Customer Reviews

Maran Illustrated Windows XP

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Late last week, a surprise package from Amazon ended up on my doorstep. Maran Illustrated Windows XP by Ruth Maran. It's my first look at a Maran Illustrated book, and I must say I'm impressed...

Chapter List: Windows Basics; View Files; Working With Files; More Working With Files; Customize Windows; Work With Songs And Videos; Create Movies; Share Your Computer; Optimize Computer Performance; Work On A Network; Browse The Web; Exchange E-mail; Exchange Instant Messages; Index

As far as content goes, this is a Windows XP beginner's book. It covers all the basics on how to find files, move windows, launch programs, etc. If that was all this book brought to the table, it'd be just another title amongst others. But when you open it up, it quickly becomes clear that this is a cut above most entry-level books. Maran uses copious quantities of illustrations to show the reader exactly how to accomplish each task. And it's just not the "here's a screen shot" type of graphic. Each chapter is made up of a number of "how to" and/or tips on how to do stuff. The leading illustration is more general in nature, such as a computer exposed to show multiple safe deposit boxes, used to show how you can share your computer and keep things private at the same time. The step-by-step illustrations used to show you how to do something are screen prints, but the specific parts of the screen are circled, red-lined, and numbered, all pointing back to each instructional step. It'd be nearly impossible to get stuck on a point while using this book. Add in the heavier paper quality and the rich palette of colors that are used, and this book is almost as enjoyable to look at as it is to work with.

The author, Ruth Maran, is part of Maran Graphics, a family-owned and -run business that produces the Maran Illustrated line of books. While a book on Windows XP might not be something I'd need due to my prior experience with technology, using their titles on learning to play the piano or guitar would now be a choice I'd look for if I were wanting to learn either of those skills. This is a book I'd feel totally comfortable recommending to a PC newbie just getting started on Windows XP. Very nicely done...

Excellent learning tool for the beginner. Everything is broken down into simple steps and the illustrations make each step simple to understand and commit to memory. I had a text only book and believe me, this is so much better. I'm actually enjoying learing Windows XP now.

My computer skills are limited, but this book was recommended to me by a knowledgeable friend as a resource. I am using it that way, so have not been into it that much. It does have great illustrations and directions clearly illustrated.

Purchased for a friend and his first time use of a computer. I really like the Maran books - a mixture of pictures and short descriptions are much more helpful than any other "help" books I have purchased.

This is the very best book for beginning compter users. We use it for our classes "Basic Computer Skills" and have fout it to be excellent.

For me this book is a total ABC for beginners or people who know a little but don't really understand all the jargon in most manuals. Easy to follow steps to upgrade your skills.

I love the "Maran series" books. They are very helpful for people who are no computer geniuses, since give you step by step instructions.

The Maran Illustrated books are unquestionably the most heavily illustrated books available. In this book, as you just might guess from the title, covers Windows XP. It's a new book and up to date to include Service Pack 2 which brought in some fairly significant changes over the original release.

This is probably the best book I've ever seen for the complete beginner. If you've just turned a computer on for the first time, this book will get you started very well. One of the tests I use for the depth of information contained in a book on Windows is checking to see if the book talks about how to get into a system where you're forgotten the password. This is an interesting test, because the procedure in the Home and the Professional versions of XP are different. This book didn't cover this area at all.

So the level of this book is pretty basic. It's not what the help desk needs, it's for the beginner. At the same time, it is complete enough that the user is not likely to have any trouble getting useful work out of the computer. Highly recommended.