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    Chromebook: 101 Tips & Tricks For Chrome OS
    Chromebook: 101 Tips & Tricks For Chrome OS
    Chromebook: 101 Tips & Tricks For Chrome OS
    Ebook154 pages1 hour

    Chromebook: 101 Tips & Tricks For Chrome OS

    By Jonathan Moeller

    ()

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    About this ebook

    CHROMEBOOK:101 TIPS & TRICKS gives new users an overview of Chrome OS on a Chromebook laptop computer, from using the Chrome browser and Google Drive to more advanced techniques.

    In this book, you'll learn how to:

    -Master the Chrome web browser on a Chromebook.

    -Create documents, spreadsheets, and presentations in Google Drive.

    -Get the most out of the desktop environment.

    -Use the power of the Files application

    -Connect a Chromebook to wireless networks and Bluetooth devices.

    -Create and eliminate user accounts.

    -Install powerful apps and extensions from the Chrome Web Store.

    -Manage local storage space and keep a Chromebook from filling up.

    -And many other tips.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherJonathan Moeller
    Release dateJan 9, 2015
    ISBN9781310548833
    Chromebook: 101 Tips & Tricks For Chrome OS
    Author

    Jonathan Moeller

    Standing over six feet tall, Jonathan Moeller has the piercing blue eyes of a Conan of Cimmeria, the bronze-colored hair of a Visigothic warrior-king, and the stern visage of a captain of men, none of which are useful in his career as a computer repairman, alas.He has written the "Demonsouled" trilogy of sword-and-sorcery novels, and continues to write the "Ghosts" sequence about assassin and spy Caina Amalas, the "$0.99 Beginner's Guide" series of computer books, and numerous other works.Visit his website at:http://www.jonathanmoeller.comVisit his technology blog at:http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/screed

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      Book preview

      Chromebook - Jonathan Moeller

      Introduction

      Welcome to Chromebook: 101 Tips & Tricks For Chrome OS. If you’ve never used a Chromebook or Chrome OS before, you’ve come to the right place. You can use Chrome OS to perform a variety of computing tasks, such as office work, Internet browsing, listening to music, and playing games. In this book, we’ll show you how to get the most out of your Chromebook.

      WHAT IS A CHROMEBOOK?

      A Chromebook is a laptop powered by Google’s cloud-centric Chrome OS. A Chromebook can be used offline, but a Chrome OS-powered device is at its most useful when it is connected to the Internet. This is what is meant by the term cloud computing. Your data and many of your applications are stored in a data center, and you access them remotely through the Internet. The cloud is simply the colloquial term used to describe a computing set up where the data and most of the applications operate in a remote data center.

      This approach has many advantages – since most of the processing work is done in the remote data center, this allows Chromebooks to be constructed from less powerful components, lowering the cost. Additionally, having all the data stored remotely offers a built-in backup capability. If the Chromebook is lost or destroyed, the user’s data is still safe, since it is stored in the data center. Additionally, Chrome OS is also quite secure, and very resistant to viruses.

      Cloud computing is a relatively new technology, but it is a modern twist on an older idea in the history of computing. In the days of the mainframe computer, often users connected to the mainframe using dumb clients – small terminals that served only to connect users to the more powerful mainframe. (Modern mainframe computers, often used by financial companies and governments, still use a similar setup.) In the 1990s, Oracle Corporation and several other companies pushed the idea of a NetPC, a personal computer that contained no hard disk, but connected remotely to a server. The NetPC failed for several reasons, chiefly because the Internet and computing hardware of the 1990s were simply not powerful enough to support such a design.

      With Chromebooks and the Chrome OS, however, the concept of the NetPC and cloud computing have reached a new level of evolution. Thanks to Wi-Fi networking and modern computer hardware, the Chromebook offers and easy and secure way to use cloud computing.

      THE PURPOSE OF THIS BOOK

      The purpose of this book is to provide a basic introduction to using your Chrome computer to perform common tasks. It's not intended as an exhaustive, comprehensive overview, but an introduction to the topic - enough to get you started. (Feel free to jump around if a particular topic interests you more than the others. Scanning the Table of Contents will let you find a topic that interests you.)

