Windows 95 Secrets

Depending on your temperament, one of the best things about complex, feature-rich software like Windows 95 is that there's always something new to discover -- a new capability, a new shortcut key combination, or a new way to customize your desktop. On the other hand, no matter your temperament, one of the worst things about complex, feature-rich software is that there are plenty of things to go wrong, plenty of things to stymie even the savvyest of users.

Windows 95 SECRETS, 3rd Edition, has proven such a successful international bestseller because of the thorough, in-depth look it affords into the best and the worst of Windows 95. To produce this indispensable, exhaustive reference, Windows experts Brian Livingston and Davis Straub spent more than 18 months taking the operating system apart, going where Microsoft's official documentation fears to tread. Here you'll discover essential and sometimes useless but fun secrets, including how to… Customize Windows 95 desktop settings, filenames, fonts, icons, and links to suit the way you like to work Share information around your office -- and the whole world -- with Windows 95's built-in dial-up networking, faxing, and connections to online services, the Internet, and the World Wide Web Configure the way Windows 95 uses your PC's RAM, so that greedy Windows and DOS applications run smoothly Set up your hardware and peripherals to eliminate conflicts and add new plug-and-play devices such as CD-ROM drives, modems, and sound cards quickly and without a lot of hassle

Plus, Windows 95 SECRETS includes a bonus CD-ROM containing the world's best collection of freeware and shareware. You get over 200 programs, including… Desktop Publishing Programs for better-looking publications, ads, and other documents Database Managers to keep your addresses, phone numbers, and other information in order Font Managers and Dingbats to manage your font collection and give your documents that professional look Video Players to let you run movies right on your own PC Arcade Games with video-like speed and action Word Games to puzzle your mind and sharpen your vocabulary Card Games that pit you against the top card sharks Word Processors and Text Editors to help you write, spell-check, mail-merge, and print letters, labels, envelopes, and everything else Power Launchers that set off any activity you desire, at any time of the day or night, automatically Installer and Uninstaller Software to create your own setup routines and get rid of old, unwanted programs File Managers that surpass even the new long filenames allowed by Windows 95 Network Tools to give the look and power of Windows to your whole network Spelling and Grammar Checkers that work for you regardless of whether your applications have these features Privacy Tools to help you "shred" documents and protect valuable information from hackers Zip and Unzip Utilities that let you compress or uncompress files you download from the Internet Hex Editors that get you under the hood of applications so that you can tweak things beyond what the application officially allows

Windows 95 Secrets is the definitive book of definitive books. Most computing titles aspire to be the one indispensable resource for their subject; Brian Livingston has managed all of this for the Windows user in one comprehensive package that combines tips, tricks, secrets, solutions, shortcuts--name your productivity gadget and it's here--in one encyclopedic guide.

You'll find productivity enhancements and timesaving shortcuts aplenty. You'll also find lucid, step-by-step instructions on customizing every nook and cranny of Windows 95. This book is an excellent choice for raising your power-user quotient and for bending Windows 95 to your will, at last. But it's also sufficient as a guide to most routine tasks you need to know in order to get Windows to behave. In it, for example, you'll find the mysteries of the System Registry explained in comprehensive detail. There are also many hints for improving system performance, troubleshooting common problems, automating routine operations, and lowering your blood pressure when confronting the common annoyances that are built into the operating system at no extra cost to you, the end user. If you're running Windows 95, this is an excellent choice for one does-it-all desk reference on the subject.