it off. Set the panel to the side, and you're in.

Figure 1-3: Top: You can open some cases by pressing two large buttons that sit on opposing sides of the case. Press the buttons and lift upwards; the case begins to hinge open.
Middle: Screws hold most other cases together. To open the case, remove the screws or thumbscrews (inset) that hold the side panel in place.
Bottom: After removing the screws, slide off the panel, pulling it toward the back of the computer.

It's easy to lose screws when removing a PC's case and its internal parts. To prevent mix-ups, place screws from different parts of your PC into different hollows of an empty egg carton.

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Motherboard

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Your PC's motherboard, a large flat, rectangular piece of circuitry, serves as a platter for your computer's brains, memory, cards, and connectors. Everything inside your PC ultimately connects to the motherboard, which shuttles information between the parts.

Since the motherboard lies buried deep inside your PC, you'll spot it only under a few circumstances: when replacing the battery, replacing the power supply (Section 1.9), adding memory (Section 1.6), or adding cards (Section 1.7).

When rummaging inside your computer during one of those tasks, use Figure 1-4 as a roadmap.

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CPU (Central Processing Unit)

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The CPU, the chunky chip serving as your computer's brain, determines how quickly your computer follows instructions. The more powerful the CPU, the faster it can fling around information, leading to less time waiting at the keyboard. Windows XP works well with CPU's from two companies: Intel's Pentium 4 (fastest) or Celeron (slower) CPU, or AMD's Athlon 64 (fastest) or Sempron (slower) CPU.

Engineers measure a CPU's "thinking" speed (known as clock cycles) in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz); the bigger the number, the faster the CPU, and the more you pay for it. This knowledge comes in handy when shopping for computers, as you know that a 3.6 GHz PC is slightly faster (and more expensive) than a 3.2 GHz. It's mostly gamers and movie editors who need super fast, super expensive PCs. For word processing and e-mail, most people do fine with a bargain-priced 2.4 GHz Celeron or Sempron.

Once you bring your computer home, you can't do much more with the CPU besides look at its perch on your motherboard. (And even peeking isn't easy, because the CPU's always covered with a fan or metal flippers to cool it down.) In theory, you can pop an old CPU off the motherboard and pop in a faster one, but it's rarely worth the effort, for several reasons.

Figure 1-4: Your motherboard contains your CPU, battery, memory, memory slots, cards, slots, and connectors for plugging in parts and cables. Motherboards vary slightly in their layouts, so your's probably looks somewhat different. But these main components appear on every motherboard. (The power supply connects to the case, not to the motherboard, but its wires lead to the motherboard to feed it power.)

First, replacing a CPU is expensive and time consuming. Second, different types of CPUs require different types of motherboards—they're not nearly as interchangeable as most computer parts are. Finally, a PC's only as fast as its slowest part. That slow part is most likely the hard drive, the video card, the memory, or all three. In most cases, adding a slightly faster CPU to your motherboard won't make a noticeable speed difference. If you're itching to speed up your PC, try adding more memory (Section 1.6) or a faster hard drive (Section 9.2), instead.

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Adding Memory (aka RAM)

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Many people confuse memory with hard drives, because they both store the same things: programs, documents, digital photos, and other files. What's the big difference?

To save money, many of today's motherboards include built-in video, sound, modems, and network ports. When searching for drivers for those items (Section 16.5.2), you need to know your motherboard's manufacturer, model, type, and chipset, all explained below. This information usually appears on your PC's invoice or packing slip, but if it's not listed, here's how to find it yourself.

Manufacturer and model refer to the motherboard's creator and identifying name. Sometimes the manufacturer prints this information directly on the motherboard or on an affixed sticker. But when faced with an unidentified motherboard, search other areas for clues: your PC's BIOS boot strings—the words and numbers that appear when you first turn on your computer—or the System Devices area of Windows XP's Device Manager.

The motherboard's type (also called form factor) refers to its physical size. The motherboard's size must match the PC case so the mounting holes and brackets align. Most modern PCs use a size called ATX (which stands for Advanced Technology eXtended) for the case, motherboard, and power supply.

The chipset refers to the manufacturer of the chip that serves as "traffic director" for routing information through the motherboard. Intel motherboards usually use Intel chipsets. But manufacturers of cheaper motherboards often buy chipsets from third parties. To locate the chipset's maker, try searching on Google for the motherboard's manufacturer and model. Such a search usually turns up the motherboard's online manual, features list, or even a photo with the parts labeled.

When stumped for clues, try using software written specifically to identify motherboards. Motherboards.org (www.motherboards.org) has a Tools section that lists several free programs for revealing a motherboard's identity. The free version of SiSoftware's Sandra (www.sisoftware.net) (Section 1.3) can often identify a motherboard, as well.

Well, your computer uses your hard drive as a huge parking lot that stores all the information that you want to permanently store. But managing all that space slows down the hard drive. Just as finding your car and getting it out of the lot takes time—you find yourself waiting for Windows XP to load a program or file.

