Windows XP All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies

BOOK ARRIVE AS PROMISED. WIFE ENJOYS THE WIDE RANGE OF INFORMATION COVERED AND THE HANDY EXAMPLES.

This is a solid effort and about 750 pages long and close to the limit of what you can comfortably read - limited by weight and thickness. The good thing is that author covers all the basic topics on Windows XP and spends a lot of time on the mysteries of peripherals and media. So, in effect he tries to cover every topic of interest from basics such as turning on Windows to movie making and does so all in one thick book. This book is similar to but larger and more up to date than Dan Gookin's "Troubleshooting Your PC" and "Windows XP" by Andy Rathbone. His style is similar to Gookin's, i.e.: humorous or he attempts to be funny. I can live with that, no problem, just ignore it. The non-Windows subject are under 10% and I have no problem with them. I got a copy, skimmed through it, read three chapters in detail and looked at the rest. I will tell you why I did not buy it. But I give the author his due: it is a solid 5 star effort. The question is more basic and it is whether you want a 750 page book on XP? I say no, and this is my story. As a reference point, I have a strong technical background in science and engineering and have used all versions of Windows going back for 14 years to Windows 3.1. Overall, I was satisfied with the amount of detailed information in the book. It is aimed at the average user who does not want the details just the basics. It is a quick introduction to the basic recipes or what Microsoft calls Wizards and what everything means at the interface panel and how to use Windows. If you have a problem, which are mostly settings issues with Windows, you can look in the index and there it is. Turn to the page listed, follow the step by step recipe and the problem is solved. That applies to 90% of the Windows users and most Windows problems. If you want a single book on your desk, then buy it. Before using the book, I received an older computer with Windows XP that had problems. This caused me to stop, fix the problems and look at some of the books on the market. I read the other two books first. By the way, I downloaded all the Windows updates and Service Pack 2. There are over 100 free updates. The dirty little secret is that you do not need the book to get the information since Microsoft has a huge support effort found on their "Microsoft Help and Support" page. All you have to do is search on that page by typing in your topic and all the information is there or you can do a web search. Not only that, the Microsoft support is current - updated all the time - plus it has the suggested free downloads. To top it off, Microsoft has a guy called Ed Bott who is their Microsoft Press Author and he has written a series of free guides. I have started to collect Bott's articles which have many tips, and of course are free. In fact, anyone can write this book by simply downloading a pile of the Microsoft Help and Support Pages plus some other files, do an edit (for a few months?) and they have the book. So, I did not buy it beca

For someone new to Windows XP this is a great place to start. Just take it for what it is, an introduction. For more in depth, technical know-how, you may have to go elsewhere. This is plainly written in English that is understandable and easy to follow. An excellant resource to help anyone get started, whether purchasing, setting up, or running XP.

I must leap to the defence of Mr Leonhard from the ill-informed attack on his book that's been placed among the user reviews. I was intruiged about 'kenonline' and his complaint so I went hunting through my copy. Sure enough on page 202 there's a reference to 'NTBACKUP' but that's NOT the authors fault - that's the name of the folder that _Microsoft_ used.The Backup option in XP/Home is pointless (you can backup but not restore) which is presumably why Woody decided not to spend pages on a laborious explanation of how to use it. In any event the online help is more than enough if you want to waste your time with it.Woody Leonhard has been producing great books and newsletters for as long as I've been computing. They are easy to read, informative and he'll tell you things that Microsoft wants to keep quiet about.It's a great shame that his latest book has been maligned in such as fashion. It's a pitiful case of a person not carefully reading what's in front of them and then blaming the messenger.I sure won't be returning my copy of 'Windows XP all in one desk reference' and I'm happy to recommend it to one and all.

No one speaks Windows XP the way Woody speaks Windows XP in his new publication "Windows XP All-in-one Desk Reference", which is a masterpiece of organization, indexing, and commom sense treatment of technical topics in non-technical discourse. Not since Woody's publication of "Woody Leonhard teaches Microsoft Office 97" has such an instructive, clearly written and illustrated technical book on Microsoft products been published.There is a mind-boggling number of subjects each treated individually in short, simple explanation that gets to the heart of the subject. The dialog and explanations are laced with amusing analogs that make reading a pleasure, aside from the technical content. Subjects ranging from the simplicity of the XP Desktop to the meaning of the highly technical term DHCP, are handled with the same masterful stroke of simplicity. This book is a must-have in every home and office that expects to stay on-line in the 21st century.