by Technophobes;the Kicking;Screaming Is This Thing On?: A Computer Handbook for Late Bloomers
Resource List
Here are phone numbers you may find useful, whether or not your computer is acting up. Unfortunately, these numbers are subject to change, but not to worry… if you can’t find the customer service number you seek, simply visit: customerservicenumbers.com.
Computer Manufacturers and Technical Support
Acer 800-816-2237
Apple 800-676-2775 (customer service)
Apple 800-275-2273 (technical support)
Dell 800-624-9897 (customer care)
Dell 800-624-9896 (technical support)
Hewlett Packard (HP) 800-474-6836
IBM 800-426-7378
Keytronics 800-262-6006 (ergonomic keyboards)
Toshiba 800-457-7777
Printer Manufacturers and Technical Support
Brother International 800-276-7746
Canon 800-848-4123
Epson 562-276-7202
Hewlett Packard (HP) 800-474-6836
Online Services
America Online (AOL) 800-227-6364
AT&T 800-967-5363
EarthLink 800-395-8425
Gmail 650-253-0000
Hotmail 650-964-7400
Microsoft Network 800-426-9400
Yahoo 408-349-3300
Software Manufacturers and Technical Support
Word-processing Suites
Microsoft 800-426-9400
Financial Management Software
Microsoft Money 800-426-9400
Peachtree 800-247-3224
Quicken—Intuit 800-446-8848
Virus Protection Software
McAfee 972-963-8000
Symantec—Norton Anti-Virus 800-441-7234
Mail-Order Houses
Dell 800-999-3355
MacWarehouse 800-255-6227
Mac Zone 800-248-0800
PC and Mac Connection 800-800-0005
Zones 800-258-8088
APPENDICES
Over 200 Recommended Websites
* * *
(If I have included www., it means that website still requires the prefix.)
Antiques
antiquesroadshow.com
goantiques.com
icollector.com
Auction
biddingforgood.com
ebay.com
ubid.com
liveauctioneers.com
Blogs
blogger.com
blogsearch.google.com
boingboing.net
drudgereport.com
huffingtonpost.com
livejournal.com
pogue.blogs.nytimes.com
technorati.com/blogs/top100
Cars
autobytel.com
cars.com
invoicedealers.com
kbb.com
nada.com
nhtsa.gov
Classifieds
classifiedads.com
craigslist.com
skepter.com
Community
facebook.com
foursquare.com
linkedin.com
twitter.com
Dating
gay.com
jdate.com
match.com
nerve.com
seniorfriendfinder.com
E-mail (free)
aol.com
gmail.com
hotmail.com
yahoo.com
Entertainment
blockbuster.com
fandango.com
goodreads.com
imdb.com
metacritic.com
moviefone.com
netflix.com
playbill.com
Family
ancestry.com
brainpop.com
family.com
fastweb.com
grandparents.com
mamamedia.com
parenting.ivillage.com
yucky.com
Finance
ameritrade.com
bankrate.com
bloomberg.com
irs.gov
lowermybills.com
mint.com
morningstar.com
worldbank.org
Find Someone
123people.com
people.yahoo.com
pipl.com
reversephonedirectory.com
switchboard.com
whitepages.com
Food
americastestkitchen.com
cooking.com
cyberdiet.com
epicurious.com
foodnetwork.com
gastronomer.com
menupages.com
stilltasty.com
topsecretrecipes.com
whfoods.com
yelp.com
Fun(ny)
howstuffworks.com
ajokeaday.com
pogo.com
secondlife.com
stumbleupon.com
theonion.com
youtube.com
Good Deeds
globalvolunteers.org
heifer.org
thehungersite.com
kiva.org
literacyvolunteers.org
makeitrightnola.org
mowaa.org
thegreatestsilence.org
unitedplanet.org
Greeting Cards (free)
123greetings.com
egreetings.com
evite.com
Grocery Shopping
freshdirect.com
netgrocer.com
peapod.com
shaws.com
stewleonards.com
Health
clinicaltrials.gov
healthfinder.gov
mayoclinic.com
medscape.com
nlm.nih.gov
quackwatch.com
realage.com
webmd.com
History
ellisislandrecords.org
fold3.com
historynet.com
Household
foodfunandfacts.com
householdtips.org
replacements.com
setyourtable.com
toiletology.com
Magazines
bhg.com
ew.com
life.com
newyorker.com
people.com
tvguide.com
wired.com
News
abcnews.com
bbc.co.uk
cbsnews.com
cnn.com
msnbc.com
npr.org
nytimes.com
thepaperboy.com
usatoday.com
weather.com
wsj.com
Photo
flickr.com
kodakgallery.com
shutterfly.com
picasa.com
Research
annualcreditreport.com
britannica.com
eoearth.org
legaldocs.com
m-w.com
oxforddictionaries.com
refdesk.com
rhymezone.com
snopes.com
usps.gov
webopedia.com
wikipedia.org
Science
exploratorium.edu
nationalgeographic.com
popsci.com
sciam.com
Search Engines
ask.com
bing.com
dogpile.com
duckduckgo.com
google.com
pandia.com
webcrawler.com
yahoo.com
Seniors
aarp.org
roadscholar.org
grandmabetty.com
nsclc.org
seniorplanet.org
seniors.gov
ssa.gov
thirdage.com
Shopping
bargainshare.com
bbbonline.org
consumerreports.org
couponcabin.com
freecycle.org (free)
<
br /> groupon.com
mysimon.com
pricegrabber.com
safeshopping.org
shopzilla.com
sothebys.com