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Installing Expansion Cards

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Expansion cards, envelope-sized "mini-motherboards" like the one shown in Figure 1-7, live on from computing's early days. Cards let people expand their PC's power, often by adding new connectors called ports. Twenty-five years ago, for instance, many people installed a card with a special port that accepted the latest new computing gadget: a mouse.

Today, people still add new ports to their PCs by pushing cards into special slots on their motherboard. For instance, digital camcorders dump video into PCs through a FireWire port, a high-speed connector missing from most PCs. If your PC doesn't have a FireWire port, open your PC's case, and push a FireWire card into one of your motherboard's empty slots. The new FireWire port appears on the back of your PC.

The new port appears because of the way cards are shaped. Most cards contain ports on one edge and a tab on their bottom that you push into the motherboard's slot. When pushed into a slot, the cards' ends poke through the back of your PC, looking like a row of silver strips. Figure 1-7, top, shows a card before it's installed; below it, a figure shows the newly installed card joining a row of previously installed cards viewed from the outside of your case.

Most items that once came on cards now plug into much-more-convenient USB ports (Section 1.8.1). But when you need something that USB can't offer, like a FireWire port, expansion cards do the job. With a price tag averaging $30 to $100 per card, adding an expansion card is much cheaper than buying a new computer.

Cards can add more than new ports to a computer. Adding an MPEG decoder card, for instance, adds special circuitry to the motherboard. Your computer uses a chip on the MPEG decoder card to convert video into MPEG format, which is the format commonly used to store video on DVDs.

Figure 1-7: Top: Sliding this sound card into a slot on your PC's motherboard provides a quick way to add better sound to your PC. Other types of cards let you add things like FireWire ports, a microphone, or a joystick. The tab on the card's bottom (circled) slips into a slot on your PC's motherboard.

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Ports

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The word port sounds like some kind of a well-protected haven—after all, boats pull into them when the weather's rough. Ports stay well protected on computers, too, usually located as awkwardly as possible on the back of your computer, as shown in Figure 1-12. But rather than havens or harbors, computer ports are any type of connector on your PC, from the small rectangular hole of a USB port to the odd-shaped nub of a serial, game, or parallel port.

Whatever the shape, ports provide quick entrance for the cables of portable music players, digital cameras, printers, speakers, and other mainstays of the computerized lifestyle.

Thanks to Windows "Plug and Play" technology, you needn't turn off your computer before plugging something into a port.

Figure 1-12: A wide variety of connectors have graced the rumps of computers over the past 20 years. Today, most computers have more ports than you need, simply to stay current with older parts. The ports used most often, USB ports, live on the back of this computer, but sometimes live on a PC's front panel, as well as on the sides of some keyboards and monitors.

The one exception is the elderly PS/2 mouse jack (Section 1.8.6); you must turn off your computer before plugging in a PS/2 mouse. USB mice—the ones with rectangular plugs—don't require you to turn off the computer first.

Engineers think up new port types every few years. Not everybody lives on the cutting edge, though, so new ports usually began life on cards (Section 1.7), drop-in pieces of circuitry that stick out the back of your computer. (You can spot the cards in Figure 1-12; they're the horizontal strips near the bottom of the computer's case.)

Older, more established ports—USB, serial, parallel, PS/2, and occasionally networking—come built into the motherboard (Section 1.4). You can see built-in ports in Figure 1-12; they're that cluster of connectors above the strips of cards.

The rest of this section contains close-up pictures of the ports you need when plugging in their appropriate gadgetry.

The vast majority of monitors plug into this usually blue, 15-hole female port (Figure 1-13). When plugged into a

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Power Supply and Battery

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Your computer's power supply lives inside the PC's case, where it converts the wall outlet's 120 volts into the lower voltage sucked up by your computer's parts. It needs attention only during two main events: if you spot a ton of dust clogging its main fan, and when your PC refuses to turn on. A few swipes with a vacuum cleaner's brush attachment (Section 1.3.1) solves the first problem, but the second one is much more complicated. Luckily, most people never need to tackle replacing their power supply; the computer usually wears out first.

Don't confuse a PC's power supply with an Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS). The PC's power supply is a small box that lives inside your PC. A UPS (Section A.3.3) is an optional add-on, usually in the form of a large, heavy box that sits outside your PC to protect your work from power outages.

If your desktop PC's power switch doesn't seem to have any effect, do what the techies do: put your ear to the computer case and listen closely for any sounds. Normally, turning on the computer starts the power supply's whirling fan. But if you can't hear the fan blowing air over your PC's parts—nor any other noises inside your PC—then the power supply is dead and must be replaced.

Before jumping to this unpleasant and rare conclusion, try a few sure-fire tests:

• Press the power button for about 10 seconds, and then wait another 10 seconds. Then press the power button again. Repeat. Sometimes that's all it takes to resuscitate a frozen PC.
• Juggle the power cord in its outlet, and where it plugs into the back of your PC. It may be loose.
• Check the little red switch on the back of your PC to see if a practical joker has switched it to 220 from 110 (see Section 1.9.1.3).

If you're still seeing no signs of activity, your power supply is dead.

