Sams Teach Yourself Computer Basics in 24 Hours (Second Edition) - Softcover

Jill T. Freeze

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0672318016 ISBN 13: 9780672318016

Publisher: Sams, 2000

Synopsis

Sams Teach Yourself Computer Basics in 24 Hours, Second Edition, is the replacement documentation that you don't get with sub-$1000 computers. It's designed to be an "all in one solution" to get you up and running on your computer and help you learn all the software applications that came pre-loaded on your system. This book is a cost-efficient alternative to purchasing separate books on general PCs, Windows, the Internet, Word, and Excel. Many of the leading computer manufacturers--Gateway, NEC, Dell, Compaq, Acer, and Hewlett Packard--are pre-installing packages of software on their computers that include Word, Excel, and Internet Explorer, but without any kind of detailed printed documentation.

About this title

Review

Teach Yourself Computer Basics in 24 Hours uses a friendly tone to introduce its readers to home computing. Author Jill Freeze does her readers a favor by acknowledging that most of them don't care about the electronic inner workings of their computer equipment, and really just want to make the blasted box do something useful. That means learning to use the operating system--Freeze uses Microsoft Windows 98, Second Edition, in her examples. She walks the reader through basic mouse maneuvers and the fundamentals of launching programs and using files (and even customizing the appearance of Windows) before explaining hardware terminology. Multimedia and three of the programs in Microsoft Office 2000 (Word, Excel, and Access) also receive valuable attention.

Internet connectivity gets adequate coverage, with emphasis on using Internet Explorer and Outlook Express to view Web pages and communicate via electronic mail, respectively. Future editions of this book ought to take into account the fact that networking isn't just for businesses anymore. Home networks are becoming increasingly popular, and Windows makes it rather easy to set them up. A few chapters on setting up a network--including the use of Windows Internet Connection Sharing feature--would really appeal to Freeze's target audience. Regardless, this book makes good reading for Windows newcomers. --David Wall

Topics covered: Microsoft Windows 98, Second Edition, and its related hardware and software, tailored for absolute novices. Coverage includes basic mouse skills, launching programs, managing files, using Microsoft Office 2000, connecting to the Internet via a modem, and using Internet software.

From the Author

Thanks to dozens of wonderful e-mails from readers, this book has really evolved over time. In the first edition, much time and space was given to teaching the fundamentals of understanding hardware. With each edition of the book, that coverage lessened, as readers let it be known that they just wanted to make the blasted machine do something useful or fun! Of course we still cover critical hardware issues, but instead of a long rambling section on what RAM is and how it works, we cut to the chase and tell you how much you'll need to make your software run smoothly. That gives us more time and space to cover fun stuff like using scanners, movie making, downloading goodies from the Internet, and so on. Also with time, content has shifted to include such popular topics as digital photography and instant messaging.

Readers are always invited to e-mail their questions, comments, and/or suggestions to me at JFreeze@JustPC.com. I answer every single note myself (though it may take me a while sometimes when I'm in the middle of writing a book).

Check out the sample chapter online here at Amazon to see how we tried to make mundane topics fun and easy to learn about. And if you have any questions about the book, please feel free to e-mail me.

Happy computing! Jill

Edition details

• Publisher: Sams
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0672318016
• ISBN 13: 9780672318016
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 400