Windows XP All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech))

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Editorial Review:

Windows is the number one operating system in the world.  There's a lot to Windows XP, with office productivity applications, multimedia features, the Internet, and security upgrades. Now and then, you probably wish you could call Tech Support.

That's when you'll be grateful to have nine books about Windows XP in one -- Windows XP All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies, Second Edition.  It replaces a whole shelf of reference books and covers

• Windows XP basics
• Customization
• The Internet
• Internet Explorer
• Microsoft Network
• Hardware
• Multimedia
• Windows Media Center
• Wired and wireless networks

Fully updated with the latest information on Microsoft's improved security features, the newest on multimedia applications and Windows Media Center, and plenty of additional stuff to help you decide about broadband Internet connections, this edition of Windows XP All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies makes Windows XP manageable.   It helps you

• Get started with Windows XP, search for files, use shortcuts, deal with common problems, and take advantage of built-in help
• Customize your desktop, menus, icons, and startup programs
• Protect your PC by using Windows Firewall, appropriate virus protection, and other security measures
• Compare browsers, connect to the Internet, choose the right e-mail program, and manage newsgroups and chats
• Work with digital images, download and play music, burn CDs, find out about digital camcorders, and create movies with Movie Maker
• Decide whether a Media Center PC is right for you
• Create a home network and troubleshoot any problems that come up

With thumbtabs that make it easy to find what you're looking for and the famous For Dummies cheat sheet in the front, this book is designed to make life with Windows XP a lot easier, happier, safer, and a whole lot more fun.

The cover of Windows XP All-in-One Desk Reference for Dummies boasts that it's "nine books in one." That's a stretch--it's really a book about Microsoft Windows XP for novices, with supplementary information about America Online and MSN--but cover claims aside, this book represents a good value for someone new to computing. Woody Leonhard--a respected Windows authority who writes with enough humor to keep things light but not so much as to obscure the facts--begins with how to use a mouse and works all the way through installing printers and setting up a little network in a home or small office. Granted, if you've found this page on the Internet you probably don't need Leonhard's "how-to-click" tutorial, but you may be shopping for someone unfamiliar with Windows. This book is good for such people.

While the nine separate indexes (one at the end of each included "book") will annoy you--the unified one at the back of this book is much easier to find and use--Leonhard's style will compensate. He's very good at explaining how to do what Windows XP was meant to do, up to a certain level. Want to add a music file to a Windows Media Player playlist? There's a procedure for that. Want to cancel AOL because you can't stand it? He explains how. He does not, however, provide detail on more complicated jobs like setting up a cable modem or dealing with the specific security risk posed by Universal Plug and Play. Overall, this is a nicely written, friendly book that covers Windows XP well, but to a limited depth. --David Wall

Topics covered: Microsoft Windows XP for home users, particularly novices. Windows XP fundamentals (like windows and the mouse pointer), customization, Internet tools (including Outlook Express and Internet Explorer), America Online (AOL), Microsoft Network (MSN), printers, small networks, and Internet connectivity are all addressed.

Customer Reviews:

Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0

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.

WINDOWS XP FOR DUMMIES:

BOOK ARRIVE AS PROMISED. WIFE ENJOYS THE WIDE RANGE OF INFORMATION COVERED AND THE HANDY EXAMPLES.

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... more info

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... more info

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