In fact, if the power supply's fan stops working but your computer still runs (Section 1.4), you still need to replace the power supply. Without the power supply's cooling fan, your computer will overheat, leading to even more expensive repairs. When your power supply needs replacing, the next section explains how to handle the chore.

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Chapter 2: Keyboards and Mice

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You can try reasoning with your PC all you want, but computers rarely take notice until you tap your fingers across the keyboard or nudge the mouse on your desk. This chapter explains the intricacies of those two primal, yet very effective, ways of getting your computer's attention.

This chapter introduces the various types of keyboards and mice you can use with desktop and laptop PCs, and which ones to choose for different situations—an ergonomic keyboard with an adjustable tilt, for instance, if typing hurts your wrists or fingers.

You'll learn how to manipulate both mice and keyboards to their best advantage, and how to adjust them when they're not performing to your satisfaction. In case your mouse dies, one section explains how to continue working in Windows with only a keyboard. Should your keyboard die, you'll want to review the section that shows you how to finish up your typing with only a mouse.

You'll also uncover the mysteries behind certain keys like "Scroll Lock" (which doesn't actually work), and how to transform a foreign country's keyboard into something that does work.

Finally, for those times when you're ready to completely stop working, the section on game controllers explains calibration, which may give you an edge when playing the kid down the street. (Doubtful, but it's worth a try.)

Most people type on 83-, 101-, 102-, or 104-key keyboards. But if it's time for a new one, don't worry about having to choose from all these variations: buy the standard 104-key model, which has been standard issue on most new computers since 1995. The 104-key keyboard contains the four familiar clusters of keys shown in Figure 2-1, each used for the tasks described below.

Figure 2-1: Your keyboard divides its keys into four main groups, each used for different tasks. Your fingers do the bulk of their work tapping letters and numbers in the typing area. The Function keys control different features in different programs; press F11 in Internet Explorer, for example, to fill the entire screen with your currently viewed Web page. The Cursor keys move your "insertion point"—that blinking line that shows where the next key you press will appear onscreen. The Numeric keypad, every bank teller's friend, lets you quickly enter numbers with one hand. Some manufacturers also add a row of dedicated keys—you can press a key to skip forward on CDs, for instance.

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Keyboard Basics

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Most people type on 83-, 101-, 102-, or 104-key keyboards. But if it's time for a new one, don't worry about having to choose from all these variations: buy the standard 104-key model, which has been standard issue on most new computers since 1995. The 104-key keyboard contains the four familiar clusters of keys shown in Figure 2-1, each used for the tasks described below.

Figure 2-1: Your keyboard divides its keys into four main groups, each used for different tasks. Your fingers do the bulk of their work tapping letters and numbers in the typing area. The Function keys control different features in different programs; press F11 in Internet Explorer, for example, to fill the entire screen with your currently viewed Web page. The Cursor keys move your "insertion point"—that blinking line that shows where the next key you press will appear onscreen. The Numeric keypad, every bank teller's friend, lets you quickly enter numbers with one hand. Some manufacturers also add a row of dedicated keys—you can press a key to skip forward on CDs, for instance.

When shopping online for a mouse or keyboard, look in the "Input Devices" section, since that's the official category name for these products.

• Typing keys. Most of the time, your fingers tap on the typing area, which mimics the layout of typewriters (mechanical devices often seen in black-and-white movies). Notice the little bumps on the base of the keyboard's "F" and "J" keys. By feeling for those bumps with your index fingers, you can correctly position your hands on the keyboard without having to look at your fingers. (This trick comes in handy, for example, when typing in dimly lit rooms.)
• Function keys. Pressing a Function key usually calls up a different task in every program, so you can't simply memorize these 12 keys and be done with it. However, a handshake agreement among programmers means that the F1 key brings up the help screen in nearly any program. Even better, pressing F1 is usually context sensitive, meaning it summons help for the specific item you're viewing. Pressing F1 while you're ogling the Control Panel's Keyboard settings, for example, brings up a help topic that explains the subtleties of that specific area.

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Mouse Basics

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Invented in 1963 as a scrappy wooden box with two wheels, computer mice now live in sleek, molded plastic cases. Every mouse style lets you push a little pointer across the screen, but manufacturers found many different ways to do it. Today's mice are either mechanical, optical, wireless, or upside-down (trackball), as shown in Figure 2-9. Each type of mouse has its own benefits and drawbacks, all described below.

Figure 2-8: To clean a keyboard of sticky beverage residue, pry off the keycaps. Working from the bottom row, wedge a small screwdriver beneath a cap, slowly twist the screwdriver, and the cap should jump off. Don't try to pry off the spacebar, as its special attachments are easily damaged. Remove as much stickiness as you can from the keys and keyboard to avoid future problems with trapped dust. When the keyboard's clean and dry, push the keycaps back onto their pegs, using Figure 2-10 as a memory jog.

