ASUS Eee PC. DUMmIES. by Joel McNamara FOR

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1 ASUS Eee PC FOR DUMmIES by Joel McNamara

3 ASUS Eee PC FOR DUMmIES by Joel McNamara

4 ASUS Eee PC For Dummies Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc. 111 River Street Hoboken, NJ Copyright 2009 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 permission 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) , fax (978) Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) , fax (201) , or online at Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies.com, Making Everything Easier, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/ or its affiliates in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. Eee PC is a trademark of Asustek Computer, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: THE PUBLISHER AND THE AUTHOR MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS WORK AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITH- OUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. NO WARRANTY MAY BE CREATED OR EXTENDED BY SALES OR PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS. THE ADVICE AND STRATEGIES CONTAINED HEREIN MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR EVERY SITUATION. THIS WORK IS SOLD WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE PUBLISHER IS NOT ENGAGED IN RENDERING LEGAL, ACCOUNTING, OR OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. IF PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE IS REQUIRED, THE SERVICES OF A COMPETENT PROFESSIONAL PERSON SHOULD BE SOUGHT. NEITHER THE PUBLISHER NOR THE AUTHOR SHALL BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES ARISING HEREFROM. THE FACT THAT AN ORGANIZA- TION OR WEBSITE IS REFERRED TO IN THIS WORK AS A CITATION AND/OR A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF FURTHER INFORMATION DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE AUTHOR OR THE PUBLISHER ENDORSES THE INFORMATION THE ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE MAY PROVIDE OR RECOMMENDATIONS IT MAY MAKE. FURTHER, READERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT INTERNET WEBSITES LISTED IN THIS WORK MAY HAVE CHANGED OR DISAPPEARED BETWEEN WHEN THIS WORK WAS WRITTEN AND WHEN IT IS READ. For general information on our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at , outside the U.S. at , or fax For technical support, please visit Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. Library of Congress Control Number: ISBN: Manufactured in the United States of America

5 About the Author Joel McNamara started using computers in the Dark Ages (1980 to be precise), and if the words NorthStar Horizon, ARPANET, PDP-11, Kaypro, and Apple Lisa mean anything to you, like in the movie Zelig, he was there. Over the years Joel has worked, among other things, as a programmer, technical writer, and manager for a number of companies in the high-tech sector. He currently writes and consults on technology he finds interesting (like little Linux laptops). Joel is also the author of GPS For Dummies, Geocaching For Dummies, and Secrets of Computer Espionage: Tactics & Countermeasures (all published by Wiley).

6 Acknowledgments First, thanks to ASUS for starting the mini-laptop/netbook revolution and providing support for this book. Next, I d like to thank the members of the band. On bass (my Wiley acquisitions editor) Kyle Looper, on drums (technical editor) Charlton Ho, on guitar, copy editor Mary Lagu, and on keyboard, the man who brings it all together, Marvelous Mark Enochs (project editor maximus). Also, everyone else at Wiley who did background vocals. One day I hope to have the pleasure to meet you all in person. Thank you. Thank you very much.

7 Publisher s Acknowledgments We re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our online registration form located at For other comments, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at , outside the U.S. at , or fax Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following: Acquisitions and Editorial Senior Project Editor: Mark Enochs Acquisitions Editor: Kyle Looper Copy Editor: Mary Lagu Technical Editor: Charlton Ho Editorial Manager: Leah Cameron Editorial Assistant: Amanda Foxworth Sr. Editorial Assistant: Cherie Case Cartoons: Rich Tennant ( Composition Services Senior Project Coordinator: Kristie Rees Layout and Graphics: Reuben W. Davis, Nikki Gately, Christin Swinford, Ronald Terry Proofreaders: John Greenough, Nancy L. Reinhardt Indexer: Infodex Indexing Services, Inc. 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 Composition Services Gerry Fahey, Vice President of Production Services Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services

9 Contents at a Glance Introduction... 1 Part I: Getting Started with the Eee PC... 7 Chapter 1: Meet the Eee PC...9 Chapter 2: First Steps with the Eee PC...23 Chapter 3: Getting Connected with the Eee PC...37 Part II: Day to Day with the Eee PC Chapter 4: Cruising the Internet...55 Chapter 5: Getting Down to Work I: OpenOffice...75 Chapter 6: Getting Down to Work II: Other Programs...91 Chapter 7: Eee PC for Kids Chapter 8: Eee PC at Play Chapter 9: Configuring the Eee PC Chapter 10: Getting Help Chapter 11: Eee PC and Windows XP Part III: Adding Software to the Eee PC Chapter 12: Installing Linux Software Chapter 13: Popular Linux Programs Chapter 14: Popular Free Windows Programs Part IV: Hardware and Accessories for the Eee PC Chapter 15: Expanding Storage and Memory Chapter 16: Essential Eee PC Accessories Chapter 17: Power to the Eee PC Part V: Eee PC Advanced Topics Chapter 18: Backing Up and Restoring the Eee PC Chapter 19: A Real Desktop: Advanced Mode Chapter 20: Command-Line Linux Chapter 21: Customizing the User Interface...315

10 Part VI: Part of Tens Chapter 22: Ten Eee PC Troubleshooting Tips Chapter 23: Top Ten Eee PC Internet Resources Bonus Chapter 1: Using Other Linux Distributions... BC-1 Bonus Chapter 2: Ten Power Saving Tips... BC-1 Index

