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Title: Windows XP All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech))
ISBN: B0015DCQN0
Author:
Woody Leonhard
Publicate Date: 2004-10-22
Publish: 2004-10-22
List Price: $29.99
Average Customer Rating: 3.5
Format: Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $7.19
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $7.21
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| Customer Review: |
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1: Handy resource....
This is a great quick-reference book to have around. I have found the tips and shortcuts very useful. I even recommend it for a beginner.
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2: WINDOWS XP FOR DUMMIES
BOOK ARRIVE AS PROMISED. WIFE ENJOYS THE WIDE RANGE OF INFORMATION COVERED AND THE HANDY EXAMPLES.
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3: Why You Should Buy It, and Why You Should Skip It
This is a solid effort and about 750 pages long and close to the limit of what you can comfortably read - limited by weight and thickness. The good thing is that author covers all the basic topics on Windows XP and spends a lot of time on the mysteries of peripherals and media. So, in effect he tries to cover every topic of interest from basics such as turning on Windows to movie making and does so all in one thick book. This book is similar to but larger and more up to date than Dan Gookin's "Troubleshooting Your PC" and "Windows XP" by Andy Rathbone. His style is similar to Gookin's, i.e.: humorous or he attempts to be funny. I can live with that, no problem, just ignore it. The non-Windows subject are under 10% and I have no problem with them.
I got a copy, skimmed through it, read three chapters in detail and looked at the rest. I will tell you why I did not buy it. But I give the author his due: it is a solid 5 star effort. The question is more basic and it is whether you want a 750 page book on XP? I say no, and this is my story.
As a reference point, I have a strong technical background in science and engineering and have used all versions of Windows going back for 14 years to Windows 3.1. Overall, I was satisfied with the amount of detailed information in the book. It is aimed at the average user who does not want the details just the basics. It is a quick introduction to the basic recipes or what Microsoft calls Wizards and what everything means at the interface panel and how to use Windows. If you have a problem, which are mostly settings issues with Windows, you can look in the index and there it is. Turn to the page listed, follow the step by step recipe and the problem is solved. That applies to 90% of the Windows users and most Windows problems. If you want a single book on your desk, then buy it.
Before using the book, I received an older computer with Windows XP that had problems. This caused me to stop, fix the problems and look at some of the books on the market. I read the other two books first. By the way, I downloaded all the Windows updates and Service Pack 2. There are over 100 free updates.
The dirty little secret is that you do not need the book to get the information since Microsoft has a huge support effort found on their "Microsoft Help and Support" page. All you have to do is search on that page by typing in your topic and all the information is there or you can do a web search. Not only that, the Microsoft support is current - updated all the time - plus it has the suggested free downloads. To top it off, Microsoft has a guy called Ed Bott who is their Microsoft Press Author and he has written a series of free guides. I have started to collect Bott's articles which have many tips, and of course are free.
In fact, anyone can write this book by simply downloading a pile of the Microsoft Help and Support Pages plus some other files, do an edit (for a few months?) and they have the book. So, I did not buy it because it is free from Microsoft in pieces or available on the web in pieces, and it is more detailed at Microsoft than in the book, plus Microsoft keeps their support current.
So why buy a heavy book, pay $20 plus shipping, or drive to the store and buy a book that will go out of date? Just go to the Microsoft Help and Support web page and type in your topic or problem, and if it is not there do a quick search. It is no more difficult than searching the Index of the present book. It is book versus computer for similar information.
If you must have a basic user book on Windows XP, then the book is good. You get a lot of paper and many recipes all in one spot for $20.
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4: Either Get the Book From the Library or Buy It Used
If you are not familiar with Leonhard's books, you might want to check this book out of the library, or buy it cheaply used. In my opinion, this book is a sad example of a publisher and editors allowing an author's personality to destroy what would have been an excellent reference book.
There is lots of useful information in this book explained very clearly. Yet, to read it all, you must put up with Leonhard's constant adolescent remarks. Or are they "geek" remarks? Or possibly both? Or maybe one and the same? I don't know. I don't inhabit his world, and found it difficult to even visit it for more than a few chapters. Luckily, I got the book from the library. And now I see why there are so many used books by him going so cheaply.
It's strange to see, too, that Amazon is showing reviews for this book that were written before it was even published! Obviously, they are for previous editions. Oh well...it's all been one strange trip anyway...a trip that I, for one, cut short...very, very short. This book is strictly for the author's fans, or for those who inhabit his world.
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5: Not really a reference -- more like a ramble
This book could have used a thorough editing. It is supposed to be a "desk reference," which to me means you can look up information quickly. However, it's hard to find what you're looking for here. The worthwhile information is buried in the everyday stuff that I already knew, so to find what I wanted, I had to wade through many pages of material I was already familiar with.Take Chapter 2, "Finding Your Way from Start to Finish," for example. It explains very basic stuff such as changing user settings, and then, starting about 40 pages into the chapter where you would least expect it, are instructions for sharing a file on the Internet, a sophisticated task. I found this book very frustrating. On top of not being able to find instructions I wanted by browsing in the book, I found the index unhelpful. Finally, I don't understand why the author devoted 65 pages to America Online. Since when is America Online part of Windows XP? The book makes no mention of the Windows Registry. This book should rightly be called "A Ramble through Windows XP." It is not a reference. It is not a friendly book that you can find information in.
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