Figure 2-9: From left to right: Right-side up mouse, upside down mechanical mouse, upside-down optical mouse, and trackball. Whether they're mechanical, optical, or wireless, most mice resemble the one on the far left. The big differences lie in their bellies. Mechanical mice sense the rolling motion of a ball, which needs to be removed and cleaned every month or two. Optical mice dump the ball in favor of a tiny lens that detects texture changes as it's moved. Trackballs work like upside-down mechanical mice, but since you roll the ball with your hand, it doesn't become dirty or require cleaning as often.

• Mechanical. If a little rolling ball protrudes from your mouse's belly, it's a mechanical mouse, commonly sold with older computers. Mechanical mice work best when rolled over a mouse pad (found at most computer and office supply stores), since the pad's soft rubber gives the ball the needed grip for smooth rolling. Most people remember mechanical mice as the ones that needed cleaning every few months (Section 2.2.3.1), and they're quickly being replaced by optical mice, described below.
• Optical. Several links up the technological chain from mechanical mice, optical mice replace ball mechanics with a tiny camera and light. The mice glow eerily as the light reflects off your desktop. The camera views the illuminated textures passing underneath, and adjusts the pointer's onscreen position accordingly. Most people love optical mice because they banish both the pad and the monthly cleaning ritual. Optical mice work well on any textured surface (even on cloth, like a pants leg). If you have a glass or polished metal desk, you should place a traditional mouse pad or a plain sheet of white paper underneath the mouse to steady the pointer.

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Game Controllers

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Windows XP's built-in game controller software works very simply. When you plug your game controller into your PC's USB port (Section 1.8.1), Window greets you by name and lets all your games know what model of controller lies waiting in your twitching hands. It can even test the buttons to make sure they all work.

Game controllers come with either analog controls, digital controls, or both. What's the difference and which one should I buy?

Just like choosing between vanilla and chocolate, there's no easy answer. It depends on your taste buds, or rather, the particular game you're playing.

The buttons on digital controllers, like anything else digital, contain only toggle switches. For instance, a four-position digital controller lets you navigate the dark underground passage in four directions only: forward, backward, left, or right. Since they simply toggle between "straight" or "turn," they leave out the subtleties like "turn northwest." A few extra buttons may let you jump or crouch.

In fact, many games turn your keyboard into a digital controller, assigning events to different keys: tapping the Spacebar unleashes a torrent of metal-eating bacteria, for instance. Digital controllers bring speed and a high degree of accuracy to games, since computers easily interpret the simple "On" or "Off" instructions. However, some games, like flight simulators or driving games, require more finesse than a simple Up or Down. That's where an analog controller comes in handy.

Analog controllers send a constant flow of measurements to your PC. Move the analog joystick or game pad delicately from Up to Down, and the PC responds to your movement's speed as well as its direction. That lets you land the plane with just the right finesse for a graceful swoop. However, analog controls aren't as quick or accurate as their digital counterparts. Different controllers, even of the same model, send slightly different measurements, resulting in less precision. That's why calibration (Section 2.3) lets your PC grow accustomed to each analog controller's particularities and automatically adjust for them.

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Chapter 3: Monitors and Video

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Early computers didn't use monitors; they simply printed everything on paper, limiting computer games to pretty slow rounds of tic-tac-toe. Monitors arrived a few years later, and once engineers got a taste of steering their first spaceships, video technology was quick to (and of course, continues to) improve.

Today's PCs connect to a huge variety of video gear, and this chapter guides you through how to:

• Connect any monitor, TV, or digital projector to the correct port on your PC.
• Connect two or more monitors to your PC to double your workspace, letting you work with more programs (or view more documents) simultaneously.
• Share one display between two or more PCs to save money.
• Adjust the monitor to get the best display possible.
• Improve your PC's video quality by adding a new video card.
• Install a new monitor.
• Troubleshoot problems when the display doesn't look right.

Laptops and PCs share monitor technology, so nearly everything in this chapter applies to laptops, as well. The "Laptop Life" boxes explain any significant differences.

Monitors, those screens you stare at all day, come in two basic types: the old-school, TV-shaped Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) monitors from yesteryear, and the newer, flat, and thin Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) monitors filling the store shelves today.

When dealing with either breed of monitor, the same confusing terms pop up on sales floors and Windows menus. These terms top the list:

• Screen size. Borrowing some trickery from TV-land, the computer industry measures monitors diagonally to create the illusion of executive-sized desktops. However, a 17-inch monitor gives you only a 13.6-inch-wide Windows desktop. Even an expensive 21-inch monitor offers only about 16 inches of workspace.
• Pixels. Like the Sunday funnies, a monitor displays pictures by using tiny colored dots. The industry refers to the dots as pixels. A monitor displays text by simply stacking dots in different configurations, shown in Figure 3-1.
• Resolution. Resolution refers to the number of pixels your monitor can use when filling up the screen. For instance, a low resolution setting like 640 x 480 turns the screen into a grid of 640 lines of 480 pixels. A higher resolution of 1024 x 768 creates a grid of 1024 rows of 768 pixels. A higher resolution produces a larger grid, which means a

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Monitor Basics

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Monitors, those screens you stare at all day, come in two basic types: the old-school, TV-shaped Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) monitors from yesteryear, and the newer, flat, and thin Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) monitors filling the store shelves today.

