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What’s the definition of a reference book? Well, I like to think of this
book as a snapshot. Sure, it’s a very heavy photograph, weighing in
at over 700 pages — but nevertheless, it captures the current state of
today’s PCs, including hardware, the most popular applications, and of
course, the latest and greatest incarnation of the Windows operating system
that we all cherish (in this case, Windows XP Home and Professional).
That covers a lot of ground, especially when you consider how the PC has
branched out into all sorts of new directions in the last few years. What
used to be primarily a simple word processing platform in the early days of
DOS has now become a hub for digital video and CD-quality audio, an optical
recording center, an Internet communications system, a digital darkroom,
a 3-D gaming console, an office productivity center . . . the list goes on
and on. Therefore, fitting the features and functionality of today’s PCs into a
single volume was a challenge for me — and it proved singularly rewarding
as well because PCs are both my career and my favorite hobby!
With that comprehensive approach in mind, this book still holds true to the
For Dummies format: step-by-step instructions on each major feature within
Windows XP, Microsoft Office, and other popular PC applications, with a
little personal opinion, my recommendations, and my attempts at humor
mixed in to add spice. I take the time to explain each topic for those who
have just entered the PC universe, but you’ll uncover plenty of advanced
information as well. With this book in hand, you can set up a wireless network,
navigate an Excel spreadsheet, diagnose hardware problems, and
even work magic with your digital camera.
I sincerely hope that you enjoy this book and that it will help open up the
countless possibilities offered by your PC. Thanks to the efforts of all those
software developers, engineers, and hardware manufacturers, you and I get
to play! |
