Customer Reviews

The Healthy PC: Preventive Care and Home Remedies for Your Computer (Consumer Education)

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I recommend this book without any reservations, qualifications or any other comment that would minimize this superb book: All those symbols you didn't know e.g. EULA (End User License Agreement), GUI ( Graphical User Interface) and numerous others that I used to just pass over while reading because the authors seldom took the time to explain what the symbols stand for and what they function they perform on your PC, I now understand what the translation is when I encounter these symbols and how they work on your PC.
Carey Holzman writes cleary and in plain English so the content of this fine book is easy to understand. I just followed along with the numbered step by step instructions which are combined with the screen shots that clearly illustrate the written instructions of the author. Don't hesitate -- buy this book and you will be rewarded with a much better understanding of your PC. As a bonus, perhaps for the first time you will be able to carry on a knowledgeable conversation with other informed PC users for the first time.
While I dislike the use of the term: empowerment; it certainly applies to this book. For the first time -- 4+ yrs.-- in working with computers -- an XP system -- and often feeling frustrated, I now feel that I really comprehend my PC and how it works. It is now my primary reference source that I will use with confidence.
Many thanks to Carey Holtzman.

Our computer club had a chance to buy and use Carey's new book, The Healthy PC. In my case I had already accomplished some of the suggestions in Carey's book, but others he included certainly did speed up my PC and make it safer. The book includes a number of performance and safety suggestions I had not heard of. His step-by-step instructions, as well as why we should consider each "fix", are simple and easy to follow.

My daughter has been complaining about problems with her PC. I know she will definitely benefit from Carey's book, since she is not a PC technie and is too busy with work to spend time learning how to fix it on her own. It's just the book for her.

Definitely a five star book that every PC owner can benefit from.

A person using a Microsoft PC for the first time can face a formidable amount of documentation. Microsoft has produced heavy tomes, delineating all that is possible with its system. Her problem is worsened if the computer is for her home. Then there is no corporate IT staff to pester. But the prospects of reading several large volumes is daunting.

So Holzman has given her an alternative. His book is directed squarely at the new user. It covers both looking after the software and hardware. In the latter, to give you an idea of the level of expertise he is pitching to, he explains that "the motherboard is the largest circuit board in the PC". An experienced user may snigger, but there are millions of people out there (perhaps you?) for which this is new and nonobvious.

As for software, he has chosen an order of presentation which is a symptom of what Microsoft dreads. Holzman starts by describing how to connect to the Internet and then he discusses the browser, email and a firewall. Only after these does he go into outlining how to use the Microsoft operating system. Because what drives much uptake of computers these days is the web, as contrasted to a purely local interaction. Not that he is anti-Microsoft, but he is predicting that many readers have precisely these priorities for their computer usages.

This book is so full of practical home remedies for a computer I would have paid much more for it. I received it one week ago and already my five-year-old E-Machine is humming like new. I had many annoying problems with my PC and computer techs told me nothing could be done. Just one example.....defragging. I have literally been trying to defrag now for months and it would not complete. Carey gives a process to do it, I tried it and it defragged in twenty minutes!!! Please folks, order this book now and put it on "rush". Tell your friends. You will love it.

When you work or deal with young people, talking about computers
is a big challenge and most of the times you feel like a "dummie or an idiot". This forces you to run to Barnes & Noble or the local Library to end up more confused and frustrated not knowing which book to pick.
"The Healthy PC" is not as tedious as other computer books,
on the contrary once you start reading you will not stop, and if you follow the steps Carey recommends you'll feel very comfortable.
This is a great book, to bad he does not have any publications about hardware, but I understand his next book will be about "networking" available next year, I can't wait to buy it.

The first time I sat down with this book, I couldn't stop. I'm not a PC guru, nor am I a "tin horn." I think anyone who uses a computer from power users to novices will find it one of the most practical, easy to understand texts you'll find.

I also "googled" his name and found his website CareyHolzman.com. What a treasure trove of advice and help.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn how to use a computer or increase the knowledge they already have.

This book is a winner. After plowing through many computer books The Healthy PC is a refreshing experience. Step by step instruction helps you get your computer running in tip top shape.Easy to follow, and extremly informative The Healthy PC teaches you not only what to do... but the why also. I learned the meaning of words and phrases that I had been hearing for years but never had the opportunity to understand. After applying what I learned from Careys book my computer has never been running better. I would recommend this powerful teaching tool to ANYONE who owns or uses a computer. Thanks Carey

I highly reccomend the Healthy PC by Carey Holzman!

The technical advice provided in the book is very easy to understand, even if you are not technically inclined. The step-by-step instructions and screen shots were highly appreciated.

I learnt how to reduce my electricity bill, maintain a healthier PC, and help the environment through using Windows Power Settings for Desktop Computers.

I once worked as a network administrator at a primary school and as a computer technician. I had to work with over 50 computers, and I have always debated whether or not to turn the computers off over night. This book provides the reasons why you should turn your computer off over night, by providing advice about the computer fans which is very understandable.

Information about windows scheduling (also known as scheduled tasks) was useful for me. I learnt how to turn my computer into an alarm clock using windows scheduling. While this book wont tell you how to turn your computer into an alarm clock, it does show you how to use windows scheduling.

Given the increase of spam, spy ware, and constant security holes in operating systems - it's essential to have a copy of this book. You'll learn how to solve your problems, and most importantly, prevent them before they occur. This book will tell you how to tell if your computer is vulnerable to attack and what to do if it is.

I was also able to turn off error reporting and automatic restart in Windows XP. I once found it very annoying how internet explorer would crash, and I would get prompted with a message saying "send this report to microsoft".

This book has taught me to think logically and technically. I would happily recommend the book to people who are interested in learning more about computers and how they operate, or just simply want to improve system performance or implement computer upgrades.

The best thing about this book is it covers just about anything. You will learn how to perform a number of technical tasks, why they should be performed, and what to do if your system constantly crashes. At the same time, I might add you learn *why* through actually following the step-by-step instructions - not reading technical jargon you don't understand.

For those of a technical background, this book contains great advice which is easy to follow for tweaking power and hardware settings, screen savers, and startup routines. If hardware isn't really your area of speciality, this book will be very handy when it comes to checking whether or not the capacitors on the motherboard are leaking.

Why waste money on technicians who may not even solve your problem to begin with? This book will guide you through just about anything and even provides resources for free technical advice.

I have been a member of the Phoenix PCUG for over ten years.

Everyone with a PC needs to buy this book "The Healthy PC".

I have worked with PC's for more than 15 Years but as I work my way through this book my PC performance is improving, my Internet connection speed has improved and I am only part way through the book. Best yet, it is written so a novice should be able to understand what to do and the most experienced user will find many helpful hints.

The text is straight forward and is usable by a novice as well as more experienced users. The text instruction is great but also pay attention to the Figures, you may find additional helpful information. For example on page 45, among other things the figure shows an unchecked box for Append to Log. I unchecked it and viewed my log. It seems I have been adding to this log for a long time. The file was so big Notepad could not load it. I cleared this huge log which was undoubtedly slowing my PC connection time.

I am only part way through the book, but already my money has been well spent.

I just finished reading this book. I must say, that as a PC tech , this book is one of the best I've come across. Carey has made it easy for the casual user to understand how to take care of their own computer and fix simple problems. It's written in simple to understand language that anyone can follow. This book is also a valuable reference for even experienced technicians.
I will be recommending this book as a must have for all of my customers. Thanks to Carey for bringing a book like this to the masses.