To help keep all the connectors in one spot, your PC most likely has an I/O panel, normally found at the back of the console. This is where you add various expansion options to the PC as well as plug in the standard devices.
Use Figure 1 as your guide for what's what. The items you find on your PC's I/O panel may be labeled with text, or they may include symbols.
Figure 1: Stuff to find on the I/O panel.
Keyboard connector: The keyboard plugs into this little hole.
Mouse connector: It's generally the same size and shape as the keyboard connector, although this hole has a mouse icon nearby to let you know that the mouse plugs in there.
USB port: Plug snazzy devices into these Universal Serial Bus (USB) slots.
Serial, or COM, ports: PCs have at least one of these ports, named COM1. A second one is called COM2.
Video/VGA connector: Your PC's monitor plugs into this hole, which looks like the serial port, but it has 15 holes rather than 9. A second, digital monitor connector may be available for plugging in LCD monitors. Also, these connectors may be located on an expansion card rather than the I/O panel.
SPDIF In/Out: These connectors are used to attach the fiber optic cable, used for digital audio. Audio coming into the computer plugs into the In hole; the sound the computer generates goes out the Out hole.
Microphone jack: The computer's microphone plugs into this hole.
Line-in jack: This jack is where you plug in your stereo or VCR to the PC for capturing sound.
Speaker/sound-out jack: It's where you plug in your PC's external speakers or headphones, or where you hook up the PC to a sound system. (Also check the "secret panel" on the front of the console, if you have one, for a headphone connector.)
Dial-up modem: This is where you connect your PC's modem to the phone jack in the wall. If two phone or modem holes are on the I/O panel, the second one is for a telephone extension. Note that this is not where you connect a broadband (DSL or cable) modem.
Ethernet (network) connector: This is where you plug in a local area network (LAN) connector, or where you attach a broadband modem to the PC. Not every computer has one of these connectors.
Printer port: The PC's printer plugs into this connector.
IEEE ports: These ports are used for many things, similar to the USB ports. They may be labeled IEEE, 1394, or FireWire. A smaller version of the port may be labeled DV, for Digital Video.
Not pictured in Figure 1 but available on many PCs are the following connectors:
S-Video Out: If your PC sports a DVD drive, the S-Video connector allows you to connect an S-Video-happy TV to your PC.
Joystick port: A port used for older-style joysticks, though most all PC joysticks now sold plug into the USB port.
The keyboard and mouse connectors are different! Be certain that you plug the proper device into the proper hole, or else the keyboard and mouse won't work!
