Absolute Beginners Guide to Computer Basics (2nd Edition)

What Your Computer Canand Can'tDo

What good is a personal computer, anyway?

Everybody has one, you know. (Including you, now!) In fact, it's possible you bought your new computer just so that you wouldn't feel left out. But now that you have your very own personal computer, what do you do with it?

Good for Work

A lot of people use their home PCs for work-related purposes. You can bring your work (reports, spreadsheets, you name it) home from the office and finish it on your home PC, at night or on weekends. Or, if you work at home, you can use your computer to pretty much run your small businessyou can use it to do everything from typing memos and reports to generating invoices and setting budgets.

In short, anything you can do with a normal office PC, you can probably do on your home PC.

Good for Play

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, so there's no reason not to have a little fun with your new PC. Not only can you use your PC to play some really cool games, you can also use it to track your favorite hobby, create interesting crafts projects, print pictures from your latest family vacation, listen to your favorite music, and watch your favorite videos. In fact, with the right software and hardware, you can even use your PC to edit movies you take with your video camcorder.

Good for Managing Your Finances

You don't have to be a professional accountant to use your PC to manage your finances. Software programs, such as Microsoft Money and Quicken, let you create budgets, write checks, and balance your accounts, right from your computer screen. You can even set up your system to automatically pay bills and do other banking onlineno paper checks necessary.

Good for Keeping in Touch

Want to send a letter to a friend? With your new PC (and a word processor program, such as Microsoft Word), it's a cinch. Even better, save a stamp and send that friend an electronic lettercalled an emailover the Internet. And if that person is online the same time you are, you can chat with him in real time via an instant messaging program. Many families use their PCs for almost all their communications.

Good for Getting Online

Speaking of email, chances are one of the main reasons you got a PC was to get connected to the Internet. The Internet's a great tool; in addition to email and instant messaging, you can join online message boards, participate in public chat rooms, and browse the World Wide Webwhich is chock-full of interesting and informative content and services. Now you won't feel left out when people start talking about "double-you double-you double-you" this and "dot-com" thatbecause you'll be online, too.