Chapter 13

Connecting a Printer and Other Devices

Get ready to . . .

⇒ Trust USB Plug and Play for Hardware

⇒ See All Devices

⇒ Connect a Printer or Other Device

⇒ Access Device Options on the Desktop

⇒ Calibrate Your Touchscreen

⇒ Add a Second Display for Twice the Fun

Every computer has a screen. Most computers, other than tablets, also have a keyboard and a mouse or other pointing device. You can add a mouse to a laptop that lacks one or replace the keyboard or mouse that came with your computer. Add a printer or a scanner to extend your computer’s functionality.

You can even add a second screen, and use Windows 8 apps and the desktop simultaneously. Laptops have built-in support for two displays — an external display in addition to the laptop screen — and Windows 8 makes it easy to use a second display. Many desktop computers also support a second display.

For any hardware add-ons — which tech-folk call peripherals — Windows 8 has a trick up its sleeve. Thanks to plug and play technology, which automatically identifies add-on devices, connecting new devices to your computer can be quite easy.

In this chapter, you explore the devices connected to your computer, as well as options available for those devices. You also find out how to add a printer and a second screen.

Trust USB Plug and Play for Hardware

You may find many kinds of add-on devices useful:

⇒ A printer lets you, well, print documents and photos. Your choices for printers include black and white versus color, and inkjet versus laser printer. Multifunction printers also work as a copier, scanner, and fax machine.

⇒ A digital camera captures photos that you can copy to your computer to enjoy and to share with others. See Chapter 10 for information on working with photos.

⇒ A scanner enables you to make digital images of old photos or documents so that you can view them on-screen.

⇒ An external hard drive stores backup copies of your files. See Chapter 15 for information on adding a hard drive to your computer.

⇒ An additional or replacement pointing device (your mouse is a pointing device), including a trackball or a pen with a tablet, may be more comfortable to use than what came with your computer. Switching between pointing devices helps you avoid repetitive stress. A wireless mouse eliminates the hassle of dealing with a cord. Some people like to add a mouse as an alternative to their laptop’s built-in touchpad.

⇒ A microphone is crucial for communicating by voice with your computer, through speech recognition, or with your friends over the Internet. A combination headset with microphone may produce the clearest sound.

⇒ A video camera (or webcam) is essential for video phone calls a la the Jetsons. See Chapter 10 for information on using a webcam.

The majority of these devices connect using USB (Universal Serial Bus) technology. When you connect a device to your computer using a USB cable to the USB port (see Figure 13-1), the device identifies itself to the computer. This identification process is called plug and play. Ideally, you connect your device, and it simply works.

Figure 13-1

Windows 8 uses a device driver to communicate with an add-on device. The driver is really a program that tells Windows 8 how to run the device. When you connect a device, such as a printer, Windows 8 looks for a driver (in this case, a printer driver). That driver may be built into Windows 8, come on a disc that’s packaged with the device, or need to be downloaded from the Internet, either automatically by Windows 8 or manually by you.

Every computer has at least a couple of USB ports. Some are in the front, and others are in the back of the computer and harder to reach. If your computer doesn’t have enough ports, you can add more by buying a USB hub, which is a small box with two to four USB ports. If a port is hard to reach with a device’s cable, you can buy a USB extension cable. Office supply stores may have hubs and cables.

Bluetooth is a wireless technology for adding devices to your computer. If your computer has Bluetooth, you can use Bluetooth as well as USB to add some devices, especially a microphone or headset.

See All Devices

1. On the Start screen, type devices. Select Settings in the Search panel, then Devices in the search results on the left. The Devices category of PC Settings appears, as shown in Figure 13-2.

To search using a touchscreen, swipe from the right edge to display the charms bar. Select the Search charm. Then select in the search box to display the virtual keyboard.

Are you wondering why you don’t use the prominent Devices charm on the charms bar to see all devices? That charm shows only those devices appropriate to a specific app. On the Start screen, the Devices panel displays Start can’t send to any devices or There’s nothing to send right now. That doesn’t mean you don’t have any devices, just that none are available to the Start screen.

2. Note the specific devices that appear on the right, in alphabetical order. Devices listed may include your monitor, speakers, headphones, keyboard, mouse, and more. Devices shared through your homegroup or network also appear here. For information on adjusting device settings, see the “Access Device Options on the Desktop” section, later in the chapter.

