The Best PC for You

What the Heck Is a USB, and Why Should You Care?

You face a lot of acronyms when you shop for computer gear. It's hard to know which ones you can ignore and which ones are important. But USB is one you need to pay attention to. USB, or universal serial bus, is simply a way to attach cameras, printers, scanners or speakers to your PC.

The USB port vastly simplifies the task of attaching a peripheral like a scanner. Before USB, different devices had to be plugged into your PC through different types of ports or connectors. For example, your keyboard went into a small, circular receptacle that accepted only keyboards. Your printer, on the other hand, plugged into a completely different kind of receptacle, a flat, narrow connector that's called a parallel port. And parallel ports work with many different devices, including scanners and Zip drives.

A USB port takes the guesswork out of where to plug things in. Its one-size-fits-all connector is designed to work with any USB-compatible device, from printers and scanners to keyboards and mice.

How do you know whether a printer, scanner or other device is USB-compatible? If you're shopping, look at the box. It should be clearly labeled with the type of connector it uses: USB, parallel port or other. If it isn't, ask for help. And if you don't have access to the device's box or any of its manuals, just look at the connector on the end of its cable. A USB connector is a small, rectangular piece of metal a little smaller than a postage stamp.

Is Your PC USB Ready?

Another big advantage USB has over old-style connectors is that you can chain together more than one device and run them all from a single USB port. By contrast, if your PC has only one parallel port and you want to use both a scanner and a printer, you'll probably run into conflicts, and you might have to keep unplugging and replugging. But some USB devices come with their own built-in USB port--and they all work together. For example, a USB printer with its own USB port could plug into your PC's USB port while your USB scanner could then plug into the printer.

Devices with their own USB ports are called hubs. Just as an electrical power strip converts a single electrical receptacle into many, a USB hub turns one USB port into several. Paying a little extra for a keyboard, printer or other device with a built-in hub can be well worth it. Monitors with hubs, for example, are a very convenient place to plug a USB keyboard or other device.

Before you go out and buy a USB device, make sure your PC can handle it. All new PCs come ready for USB, but older ones don't. If your PC is more than two years old, check for USB ports by looking for them. The USB ports are two side-by side rectangular holes that look like the top of a very small toaster. And make sure you're using Windows 98. USB technology doesn't work very well with Windows 95, and it doesn't work at all with earlier versions of Windows.

Kirk Steers is a contributing editor for PC World.