Windows XP Timesaving Techniques For Dummies [Paperback]

Woody Leonhard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 15, 2003 | ISBN-10: 0764537482 | ISBN-13: 978-0764537486

* For the millions who already know the basics of Microsoft Windows, this handy reference shows how to make it work faster and better through quick, easy-to-follow lessons loaded with screen shots and step-by-step instructions
* Explores more than sixty Windows XP tasks, including customizing the Windows desktop, protecting online privacy, creating CDs and DVDs with Windows XP, working with the Outlook Express e-mail client, dealing with digital photos and video, and setting up a home network
* Along with the normal Windows tools, Windows XP is packed with rich media features and networking options previously available only through separate software packages; this book helps readers make the most of these exciting additions
* Author is one of the best-known gurus for first-time PC users, and maintains a Web site and e-mail subscriptions that reach more than 500,000 readers weekly

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

You have to be suspicious of any book the promises to save you time. "Relative to what?" is the reasonable challenge. Too many books that promise time savings assume that you're oafing along, unaware of, say, the possibility of right-clicking, and assume they're doing you a favor by enlightening you to techniques that are well-known to almost everyone. Windows XP Timesaving Techniques for Dummies is not like that. It's carefully researched and well presented. Some of its tricks are of questionable utility--though it is cool to adjust the Windows Registry so your Minesweeper score puts you in a league with well-known Dustin Hoffman characters--but most of them really will enable you to use your Windows XP Professional computer more efficiently and productively.

Aware that many people who use Windows XP Professional are in organizational computing environments that allow only administrators to adjust certain properties, Woody Leonhard notes when this characteristic of Windows XP may hamper your ability to carry out his tricks. Otherwise, techniques usually consist of a series of steps to follow, along with a screen shot showing the effect where possible. Everything is clear and easy to follow, and fun in the Dummies tradition. There are about 70 tips in this book. Compare it with O'Reilly's Windows XP Hacks. --David Wall

Topics covered: How to make Windows XP Professional run better, and in closer accordance with your work style. Tips cover interface customization, power management, obscure shortcut tricks, multimedia, and automating the operation of system-optimization utilities. There's good coverage of the TweakUI interface customizer, too.

Review

“…Windows For Dummies has long been the standard for Windows references…[now] to make Windows work faster have this title…” (Computer Business Review, September 2003)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 608 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies (August 15, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764537482
• ISBN-13: 978-0764537486
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 8 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,552,182 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I've written a whole lotta computer books over the years, starting with "Windows Programming for Mere Mortals" in 1991, going through the "Hacker's Guide to Word for Windows" (with Vince Chen and Scott Krueger), the "Mother of All Windows Books" and "Mother of All PC Books" series (all with Barry Simon), then the "Underground Guides" to Word, Office, Telecommuting, and many more, "Word Annoyances", the "Woody Teaches Office" series, and the "Special Edition Using Office" series (with Ed Bott). I'm probably best-known for my "Dummies" books, which tell the straight story (whether Microsoft likes it or not!) in a way that won't put you to sleep.

My books have been translated into dozens of languages, and are widely available at bookstores, computer shops and warehouse chains all over the world. I've edited several series of books for various publishers. I've also written hundreds of magazine articles, most recently for PC World and the late, lamented PC/Computing magazine. I used to publish a handful of electronic newsletters, and print newsletters before that, but now confine myself to dispensing news, advice, and a wee bit o' insight, at www.AskWoody.com and my column in the Windows Secrets newsletter, www.WindowsSecrets.com.

I started in the computer book biz in a very odd way. I wrote a novel. An action-adventure novel, no less, set in Saudi Arabia. I never found a publisher, although I keep threatening to dust the novel off and submit it again. But along the way, I came to know - and love and hate - a brand new word processor known as Word for Windows. I wrote a lengthy electronic book about all of WinWord 1.10's bugs, which were legion, and how to work around a whole bunch of 'em. Posted it on CompuServe. Andrew Schulman (who wrote "Undocumented DOS" and "Undocumented Windows" among many others) stumbled into my "Hacker's Guide to the Univers", and he asked me to write a book for him. It all went downhill from there.

My writing has won an unprecedented eight Computer Press Association awards and two American Business Press awards - more than any other computer book author, I think. I was one of the first Microsoft Consulting Partners, and a charter member of the Microsoft Solutions Provider organization.

