Windows Vista Secrets: SP1 Edition Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Somewhere inside these 645 pages is a terrific computer book desperate to get out.
Unfortunately, the useful tidbits are buried by the jargon, disjointed outline, and the wince-inducing writing. The authors say "functionality" instead of feature, "enabled" instead of On, and (I kid you not) "circular in nature" instead of "round."
But it's even worse that huge chunks of Windows Vista get no coverage at all! Here are a few topics that don't appear in the book, or at least the index: Scanning. Faxing. Flash drives. Monitors. Dial-up connections. Safe Mode. Hibernation. Filename extensions. Network projectors. ReadyBoost. Dynamic disks. Shadow Copy. Burning CDs or DVDs at the desktop. Problem reports. Driver rollback. Driver signing. Ease of Access Center.
And there's no information at all about Vista's amazing new speech recognition--only a passing reference in the Tablet PC chapter, even though it works on any Vista PC.
So if you get this book, you'll also need ANOTHER book if you want comprehensive coverage of Vista.
Meanwhile, huge swaths of the book are padded by pointless tables and listings. Do we really need *26 pages* of symbol-font printouts?
Or a half-page table that explains the difference between Small Icons, Medium Icons, Large Icons, and Extra Large Icons? (The table says that "Medium Icons are similar in style to Large Icons, but smaller." Wow, really!?)
There are lots of illustrations, but most are full-screen shots, shrunken down to to fit the page. The result is that you can't read any of the text in them.
The authors of this book clearly know a lot. But they should have been paired up with writers, editors, and indexers who could help them set that information free.

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Follows the highly successful first edition with over 25% more content, including extensive coverage of the latest update, Service Pack 1
Addresses a huge market of consumers eager to learn about hidden gems and secrets in Vista and SP1
Covers features that are not disclosed in Microsoft's books or help files
A highly connected and qualified author has gathered information from an extensive network of Windows beta testers and thousands of readers, as well as conducted his own experiments on the new OS
New chapters cover personalizing and configuring Vista, networking, Zune, Vista and ultra-mobile PCs, Windows Home Server, and many more new topics

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Computing for the Older and Wiser: Get Up and Running On Your Home PC (Older & Wiser) Review

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(More customer reviews)I received the book in perfect condition and promptly. The first day the book solved several problems I was having. Our computer friend who works with senior citizens wants to order some for her students. She thought it looked like just what they needed for basic and and more advanced. It is very visual and generally clear for me.

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Computing for the Older & Wiser is a simple-to-follow user friendly guide aimed at the older generation introducing the basics of mastering a computer. Covering the latest release of Windows Vista Home Premium(TM) and Windows XP(TM), this book is designed for people who want straightforward instructions on how to use their home PC.
Written in plain English, using no unintelligible 'computer speak' Adrian guides you step-by-step through the basics of computing including chapters on:
Use of the keyboard and mouse
Email and the Internet
Customising your desktop
Word processing
Digital photography
Useful websites
and much more

Useful tips and tricks and a question and answer revision section in each chapter will build your confidence, get you up-to-date and technologically savvy in no time!
If you want to learn how to search and shop online, email or chat to family and friends, and you have the enthusiasm to learn a new skill then this book is for you.
With explanatory screenshots in full colour
Easy to read font
Supplementary website - including additional exercises to help improve your PC skills, further online hints and tips, and a directory of useful resources. www.pcwisdom.co.uk

"Computing for the Older & Wiser will take readers comfortably through getting started on their home PC. The content is similar to what we would take our clients through if they were to attend a class, which is exactly the right level."—Faye Lester, Computer Training Coordinator, Age Concern Camden, UK
"I have not had so much fun for years"—Renee Moore, 79, pupil at Age Concern, Colchester, UK

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Windows Vista Tips and Tricks in Easy Steps Review

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(More customer reviews)Got a new laptop/tablet device the other day and I needed to know how configure and find things in the Vista OS. This book is perfect. No supertech stuff, no beginners filler, yet I think it covers just about everything. Exactly what I needed.

