The Mother of All Windows 98 Books: Amazon.co.uk: Woody Leonhard, Barry Simon: Books

Amazon.co.uk Review

Microsoft Windows has always been complicated, and the latest version of this top- selling consumer operating system ranks as the most bewildering to date. While the upgrade is very powerful, most users don't know what Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) is or how to use adjustable font tracking. Woody Leonhard and Barry Simon--experienced Windows professionals who write for respected industry magazines--explain these things and more in the thorough and often hilarious The Mother of All Windows 98 Books.

This omnibus Windows 98 how-to book documents the entire operating system, explaining everything from how to double-click to how to pull off the coolest hacks by editing the Registry. Along the way, the authors give advice on installing the software properly, getting DOS applications to work right, tweaking multimedia, and much more.

Like any good how-to book, this one doesn't take itself too seriously. Its fact-dense pages feature comic relief in the form of cartoon characters--including a caricature of Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates--spouting geek wit. The Mother of All Windows 98 Books is a pleasure to read and extraordinarily informative to boot. --David Wall, Amazon.com

Product Description

In this irreverent sequel to the bestselling The Mother of All Windows 95 Books, the irascible and irrepressible Mom and her loyal sidekicks return to give you the inside track on Windows 98. With a wacky sense of humor and in-depth insider knowledge, The Mother of All Windows 98 Books (a.k.a. MOM98) goes right to the heart of what you need to know to become a Win98 power user. MOM98 illustrates how--and more important, why--things work (or don't work) enabling even novices to quickly become wizards with Win98. Written in plain language (so even your Mom can understand it) MOM98 is packed with insight, unique tips, and shortcuts so you can customize and fine-tune Win98 to get the maximum benefit of this powerful new operating system. MOM98 isn't just another Win98 book; no way! Mom serves up a hearty helping of features and coverage for your benefit. Here's some samples of Mom's work: *Describes how Windows 98 really works, not how it's supposed to work *Includes a "fast track" chapter to get experienced Windows 95 users rapidly up-to-speed *Reveals what works, what doesn't, and how to work around the obstacles (this coverage is worth the price of the book alone!) *Explains all of Win98's snazziest features: the Update Manager, Multilink Channel Aggregation, Virtual Private Networking, FAT32, Win32 Driver Model, DirectX 5.0, The Tune-Up Wizard, HTML Help, VBScript, control panel applets, and more *Covers the Windows 98 Registry in depth *Based entirely on the final "shrink-wrapped" version of Windows 98; no beta stuff in here And, MOM98 has a comprehensive supporting Web site, that is updated regularly to give you the latest work-arounds as inherent bugs emerge. MOM98 offers you the most on the market--a comprehensive reference and timely updates when you need them. Reviews from previous MOM books: "Witty, idiosyncratic, sometimes cranky, and often corny, the book captures the feeling of a Windows expert sitting at your elbow, chatting away, listening to your complaints, agreeing, offering solutions."--Jim Seymour, PC Magazine "An exceptional value...written in a style that is at once irreverent, witty and, well, strange."--Brit Hume and T.R. Reid, The Washington Post 0201433125B04062001

See all Product Description

Users' Guide: relaxing and moderately entertaining read 18 Jun 1999

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

The text is written in a pleasant format punctuated with relevant comments. The topic is Windows 98 from an end-user view point: it is a cross between "Popular Computing" and Cisco & Ebert. Even the frequent characterizations of Bill Gates ("Billie") and the two short, heavy-set guys (Leonhard & Simon) are tasteful and instructive.

If you want to learn about using Microsoft Windows 98 with some good inside tricks, this text is a good beginning.

If you want to know the API function calls to write programs for Windows 98, you won't find what you need here. In fact, the book reads so nicely that you will probably need to fight to keep focused on your work, instead of propping your feet up on your desk and enjoying this light read.

Comment |

Was this review helpful to you?

Yes

Truly the 'Mother' of all Win 98 books!!!!! 10 Mar 1999

This is a book to be read from cover-to-cover. The authors' unique writing style (you love it or hate it) made reading this book a pleasure for me.

There is no doubt in my mind that Barry and Woody collectively know more about the ins and outs of Win98 than anyone outside (and probably more than many inside) of Redmond.

If you want to know Win 98 BUY THIS BOOK! and then READ IT from cover to cover. Twice.

This book sorely needs a good index. 4 Feb 1999

You buy an 800-page book on Windows 98. Then you cannot find the specific topic you are looking for. Arrrrgggghhh!!! This book needs a solid index or an accompanying cd that allows you to search for specific topics. This book is not nearly as useful as it could be.

Save the day - keep it next to your computer

I needed to resolve a problem that resulted from a setup program that crashed. I couldn't uninstall. Reinstall did not resolve the problem. Read more

Published on 27 Dec 1998

GREAT CONTENT AND STYLE - VERY INTERESTING AND INFORMATIVE!

I love the presentation of the material. The authors are obviously very knowledgeable about Windows 98 and PC's in general, but they present their ideas in a readable fashion. Read more

Published on 21 Dec 1998

Jokey & tech-ey but loaded with unique detailed info

I bought this book after installing Win98 to solve problems and get expert advice about customization, and it delivered. Read more

Published on 20 Dec 1998

Great Reference, and also fun to read!

The Mother of All Windows '98 Books is a great reference. It answered most of my questions, including where to find and install Microsoft Fax (it's hidden deep in the CD). Read more

Published on 16 Dec 1998

Get this book!!!

I can't rave enough about this book. I have both this and Brian Livingston's Windows 98 Secrets. Now I have been a follower of Brian for years and am NOT knocking him but Woody... Read more

Published on 14 Dec 1998

The best book on tips and tricks of Windows 98

This book is the best resource I have been able to find on Windows 98. I have been a fan of the "Mother of all... Read more

Published on 8 Dec 1998

MOM does it again!!

I bought and read "The Mother of All Windows" when I bought my first PC with Windows 3.1. I bought and read "The Mother of All Windows 95" the day it came... Read more

Published on 5 Dec 1998

This book is an excellent resource *and* fun to read!

I've been a subscriber to Woody's Office Watch for almost a year, and eagerly anticipated the appearance of MOM '98, especially once I upgraded to a machine with Windows '98. Read more

Not having this book = using Win98 w/no monitor

Hey you need to buy this book, you need to read this book, then you need to read it again. I am a MCP for Win95 and have a pretty good handle of win98 after all the Beta abuse i... Read more

Published on 4 Dec 1998

The Mother of All Windows 98 Books [Paperback]

Product details

More About the Author

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

Product Description

Tag this product

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

Customer Reviews

Customer Discussions

Start a new discussion

Listmania!

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject

Feedback