Figure 13-2

Some, but not all, devices display information below the device name. A network device may display Offline (not accessible) or may display nothing if it is accessible. A printer may display Ready or may display nothing if the printer isn’t ready.

You are unlikely to need the Add a Device button because most devices are added automagically (that’s a word nerds like to use). However, if you select Add a Device, Windows 8 scans for additional hardware. No harm in doing so.

Connect a Printer or Other Device

1. Take your printer out of the box. Keep all the packing material together until you know you won’t need to return the printer. Arrange all the components for easy access. In addition to the printer, you’ll probably find ink cartridges or a toner cartridge, a power cable, and a CD with printer software. Read the setup instructions that come with your printer.

Some of these steps apply to other devices, such as a mouse, a webcam, or a microphone. Printers often have more packaging and require more assembly than other devices.

2. Remove all tape from the printer. Most printers ship with the print mechanism locked in place to prevent it from moving during shipping. Look for brightly colored tape, paper, or plastic indicating what you need to move or remove to release the print mechanism.

3. Put the printer within cable length of your computer. Insert the ink or toner cartridge before you turn on the printer for the first time. Place some paper in the paper drawer or tray. Connect the printer to the power supply. Plug the printer cable into the printer and into the computer.

Your printer may have come with a disc with a printer driver and other software. You don’t need that disc unless Windows 8 fails to correctly install a driver automatically.

4. Turn on the printer. You may see some informational messages as Windows 8 handles the configuration.

5. To confirm that your printer is installed properly, see the preceding section, “See All Devices.”

Access Device Options on the Desktop

1. For more control over device setup, search for devices on the Start screen. Select Settings in the Search panel. On the left, select Devices and Printers to display the window shown in Figure 13-3.

Figure 13-3

2. The Device and Printers window shows the devices attached to your computer, including the computer itself, the display (or monitor), external add-on devices (such as a hard drive, flash drive, or memory card), and the mouse.

Most of these devices also appear in the Devices category of PC Settings. However, you’ll find options under Devices and Printer that aren’t available in PC Settings, such as settings for devices.

Windows 8 automatically installs the Microsoft XPS Document Writer. This device doesn’t print but does create files you could print later using a real printer. For example, if you’re in a coffee shop and want to print a web page or an e-mail message, you could use this device and then open the file it creates when your computer is connected to a printer. (That file will open in Reader.)

3. Double-click or double-tap the device you want to examine. This action opens the device’s properties in a window with options or in a smaller box with limited information and options. (Older devices have more limited information.) Figure 13-4 shows information about a printer. When you’re finished reviewing the information or selecting available options, return to the previous screen using one of these methods:

• If a small box is open, close it.

• If a full-screen dialog box is open, select the back arrow or select Devices and Printers near the top of the window.

4. Display the context menu of options for your printer (or any device) using one of these methods (use the XPS device if you don’t have another printer): Click the right mouse button or tap and hold until you see a small box appear under your finger and then release. Select Printer Properties from the menu. (Oddly, the menu also has a separate Properties option — be sure to select Printer Properties, instead.)

Figure 13-4

5. In the Properties window, select the Print Test Page button. Another window opens indicating A test page has been sent to your printer. Select Close.

If a test page doesn’t print, check that both ends of the cable are plugged in properly and make sure the printer is turned on. Try to print a test page again. For more help, contact the printer manufacturer or the store where you bought the printer, or search the Web.

If you’re having problems with any device, select the Troubleshoot option on the context menu to open a guided troubleshooting program that will walk you through options for resolving problems with the device.

The top of the Device and Printers window has the Add Devices and Printers button, but you need to use it only if Windows 8 doesn’t automatically detect and install your device. With USB and plug and play, most devices install automatically.

Calibrate Your Touchscreen

1. If you have a problem accurately selecting objects on your screen using touch, you can calibrate your screen alignment. On the Start screen, type touch. Select the Settings category in the Search panel. Then select Calibrate the Screen for Pen or Touch Input.

2. In the Tablet PC Settings window, select the Calibrate button, as shown in Figure 13-5. User Account Control may ask you to confirm that you want to run the Digitizer Calibration Tool. If so, select Yes.

