Customer Reviews

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Computer Basics, 4E

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

 

 

I picked up a copy of this for my mom who knows next to nothing about computers and how to use them. She literally knows how to turn it on, connect to the internet, and check her email. Then she shuts down.

I'm not sure how much she has even looked at this book, but there is a lot of very basic info broken down in it, and its a pretty good resource for the beginner. I wish I would have had it around when I first started.

I am only giving it four out of five stars simply because there are a few topics that seem to exceed the true computer beginner's scope, and I could see just causing some confusion later on. Overall though, a good book and resource.

This is the book that will take you from 0 MPH to 60 MPH in the computer world. If you know nothing or very little and are afraid to use your machine you need this book it will talk you through everything you need to know. No crazy jargon or assumptions- this is step by step computer basics. A +

This is my first purchase of a used book. It looks like a new book and I received it in the mail within four days from the day I ordered it. I will order more items in the future.

The first sentance of Chapter 3 says it all: "When you start a PC-compatible computer it automatically runs some version of windows." Hello? I can go to Dell or Wal-Mart right now and bring home a "PC-compatible" computer, turn it on and not see Windows at all. I get Ubuntu Linux. Basically, any book claiming to be about computer basics should at least lead off with a few pages explaining the different choices a computer buyer has these days. The reader needs to be helped to understand that the first choice they have to make is a basic platform choice. They can go Windows, they can go Mac, or they can go Linux and have it run right "out of the box."

This book is not about computers, it is about Windows. Computers and Windows are not synonymomous.

If you have Windows Vista,then this is not the book for you. Also it is just what it says... an idiot's guide. If you truly are computer illiterate in every sense of the word and have Windows XP then you may benefit from this book. Perhaps it would be a good idea to buy it before purchasing a computer. It would be very helpful to a consumer buying a computer for the first time without access to the Internet or someone who is unsure about it all.