Customer Reviews

Absolute Beginner's Guide to Security, Spam, Spyware & Viruses

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I checked the book out of the library to give me something to read on a trip, and liked it so much, I purchased it when I returned. It includes step by step instructions for the beginner, but as you get further into the book, some of the details may scare away new computer users. Working on computers for 20+ years, I figured it would be a good review, but I learned a lot.

This book does a pretty good job at clearing away some of the mystery surrounding home computer security. For the uninitiated, it defines viruses, spyware, adware, spam, phishing, etc. and does a pretty good job of helping you to understand how these threats differ from each other. The book is less successful in differentiating the symptoms that help indicate which type of infection you might have. I think the author should have included a "symptoms matrix" which showed, in one chart, which symptoms apply to which threat and which threats might exhibit overlapping symptoms. Let's face it, many readers of this book bought it because they are having some type of malware problem and they need help in diagnosing it and then fixing it. Understanding what may have caused the problem is an important step, but it's only a step.

The book puts too much reliance on virus checkers and spyware to resolve your problems. Even if these tools prevent 99% of all threats, it only takes one threat to bring your system to its knees. I don't think the book does enough to help you fix that type of problem.

I also felt that the book may be a little irresponsible in encouraging you to wipe your system clean (reformat your hard disk and start over) if all else fails. It's a little bit like a book about warfare that spends a lot of time on dropping a nuclear bomb but didn't explain very well all of the other less drastic measures that should have been tried first.

Another issue with the book is that Parts I, II, and III contain essentially the same tips organized in a different way. So, while the straightforward and humorous writing style should make a cover-to-cover read entertaining, the somewhat redundant sections actually make such a read a boring task as the book wears on. I suspect that the writer was trying to make these sections as self-contained as possible, but I don't think the book's organization was sufficiently well thought out. The author needed to make up his mind whether this book was going to be a compendium of stand-alone articles or a step-by-step tutor for beginners. It tries to be both and that gets messy as one gets deeper into the book.

In summary, if you know little or nothing about the topics covered in this book, I recommend it as a learning tool. It's also great for gearing you up to prevent problems. But don't expect it to help you much in getting rid of an infection after the fact. Unless you are into nuclear warfare.

This book is a must have for anyone who owns a PC running windows. This is not your typical computer book. It is very well written, easy to read and is interspersed with excellent snippets of humor. Each chapter contains a wealth information, recommendations and sage advice to boot. Do yourself a favor and buy this book - secure your computer now.

What can I say?
I have read this book from beginning to end. It is an easy read, highlighted by Andy's wit and style of writing.
His vast knowledge is shared in every chapter. Being a seasoned computer user, this book has even taught me things that I thought I already knew.
I recommend this book for anyone who owns a personal computer. You can read it to learn or just have it sitting close by for reference.
I personally hope there are many more books in the future from this author.

Andy Walker being the well known tech journalist, the book is a steal. It's a must have for any pc user whether you're a novice or advanced user. The book just shows the extreme amounts of tech knowledge he really has, just from reading the book I could tell it's only the tip of the iceberg relatively speaking. The book is great as is his easy to use website; http://www.cyberwalker.com . This book will definitely help protect you online, as it does for me. Just having the book near your pc is like a help desk at your fingertips. If you are pc user who doesn't have a troubleshooting book, this would be a worthy choice.

I picked this book up at the library but I was so pleased to have someone explain computer stuff in a way that the novice can follow, implement and understand. A lot of us use computers everyday but don't get so much stuff about them, and I found his approach extremely helpful to decode what the geeks just assume you know and understand. I finally felt at ease, and a bit more confident about dealing with this subject. Having suffered through getting a virus, even though I thought I had ample protection, this at least gave me help on surviving in a hacker world. He needs to get a newer version out there. But if you aren't sure about all this stuff, I think after reading the book you will at least be able to make better choices for your computer safety.

I found that this book answered all of my many security questions in great detail. My current interest was to install a router for my computers and to provide additional security. This book provided step by step procedures on installation and setup, as well as explanations of security measures and precautions. The writer has a great sense of humor and makes what might be a dry and boring subject, a page turning experience.

If you were a fan of Call for Help, you remember Andy Walker's madcap segments. From the bunny suit to the propane torch and marshmallows, this guy can take a complicated topic and make it easy to understand. Andy's attitude comes through in this book - it is easy to understand and fun to read.