      A NOTE ON REPTITION

      As you read this book, you might notice that I repeat some sets of instructions between Tips. I wanted each Tip to have its own complete set of directions, so I don’t have to say next, launch Chrome like we discussed on page 92, which means you don’t have to scroll back and forth to refresh your memory. I personally hate it when technical writers do that, so I’m not going to do it here. Additionally, if you want to jump around and read the sections of the book that interest you, this will allow you to do so without having to page back through to find an earlier section. Besides, this is an ebook, so it’s not as if repeating some directions will drive up the printing costs!

      ERRATA

      I have done my best to make sure all the information in this book is accurate and timely, and tested every procedure described in the following chapters. However, I am only mortal, and undoubtedly I have made mistakes. If you notice any errors, you can email me at jmcontact @ jonathanmoeller.com to let me know. The advantage of ebooks over paper books is that ebooks are vastly easier to update and revise, and I can quickly introduce a revised and updated edition to correct any mistakes. (Another advantage of an ebook is that you can have it open on your computer screen as you work, rather than having to look down at a paper book on your desk.)

      ***

      Part I - Accounts and Signing In

      In this section, we’ll explain the mechanics of using a Google account to sign into a Chromebook. We’ll also show you how to create new accounts and how to configure these accounts. Additionally, we will also show you how to sign into the Chromebook as a guest.

      ***

      Tip #1 - Sign In With A Google Account

      Most of the time, you will need a Google account to sign into a Chromebook. Signing into the Chromebook with your Google account gives you access to all of your Gmail messages, your contacts, your Google Calendar entries, the contents of your Google Drive, and any other Google services you have used. So long as your Chromebook remains connected to the Internet, it will sync up any changes you make to your data to your Google account.

      To sign into a Chromebook for the first time with your Google account, first make sure the Chromebook is connected to the Internet. Click on the Add User button at the bottom of the logon screen. This will bring up a form to enter your Google username and password. Enter the information, and then click on the Sign In button. Chrome OS will take a minute or two to sync your account preferences from Google’s servers, and then will take you to the desktop.

      After you have signed in for the first time, a tile with your account picture and name will appear on the logon screen. This tile makes logging in easier and quicker. Simply click on the tile, enter your password, and then press the Enter key, and you will log into the Chromebook.

      ***

      Tip #2 - Sign Out Of Chrome OS

      When you are finished with your Chrome OS session, you will want to log out of the Chromebook. This will prevent other users from accessing your files, email, and Internet settings. (If you are a parent, it is always a good idea to log out of a computer when you are finished, as children can cause all kinds of havoc if they, for instance, start ordering items from an e-commerce site.) Fortunately, logging out of a Chrome OS device is quick and easy.

      To log out of the Chromebook, first click on the Status button. The Status button is located in the lower right-hand corner of your screen, at the far right edge of the Shelf.  Typically, the Status button shows the present time, and the account image of whatever user is currently logged into the Chromebook. When you click on the Status button, a larger Status menu appears. The current user is listed at the top of the menu, alongside a button marked Sign Out. Click on the Sign Out button, and you will be logged out of the Chromebook and returned to the logon screen.

      ***

      Tip #3 - Sign In As A Guest User

      Normally, to use a Chromebook you will need a Google account and password. However, Chrome OS offers a guest user feature that allows anyone to use the computer without having a Google account. You might wonder why you would want to use a Chromebook without having access to your account, but using a guest user offers several advantages. When logged in as a guest, your browser history will not be recorded. Additionally, any cookies created by any websites you visit will be deleted when you sign out. Any files you download or any bookmarks you create will also be deleted when you sign out. In essence, every time someone signs out of the guest user, it is wiped clean and left to use for the next user. This is quite useful if you want to let someone else use your Chromebook, for instance, or if you are using someone else’s Chrome OS device and do not want to sign into it with your Google accounts.

      (Note that it is possible to disable guest access on a Chromebook entirely.)

      To access a Chrome OS device as a guest user, from the logon screen click on the Browse as Guest button, located at the bottom of the screen next to the Add User button. Click on the

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