thecouponclippers.com
ftc.gov
Sports
espn.com
golf.com
si.com
sportingnews.com
usfigureskating.org
takemefishing.org
Travel
amtrak.com
expedia.com
flightarrivals.com
flights.com
fodors.com
frommers.com
kayak.com
hotels.com
lonelyplanet.com
mapquest.com
roadfood.com
skyauction.com
travelocity.com
tripadvisor.com
tripspot.com
Glossary
3G or 4G cellular network signals that allow data to be sent to smartphones, e-readers, tablets, and other devices
Android an operating system for smartphones and tablets
antivirus program software that helps detect and destroy viruses
Apple the company that makes Mac, or Macintosh computers, which run on a different operating system than PCs. They also produce the iPod, iPhone, and iPad.
application (application software, app) computer software designed to help the user to perform specific tasks. The word app is most often used in reference to smartphones and tablets.
arrow keys keys on the keyboard that allow you to move the cursor around the screen
attachment a file sent along with an e-mail
bits per second (bps) measurement of a modem’s data-transmission speed
blog (web log) a regularly updated website where an author and/or contributors share ideas and opinions
Bluetooth a short-range radio technology between communication devices and between devices and the Internet
bookmark a website address saved to be revisited (also referred to as “favorite”)
boot up to turn on the computer
broadband high-speed communication network that allows for multiple transmissions simultaneously
browser a software program (such as Mozilla Firefox or Microsoft Internet Explorer) that allows your computer to communicate with the World Wide Web
bug an error or defect in software or hardware that usually results in the computer not working properly
byte a measurement of space. A byte equals a single alphabetic or numeric character.
caps lock key a key on the keyboard that allows you to type in upper case without holding down the shift key. It is deactivated by depressing and releasing the key again.
CD-R functions like a CD-ROM, but you can also copy information from your computer onto it
CD-ROM (compact disc, read-only memory) a type of disk that holds files or software that can be transferred onto your computer
CD-RW (compact disc re-writable) a blank CD that is used to copy information to/from your computer
central processing unit (CPU) the part of the computer that serves as the pathway for all information
chat room place on the Internet where people communicate live by sending typed messages back and forth
click depressing and releasing the mouse button to initiate an action onscreen
click and drag an action taken with the mouse to move items on the screen, such as a file or an icon
close box the box in your title bar where you click to close a window
cloud cloud computing refers to programs and services offered over the Internet, including online storage and backup services
collapse box the box in a title bar where you click to shrink a window
computer case the part of the computer that houses the CPU, hard drive, RAM, modem, and disk drives
copy an editing tool that allows you to duplicate text and place it elsewhere in a document
crashing when an error occurs and an application or the whole computer unintentionally shuts down
cut an editing tool that allows you to remove text from a document
cyberspace a figurative reference to the intangible world of the Internet, such as the World Wide Web and e-mail
D: drive (or E: drive) a part of the computer where you insert a CD or DVD to read, listen to, view, or install its contents (see disk drive)
desktop (1) a non-laptop computer; (2) the name for the main screen display on the computer (whether it is a laptop or a desktop)
digital certificate an attachment to an electronic message used for security purposes
disk drive a part of the computer that reads information or software from a disk
domain name a person’s or organization’s chosen website name, including the suffix that identifies the type of website (for example: www.whitehouse.gov)
double-click quickly depressing and releasing the mouse button twice on an icon or text to take an action, such as to open a document or a software program
download transfer data or files from one location to another (for example, from a website to your computer)
dpi (dots per inch) refers to the resolution of an image. The more dpi, the more detailed the image.
