Solved Windows 7 user guide comparison

[ghughes]

I am a new Windows 7 user and would welcome your comments as to what user guide would be of service, e.g., Windows 7 QuickSteps by Matthews, Windows 7 for dummies by Andy Rathbone, etc.Thanks in advance for your suggestions,Grover Hughes

 

[jacksunny]

I never read a user guide as I usually figure out how to work things pretty quick but the dummies books are usually pretty good. You might want to make a google search for Windows 7 Book Reviews.

 

[Brink]

Hello Hughes,

The Tutorials sections here could be great at helping you learn more about Windows 7. Plus, posting any question that you may have about Windows 7 in the forums section will usually get you an answer to your question soon.

 

[Carolyn]

The tutorialS posted on this forum offer a wealth of information
Tutorials - Windows 7 Forums

 

[seavixen32]

You'll learn more from the great tutorials here than you will from any book.

The sheer volume of practical knowledge in them is awesome.

 

[pparks1]

The advantage for me with books is that there is always stuff in them which I never would have searched for online..perhaps I didn't know it existed, perhaps I would have found it boring, etc. But if it's in the book and I'm reading the book, I'll at least read it over and might pick up a few useful tidbits.

 

[mborner]

Windows 7, the missing manual, by David Pogue.

 

[SIW2]

It's tricky - there aren't many books that are a huge amount of use to someone who has used windows before and just wants a bit more knowledge.

They tend to be very large and expensive specialist tomes - or lots of big pictures saying click this then click that.
.

 

[DeaconFrost]

You shouldn't need a book to learn Windows 7. The best way to do so is to roll up your sleeves and get dirty, meaning install it and play around. You can get 30 days (up to 120) without even putting in a license key, so play around with it as much as you want. Once you are done "playing", install it again clean, and then activate it with your key.

 

[gini]

The advantage for me with books is that there is always stuff in them which I never would have searched for online..perhaps I didn't know it existed, perhaps I would have found it boring, etc. But if it's in the book and I'm reading the book, I'll at least read it over and might pick up a few useful tidbits.

I'm another of the dying breed of manual readers, and browsing through a book often steers me in directions I would not have thought to explore. That being said, I find I am relying more and more on online help, especially for problem-solving, where the information is often more up to date than written material. Browsing user boards is a lot like scanning the manuals, too, and leads to new knowledge about all facets of the OS.

Bottom line, both methods work to educate and can go hand-in-hand. David Pogue's "missing manual" book and the Dummies offering are both good reference choices. Go to a local book store and page through the Windows 7 section. See which books are right for your level of experience.

 

[Carolyn]

There is a very basic set of tutorials published by Microsoft for new Windows 7 Users:
Getting started with Windows 7 - Help & How-to - Microsoft Windows

 

[Layback Bear]

Okay everybody is correct. Any place or method of learning is great. I use books, videos, and of course right here on this form. What I do like about books is that when I make a change as suggested in a book, I can make a note in the margin and go back to it if needed.

 

[SIW2]

Exactly.

Books are great.

Can be carried around easily - glanced at in odd momets on the train , waiting for a train ( a popular British pastime - miilions of man hours spent doing it ), etc.

These kindle type things have their place - but real books are always best.

 

[Buddahfan]

Besides the Tutorials one can always go to Amazon and search "books" "Windows 7"

 

[Imperfect1]

I agree with using ALL sources to learn something, and I am also a die hard "how-to" manual user. Here are some suggestions: For me, the BEST source is always the manufacturer's own manual, so my first choice is to obtain any information about Windows 7 from Microsoft itself.

1. Windows 7 Secrets by Paul Thurrott - Windows 7 Secrets - Paul Thurrott – Amazon.com
2. Within Windows | John Mueller's Professional Windows 7 Development
3. Windows 7: The Missing Manual - David Pogue – Amazon.com
4. Windows® 7 Inside Out by Ed Bott

Plus, an on-line source of help from Microsoft - “Windows 7 Product Guide” – Download here

 

[TheReaper]

There are tons of useful info right here on SevenForums, which is more than you can find in any 1 book.

 

[Golden]

As many have already said, the tutorials on this site contain a vast wealth of how-to by many experienced users. In addition, you can always post here if you need to query any items specific to the tutorials, or indeed anything related to Seven.

Regards,
Golden

 

[curtiswardwell]

I am reading the Missing Manual by David Pogue and so is our Netwoek Manager. Very good book.

 

[curtiswardwell]

Windows 7 Books

I am reding the Missing Manual by David Pogue and so is our Network Manager. Very good book

 

[Imperfect1]

There are tons of useful info right here on SevenForums, which is more than you can find in any 1 book.

Yes, of course there's plenty of available information here, and on other sources on-line. But sometimes you just want to look up something in a BOOK, perhaps to add your own notes to the information or highlight important text, etc. -- all things that are much harder to do when you've downloaded a file that may or may not be editable.

And sometimes you want to read this information when you're not in front of any computer --- so you need a hard-copy of the information, for example, in a BOOK.