PCs For Dummies Cheat Sheet

The following technical information is specific to your own computer — stuff that you’ll probably reference from time to time but won’t necessarily bother storing in your brain.

Print this page and write down the information, and then save the page with the other material that came with your computer.

Make and model: ____________________

Serial number: ______________________

Microprocessor: _____________________

RAM (MB): _________________________

Primary storage device capacity (GB): __________

Drive C is a ___ hard drive ___ SSD

Drive ___ is a ___ hard drive ___ SSD

Drive ___ is a ___ hard drive ___ SSD

Drive ___ is an external backup drive.

Drive ___ is an optical drive

Drive ___ is a memory card drive. Type: _________________

Drive ___ is a memory card drive. Type: _________________

Drive ___ is a memory card drive. Type: _________________

Drive ___ is a memory card drive. Type: _________________

Drive ___ is _________________.

Drive ___ is _________________.

Here’s a list of standard computer peripherals — items that attach to the PC console. Place an X in the box to indicate where each item is attached. This information can help you reconnect everything later, in case you ever need to move the computer or take it to the repair shop.

Use this space to fill in the phone numbers or email addresses of the various people who can help you with your computer, in the event your PC acts up. And, oh yes, it will act up.

Computer dealer or retail store: ___________________

Sales rep (name/ext.): ___________________________

Next Sales rep after the first one gets fired:

Dealer tech support: ____________________________

Operating system support: _______________________

ISP: _________________________________________

ISP tech support: ______________________________

Computer guru: _______________________________

Here are some essential tips for working with your PC. Keeping your PC in good working order prolongs its life and prevents you from losing important data.

• Always use your best posture while you compute. Don’t slouch! Elevate your wrists. Don’t tilt your head too far down.

• Get a UPS for your PC. Plug the monitor, console, and external backup drive into the battery-backed-up sockets.

• Properly turn off your PC; use the Windows Shutdown command.

• You can connect and disconnect USB devices to and from the computer while the computer or the device is on.

• To get to the Control Panel in Windows 10, press Win+X and choose Control Panel from the super-secret menu.

• The best gift you can buy your PC is more memory.

• Obtain an external hard drive and implement a backup regimen on your PC.

• Remember to properly eject and safely remove any removable media in Windows; don’t just yank something out of your PC.

• The key to understanding software is to know what a file is. The key to organizing files is to know what a folder is.

Use this information to help keep track of your internet account information and other PC-related trivial tidbits that you should keep in one location (other than your brain or your PC):

Internet login name: _________________________________

Internet password: (Write down elsewhere.)

My email address: _________________________________

My email password: (Write down elsewhere.)

My ISP’s domain name: _________________________________

My web email address: _________________________________

My web email password: (Write down elsewhere.)

Other email address: _________________________________

Other e-mail password: _________________________________

POP server name: _________________________________

SMTP server name: _________________________________

Favorite flavor of ice cream: _________________________________