HOW TO DO JUST ABOUT ANYTHING ON A COMPUTER

Explains how to customize a desktop, get connected to the Internet, design letterhead, create a newsletter, illustrate documents, manage finances, maximize Windows, and troubleshoot hardware and software problems.

Published under the aegis of Reader's Digest magazine, How to Do Just About Anything on Your Computer is a beautifully designed and printed hardback book that teaches computer novices what they need to know in order to use personal computers for household management, social events, and basic Internet communications. Oriented exclusively toward Microsoft Windows 98, this book assumes absolutely no knowledge of computer technology on the part of its reader. Case in point: There is a photograph of a computer keyboard with almost everything labeled, including the space bar and the ENTER key.

It's probably inappropriate that the authors chose CompuServe's e-mail services as their sole example of Internet mail--it's not typical, and more people will need to know how to use Outlook Express. The same goes for Web browsing. Despite these troubles, this book distinguishes itself with its carefully illustrated procedures for such common home-computing tasks as creating party invitations (with Microsoft Word) and helping kids do research for school. Well-written, paragraph-length labels clarify the contents of full-color photos and drawings. Some advice is a bit weird--you'd be hard-pressed to make a kitchen floor plan in Word, as this book recommends--but it's enough to get you started in home computing with Windows. --David Wall

Topics covered: Microsoft Windows 98 and programs that run under it, for home users with very little prior knowledge of computing. Readers find out about basic computer parts (such as the keyboard and the mouse) and learn how to use them, then see how they can use Windows software to perform useful tasks, such as creating a family budget and monitoring health records.