When dealing with either breed of monitor, the same confusing terms pop up on sales floors and Windows menus. These terms top the list:

• Screen size. Borrowing some trickery from TV-land, the computer industry measures monitors diagonally to create the illusion of executive-sized desktops. However, a 17-inch monitor gives you only a 13.6-inch-wide Windows desktop. Even an expensive 21-inch monitor offers only about 16 inches of workspace.
• Pixels. Like the Sunday funnies, a monitor displays pictures by using tiny colored dots. The industry refers to the dots as pixels. A monitor displays text by simply stacking dots in different configurations, shown in Figure 3-1.
• Resolution. Resolution refers to the number of pixels your monitor can use when filling up the screen. For instance, a low resolution setting like 640 x 480 turns the screen into a grid of 640 lines of 480 pixels. A higher resolution of 1024 x 768 creates a grid of 1024 rows of 768 pixels. A higher resolution produces a larger grid, which means a larger desktop—something everybody appreciates when trying to place two large windows next to each other.
• Refresh rate. CRT monitors work much like movie projectors, constantly flashing new frames onto the screen. Even when you're viewing a static image—a Web page, for instance—your monitor constantly refreshes the screen. If the monitor's not speedy enough, the screen flickers noticeably, like you're watching an old movie. Measured in hertz, the refresh rate refers to the speed with which the monitor updates the screen. CRT monitors work best at the highest refresh rate they offer, usually from 75–100 Hz. LCD monitors display images differently than CRT monitors, so they don't have flicker problems. Keep their refresh rate set at 60 Hz. (See Section 3.8.2 for instructions on how to adjust the refresh rate.)
• Contrast ratio

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Installing a Monitor

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CRT monitors just plug into a plain old VGA port (Section 1.8.1): a 15-hole, D-shaped, round port found on nearly every computer.

Digital LCD monitors can often plug into either of two ports, depending on their connectors. Some plug straight into a VGA port, just like CRT monitors. The more expensive ones just plug into a DVI port (Section 1.8.1), found only on a digital video card. If your LCD monitor comes with only a DVI port—and your PC doesn't come with a DVI port to connect the monitor's cable—you need to buy and install a video card (Section 3.8.2) with a DVI port.

Once you plug a video cable into its port, twist the two knobs next to the connector to hold it in place.

When you finally replace your old CRT monitor with a sleek new LCD panel, don't just drop the old one in a dumpster; that can get you arrested in some states. If you can't give your old monitor to a neighbor or keep it around to outfit your PC with dual monitors (described in the next section), here are your options.

• Donations. Many large national charities no longer accept CRT monitors (or TV sets, for that matter). But if your monitor or PC still works, some schools, small nonprofits, local computer clubs, or local training programs might accept it.
• Drop-offs. Some cities offer hazardous waste disposal, letting you drop off your obsolete or frazzled electronic gear. Check with your city's landfill department to see how they're handling the problem and whether they charge for the service.
• Recyclers. A few companies now tread the computer recycling waters. If you're lucky, you'll find a recycler in the Yellow Pages who will take the monitor off your hands for a nominal fee.

To find recycling options in your area, contact Earth 911 (www.earth911.org), a fantastic resource for a nation brimming with dead cell phones, monitors, and other technological castoffs. The site offers a huge database of recycling information, sponsored in part by Home Depot, Hewlett-Packard, and ESRI software.

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Plugging Two Monitors into One PC

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Windows XP graciously lets you plug up to 10 monitors into your PC, a feature used mostly by hobbyists adding cockpit windows to their garage-sized flight simulators. Most people who take advantage of this feature stick with just two monitors, placing them side by side to double their desktop's size. Devote one monitor to your work, for instance, while the other displays notes, email, or a handy Web page. A second monitor also works well for files that don't fit well on one screen—extra-wide spreadsheets, for instance, or that panorama you created with your new digital camera.

Windows XP seamlessly merges the two desktops with a feature called Dualview, letting you drag tidbits from one monitor to the other. And Windows doesn't care whether you plug in CRT or LCD monitors or a combination of the two; Windows remembers each monitor's mechanics and sends it the signals it expects.

Before embracing the two-monitor lifestyle, make sure your PC or laptop supports two monitors by choosing Start → Control Panel → Display → Settings tab. If you spot two monitors in the window, as shown in Figure 3-4, you're halfway there: Windows XP can expand your desktop onto a second monitor.

Spot only one monitor in the window? Then your computer can't handle a second monitor until you install a second video card—something not possible with a laptop, but fairly easy to do on a desktop PC (see Section 3.8.2 for details).

Figure 3-4: To see if your PC or laptop supports more than one monitor, choose Start → Control Panel → Display → Settings tab. If you spot two numbered monitors, like the ones in this figure, your PC supports a second monitor, letting you double your desktop's size (or watch movies at work, on slow days).

Laptop owners, peek under your laptop's backside plastic flaps to see if you can find a video port.

Once you know Windows XP supports two monitors, look for a place to plug in that second monitor. Examine your monitor to see if it bears a VGA or DVI port (Figure 3-2, bottom). Some monitors help out by including one of each.

