Introduction.....xii
Part 1: Boot-Up Process.....2
Chapter 1 Getting to Know the Hardware.....10
Chapter 2 How Circuits Juggle Data.....20
Chapter 3 How a PC Comes Alive.....30
Chapter 4 How an Operating System Controls Hardware.....36
Part 2: How Microchips are the PC's Brain.....46
Chapter 5 How Transistors Manipulate Data.....52
Chapter 6 How a Microprocessor Works.....62
Part 3: How Software Works.....80
Chapter 7 How Programming Languages Work.....94
Chapter 8 How Windows Works.....104
Chapter 9 How Software Applications Do Your Work.....118
Part 4: Data Storage.....146
Chapter 10 How a Computer's Long-Term Memory Works.....154
Chapter 11 How Disk Drives Save Information.....166
Chapter 12 How Little Things Make Drives Faster and Bigger.....176
Chapter 13 How PCs Use Light to Remember Data.....184
Part 5: Input/Output Devices.....194
Chapter 14 How Data Gets Into Your PC.....202
Chapter 15 How Scanners Capture Words and Images.....212
Chapter 16 How Computers Use Power.....220
Chapter 17 How Serial Ports Triumph.....228
Chapter 18 How a Computer Display Works.....242
Chapter 19 How Digital Photography Works.....252
Part 6: Games and Multimedia.....260
Chapter 20 How Multimedia Sound Works.....266
Chapter 21 How Multimedia Video Works.....278
Chapter 22 How Game Hardware Puts You In the Action.....286
Chapter 23 How Games Create 3D Worlds.....296
Part 7: How the Internet Works.....306
Chapter 24 How Local Area Networks Work.....314
Chapter 25 How PCs Connect to the Internet.....324
Chapter 26 How the Internet Moves Data.....332
Chapter 27 How We Reach Each Other Through the Net.....338
Chapter 28 How Wireless Sets PCs Free.....350
Chapter 29 How the Net Provides Video and Audio on Demand.....360
Chapter 30 How the World Wide Web Works.....366
Chapter 31 How Internet Security Fights Off PC Invaders.....378
Part 8: How Printers Work.....398
Chapter 32 How Black-and-White Printing Works.....404
Chapter 33 How Color Printing Works.....414
Index.....426