Customer Reviews

Dan Gookin Teaches Windows 98 (The Best Advice from the Best Authors)

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I had never turned on a pc before I bought this book Windows 98. I had always been afraid of the pc until I bought windows 98 by Dan Gookin. The book took me step by step until I was finally doing something on our pc. It was from his simple ways of geeting you to understand and put into action what you had read that gave you energy to read the next page to learn little by little. Two months later and I found myself very comfortable with working in windows and doing something I never thought I would be able to do as I am not a youngster but am 52 years old and will to learn more about our pc.

Dan Gookin teaches in a non-threatening manner, and keeps up good humor in the meantime. It makes the learning process FUN, as well as simple. I especially like the way he throws in personal comments, as it saves me trial and error to learn the same outcome. This is definately an asset not found with other computer-book authors. It is evident that he uses computers, not just teaches them. Great book, easy to read, easy to use, and well worth the minimal investment.

I've looked at all the Windows books available and this one is by far the easiest to follow and the best to show examples of real life situations. Buy this one before you pick up any others.

This is the best book, by far, on win 98. Dan Gookin is to computers what John Madden is to Monday Night Football (simply the best). This is the 2nd book I have purchased by him and I will continue to look for him name associated with any new computer books I intend to buy in the future. He adds his overwhelming knowledge of computers and his sense of humor to teach you, step-by-step, the win 98 program. The instructions are direct and to the point, not a lot of senseless reading to get to the punchline. If you are new to computers or have been at it for awhile, this is a must have book regardless of your level of expertise. Get this book today, and you will be glad you did. I am.

Dan Gookin Teaches Windows 98

Dan Gookin is a writer famous for his dry wit and entertaining writing style. He has written over fifty books on computer topics, such as `DOS' and `Windows'. This 660 page book has seven chapters (Parts I to VII) and an Index. It doesn't ask why anyone would want to use Windows 98 today. There are two reasons. It is the best OS for those with old computer games (DOS based), or older equipment that can't be updated (Windows Me requires a Pentium type chip that is over 150MHz in speed - it won't accept a fast 686 chip). Windows 98 does not support USB memory sticks. But there is support that can be downloaded from the Internet for either the original Windows 98 or for Windows 98SE that will allow the use of USB memory sticks. If the computer does not have USB ports a PCI card can be added if the BIOS allows it.

Part I has "Windows Orientation and Review"to provide the basic information to get started, and finish. Part II has "Working in Windows" to explain how to use the Desktop and its functions. Part III has "Printing and Faxing" to explain how to use these functions. You will need either an internal or external fax modem. An external modem is always faster because it is independent of your computer, but it needs a serial or USB port. Part IV has "Disks, Folders, and Files" that explains how to care for hard drives. Gookin advises against converting a hard drive to FAT32 or compressing a hard drive. ZIP drives can hold up to 100 megabytes (or more) for backup or transferring files to another computer. [A hundred megabytes was a huge amount then, and is still useful for incremental file copying. An internal or USB drive is faster than the parallel port model.]

Part V is "Somewhere, Out There", which tells about accessing the Internet by using the Internet Explorer that is built into Windows 98. [It also reminds you of how things were in 1998.] Pat VI has "The Tweak Master" about using the features of the Control Panel. It allows a user to adjust parts of Windows. Some of these are more useful for personal choices (Desktop Themes, Sounds, Printers). You can reduce the number of fonts for storage space and efficiency. [How many fonts do you really need?] Page 560 tells how to copy special characters and insert them into a document.

Part VII is about "Problem Solving" and covers miscellaneous topics. Creating a Boot Disk is on page 603. Be sure you write protect it afterwards. Gookin says "never upgrade your operating system". That depends. If you replace your hard drive you may choose to upgrade instead of reinstalling the original OS. You will have to reinstall all the original applications again. Gookin says "don't reinstall Windows". If your computer doesn't run right with Windows 98 you may be able to fix the problem by first running SCANDISK to find and fix bad sectors and then reinstall Windows 98. I wonder how many never run SCANDISK until its too late? A computer that is not on a solid foundation can develop hard disk problems. So too if the screws holding a hard drive are loosened.
There is an Unofficial Update for Windows 98 and 98SE that will allow USB memory devices with this operating system. You can search the Internet for them.
Appendix A explains playing DOS games in Windows 98. Appendix B explains creating a Network. It allows sharing devices like a printer between two or more computers. The "thin ethernet" type is the least expensive but effective for a small office. The 10 Base-T connector is faster and better but requires more hardware [but is the current standard].