drag see click and drag
Droid a smartphone that uses the Android operating system
DVD (digital versatile disc) a disk that holds 26 times the data of a CD; most commonly used to view movies
e-mail (electronic mail) to send or receive typed messages via the Internet
e-mail address a person’s or organization’s address where they receive e-mail (for example, [email protected])
emoticon a playful use of keyboard characters and symbols to represent emotional responses (also referred to as smileys), usually used in e-mail or in chat rooms (for example, >: -(means angry)
encryption a secret code added to data for data security
Enter or Return key a keyboard feature that performs actions; also can be used like a return key on a typewriter when typing a document or e-mail
e-reader a device used for reading electronic books
error message a message from the software indicating that an error has occurred. Sometimes a code or number is given in the message so a technician can identify the problem.
Ethernet port used to connect a computer to a DSL or cable modem as well as another computer or a local area network
external modem a modem that is housed separately from the computer case and is connected by a cable
Facebook a social networking website where you and your “friends” can view whatever ideas, photos, or links to websites you each choose to share
favorite see bookmark
file a collection of information stored in one named grouping. There are many different kinds of files (for example, data files, text files, image files).
firewall a security measure that can be turned on to protect a computer from unauthorized users
floppy disk a precursor to CD-ROMs and CD-RWs; a disk that either holds information to be installed on the computer or that you can use to copy and store information from your computer. Floppy disks are not commonly used anymore.
font a style of type
forum an online discussion site where people can read posts from others—often concerning a particular topic—and respond with their own posts
freezing when the mouse and keyboard become temporarily inoperative
function keys a set of keys on the keyboard, rarely used nowadays, that carry out special commands
gigabyte (GB) a measurement of computer hard-drive space; roughly 1,000 megabytes
hacker a highly skilled computer user who gains entry to information on computers not intended for them by “cracking” the programming codes
hard boot to shut down the computer when it is frozen, either by switching it off or by cutting off the electrical supply
hard drive (C: drive) a place in the computer where information is permane
ntly stored
hardware the physical pieces of a computer (i.e., monitor, mouse, keyboard, computer case)
hashtag (#) the symbol that is used directly before relevant keywords in a tweet. Hashtags help categorize tweets so they show up more easily in Twitter Searches.
hertz a measurement of computer processor speed
home page the first page of any website on the Internet
hotspot a location providing public wireless connection to the Internet
http (hypertext transfer protocol) a prefix to a website address (which no longer needs to be typed in) that helps direct your browser software to the website
I-beam one of the many faces of the mouse; a cursor that fits between the characters of text to allow you to make changes
icon a small picture or image seen on the screen that represents a software program, a document, or a command
information superhighway a reference to the seemingly limitless information of the World Wide Web
installing a process where the computer reads and stores software onto the hard drive
instant messaging (IM) a real-time communication with an individual on the Internet that allows faster transmission than an e-mail and is often briefer in content
internal modem a modem that is housed inside the computer case
Internet a huge worldwide, evergrowing system of computers linked by telecommunications networks that share data
ISP (Internet service provider) a company that provides access to the Internet
keyboard used to type information into the computer
Kindle a portable e-reader designed and sold by amazon.com that allows you to download and read digital books, newspapers, magazines, and other electronic publications
laptop a portable non-desktop computer that combines the drives, keyboard, mouse, and monitor into one much smaller unit
link a website feature that allows you to click on text and be transferred to another page with information on the subject indicated
LinkedIn a social networking site for professionals. It is used to network and list or find jobs.
login name a unique name chosen by a user to identify him- or herself while on the Internet
login password private set of letters or numbers used to confirm the identity of the computer user
log off disconnecting from the Internet (also referred to as signing off)
log on connecting to the Internet (also referred to as signing on)
Mac or Macintosh see Apple
maximize box the box on a PC title bar that allows you to increase the size of a window
megabyte (MB) a measurement of computer space
megahertz (MHz) a measurement of computer processor speed
menu bar the bar that appears below the title bar in a window and offers menus of different commands
message board see forum
minimize box the box on a PC title bar that allows you to shrink a window