Laptops For Dummies. Dan Gookin

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Chapter 4

      To Turn On a Laptop

      IN THIS CHAPTER

      Oh, please! How tough can it be to turn on a laptop computer? Does the author really need to write an entire chapter on the topic? Or am I misreading the title and this chapter has a romantic subject? Or perhaps one of betrayal?

      Turning on a laptop is more than flipping a switch. First, it’s not a switch: It’s a power button. Second, the power button is typically under the lid, which is something you’re not used to if you’re a desktop PC user. Finally, you need to contend with Windows. Details on this information just can’t squeeze into a single paragraph. No! You need paragraphs and lovely illustrations. Yes, a chapter is required, a whole chapter.

Turn On Your Laptop

      Turning on a traditional notebook-style laptop computer involves four steps: Open the lid, adjust the lid for optimal viewing, find the power button, and then push the power button. Oh, and you end up adjusting the lid after the power is on, but this isn’t an initial step.

Turning on a tablet PC involves hunting down the power button, pushing the power button, and then using the device with either one hand, two hands, or all three hands.

      These descriptions describe the easy part. Now come the details.

      Step 1: Open the lid

Of all the notebook-style laptops I’ve owned, it seems that no two open the same way. The current trend is to have the device open without working any latch mechanism; you just open the lid. Still, your laptop may feature one or more latches. These may be in front or on the sides. The latch may be a slider or a button. Use Figure 4-1 as your guide to finding the latch.

      FIGURE 4-1: Likely locations for laptop lid latches.

      After you work the latch, lift the lid. If the laptop has no latch, lift the lid and rejoice that your portable PC lacks a latch.

       Obviously, tablet PCs lack a latch because the laptop is the lid. Or the keyboard cover might be the lid.

       The front side of the laptop is the side opposite the lid’s hinge. This orientation is often difficult to remember because the logo on the lid appears upside-down when the lid is closed. This arrangement is so that the lid appears right side up when the lid is open.

       You can configure the laptop to remain on when the lid is closed — for example, when you’re using the laptop with an external monitor, keyboard, or mouse. See Chapter 12 for details.

      Step 2: Adjust the lid for optimal viewing

Raise the lid to an angle best suited for viewing; use Figure 4-2 as your guide.

      FIGURE 4-2: Adjust the lid so that you view the screen at an angle that's just right for you.

      Convertible laptops might allow you to open, twist, and reset the lid so that the monitor faces up when you lay the laptop flat.

      Some tablet PCs feature a kickstand on the back. Pop out the kickstand to prop up the tablet. Other tablet PCs may feature a folding lid or cover, which you can arrange to help prop up the screen for better viewing.

      

Employees at the Apple Store adjust the lids on all the demo laptops to precisely 70 degrees. The idea isn’t to present the laptop at the perfect viewing angle but rather to encourage potential buyers to touch the machine by adjusting its lid.

      Step 3: Locate the power button

      Laptop designers have grown adept at hiding or masking the power button. I’ve seen it on the side of older laptops, though to keep the computer from being turned on inside a briefcase, most manufacturers now put the power button inside the laptop, up near the lid hinge. Look for it there.

A tablet PC sports its power button on the device’s edge.

       As a clue to finding the power button, look for the universal power button symbol, shown in the margin. This symbol appears on or near the power button, or not at all.

       Sometimes, the power button symbol is different from the circle/slash icon, shown in the margin: The symbol can be a solid dot, a line-and-a-circle СКАЧАТЬ