And Just Who Are You?
Most of this book’s readers are human beings who either own a laptop PC or
want to buy one. You may already have a desktop computer, or perhaps you
had a laptop a long, long time ago. Things have changed.
(You’ll find that I use the word laptop here to describe the common portable
computer. Others use the term notebook. You can read about why I prefer the
term laptop in Chapter 1.)
This book assumes that you have a PC laptop, one that runs the Windows XP
operating system. This book does not cover Apple’s line of Macintosh laptop
and notebook computers, nor does it address any PC laptops running the
Linux operating system, or any other operating systems known or unknown,
from this or any parallel universe or dimension.
Older versions of Windows are not covered here. When this book says
“Windows” it refers to “Windows XP” specifically.
This book does not describe the basic operations of a computer, Windows,
or your software. I’ve tried to keep the information specific to the portable
aspects of the laptop computer. Beyond that, if you need more information
about running your computer, then any standard PC or Windows reference
will work fine.
Icons Used in This Book
 This icon alerts you to something technical, an aside, or some trivial tidbit that
I just cannot suppress. Feel free to skip over this information as you please.
 The Tip icon notifies you to something cool, handy, nifty, or something that I
highly recommend. For example, “Check your fly before you stand up to give
your presentation.”
 When you see this icon, you can be sure it points out something that you
shouldn’t forget, or something I said earlier that I’m repeating because it’s
very important, and you’ll likely forget it anyway.
 Watch out and pay attention when you see this icon — it flags something bad
or that could cause trouble. For example, “When it’s dark, don’t light a match
to find a gas leak.”
Where to Go from Here
As a reference, you can start reading this book anywhere. Open up the Table
of Contents and pick a spot that amuses you, concerns you, or has piqued
your curiosity. Everything is explained in the text, and stuff is carefully crossreferenced
so that you won’t waste your time reading repeated information.
As a supplement to this book, I offer a Web site and a free weekly newsletter.
You can visit the Web site at www·wambooli·com
Specific information for this book can be found at www·wambooli·com/help/laptops/
For information on my free weekly newsletter, refer to www·wambooli·com/newsletter/weekly/
Finally, I enjoy hearing feedback. If you want to send me e-mail, my personal
address is dgookin@wambooli·com. I’m happy to answer questions about
the book, but please be aware that I do not and cannot troubleshoot your
computer. Still, I do promise to respond to all legitimate e-mail I get. So if you
feel like saying, “Hi!” feel free to do so.
Enjoy your laptop computer. I’ll see you on the road!
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