Computer Help for Seniors in easy steps

Does your computer refuse to do what you want it to? Does it insist on doing something you don't want it to? Does it refuse to do anything at all? One solution is to ring a helpline; however, these can be expensive and don't always give good advice. A better option is to buy a copy of Computer Help for Seniors in easy steps.

Written in concise, jargon-free language, this book is aimed at the senior citizen. It troubleshoots all parts of a computer system, providing easy-to-follow instructions that will literally take you by the hand and guide you to a successful conclusion. We also examine the most common issues experienced with Windows itself (the source of most computer faults.)

The Internet and email are extremely popular activities but, unfortunately, can be the source of major problems for the unwary computer user, e.g. viruses and malware. We take a look at these and examine effective prevention measures, plus many other Internet related issues.

The faults covered in the book will be experienced by every computer user at one time or another - have the solutions to hand before they happen.

Stuart Yarnold is an electronics engineer who has been working in the industry since leaving college. Originally a marine radio & radar troubleshooter, he now devotes much of his time to playing poker professionally and can usually be found lurking in one of the online poker rooms.

Stuart lives near Cambridge with his wife Pauline and his two staffordshire bull terriers - Jim and George. His hobbies include woodworking and marathon running.

1. Before You Start
   • How to Go About It
   • Common Causes of PC Faults
   • Read the Instructions
   • Isolating the Fault
   • Hardware Substitution
   • Anatomy of a Computer
   • Your Computer's Parts
2. Hardware
   • Computer Fails to Start
   • The Power Supply
   • The Monitor
   • The Motherboard and CPU
   • The Video System
   • Memory
   • Computer doesn't Start Completely
3. Software
   • Windows won't Start
   • Safe Mode
   • System Restore
   • Repairing Windows XP
   • Repairing Windows Vista
   • Restoring Vista from a Backup
4. Performance
   • Check Your Hardware
   • Defragment the Hard Drive
   • Program Overload
   • Resource-Hungry Programs
   • Keep the File System Healthy
   • Streamline the Registry
   • Reduce the Visual Effects
   • ReadyBoost
   • The PC is Slow to Start
5. Installation/Setting Up
   • A Program won't Install
   • A Program won't Run
   • A Program won't Uninstall
   • A Device doesn't Work
   • A New Hard Drive isn't Recognized
   • Hard Drive Capacity is Incorrect
   • How is a New User Account Set Up?
6. Disc Authoring
   • Disc Write Fails
   • Disc Read Fails
   • Audio Discs won't Play
   • You Can't Add More Files to a Disc
   • Disc Capacity is Reported Incorrectly
   • Copied Software Discs won't Play
   • File Attributes are Locked
   • Third-Party Software
7. Video and Sound
   • No Display (Monitor is Blank)
   • Display Flickers
   • Display is Scrambled
   • Display is Very Slow
   • No Sound
   • Checking the Sound System
   • Checking the Speakers
   • Distorted Sound
   • Jerky or Intermittent Sound
8. Multimedia
   • Movies won't Play or have No Sound
   • Movie Playback is Poor
   • Games don't Play Properly
   • Internet Streaming Problems
   • Photo Editing Problems
9. The Internet
   • You are Unable to Connect
   • Your Connection is Slow
   • Websites/Pages are Inaccessible
   • Script Debug Error Messages
   • Get Rid of Browser Pop-Up Windows
   • Where Did that Downloaded File Go?
   • Quick Internet Searching
   • Repairing Internet Explorer
10. Email
    • You Can't Send or Receive Email
    • Email Attachments won't Open
    • Emails Take a Long Time to Download
    • Automatic Picture Resizing
    • You Can't See Images in Emails
    • Back Up Your Messages
    • Your Connection Closes Automatically
    • Outlook Express Dials Automatically
    • Your Inbox is Flooded with Spam
11. Peripherals
    • Your Printer doesn't Work
    • Printing is Slow
    • Print Quality is Poor
    • Inkjet Cartridge Refills
    • Your Scanner doesn't Work
    • Scanning is Slow
    • Scanned Files are Slow to Open
    • Scanned Images are Not Accurate
    • Garbled or Missing Text
    • Part of a Scanned Document is Missing
    • Digital Camera Issues
    • The Mouse doesn't Work
    • Mouse Operation is Poor
12. Security
    • Viruses - an Overview
    • Dealing with a Virus
    • Malware
    • Browser Hijackers
    • Firewalls
    • Securing Your Data
    • Keep Your Activities Private
    • User Account Control (UAC)
13. Files and Folders
    • You are Unable to Delete a File
    • A File Opens in the Wrong Program
    • A File won't Open
    • You are Unable to Locate a File
    • Folder Menu Bars have Disappeared
    • Recovering a Deleted File
    • You've Deleted the Recycle Bin
14. The Desktop, Taskbar & Start Menu
    • Changing the Wallpaper
    • Icons are the Wrong Size
    • The "Show Desktop" Icon is Missing
    • The Volume Control is Missing
    • Quick Launch Applications
    • The PC's Clock is Wrong
    • How to Configure the Start Menu
15. Miscellaneous
    • Desktop Spam Messages
    • Driver Warning Messages
    • A Program has Stopped Responding
    • Windows Explorer Has Crashed
    • Text is Difficult to Read
    • Sounds are Difficult to Hear
    • The Mouse is Difficult to Use
    • The Keyboard is Difficult to Use
    • Easy Calculating
    • Windows won't Log on Automatically