01_576534 ffirs.qxd 9/1/04 2:50 PM Page iii Buying a Computer FOR DUMmIES ‰ 2005 EDITION by Dan Gookin 01_576534 ffirs.qxd 9/1/04 2:50 PM Page ii 01_576534 ffirs.qxd 9/1/04 2:50 PM Page i Buying a Computer FOR DUMmIES ‰ 2005 EDITION 01_576534 ffirs.qxd 9/1/04 2:50 PM Page ii 01_576534 ffirs.qxd 9/1/04 2:50 PM Page iii Buying a Computer FOR DUMmIES ‰ 2005 EDITION by Dan Gookin 01_576534 ffirs.qxd 9/1/04 2:50 PM Page iv Buying a Computer For Dummies®, 2005 Edition Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc. 111 River Street Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774 Copyright ©2004 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 permis- sion 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. 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Library of Congress Control Number: 2004111949 ISBN: 0-7645-7653-4 Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 1B/RX/QZ/QU/IN 01_576534 ffirs.qxd 9/1/04 2:50 PM Page v About the Author Dan Gookinhas been writing about technology for 20 years. He has con- tributed articles to numerous high-tech magazines and written more than 90 books about personal computing technology, many of them accurate. He combines his love of writing with his interest in technology to create books that are informative and entertaining, but not boring. Having sold more than 14 million titles translated into more than 30 languages, Dan can attest that his method of crafting computer tomes does seem to work. Perhaps Dan’s 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 Timesnumber-one best seller (although, because it’s a reference book, it could not be listed on the NYT best seller list). That book spawned the entire line of For Dummiesbooks, which remains a publishing phenomenon to this day. Dan’s most recent titles include PCs For Dummies,9th Edition; C All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies; Troubleshooting Your PC For Dummies; Dan Gookin’s Naked Windows XP;and Dan Gookin’s Naked Office.He also pub- lishes a free weekly computer newsletter, “Weekly Wambooli Salad,” full of tips, how-tos, and computer news. He also maintains the vast and helpful Web page www.wambooli.com. Dan holds a degree in communications and visual arts from the University of California, San Diego. He lives in the Pacific Northwest, where he enjoys spending time with his four boys in the gentle woods of Idaho. 01_576534 ffirs.qxd 9/1/04 2:50 PM Page vi Publisher’s Acknowledgments We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our online registration form located at www.dummies.com/register/. Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following: Acquisitions, Editorial, and Composition Media Development Project Coordinator: Maridee Ennis Project Editor:Rebecca Whitney Layout and Graphics:Andrea Dahl, Acquisitions Editor:Gregory Croy Lauren Goddard, Denny Hager, Joyce Haughey, Stephanie D. Jumper, Technical Editor:Mark L. Chambers Lynsey Osborn, Heather Ryan Editorial Manager:Carol Sheehan Proofreaders: Laura Albert, John Greenough, Media Development Manager:Laura VanWinkle Charles Spencer, TECHBOOKS Production Media Development Supervisor: Services Richard Graves Indexer: TECHBOOKS Production Services Editorial Assistant:Amanda M. Foxworth 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 Joyce Pepple,Acquisitions Director Composition Services Gerry Fahey,Vice President of Production Services Debbie Stailey,Director of Composition Services 02_576534 ftoc.qxd 8/31/04 12:46 PM Page vii Contents at a Glance Introduction.................................................................1 Part I: Understanding the Whole Ordeal.........................3 Chapter 0: Some Questions to Get Out of the Way........................................................5 Chapter 1: Buying a Computer (Step-by-Step)................................................................9 Chapter 2: The Nerd’s-Eye View.....................................................................................19 Chapter 3: Computers from A to Z.................................................................................29 Chapter 4: Introduction to Hardware and Software.....................................................45 Part II: Hardware and Software Overview.....................51 Chapter 5: All about Mr. Microprocessor......................................................................53 Chapter 6: Memory Stuff (Temporary Storage)............................................................63 Chapter 7: Disks of Every Type (Permanent Storage).................................................73 Chapter 8: Monitor and Graphics Stuff..........................................................................87 Chapter 9: Keyboard, Mouse, and Gamepad................................................................99 Chapter 10: Expansion Options....................................................................................107 Chapter 11: Modems and Sound...................................................................................115 Chapter 12: Networking Your Computer.....................................................................123 Chapter 13: Scanners and Digital Cameras.................................................................131 Chapter 14: Special Issues for Notebook and Laptop Computers...........................143 Chapter 15: Your Computer’s Operating System........................................................151 Chapter 16 Everything You Wanted to Know about Software (But Were Afraid to Ask)...............................................................................................................161 Part III: Finding Your Perfect Computer .....................175 Chapter 17: Shopping for Software..............................................................................177 Chapter 18: Matching Hardware to Your Software.....................................................189 Chapter 19: Surveying the Shopping Landscape........................................................199 Chapter 20:0 Tips for Online Shopping.......................................................................211 Chapter 21: Searching for Service and Support.........................................................217 Chapter 22: Buying the Computer................................................................................223