Next, examine the sea of ports on the back of your PC for a VGA or DVI port that matches the port on your monitor.

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Plugging Two PCs into One Monitor

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Sometimes you end up with more PCs than monitors. For instance, some households keep their old PC's monitor when buying a new PC, effectively decapitating the old PC. In other cases, folks share their desktop PC's monitor with their laptop. And some families share a monitor with the kids—if they can get away with it. Whenever you share a monitor between two PCs, a KVM (Keyboard Video Mouse) switch (Figure 3-6) spares you the hassle of crawling behind the desk to switch the cables from one PC to the other.

You plug your monitor, mouse, and keyboard into the switch, which usually costs between $20 and $50. Then, on the other end of the switch, you get two sets of cables: one for each PC's monitor, keyboard, and mouse ports. To work on the PC you currently see on your monitor, start working as normal, typing and moving your mouse.

When the kids want to play with the other PC, press a button on the switch or type a certain key sequence—the Scroll Lock key twice, for instance. That places the second PC's screen on the monitor, letting the kids do their homework.

Figure 3-6: This Linksys KVM switch, available for under $40, lets two PCs share a single monitor (and a mouse and a keyboard, for that matter). Plug your monitor, mouse, and keyboard into the switch. Then, plug the switch's cables into the monitor, mouse, and keyboard ports of the two PCs. To switch between PCs, push a button on the switch or type a special key sequence on your keyboard.

Some businesses juggle dozens of PCs with one KVM switch, letting one operator handle any problems that crop up with computers that are otherwise unattended.

Admittedly, a KVM switch comes with a few drawbacks. Unless you connect the two PCs to a network (Section 14.1), you can't copy information between them. And some wireless keyboards and mice don't work well when plugged into KVM switches. But like all niche products, a KVM switch provides a handy solution under the right conditions.

Sharing a monitor can be more practical than it first sounds. In some setups, for instance, a PC serves only as a backup system (Section 15.1), or it sends music and photos to a TiVo or other entertainment center. Since these PCs usually run unattended, a $30 KVM switch makes more sense than a second $250 monitor.

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Using TV Sets as Monitors

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Early computer adopters lamented having to buy a second "TV" when they bought their first computer. Why couldn't they just hook the darn thing up to the TV? For the answer, sit close to your TV screen while a movie's credits roll by; you'll quickly realize that televisions lack the crisp detail needed for close-up editing.

Televisions work best when displaying pictures, not text, so they usually make lousy PC monitors. However, hooking your PC to a TV works well for several things: showing off digital photos to a group, viewing movies through the PC's built-in DVD player, or playing some video games.

Unfortunately, TVs and PCs sprouted from two different evolutionary seeds. The branches began to intertwine a few years ago, so your PC and TV may share the same ports. In that case, connecting a PC to a TV is as easy as connecting a VCR. When they don't share ports, however, be prepared to weave a long thread of cables and connectors.

Even after more than a decade of development, few laptops pack enough battery power to play a DVD through an entire cross-country flight. The primary culprit? Your laptop's monitor, which is its biggest power hog. Squeezing extra life from a battery usually requires dimming the monitor to 50-percent brightness—or even dimmer. (Dimming to 40-percent brightness may make the battery last through a night flight.)

You can adjust a laptop's screen brightness level in several ways, depending on the model and manufacturer:

• Some laptop manufacturers add a dedicated key (Section 2.1.1) for on-the-fly adjustments. Hold down the Fn key and press the Brightness key, for instance; it's usually an icon of a shining sun on one of the Function keys. When an adjustment bar pops up, press the arrow keys to lower or brighten the screen.
• Some laptops offer power scheme adjustments that let you choose different brightness levels for different tasks. To see them, choose Start → Control Panel → Power Options. You can create custom power schemes that, say, tell the screen to brighten when you're word processing, but lower or turn off when you're listening to MP3 files or when the battery life drops below a certain level. When you finish creating a power scheme, save it for later access.

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Watching TV on a PC

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TV sets make lousy PC monitors, but PCs and their displays make great TV sets. In fact, some PCs already include a TV tuner that lets them double as high-quality TV sets. If you're not lucky enough to own one of those fancy models, though, upgrading your PC to display television rarely merits the cost, for several reasons.

First, most PCs have small, 15-or 17-inch monitors that are usually parked in front of a single chair—a far cry from the living room's big TV, comfy couch, and nearby popcorn maker.

Second, adding TV to a PC costs between $50 and $150—that's more cash than it takes to pick up some new TVs. Finally, TV-equipped PCs can record shows to your hard drive, but they lack the finesse of dedicated TV recorders like TiVo or Replay TV ($100 to $250), which automatically record shows according to your tastes.

So, why bother? Some upgraders don't own TVs or don't want to buy a second one for their offices. Others want to record shows, but despise paying the monthly dues required by TiVo or ReplayTV. Some newshounds want CNN sitting in a corner of their desktop. And some folks simply like to tinker with their PCs.

