PCs For Dummies - Softcover

Gookin, Dan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0764505947 ISBN 13: 9780764505942

Publisher: For Dummies, 1999

Synopsis

Throw out those dense, mind-numbing, jargon-filled computer manuals and grab yourself a copy of PC's For Dummies,  your all-in-one guide that is packed with all the tried-and-true advice and special tricks that you can expect from all-time best-selling author Dan Gookin. In his familiar, fun, and easy-to-follow fashion, Gookin guides you through the wonderful world of PCs with a minimum of technobabble and a maximum of hardware smarts and software savvy.

Find out what lurks inside a PC and sort your way through chips, cards, cables, and connections The Dummies Way™. You don't have to be a geek to get the most bang for your computing buck PC's For Dummies,  is the ideal reference for first-time PC users. From putting your PC together to finding quick answers and sage advice on installing new hardware and software, surfing the Internet and sending e-mail, or troubleshooting your PC problems, you can feel confident-and get your work done-in no time at all.

About this title

About the Author

Dan Gookin got started with computers back in the post slide rule age of computing: 1982. His first intention was to buy a computer to replace his aged and constantly breaking typewriter. Working as slave labor in a restaurant, however, Gookin was unable to afford the full "word processor" setup and settled on a computer that had a monitor, keyboard, and little else. Soon his writing career was under way with several submissions to (and lots of rejections from) fiction magazines.

The big break came in 1984 when he began writing about computers. Applying his flair for fiction with a self-taught knowledge of computers, Gookin was able to demystify the subject and explain technology in a relaxed and understandable voice. He even dared to add humor, which eventually won him a column in a local computer magazine.

Eventually, Gookin's talents came to roost as he became a ghostwriter at a computer book publishing house. That was followed by an editing position at a San Diego computer magazine, at which time he also regularly participated in a radio talk show about computers. In addition, Gookin kept writing books about computers, some of which became minor best-sellers.

In 1990, Gookin came to IDG Books Worldwide, Inc., with a book proposal. From that initial meeting unfolded an idea for an outrageous book: a long overdue and original idea for the computer book for the rest of us. What became DOS For Dummies® blossomed into an international bestseller with hundreds and thousands of copies in print and many foreign translations.

Today, Gookin still considers himself a writer and computer "guru" whose job it is to remind everyone that computers are not to be taken too seriously. His approach to computers is light and humorous yet very informative. He knows that the complex beasts are important and can help people become productive and successful. Yet Gookin mixes his knowledge of computers with a unique, dry sense of humor that keeps everyone informed -- and awake. His favorite quote is, "Computers are a notoriously dull subject, but that doesn't mean I have to write about them that way."

Gookin's titles for IDG Books include: DOS For Dummies®, Windows® 95 Edition; PCs For Dummies®, 6th Edition; and Discovering Windows® 95. Gookin holds a degree in Communications from the University of California, San Diego, and lives with his wife and four boys in the rare and gentle woods of Idaho.

Edition details

• Publisher: For Dummies
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0764505947
• ISBN 13: 9780764505942
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 456