Figure 13-5

If your touchscreen is badly calibrated, you may not be able to tap the Calibrate button. In that case, plug in a mouse to make the selection, and then continue using touch.

Ignore the option to Choose the Order in Which Your Screen Rotates. Windows 8 tablets automatically rotate the screen content as you turn the tablet. Look for the orientation lock on your tablet. If orientation lock is on, the screen will not rotate between portrait (vertical) and landscape (horizontal).

3. The screen displays lines around its perimeter, forming a box near the edge of the screen and a second box inside the first about half an inch from the edge. Lines connect these boxes near each corner. The result is 16 intersections. Starting at the upper-left corner, use your finger or a stylus to tap each intersection, which displays two short black lines forming crosshairs. As you touch each intersection, Windows 8 adjusts settings according to your touch. If that touch is accepted, the crosshairs move to the next intersection to the right. If not, tap the previous intersection again. As the crosshairs move, tap the highlighted intersection, left to right, down, then left to right again. The process takes much longer to read about than to do.

If Windows 8 doesn’t recognize your touch, it won’t continue with the process. The screen says Right-click anywhere to return to the last calibration point. What if you don’t have a mouse? Tap and hold until you see the little box under your fingertip, and then release — that’s the touch equivalent of a click of the right mouse button.

4. After you have selected each of the 16 calibration points in turn, a box pops up asking whether or not you want to save the calibration data. Select OK unless you think something went wrong. In that case, select Cancel.

It’s unlikely but possible that you can’t continue to the end of the process. If so, the screen says Press the Esc button to close the tool. What if you don’t have a keyboard? In that case, press and hold the Windows button (with the four-part Windows logo) on the tablet edge as you also press the power button, and then release both. On the next screen, select Task Manager. In the Task Manager window, select Digitizer Calibration Tool, and then select the End Task button. Makes one yearn for an Esc.

Add a Second Screen for Twice the Fun

1. Before you buy a second screen (also called a monitor), you should find out whether your computer is ready for it. On the Start screen, type second. Select the Settings category in the Search panel. Then select Project to a Second Screen. The Second Screen panel slides into view.

The keyboard shortcut for the Second Screen panel is +P (for projector).

2. If you see Your PC can’t project to another screen, you can’t do more without significant changes to your graphics hardware.

Most laptops and some tablets support a second screen, which is a great option when you want a screen larger than the first.

3. If you see the options shown in Figure 13-6, you can connect a second screen. If you have a relatively new TV, you may be able to connect your computer and TV using only a cable (a really long cable if the devices are in different rooms). You also have the option of buying a second monitor or a TV with a connection for a computer.

Figure 13-6

The best option for connecting is HDMI because it can transmit sound as well as video, allowing you to watch and listen to video on a TV. Both devices require HDMI connections, as well as an HDMI cable. The HDMI alternative is VGA connections and cable, suitable for a non-TV monitor.

4. To connect a second display, plug your second display into the wall or a power strip and connect the cable to your computer. See Figure 13-7 for an example of a VGA display cable and plug (this is not USB). On a desktop computer, the plug is behind the computer. Your first display will be plugged in near the plug for the second. On a laptop or tablet, the plug is located along one of the edges. Turn the second screen on.

Figure 13-7

5. Repeat Step 1 to display the Second Screen panel (refer to Figure 13-6). Note each of these options:

• PC Screen Only is the default setting. The second screen is unused.

• Duplicate places the same content on both screens. This is the easiest setting to adjust to because it doesn’t make a difference which screen you look at — except that one of them is your big screen TV.

• Extend adds the extra screen space to the first screen as if it were all one big screen (oddly separated into two pieces). Using Extend, you can see the Start screen and your Windows 8 apps on either screen and the desktop simultaneously on the other. This may be the best setting for desktop users to get the most out of two screens on a regular basis.

• Second Screen Only turns off the original computer screen. Not recommended unless you want to use the second screen exclusively.

6. Select Duplicate. Everything on your original computer screen also appears on the second screen. Go pop some popcorn while you see Chapter 10 for information on displaying photos and Chapter 11 for information on watching videos. That’s entertainment, twenty-first-century style.