11 Table of Contents Introduction... 1 Who This Book Is For...2 Setting Some Expectations...3 How This Book Is Organized...3 Part I: Getting Started with the Eee PC...3 Part II: Day to Day with the Eee PC...4 Part III: Adding Software to the Eee PC...4 Part IV: Hardware and Accessories for the Eee PC...4 Part V: Eee PC Advanced Topics...4 Part VI: The Part of Tens...5 Bonus Chapters...5 Icons Used in This Book...5 Some Things to Keep in Mind...6 Part I: Getting Started with the Eee PC... 7 Chapter 1: Meet the Eee PC Eee PC: Not Your Average Laptop...9 Popular Eee PC Misconceptions...12 Eee PC Models...13 Eee PC 2G Surf...14 Eee PC 4G Surf, 4G...14 Eee PC 701SD...15 Eee PC 900 series...15 Eee PC Eee PC 904HD...18 Eee PC 1000 series...18 Selecting an Eee PC...21 Purchasing an Eee PC...22 Chapter 2: First Steps with the Eee PC Powering On for the First Time...23 Charging the battery...24 Powering on...25 Touchpad Basics...25 Using a Linux Eee PC...27 Reviewing the tabs...28 Navigating the tabs and running programs...28 Navigating program windows and menus...30 Using the taskbar...31

12 x ASUS Eee PC For Dummies Powering Down...35 Linux...35 Windows...35 Chapter 3: Getting Connected with the Eee PC Connecting to the Internet...37 Wireless connections...37 Ethernet cable connections...40 Managing Your Connections...40 Connecting and disconnecting...41 Deleting, renaming, and copying...42 Getting and setting information...43 Finding Your MAC Address...43 Using the Network Connection Wizard...45 Connecting to a Windows Network...46 Accessing shared Windows folders...46 Sharing a directory...48 Accessing shared Windows printers...49 Changing your computer s name...51 Changing your workgroup name...52 Part II: Day to Day with the Eee PC Chapter 4: Cruising the Internet Browsing the Web...56 Firefox features...57 Installing and using Firefox add-ons...59 Maximizing screen space for the Eee PC...61 Accessing Your Web Mail...61 Making Calls with Skype...63 Instant Messaging...64 Getting the Facts with Wikipedia...65 Using Google Docs...66 Custom Start Pages with igoogle...68 Listening to Internet Radio...69 Keeping Track of World Time...70 Reading e-books...71 Using the ebook icon...73 When there s no ebook icon...73 Chapter 5: Getting Down to Work I: OpenOffice Opening Up OpenOffice...76 Shared OpenOffice Commands...78 Getting help...78 Creating a new document...80

13 Table of Contents xi Saving a document...82 Opening a document...83 Opening a document on a USB drive...84 Writing and Editing...84 Installing a dictionary...85 Using the standard OpenOffice toolbar...86 Spreadsheet Calculations...86 Making Presentations...87 Working with Databases...89 Creating Graphics...90 Chapter 6: Getting Down to Work II: Other Programs Viewing PDF Documents with Thunderbird...93 Importing and exporting data...94 Enhancing Thunderbird with add-ons...94 Managing Files...96 Accessing external storage...98 Accessing network resources...98 Helpful Accessories...99 Adding things up with Calculator Managing personal information Capturing screens Using the Dictionary Posting Notes Chapter 7: Eee PC for Kids Studying Science It s elementary: The Periodic Table Stargazing with Planetarium Learning about Language Teaching typing Rearrange the letters Learning words with Hangman Boning Up on Math Figuring out fractions Tux the math tutor Getting in line with geometry Plotting functions The Next DaVinci Tux Paint for kids Mastering mtpaint Learning on the Web Internet4Classrooms Curriki Ed Tech Review AOL Kids Homework Help...125

14 xii ASUS Eee PC For Dummies Chapter 8: Eee PC at Play Playing Games Solitaire Frozen Bubble Crack Attack Penguin Racer Sudoku Potato Guy LTris Watching Videos Adding additional codecs Watching DVDs Managing and Playing Music Viewing Photos and Graphics Files Organizing Video Files Smiling for the Web Camera Recording Voice and Sounds Chapter 9: Configuring the Eee PC Viewing System Info Personalizing Your Eee PC Using Personalization Adding favorites Changing the Date & Time Setting Speaker and Microphone Volume Configuring Printers Adding and configuring printers If your printer doesn t work Changing Touchpad Settings General Tapping Scrolling Edge Using the Disk Utility Running Diagnostic Tools System Info System Test Contact Us Changing Settings for Presentations Adding and Removing Software Using VoiceCommand Keeping the Viruses Out But I thought Linux didn t get viruses? Performing a scan Shutting Down...167

15 Table of Contents xiii Chapter 10: Getting Help Using Eee PC Online Help Desktop online help E-book online help Eee PC Tips Online program help KDE and Linux help Using the Internet to Get Help Navigating the ASUS support site Community-based help from EeeUser.com Chapter 11: Eee PC and Windows XP Windows versus Linux Which to choose? Preinstalled Windows XP Installing Windows on a Linux Eee PC Hardware and software requirements Installing Windows XP Installing Eee PC drivers Optimizing Windows XP for the Eee PC Part III: Adding Software to the Eee PC Chapter 12: Installing Linux Software Basic Installation Concepts Installing and Uninstalling with Add/Remove Software Installing with Synaptic Package Manager Installing and removing packages Creating desktop shortcuts Adding a repository All about APT Adding More Repositories Adding multiple repositories Pinning repositories Automating the process Chapter 13: Popular Linux Programs Editing Graphics with GIMP Cataloging Digital Photos with Picasa Traveling the World with Google Earth Editing Sound Files with Audacity Playing Media with VLC BitTorrenting with FrostWire...215

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