Your PC needs two things to morph into a TV:

• The TV signal. TV shows already stream into your house from the cable company, satellite dish, or a roof antenna; they then enter your house through a cable. Unplug that cable from the back of your TV (if you use an antenna) or from your cable or satellite box. Plug that cable into a signal splitter—a two-dollar gadget (shown in Figure 3-9) that splits one cable into two ports.
  Plug two additional cables into the splitter's two ports; one of those cables plugs back into your TV (if you use an antenna) or cable box, and the other plugs into your PC's new TV tuner, described next.
• The TV tuner. TV tuners, which cost between $50 and $150, come mainly as drop-in cards (Section 1.7), although a few come as plug-in USB (Section 1.8.1) boxes. Add one to your PC, plug the cable carrying your TV shows into the tuner card's port, and install the tuner's bundled software.
  Both Hauppauge (www.hauppauge.com) and ATI (www.ati.com

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Troubleshooting Your Monitor

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When figuring out what's wrong with a monitor, the biggest problem boils down to fingering the troublemaker: your monitor or video card (Section 3.8). Since the video card feeds your monitor everything it displays, it's the prime suspect in most problems. Still, try the following troubleshooting steps on the rare chance your monitor's on the fritz. If none of these fix your problem, then the fault lies with the video card; head for its Troubleshooting section (Section 3.8.3) instead.

Figure 3-9: Disconnect the TV cable where it enters your cable box or TV, and then connect it to the single end of this RF splitter, a handy gadget sold at most electronics stores for a few dollars. The splitter breaks the signal into two identical signals. Plug a second cable into one of the two new ports and connect it back to your TV or cable box. Then connect another cable between the splitter's remaining port and your PC's tuner.

Monitors look their dirtiest when turned off. Then you can really see the dust, sneeze marks, and swatted gnats. To clean an LCD monitor, reach for the standard "lint-free cloth," meaning anything sold for cleaning camera lenses or eye-glasses. (Most optometrists give them away during your checkup, if you remember to ask.) Lacking that, stick with a 100-cotton cloth. A little warm water on the cloth removes just about everything. Don't wipe the screen with anything made of paper, including a tissue, as the fibers leave scratches that build up over time.

The front of a CRT monitor contains glass, not plastic, so it's much less picky about its cleaning cloth. As with an LCD display, start cleaning with a little warm water. Spray a little glass cleaner on the cloth, if necessary, to get rid of the real stubborn stuff.

When your monitor presents you with an empty black screen, look at its power switch. Most monitors light up their On button—or an adjacent light—to let you know that they're plugged in, saving you from crawling beneath the desk. If you don't spot a light, check the power cord at the wall, as well as where it plugs into the back of your monitor. Once everything's plugged in, check for the following problems:

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Video Card (aka Display Adapter)

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Windows XP calls it a "Display Adapter," most people call it a "video card" or "graphics card," but no matter what it's called, your PC's video circuitry translates your PC's numbers into something visible, and then passes the images along to your monitor. Think of it as the projector for your monitor's screen.

To suit different people, from accountants to kids with joystick-calloused fingers, video circuitry comes in two main styles, described below.

1. Built-in chip.
   Most people simply need enough graphics power to display words, photos, and maybe a few games on the screen. To cut costs, the PC industry shrunk low-power video circuitry onto a single chip and popped it onto your motherboard (Section 1.4). Known as "onboard video," this works fine for most people—except gamers, who want to explore computer-generated galaxies.
2. Standalone card.
   Other people want more powerful video, often for editing video or playing games. This more elaborate video circuitry works like a minicomputer, calculating the geometry needed to update the screen instantly, whether you're repositioning a window, or watching changing shadows on a mermaid as she undulates through rippling sea grass. With prices averaging $200 to $400, a high-performance video card could be the most expensive thing inside your computer.

Whether your PC creates video through a chip or a standalone card, this section explains how to adjust its settings to work best with what you're doing.

Most video settings hail from early years when video cards rarely matched your PC's power. Back then, people needed to dial back some settings in order to let the card focus on other areas. For example, they'd cut back on the number of colors displayed onscreen to squeeze higher resolutions from their video card.

When first installed, Windows XP automatically squeezes your video card's muscles and adjusts the video settings to showcase Windows XP at its best. With today's cheap and powerful video cards, Windows XP usually sets everything to full strength.

Occasionally, you need to tweak some settings, like increasing the resolution to view a large digital photo, for instance. To adjust any of your video card's settings, head to Windows XP's command central of video settings: Start → Control Panel → Display → Settings tab (Figure 3-11). (If you don't see the Display option inside the Control Panel, click "Switch to Classic View" in the Control Panel's left-side pane.)

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Chapter 4: Printers

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Printers give you a sense of physical accomplishment—something otherwise lacking in your interactions with your PC. You can hold printed sheets in your hands or pass them out with a flourish at a meeting. To help with this transformation from digital to physical, this chapter guides you through the following tasks:

• Selecting the right printer for your needs.
• Connecting and setting up a printer (or several) to your PC or laptop.
• Printing on the correct side of the paper, including printing long documents on both sides of the paper.
• Printing envelopes, including return addresses.
• Printing digital photos on your printer or at one of several professional developers.
• Distinguishing between paper types, so you choose the right one for whatever you're printing.
• Replacing ink and toner cartridges, fixing paper jams, and buying replacement parts.

