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PCs For Dummies® [Kindle Edition]

Dan Gookin (Author)

4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews) |

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Length: 413 pages
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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

Explaining the fundamentals of personal computing to those who would rather read words than look at pictures, PCs for Dummies tells you everything you need to know in order to use an IBM-compatible PC running Windows 98. Dan Gookin's prose is technically astute and fun to read.

This isn't the book for you if you're looking through a computer catalogue and wondering what all the jargon means (Buying a Computer for Dummies covers that). Rather, this book will help you when you've got the machine into your home and you need to know what to do next. Starting with the process of unpacking the box and plugging in all the cables, this book shows you what to do with your new machine.

After assembly is out of the way, Gookin shows you how to get around in Windows 98 (and Windows 95, which is almost identical). He explains concepts like files, directories, and applications, and frequently explains the exact procedures involved in common tasks like adjusting screen resolution. Once you've heard all about the basics, Gookin goes on to explain modem configuration, printer problems, productivity software, and a fair amount about Internet use. --David Wall, Amazon.com

Review

"Easy and entertaining...explains computer terms and walks you through the more complicated aspects of computer life." —New York Daily News

“…I would implore any elderly person thinking about getting a computer to go and get one…” (Teesside Evening Gazette, 19 May 2003)

“…excellent and fun to read…” (Mourne Observer & County Down News, 23 July 2003)

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Product details

Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 8660 KB
Print Length: 413 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0470137282
Publisher: For Dummies; 11 edition (22 Oct 2007)
Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
Language English
ASIN: B000XUBD0S
Text-to-Speech: Enabled

Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)

Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #451,746 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

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Dan Gookin

Andy Rathbone

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Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful

The Best Introduction to Computers You Could Have 21 July 2002

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

If you're a complete beginner or, like me, you have a just a small amount of knowledge and experience of computers then I don't see that you could find a better guide book than this one. I would strongly recommend it especially to people who have got a computer for the first time and find the whole business of what you can and can't do on it bewildering. The author has a degree in communications and it shows. Every aspect of using a computer is dealt with in turn and explained in a very effective way that gets the meaning across without being technical.

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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

Brilliant for absolute beginners 12 Aug 2001

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

I bought this book just over two years ago when I bought my first ever computer. At that point I knew absolutely nothing about PC's. I'm embarrassed to say I didn't even know how to switch it on. This book is brilliant if you're a complete novice, as it starts off from ground zero, by assuming the reader knows nothing at all. It is written in a very easy to understand logical way. The author's wry sense of humour is never far away, causing me to burst out laughing every so often. You are taken by the hand and guided through all the basics you'll need to get you up and running, and totally familiar with your PC. I thoroughly recommend this book to anyone, particularly people a bit frightened of computers who have just bought their first one.

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

What's a Start Menu...............!? 27 Dec 2007

By GeekZilla TOP 50 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

The first thing you notice bout this book - is that it is funny. But after a while it starts to get a bit annoying as the book seems more like it's `trying' to be funny than actually being funny.

Anyway - I am pretty good with PCs (messed around with them for years) and decided to flick through this book that my mum-in-law has recently acquired.

It does a good job of separating the technobabble from the technology and gives good steady walkthroughs of what it deems to be the essentials. I'm sure though that everyone has their own idea of what is `the essentials' and so the book may never satisfy everyone.

The good thing about the non-reliance on techno-speak is that the book doesn't date too badly. I've seen an old edition of this book (2001 edition) and it is still pretty relevant today. It gives an example of a fast PC with 256MB of RAM which is laughable these days - but the book is still handy.

It isn't just the software side of things either that this book tackles - it deals with adjusting your monitor settings, what the various ports on your PC are for, what various components do. I'm not a massive Windows user myself, but the author explains at the beginning of the book that this covers only PCs running Windows based operating systems.

In a nutshell - This is a brilliant book for a PC novice. It doesn't make the reader feel daunted, and it should help inspire confidence. It is funny (even if it does grate after a while!), and even if you can only get your hands on a copy of an old edition - much of the information will still be relevant (unless you are using the ultimate PC slower-upper: Vista! In which case you'll probably need a more recent version as the others may only cover up to XP).

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

oppinion

i first bought a copy of this book a few years ago when i bought my firs pc i went from sinclair to a cusyom built desktop this book was a grat help to me i only bought this newer... Read more

Published on 11 July 2009 by G. A. Saunders

Ideal for Novices.

After purchasing this book, and its companion "Laptops For Dummies", I went ahead and purchased my first Computer -- a Laptop. Read more

Published on 2 May 2009 by T. Robinson

No nightmare for Novices

Being a relative novice to PCs and the internet I found this book very helpful in answering the questions I might otherwise find quite daunting. Read more

Published on 9 April 2009 by Mr. R. J. Kirk

Don't even think about buying this book

My wife bought this book some years ago when we got our first PC as we're both pretty computer-illiterate (or were then). Read more

Published on 8 July 2008 by Mr. C. O. Jones

Maybe for dummies, but probably not for beginners

I bought this book for my mother who, with no prior experience of any kind, recently bought a computer. Read more

Published on 7 Jan 2003 by Steve Burrow

Author tries to be too funny

I thought the book was too complicated for beginners and too easy for novices. The author tries to be way too funny and sometimes it's hard to determine if he's kidding or not. Read more

Published on 26 Aug 1999

Great book to help you understand the basics.

As a novice, I really enjoyed this book. It lets you understand the basics and build your skills from this point. Read more

Published on 27 Jun 1999

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