Acknowledgements. About the Author. Publisher's Acknowledgements. Icons used in this book. Chapter 1 - Introduction. How this book is structured. Challenging old beliefs. Challenging fears.

Part I - Getting your laptop. Chapter 2 - Choosing the right laptop for you. Choosing the computer size. Where to get advice. Choosing the type of computer. Summary. Chapter 3 - Understanding laptop specifi cations. The parts you can see and feel.

The parts you can't see. Printer specifi cations. Summary. Chapter 4 - Buying your laptop. Setting your budget. Shopping online for a laptop. Finding a laptop in the shops. Summary.

Part II - Setup. Chapter 5 - Buying broadband. Choosing a broadband provider. Buying your laptop in a package deal. Summary. Chapter 6 - Bringing your laptop home. Setting your laptop up at home. Making sure everything works.

Deleting software. Loading software. Summary. Chapter 7 - Customising the Windows desktop. Touring the desktop. Control Panel. Summary. Part III - Getting up and running.

Chapter 8 - Getting power to the people. How your laptop uses power. Using power management. Getting plugged in. Summary. Chapter 9 - Staying connected. Wireless connections at home and away. Finding and choosing a wireless network.

Alternatives to a wireless network. Summary. Chapter 10 - Using your laptop's software. Using Accessories. Using word processing and spreadsheets. Summary. Chapter 11 - Learning what you can do online. Using email.

Using online search. Finding videos, music and more online. Summary. Chapter 12 - Preventing problems. Preventing loss or theft. Preventing damage. Preventing freezes and slowdowns. Preventing loss of data.

Summary. Part IV - Glossary. Glossary. Index.