You'll find three main kinds of printers on the market today: inkjets, laser printers, and all-in-one devices. Consumers gravitate toward inkjet and all-in-one printers; businesses lean toward laser printers. The following pages explain how these printers work, which tasks they perform best, and which one you need for your work.

While reading about printers, I read that some handle "ector" images, others print "bitmapped" images, and others print PCL and Postscript. What's the difference, and why should I care?

For most people, those terms boil down to buzzwords on a printer's spec sheet. A test printout you can hold in your hand on the showroom floor vouches for a printer's strengths much more accurately. For a lesson in printer lingo, however, read on.

Early printers worked like typewriters, printing character by character. Computers merely sent character info and "line feed" commands to the printer: print the following words, numbers, and spaces, drop down a line, and then resume printing. Computer graphics changed that world forever, creating a bevy of print-related terms.

• Bitmap. Also called "raster" images, bitmapped images contain a large grid of dots. The computer sends the grid—a map of bits—to the printer, which maps out the dots on paper. Most printers print 300 dots per inch, which requires a

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Printer Basics

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You'll find three main kinds of printers on the market today: inkjets, laser printers, and all-in-one devices. Consumers gravitate toward inkjet and all-in-one printers; businesses lean toward laser printers. The following pages explain how these printers work, which tasks they perform best, and which one you need for your work.

While reading about printers, I read that some handle "ector" images, others print "bitmapped" images, and others print PCL and Postscript. What's the difference, and why should I care?

For most people, those terms boil down to buzzwords on a printer's spec sheet. A test printout you can hold in your hand on the showroom floor vouches for a printer's strengths much more accurately. For a lesson in printer lingo, however, read on.

Early printers worked like typewriters, printing character by character. Computers merely sent character info and "line feed" commands to the printer: print the following words, numbers, and spaces, drop down a line, and then resume printing. Computer graphics changed that world forever, creating a bevy of print-related terms.

• Bitmap. Also called "raster" images, bitmapped images contain a large grid of dots. The computer sends the grid—a map of bits—to the printer, which maps out the dots on paper. Most printers print 300 dots per inch, which requires a lot of bits. Storing those pages requires lots of space, either in the printer's memory or on your PC's hard drive. Also, you can't enlarge grids very gracefully—enlarging a bitmapped corporate logo, for instance, often leads to jagged edges when you print it out. (Windows' Paint program often stores files as bitmaps.)
• Vector. Instead of storing maps of dots, vector graphic images contain instructions and equations. That works great for drawings. A picture of a square, for instance, needs only a description of the square's four corner locations, plus instructions for connecting their outside edges. Storing instructions creates smaller files than bitmaps create. And since they're based on equations, vector images are scalable—you can enlarge or reduce them without losing quality, something architects appreciate when quickly changing the house plans for a different sized lot.

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Installing a Printer

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Most printers today connect to a computer's USB port (Section 1.8.1) using a rectangular-shaped plug that pushes into a similarly rectangular-shaped hole. USB printers and their cousins, FireWire (Section 1.8.2.1) printers, both embrace Windows' "Plug and Play" technology. When you first plug in and turn on the printers, Windows morphs into a friendly receptionist, greeting your newly plugged-in printer by name. After the small talk, Windows looks up the printer's model in its database, installs the appropriate driver from its built-in stash of more than 900 models, and leaves you ready to print.

Only travelers who need a constant flow of printed copies pack a portable printer, which sells for around $200–$300. Weighing less than four pounds, many luggables now spit out photos as well as reports. (Some even grab their power from a car's cigarette lighter.)

But dangling that extra four pounds on your shoulder (plus the cable and paper) may convince you to pursue these other options.

• Fax. The time-tested trick used for more than a decade by desperate road warriors, fax machines provide something to hand out in the conference room. Fax your document with your laptop's fax modem to the nearest fax machine, grab it, and run. It's not high-quality or color, but at least it's on paper.
• FedEx Kinko's. Lug your laptop to FedEx Kinko's (www.kinkos.com) and print your file on one of their onsite printers. The Web site offers maps and directions to nearby locations and tells you which ones print digital camera photos.
  To save time, download FedEx Kinko's software (fedexkinkos.com/fpjk) onto your laptop. This software lets you print over the Internet to the FedEx Kinko's store of your choice for quick pickup. Printer options include color, black and white, choice of paper, and binding options. For extra convenience, tell the software to FedEx your printout either back to you or to those eagerly awaiting board members across the continent.
• Hotels. Most hotels offer business centers, complete with printer (and PC, should you need one). For quickest results, unplug the printer from the business center's PC, plug the printer into your laptop, and use Windows XP's Add Printer Wizard (Section 4.2.3) to install a driver for the hotel printer. Fire up your document and start printing.

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Choosing Printer Paper

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