The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group Windows XP: Fixing and Learning Major Keary |
WinXP Annoyances
Regardless of whether you are a WinXP novice, an expert user, someone who teaches it, or you man
a help desk, Windows XP Annoyances is a essential resource. O'Reilly's Windows .... Annoyances
series has been very well received since the first title on Win95 appeared. Books in the series carry the
picture of a member of the toad family; this one shows a female Surinam toad with young toads hatching out
from her back where the eggs were buried in the softened skin. A fitting emblem.
The series is the best Windows troubleshooting tool you are likely to find. The author, David Karp, makes
no bones about the annoying 'features' of the Windows operating systems, but instead of "slipping into the
mind-numbing abyss of acquiescence", or ranting about MS, he has done something about it. The book is not
a catalogue of complaints and criticisms, but a well-organised, practical discussion of "solutions that
enable you to both customise and troubleshoot Windows". Some annoyances are as simple as "the pompous
Microsoft Windows XP logo ."; MS seems to assume that every user loves to watch it while waiting for a
machine to boot. There is nothing in the (sparse) XP documentation about how to rid oneself of it, but
David Karp explains where the image is to be found and how to change it using a free utility that can be
downloaded from the his website.
The thing that impresses me is the depth of technical information and the lucid way in which it is presented.
Experts won't feel they are in the wading pool, and novices won't find themselves drowning in the technical
deep end.
Instead of listing problems, each with a possible solution, the author explains what various components of
the operating system do, and along the way discusses XP problems and how to resolve them.
For example, under a heading, What to do when Windows won't shut down, there are discussions of
power management issues, shortcut scripts, virtual memory problems, and other causes (antivirus software,
for example). Clear, concise instructions are provided for the various possibilities. A chapter deals with
the registry, and throughout the rest of the book there are detailed explanations of how to deal with
specific registry-related matters. There is also useful advice that goes beyond the XP operating system,
such as on fine-tuning and upgrading hardware components.
Regardless of your level of experience, if you are running WinXP-or are thinking of installing it-this book
is probably the best investment you can make. It has the potential to save many hours of frustration and
puts the user in charge. And it is a good read.
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David Karpin: Windows XP Annoyances ISBN 0-596-00416-8 Published by O'Reilly, 564 pp., RRP $69.95 incl. GST |
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Teach Yourself Visually Office XP
If you are one of those people who has acquired - or who has to use - a computer running WinXP, and
you want to get the better of Microsoft Office, here is an excellent teach-yourself aid that does
not require too much reading.
Teach Yourself Visually Office XP is from maranGraphics, which has been a leader in the use
of graphics to teach the use of computer applications. It is easy for this kind of presentation to degenerate
into something not much better than a comic book, but some publishers get it right-and that is what
maranGraphics has achieved. The only assumption is that you have a computer running
WinXP, that Office XP has been installed, and that you know how to turn the machine on.
From there on the visual presentation will show you how to use Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access,
Outlook, speech recognition, and Internet services. The book uses a combination of annotated screen
shots and graphical representations of various tasks. For many users this may the only resource they will
need; it lends itself to use as an ongoing reference for those "how do I do
... " occasions when one has forgotten the steps.
Not a book for power users, but it is an easy way of learning for around 80 per cent of users who want to
do the things that make up about 80 per cent of all tasks in Office.
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Ruth Maran: Teach Yourself Visually Office XP ISBN 0-7645-0854-7 Published by Hungry Minds/maranGraphics, 399 pp., RRP $54.95 incl. GST |
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Windows XP Professional
The professional edition of WinXP is the one installed by most business and corporate users that rely
on Windows. When a prospective employer requires a knowledge of Windows it is likely that means more than
a passing acquaintance with the professional edition.
Windows Professional XP, a textbook in EMCParadigm's Benchmark Series, is designed for classroom
courses or distance-learning and comes in two versions.
The full version is spiral bound to enable ease of use; it is frustrating to have a course text with a
mind of its own as to where it will stay open, especially on a desk with limited space.
The 'brief edition' is identical in content up to a certain point. Being half the size of the full
version, conventional binding allows it to lay reasonably flat at an opening.
The common part of the two versions is an introduction to WinXP that makes no assumptions other
than knowing how to turn on the machine. From there everything, including how to use a mouse, is fully
explained. The first chapter, Navigating Windows XP, introduces the student to the fundamentals of using
Windows XP, including logging on and off, and working in a multiple-user environment. The next chapter
deals with customising the system; it explains how to use display options, change date/time formats, and
how to place task bars and get them to do what you want them to do. The lessons then move on to file
management basics; using help files; working with applications (how to open and close them, make new
files, and so on); use
Internet Explorer; and use Outlook Express. These are the things that might be described
as the least you need to know and include how to communicate with other users on the same system.
The material is well presented with clear step-by-step instructions supported by screen shots. The
language is clear and concise, and includes comments and suggestions that help the new user to understand
how to work in harmony with others who share common resources. A comprehensive table of contents and detailed
index make information easy to find.
Each chapter has a summary of the material presented, a review of the commands used, a concept check in
the form of self-test questions, and a skills check-a number of 'assessment' exercises that are
designed to be submitted to the instructor. As the lessons move past the elementary stage students
are required to work on files downloaded from a support website, which has supplementary material and
notes for both students and instructors.
The 'brief edition' suits courses designed to teach the basic skills required to use Windows XP
Professional effectively. It could be used for self-teaching, but is designed specifically for
instructor-led tuition.
The first half of the full version is identical in all respects to the content of the 'brief edition';
it then moves on to advanced topics that expand on the earlier basic lessons and includes chapters on
WordPad, Paint, and "working with multimedia and graphics". Other chapters contain more detailed
coverage in respect of customisation, software and hardware installation, and system maintenance. The last
two chapters, "conferencing and mobile computing" and "sharing information on a network", are particularly
important in the context of using XP in a corporate environment.
If you have anything to do with training, these two well-designed texts are worth examining as course
material. The provision of 'live' files on a support website adds to their usefulness.
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C. Norman Hollingsworth et al.: Microsoft Windows Professional XP (full edition) ISBN 0-7638-1600-0 Published by EMCParadigm, 653 pp. A4 spiral bound, RRP $105.05 incl. GST |
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C. Norman Hollingsworth et al.: Microsoft Windows Professional XP (brief edition) ISBN 0-7638-1603-5 Published by EMCParadigm, 320 pp., RRP $81.95 incl. GST. |
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Reprinted from the February 2003 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
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