Windows XP Quicksteps [Paperback]

Martin Matthews (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0072232188 | ISBN-13: 978-0072232189 | Publication Date: January 27, 2004 | Edition: 1

Brace youself, because here comes QuickSteps: The fast, easy, accessible information on Windows XP in a full-color cookbook-style format. Provides answers to all of your How-do-I questions in a concise and meaningful way. Lengthwise page layout allows for easy page viewing. Useful tips and cautions are displayed in the margins so that they don’t break the flow of the quick steps themselves.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Learn Instantly from Step-by-Step Graphics!

We know a picture is worth a thousand words--so we went heavy on pictures and light on words in this easy-to-use guide. Color screenshots and brief instructions show you how to use all the powerful Windows XP features in no time. Follow along and learn to install and run programs, browse the Internet, organize data, play music, watch movies, set up a network, and so much more. Each chapter’s “How to” list and color-coded tabs make it easy to flip straight to the tasks you need to do. Get the book that gets you started using Windows XP right away.

In Each Chapter:

• Shortcuts for accomplishing common tasks
• Helpful reminders or alternate ways of doing things
• Bonus information related to the topic being covered
• Errors and pitfalls to avoid
• Screenshots with captions show and explain exactly what you’ll see on your computer screen while you’re doing a task

Marty Matthews has more than 30 years of computing experience. He has written 57 books with his wife Carole, including Windows XP: A Beginner’s Guide, FrontPage 2002: The Complete Reference, and Office 2000 Answers: Certified Tech Support.

About the Author

Series editors Martin and Carole Matthews each have more than thirty years of computing experience. They have written 57 U.S. editions of 32 titles, a number of which have been critically acclaimed. Among their more recent books are: Windows XP, A Beginner’s Guide; FrontPage 2002: The Complete Reference; Windows 2000, A Beginner’s Guide; Office 2000 Answers, Certified Tech Support; Windows 98 Companion; and Windows 98 Answers, Certified Tech Support.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media; 1 edition (January 27, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0072232188
• ISBN-13: 978-0072232189
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,641,330 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Martin (Marty) Matthews has been writing books that help people easily use technology for over 25 years, authoring or co-authoring over 80 books in that time. He is the co-creator of the very successful and highly acclaimed QuickSteps series of books, published, as most of his books are, by McGraw-Hill. His most recent books in print, appearing in 2011, are "Computing for Seniors QuickSteps," "Windows 7 for Seniors QuickSteps," and "Windows 7 SP1 QuickSteps." He is currently working on "Quicken 2012 QuickSteps," and will soon start "Genealogy QuickSteps," due out in the first half of 2012.

Marty does consulting when he is not writing and likes to backpack, ski, and sail in the great Pacific Northwest where he lives with his wife Carole (who is also a writer) on an island in Puget Sound. Prior to their writing career, Marty and Carole were the co-founders and principal executives of a software company that developed and sold an estimating and accounting system for printing and contracting businesses. Marty has been "playing" with computers since they took up the better part of a football field.

See Marty and Carole's web site at http://www.matthewstechnology.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for my users, September 8, 2004

By 

Thomas Sheldon "NetAdmin_writer" (Santa Barbara, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Windows XP Quicksteps (Paperback)

I manage a medium-sized network and support a large number of fairly savvy users. That is, most users know how to do their specific tasks very well and are willing to learn new things. But they are not willing to sit down with a book full of dense text. This is where the "Quick Steps" books come in handy. I keep a number of these books on hand and when a user requests assistance, I give them one of the books with the appropriate page bookmarked. Steps are outlined in full color with lots of pictures and pointers and tips. Additional information is set off in side boxes so users can learn more if they choose. What I have found is that once a user completes a task successfully, they get fairly excited about the experience and browse the book to learn more. The books really stimulate users to experiment with things they would not normally bother to learn. And that is where this book excels. It is a "browser." Users don't feel like they need to start at the beginning and read through to the end. I get lots of grumbles when I ask for the book back so I can pass it on to others.

This book is also great for new users. I tell them to spend a few hours working through the steps, which are easy to follow and can be done at a fairly fast pace. Most users think the full color layout is fun to work through. The down-side is that like any book, space is limited, especially with the fully-illustrated format, so you're obviously not going to find everything in these books, but I do feel they contain a good balance of material and are appropriate for corporate libraries.

Marty and I are fellow writers and that is how I learned about these books. I must say that it has helped my users enormously and relieved my support task. Hey, it's the 21st century. Anyone working in an office should know how to work with operating systems and common applications. Most people can do that if they have easily accessible references and refresher material like these books. Thanks to Marty for developing the "Quick Steps" concept and to McGraw-Hill for publishing this series.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Easy to follow quick reference-great way to get started!, July 27, 2005

By 

J. Bessemer (CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Windows XP Quicksteps (Paperback)

Windows XP Quicksteps is really good for the beginning Windows user. It uses simple terms, good color illustrations, and easy to follow shortcuts to help you get started. And it is complete enough to get you to a thorough understanding of Windows XP, even for an intermediate user.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars EASY Windows XP, January 11, 2007

By 

Gene A. Cooper (Luck WI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Windows XP Quicksteps (Paperback)

This is a very elementary book for XP. There are some programs of value but overall, not inclusive enough to be of more help than other books have been to me