Laptops For Dummies (For Dummies (Computers)) [Paperback]

Dan Gookin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 16, 2006 | ISBN-10: 0470054328 | ISBN-13: 978-0470054321 | Edition: 2

Are you thinking about buying a laptop, but you’re not sure what to look for, how to choose one, or how to use it? Or maybe you already have a laptop and just want to learn more about its features, functions, and capabilities. Dan Gookin, the author of the best-selling Dummies series, shows you the ins and outs of owning and operating your portable PC with Laptops for Dummies, 2^nd Edition.

This fun-and-easy guide covers all the laptop necessities, from managing the battery and other hardware to going wireless. It’ll provide you with advice on shopping for a laptop and using it wherever you go—at home, in class, or on the road! This handy, updated reference will give you the tools you need to:

• Determine what you need and don’t need in a laptop
• Clean and maintain your computer
• Navigate using Windows
• Expand your laptop with USB ports, PC cards, and more
• Connect to the Internet
• Travel with your laptop and keep it safe
• Link your laptop to your desktop
• Operate using Windows Vista

This book provides tips and tricks for keeping your battery healthy and working. It also suggests accessories and expansions that are well worth the money, as well as things you should always take with you in your laptop case. With Laptops for Dummies, 2^nd Edition, you’ll get the most out of your new, portable computer—and have fun too!

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A great boon for the laptop buyer." (Good Book Guide, January 2007)

“Using plenty of insight laced with humour, Gookin explains the benefits of laptops and shows how to solve problems" (Good Book Guide, May 2007)

From the Back Cover

Understand your laptop, power it up, and play it safe

Follow Dan's plan for picking the perfect laptop and hit the road

You hold in your hands the next-best thing to a laptop itself — the complete fun-and-easy guide to choosing and using the laptop that fits your needs. Here's Dan Gookin's should-be-patented five-step process for buying a computer plus the complete laptop lowdown — power management, wireless access, special security issues, and more.

Discover how to

• Decide what you want and shop accordingly
• Use Windows Vista on your laptop
• Connect external devices via USB ports
• Hook up with a wireless network
• Protect your laptop and your data

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 2 edition (October 16, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470054328
• ISBN-13: 978-0470054321
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #997,242 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dan Gookin has been writing about technology for over 20 years. He combines his love of writing with his gizmo fascination to create books that are informative, entertaining, and not boring. Having written more over 120 titles with 12 million copies in print translated into over 30 languages, Dan can attest that his method of crafting computer tomes seems to work.

Perhaps his most famous title is the original DOS For Dummies, published in 1991. It became the world's fastest-selling computer book, at one time moving more copies per week than the New York Times #1 bestseller (though as a reference, it could not be listed on the NYT Bestseller list). From that book spawned the entire line of For Dummies books, which remains a publishing phenomena to this day.

Dan's most popular titles include PCs For Dummies Word For Dummies, Laptops For Dummies, and Droid X For Dummies. He also maintains the vast and helpful Web site, www.wambooli.com.

Dan holds a degree in Communications/Visual Arts from the University of California, San Diego. Presently, he lives in the Pacific Northwest, where he enjoys spending time with his sons playing video games inside while they watch the gentle woods of Idaho.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars useful explanations, August 7, 2005

By 

W Boudville (Terra, Sol 3) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Laptops For Dummies (For Dummies (Computers)) (Paperback)

Possibly the most important things Gookin explains are how to keep an eye on your power consumption when using batteries, and how to hook up to the Internet. These are both usually in the real world context of you travelling to some place. That's why you're getting a laptop, right?

The battery situation can be frustrating. He warns not to lose work. Depending on your choice of laptop, power consumption might be an issue. The faster the laptop, the more power it uses. There is a complicated reason to do with CMOS technology used in most of the laptop's microprocessors, where the power consumption is proportional to the clock frequency. But the main thing is to be aware that speed comes at a price.

As far as hooking up to the Internet, Gookin shows that things are reasonably easy nowadays, and getting easier. The latter is because more wireless access points emerge in cities, and more hotels, libraries etc have wired access. Remember to change the default passwords on any networking software you run, before having it go out on a strange network.

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Laptop Helper, November 13, 2006

By 

Michael Kerner "Michael Kerner" (Brooklyn, New York U.S.A.) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Laptops For Dummies (For Dummies (Computers)) (Paperback)

These days, many people all have a computer in their home. Nevertheless, which one, a desktop or a laptop or notebook specifically. While buying a desktop is more convient in the price tag, it can be bulky, and leave little space, laptops bring in a bit more convience for all to have in space. Although they are much more expensive to purchase, it can be very, very easy for those to operate a laptop in the convience of their own home or in the office. Thankfully, the dummies people know how to help you guide your way into operating a laptop without the hastle of doing it on your own, in a simple how-to guide.

Laptops For Dummies is a very simple instruction book that teaches you how to simply operate youn laptop whenever you need to. The book gives detailed advice on what simple tidbits you'd need to do, to reboot the computer. For example, you could hold the power button down for 5 seconds and you could easily shut down the computer, without destroying the hard drive. Or, you couls also learn how to improve the sound on your computer, by simply buying a sound card and hook it into the computer for better audio playback. Considering, most laptops have distorted sound, you'll find out how easy it happens to be to improve the quality of your computer. The book give great details on Windows XP computers, and gives you a glimpse on what to do if yo choose to upgrade to Windows next operating system, Vista. The book is very detailed in its description, and easy to afford.

If you own a laptop computer, than this is the most important tool you could use for your computer, especially for those who have Windows XP. I found this book was very helpful to me, and I definitely recommend this for anybody who considers a laptop for their own home. Laptops For Dummies is no dummy at all!

Price: B+

Convience: B

Easy To Understand: B

Overall: B 1/2+

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars He Knows what He is Talking About, January 3, 2007

By 

John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Laptops For Dummies (For Dummies (Computers)) (Paperback)

Buying a laptop should be easy. I want a system that is very powerful, weighs almost nothing, has a huge screen but small overall size, and runs forever on its internal battery. Unfortunately such a system is hard to find. Therefore you have to make compromises.

And in reading this book I find that I pretty much agree with the analysis Mr. Gookin makes. And I base that on having had about a dozen of them down through the years.

First, decide what you're going to use it for. I use it for programming, especially web programming so I need a web server, a database and some other web software.

That fits into his second comment, decide what software you're going to use. OK, that's a given. Windows (not Apple or Linux).

Screen size - smaller is better for me because the overall system can then be smaller. I'm just looking at code most of the time and don't need graphics.

Service & Support - as he says, go with a big name company, look carefully at the extended warranty. The extra money was worth it when laptops were $2,000+, I'm not so sure now that they've gotten so cheap.

Battery life used to be important and I carried three batteries around. Now with most aircraft having power available it's not nearly so important - and besides batteries are heavy. I've found power outlets in airports, coffee shops, libraries, on trains and other obscure places. I now only carry only one battery.

Physical security, get one of the tie down devices that connect your laptop to the desk. This is especially a problem at college.

I find I'm talking my own ideas. I didn't mean to start preaching. After all these points and more are included in the book. This fellow knows what he is talking about.