Most computer users reach a point at which they're generally familiar with computers and able to get work done with them but still lack the depth of knowledge needed to make computer use really productive and fun. The Unofficial Guide to PCs represents a boost to these "perpetual intermediates." It's packed full of important knowledge and valuable tips that you can use to take full control of your computer.
This book doesn't waste time on mouse tutorials--it dives right into the productivity tricks of experienced users. Users will find easy-to-implement changes that really improve the utility of commonly used programs. For example, you'll learn how to get nine recently used files--rather than the standard four--to appear at the bottom of Microsoft Word's File menu.
There's a lot of hardware coverage too. Unfortunately, although the authors helpfully provide an apples-to-apples comparison of many Intel processors, they neglect to cover anything newer than the Pentium II Xeon 450 (including the entire Pentium III family) and advise against buying AMD and Cyrix chips without explaining why. Aside from that, The Unofficial Guide to PCs is a winner. --David Wall
Topics covered: Tweaking Windows 98 to meet user needs, performing scheduled backups, getting answers from the Internet, setting up simple workgroups that enable printer and file sharing, and hardware comparisons.
Product Description
The Unofficial Guide to PCs covers mission-critical concepts, tips, tricks and warnings in indented note-style paragraphs, or when larger in scale, in sidebars. You can visually skip from one key step to another if you're in a hurry or already have mastered some of the material, or can absorb all the details for a particular step, at your own discretion. Progress through the book in the order of your PC experiences--buying, assembling, kicking the tires once it's up and running, and customizing it to suit your needs. Also learn on-going maintenance and disaster prevention and where to find the subtle, often well-hidden software patches, upgrades, revisions, bug reports, add-ins, plug-ins as well as hardware improvements and breakthroughs.
- Delivers critical, unbiased information that other books can't or won't reveal
- Maximize productivity and utilize your PC more efficiently with the inside facts and tips
- Full of PC ownership issues that nobody ever writes about, but everyone experiences
