Windows XP For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Windows XP For Dummies, 2nd Edition
by Andy Rathbone

Windows XP For Dummies, 2nd Edition
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Book Summary Information

Author: Andy Rathbone
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2004-10-08
ISBN: 0764573268
Number of pages: 432
Publisher: For Dummies
Product features:
  • ISBN13: 9780764573262
  • Condition: New
  • Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!

Book Reviews of Windows XP For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Book Review: Windows Sharp
Summary: 4 Stars

These days, so many people really don't have the slightest idea of knowing how to sincerely operate a computer. With all the hype over which to choose from, there is always one thing they all have in common, the operating system. Most computers today that are being released, are geared towards the Windows XP operating systems, XP Professional, Home edition, and the widely released Media Center editions. Nevertheless, with all the hype of Windows upcoming operating system the Vista, many are looking to buy a computer just to upgrade to the next level. But, if you can't even place your fingers on the button.

Windows XP For Dummies is a very detailed, and diverse guide which mainly focuses on the Home and Professional editions. The book gives a lot in each simple way to operate each part of the operating system from how to configure the taskbars to either the traditional taskbar menus, or the contemporary, sleek Windows XP menu. The book gives tips on how to use each main part of the operating system from the Windows Media Player 10th edition, to knowing how you can simply copy your media onto a blank disc or DVD recordable disc. The book gives detailed words on how to maintain and use each part of the operating system with todbits for anybody who gets stuck in a rough problem. For example, if you find that the computer freezes up, you can simply hold the power button down for a few seconds, and it will manually shut down. You'll also know how to make the backwards compatabilty from programs from previous versions of Windows like 98 or Millenium editions, for efficency on the XP edition where there would be problems.

All in all, I just wish this edition could've done a better job at focusing on the Media Center editons of Windows XP, and gave a few more charts about each part of the operating system. Nevertheless, the Windows XP for Dummies is a still a great buy for any new computer owner. I really am learning a whole lot with this great book, and if you're into a new computer, this is a must buy for you.

Price: B+

Convience: B

Charts: B

Convience: B 1/2-

Overall: B

Summary of Windows XP For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Windows is the world?s most popular operating system, and Windows For Dummies is the bestselling computer book ever. When you look at Windows XP For Dummies, 2nd Edition, it?s easy to see why. Here?s all the stuff you want to know, served up in plain English and seasoned with a few chuckles. But make no mistake, this book means business.

Author Andy Rathbone listened to what you wanted to know, and this edition is loaded with additional information about

  • E-mail, faxing, and troubleshooting
  • Maximizing security features
  • Customizing and upgrading Windows XP
  • Multimedia applications?CDs, digital music and photos, video, and more
  • Answers to questions asked by thousands of Windows users

If you?re just getting started with Windows XP, you?ll find Windows XP For Dummies, 2nd Edition is a lot easier than trying to get the fourth-grader next door to explain it to you. (Andy Rathbone is a lot more patient.) There?s a whole section devoted to ?Windows XP Stuff Everybody Thinks You Already Know,? so you can get the hang of the basics quickly and in the privacy of your own home. And if you?ve been around a couple of generations of Windows, you?ll be especially interested in how to squeeze maximum security from the beefed-up anti-spam and firewall features in Service Pack 2.

Windows XP For Dummies, 2nd Edition is sort of like a buffet?you can sample everything, or just stick with the stuff you know you like. You?ll find out how to

  • Locate programs and files, organize your information, and fax, scan, or print documents
  • Get online safely, send and receive e-mail, work with Internet Explorer?s security toolbar, and steer clear of pop-ups, viruses, and spam
  • Make Windows XP work the way you want it to, share your computer while maintaining your privacy, set up a network, and perform routine maintenance
  • Transfer and organize pictures from your digital camera, edit digital video, and create custom CDs of your favorite tunes
  • Use Windows XP?s troubleshooting wizards and become your own computer doctor

With its task-oriented table of contents and tear-out cheat sheet, Windows XP For Dummies, 2nd Edition is easy to use. You can quickly find what you want to know, and you just may discover that this book is as important to your computer as the power cord.


Windows XP for Dummies does a good job in its role as the flagship of the Dummies line, providing Windows novices with a guided introduction to Microsoft's latest and most feature-rich operating system for everyday computer users. Its treatment of computer, Windows, and Internet fundamentals is among the best on the market, and author Andy Rathbone has an appealing way of writing that's simultaneously fun and detail-rich. If you're a Windows novice--meaning you don't know how to undelete a file that's been sent to the Recycle Bin, or what a Web browser is, or what it means to "cut and paste" text--you will get a lot out of Rathbone's work.

Some aspects of this book could be better, such as the part of the networking chapter that calls for an Ethernet hub without noting that a switch, though possibly more expensive, would do the job better, without any additional hassle. The networking coverage also does an inadequate job of explaining how to share a cable modem or DSL connection among several computers. This is a serious shortcoming, and we're getting to the point in our evolution as a society of computer users at which we can assume that everyone knows what the "Cancel" button does and would rather read about the newer, more exciting things that Windows XP can do. Even the dummies aren't that dumb anymore.

But that said--and Rathbone does confine a lot of the really elementary stuff to a skinny introductory chapter--this book is a boon to people who aren't familiar with Windows XP or its immediate predecessors (including Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows Me). It's also great for people who have learned a little about Windows on the job or from their kids, and want to expand on what they know. --David Wall

Topics covered: Microsoft Windows XP for people completely unfamiliar with the operating system and other recent versions of Windows. Coverage includes how to run programs, move and delete files, connect to the Internet, and use applications like electronic mail programs, Web browsers, and multimedia players.

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