Book Review

Teach Yourself Computer Basics in 24 Hours

By Mike Oliveira, Cyberwalker Media Syndicate

A small business can survive without using a computer, but eventually will purchase one out of necessity. It can be an intimidating task. All sorts of questions arise. How much will it cost? How does it work? What does it do? Can I break it?

Teach Yourself Computer Basics in 24 Hours dispels those fears with 24 one-hour lessons that guide a beginner through the basic functions of a computer -- although PC Basics may have been a more appropriate title, however, since it ignores the Macintosh.

The book does cover all the bases for a personal computer running Windows 98, answering obvious questions and covering small, but important, things that are often overlooked.

Not only are tasks like virus scanning and hard-drive defragmenting covered, lots of space is given to screen savers, desktop schemes and downloading games from the Internet. They may not be essentials in computing, but they're things new computer users want to know about and their inclusion is a big plus.

No section is examined at great length. This isn't an oversight, the book is aimed at the first-time computer user. Instead of overwhelming you with information, Teach Yourself Computer Basics in 24 Hours explains enough to get you started, with enough background that encourages experimentation without fear of doing something wrong. The lessons include exercises that encourage fun, instead of making you feel like you should be memorizing everything.

For example, some people don't know how to use a mouse. You may be one of them. Instead of ignoring the lowest common denominator or talking down to the inexperienced, the first lesson makes the small hurdle fun. You learn to use the mouse by playing Solitaire.

Essentially, the book is also several short books in one; almost like a collection of first chapters from the SAMS line of computer books. After the generalities of computing are covered, chapters are devoted to the basics of the Word 2000 word processing suite, the Excel 2000 spreadsheet program, the Internet Explorer 5 Web browser, Microsoft's

Outlook Express email and organizer program and even Web page design. Again, the lessons are not incredibly in depth, but provide you with an encouraging start. This book really does cover all the bases when it comes to using a personal computer.

Reviewer's rating: 4.5 / 5
Comments: SAMS Teach Yourself Computer Basics in 24 Hours is a great study aid for the first-time personal computer user. It will teach you what you really want and need to know. Chapters are sometimes brief but provide enough information to get started. Macintosh users should look elsewhere, however.

Title: Teach Yourself Computer Basics in 24 Hours
Author: Jill T. Freeze
Publisher: SAMS (div. Of Macmillan Computer Publishing)
ISBN: 0672318016
Price: $19.99 US, $29.95 Canadian