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Windows Vista can be extremely frustrating at times. Often, it will simply refuse to do simple tasks, or do things that it wasn't asked to do. Windows Vista Tips and Tricks in Easy Steps takes all the most common problems that users experience and addresses them in one easy-to-understand reference source. Want to get rid of those irritating Balloon Tips? Go back to 640 x 480 resolution, even though Microsoft officially eliminated that option? Speed up the Start menu? Shut down in one click instead of several? It's all here, as well as how to hide web-browsing tracks, turn off that cool AutoComplete feature (that remembers credit card numbers and will spit them out to whoever requests them), and keep passwords safe. The book also shows how to optimize the performance of a PC.

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Big Book of Windows Hacks Review

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(More customer reviews)§
Despite Microsoft's claims that their vaunted "focus groups" and client experience consultants have allowed them to offer us painless computing, you and the rest of the world know it isn't true. Waiting for Windows XP or Vista to boot up and shut down certainly are irritations in themselves worth a hack or two.
As you can imagine, this is a large book. That is not just the number of pages (650) but also the format -- of the fold-flat variety. This big book of hacks is easy to work with physically.
The editorial review on this page describes the contents well except that I would alter "contains more than 100 hacks" to "contains almost 200 hacks." Quite a difference.
The writing is clear and informed. I'm sure you have read many of Gralla's magazine contributions over the years. Be sure that the book is not all text. There are plenty of illustrations and even photos (for the hardware hacks) to guide you. The hacks themselves are directed at all versions of Windows, with the focus on XP and Vista.
Consider this book a compendium of all those tips you always rip out of your computer magazine subscriptions to save -- then lose track of. Here they are, all in one place, not easily lost given the size of this book!
§

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Bigger, better, and broader in scope, the Big Book of Windows Hacks gives you everything you need to get the most out of your Windows Vista or XP system, including its related applications and the hardware it runs on or connects to. Whether you want to tweak Vista's Aero interface, build customized sidebar gadgets and run them from a USB key, or hack the "unhackable" screensavers, you'll find quick and ingenious ways to bend these recalcitrant operating systems to your will.The Big Book of Windows Hacks focuses on Vista, the new bad boy on Microsoft's block, with hacks and workarounds that also work for Windows XP. You can read each hack in just a few minutes, saving countless hours of searching for the right answer. The step-by-step instructions let you apply the solutions in no time. This book takes you beyond the operating system with hacks for applications like Internet Explorer 7 and Office 2007, and hardware such as the Zune, your wireless router, and the PC itself. The Big Book of Windows Hacks includes:

Expanded tutorials, new background material, a series of "quick hacks", and informative sidebars
Security hacks, including protection at wireless hotspots, hacking Vista file permissions and user account protection, and more
Efficiency hacks, such as tweaking your PC hardware, troubleshooting hardware problems, and speeding up system performance
Fun hacks, like building a custom Media Center PC or turning a PC into a digital video recorder
"Beyond Windows" hacks for running Linux inside Vista, dual-booting Linux/Windows or XP/Vista, or emulate classic video games on your PC
In all, this remarkable book contains more than 100 hacks so that the power user in you never again needs to be at the mercy of systems and hardware run by Microsoft's omnipotent Vista and XP operating systems.

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Computing for Seniors in Easy Steps - Windows Vista Edition: For the Over 50's Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a great book for people with little computing experience , its easy to use just put it at the side of your computer and the pictures help you to do lots of things that you would probably not attempt .
This is my third book in this range and I find them all very good

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This easy-to-use, full-color book helps the older generation enjoy all the benefits of using a PC with Windows Vista. Featuring a larger font size and plenty of illustrations, the book covers the mouse, playing and storing music on PC, creating a personal letterhead, surfing the Web, keeping in touch by e-mail, buying and selling on eBay, installing antivirus software, shopping safely on the Internet, ordering groceries online, playing games, money management, transferring images from a digital camera, and more.

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