I still think of computers as a "means", not an "end". I wonder when people lost sight of the fact that PCs were invented to make life easier, to get your work done and get home early. I firmly believe that PCs make passable slaves but horrible masters.

I'm impressed with much of what Microsoft is doing to Windows, although the continuing security screw-ups really leave me shaking my head. I'm much less impressed with what's happening to Offfice. In my opinion, Microsoft is using its monopoly on the desktop to sell more server software, making Office updates less and less compelling for the individual or small business user. Like me. And I'm appalled that Microsoft is now selling a "service" that protects us from the flaws in their own product.

Yes, indeed, the gods must be crazy.

I went to grad school in Boulder, Colorado (M.S. and A.B.D. in CS/Software Engineering), worked in Saudi Arabia for five years, then spent 15 years on top of a mountain in the Rockies. I moved to Phu ket in 2000, with my teenage son, Cocker spaniel and beagle. I live in the hills above Patong now, with my long-time girlfriend, Add. If you ever get to Phu ket, drop me a line! It's an incredibly beautiful place to visit. Or to live, for that matter.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the book to keep beside the computer, February 6, 2004

By 

M. B. Wade "oldreader" (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Windows XP Timesaving Techniques For Dummies (Paperback)

I am shocked that no reader review is posted about this useful book.

Started using mainframe computers in 1972 and PC's in 1985 so I get asked tons of computer questions. Since the advent of Win95, the questions have become more "How do I get the computer to do X as I don't see an button to click for that?" Most of the questions reveal a lack of understanding the basics of the software on computer. The lack of understanding reflects that most people have never been trained to use the computer.

Woody Leonhard is well known for his expertise in explaining Microsoft Office for the last 15+ years. Now, Woody has written a great book for those who have the WinXP operating system on their computer. It is the book Microsoft should have included with every copy of WinXP. Windows XP Timesaving Techniques for Dummies serves both as a quick reference on how to do something and a basic primer on understanding WinXP. Learn to protect, speed up, and make your computer work your way. Learn how to personalize the same computer for multiple users. Learn quickly and don't worry about being buried in technical jargon. This book is well written for both the novice user and the immediate level user. And if you are the comptuer guru, it's great as a quick reference. It also makes a great gift to the less than expert users as it is easy to understand. I have given three copies as gifts to individuals and been pleased by their positive feedback about how useful they found this book. In fact, I was buying another two copies when I noticed the lack of a reader review.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Buy this book BEFORE you start using XP, July 28, 2004

By 

W. Paul W. "Paul White" (Amarillo, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Windows XP Timesaving Techniques For Dummies (Paperback)

I bought this book about a year after I wound up upgrading to XP. Even at that, it has been incredibly usefull, espically in regards to getting rid of Window's graphics, and in regards to making the desktop less, well, lush and pretty (I don't care that much about it, and it takes up resources).

This book walks you through, step by step, many suggested techniques to tweak XP. Many of them I'd learned the hard way (I wish I'd bought this book when I got the new computer!). Many others were not relevent to me; I don't have a network. I already had Norton AntiVirus. I've already dealt with spammers, etc.

However, probably 20 percent or so of the suggestions were new and useful for me, and although I'm no computer demi-god, I'm no novice. Those suggestions alone of immensly helped my system. He gives some good advice on security issues, offers some good tweaks for IE, and shows you how to force XP to show file extensions; these alone are godsends (espically that last, as it helps to ID viruses).

He also offers help in dealing with common maladies (viruses, whatnot) and in getting XP to work with various types of hardware (mainly cameras and scanners).

His tips for dealing with spam and pop ups are good, espically if one's been having problems. If you're new to XP, buy this book. Even if you've been using it a bit, buy this book. It'll help you deal with the junk that's inevitable with XP (any program as large as XP will have massive amounts of it).

That said, some of the tips are personal choice issues; he reccomends some things (like disabling the info gathering on Media Player) that I don't like, or don't think of as important. But dear heavens, this book has a ton of useable, solid, good info. It's not overly basic, but manages to be understandable adn informative.

If you run XP (and you're anything short of a full fledged computer geek) you can learn a lot from this; more than enough to justify the purchase.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The easy way to care for your computer, October 28, 2004

By 

H. Scott Harriss "Bear" (Atlanta) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Windows XP Timesaving Techniques For Dummies (Paperback)

This author understands Windows XP and lets the reader know how to use it in clear and simple language. He guides you easily to a well based understanding of how to use the system. There is much general knowledge, caveats and tips about living with computers and the internet.