PC Annoyances

Rating:
Summary: Pc Annoyances revisited
Review: This book is a must for any PC user who runs within the WinTel PC environment. It has a treasure trove of useful information about working around Windows and Windows software problems/annoyances. Steve does not bore you with techno-babble but provides a clear, plain English explanation of the problem and the solution. You'll also appreciate the links Steve provides in the book for additional information as well as the utilities that can make computing life a lot easier.

I highly recommend the book for anyone who owns a PC. Just about every program or piece of hardware in your PC has its own quirks. Steve Bass clears up some of those mysteries as well as sheds some light on some of the funny things that have happened to him with PCs over the years. I am sure that you have experienced some of them also.

Steve's writing style makes reading the book very easy. He writes in very basic terms so that EVERYONE can read it and understand what he is saying. It is refreshing to read something that not have to read it again or do research to find out what he is trying to tell us. Steve does an excellent job in that.

Included in the book is a GREAT web site for getting additional tips on solving those annoying PC problems. Stop by http://www.oreilly.com/pcannoyances for some good tips on fixing these annoyances, a great set of utilities for solving those annoying problems as well as reading some of his whimsical responses to annoyances.

Steve Bass, as well as myself, have many of the same pet peeves when it comes to software installations and what the "big guys" do to "make our lives easier". We BOTH HATE the cute little icons that the software plasters in the lower right corner of your desktop TaskBar. Those icons look so cute on the TaskBar but they rob your system of precious resources. Why in the world do you ever need them sitting there? Could it be that you really need the extra 2 seconds you save for the application to load? Could it be that you like cute little icons sitting on the TaskBar? Could it be that they do not have a clue on what they are doing to people or don't care? I think a lot of people including Steve Bass and myself vote for the later. J

Got an annoyance you want to introduce to the world or just vent about? Drop Steve a line at [e-mail] and let him know what annoys you about your PC. He might even include it in this list of PC Annoyances.

Rating:
Summary: Tips and Tickles for Computer Users of All Levels
Review: This is a wonderful, easy-to-understand resource for solving many computer problems. Liberally peppered with Steve's unique and self-deprecating humor (will he ever be allowed near his wife's computer again?), PC Annoyances is entertaining as well as informative. From simple software tips to more complex Windows resolutions, Steve has provided an abundance of tricks and solutions for computer users of all levels. I couldn't believe how many dog-eared pages I ended up with after reading the book. It now occupies a prime spot next to my computer within easy reach.

Rating:
Summary: PC Annoyances
Review: This slender but jam packed book by Steve Bass, contributing editor of PC World magazine, will delight and inform the reader. Anyone with a grievance against some niggling "feature" that they revisit daily on their Windows OS, email, browser, Office app or PC hardware will most likely find a solution within these covers.
Steve Bass has compiled a nifty collection of tips, tricks and downright (not so) dirty registry hacks to eliminate many of the day to day annoyances that PC users face. For such a slim volume, the number of usable solutions is nothing less than amazing.
The chapters are laid out to cover: email with subcategories detailing application specific problems and solutions (outlook, outlook express, aol, eudora and hotmail are all represented); Windows issues; internet (browser problems, how to maximize Google and solutions to instant messaging woes); Microsoft Office tricks and tools; Windows Explorer workarounds; music, video and media tips and finally, information about solving various hardware device mysteries.
The pages list each annoyance and associated fix with sidebars containing related figures, short tips (keystroke solutions to replace mouse action, for example), humorous cartoons and a mass of links to tools and utilities available on the internet. I hope these links don't prove to be a built in annoyance for the reader, however; at the time of this review, they should all be active and available. Over time, however...
At first glance, I thought this book would be a reference type volume and not one to read cover to cover. However, once I started, I found it hard not to read every page, even if I was well familiar with a particular annoyance and its solution! A warning to the reader: if you use stickies or strips of paper from magazine subscription pullouts (which I do) as bookmarks then you will find that you will have referenced a lot of pages! A better approach is to sit with this book at your computer and try them out as you go.
I would be surprised if even the most experienced PC user (which I consider myself to be) couldn't find at least a handful of solutions that they weren't previously aware of. I believe most of us know we can find the answer to a particular sticky problem by googling the web or searching a tech site but often, we need to move on and actually accomplish some work before taking the time to solve an issue not related to the task at hand. This book is the perfect companion
Steve Bass has a conversational style of writing that will appeal to the entire range of user experience. He doesn't "dumb down" his explanations nor does he focus on newbie issues. His humor is light and does not detract from the subject of interest. The book is graphically well designed and easy to read. A perfect gift for a friend, a loved one, or even for oneself!

Rating:
Summary: PC Annoyances and How to Fix Them
Review: This will prove to be a popular book. Author Steve Bass has hit the nail on the head with this timely compendium of corrections for PC users.He also directs you to the software corrections he mentions in the book-at www.oreilly.com/pcannoyances. Get the book, and then go to the web site for some terrific software, most of which you can download for free. You will be glad you did. Ed Laskowski.

Rating:
Summary: more than you thought you needed to know
Review: tips for every possible problem, and well organized too!

Rating:
Summary: Wit and Brilliance
Review: Very highly recommended. Steve Bass seems to have experienced just about everything that can go wrong with his PC, and he's found work-arounds and solutions to all those annoyances. I just got my copy of the book a couple of days ago, and already I've gone through my favorite (actually least favorite but most common) annoyances-mostly related to MS Office products. But I can't help but read on because of the writer's quick wit. This book is going to live next to my PC and will be the first that I consult on problems.

Rating:
Summary: A winner
Review: We gave a copy to my brother. He is raving about it. I haven't read it cover to cover yet, but I already know it's long overdue. All the answers to my problems in one place. Of all the computer books I've seen over the years, this one is positively the best. It is aimed at the 85% of the population that the other books ignore.

Rating:
Summary: A book to help kill the "annoyances" in your PC
Review: What can go wrong with a PC? Not much, right? You push a button on that big box on the floor, another button on that box with the picture screen and everything comes to life. It's as if that plasma inside the new monitors have a life of its own. Well, maybe it does. But sometimes, just sometimes, you push those buttons and it turns into an ohnosecond. Ohnosecond? Sure. An ohnosecond is that split second it takes for you to cry out, "Oh, no!"

We've all faced some kind of computer problem in the past, and as sure as Microsoft will be around for another round of bugs and bug fixes (er, the bigwigs in Redmond call them "patches," even though I use patches on my jeans!), we will all face computer problems again. No, it isn't just people on PCs who have computer problems. The fine folks who fire up their Macs have problems, too, but they just don't seem to have the same depth of problem as PC users have. When something goes wrong on a PC, it tends to be major. Maybe it is almost time to call in for Ahnold the Terminating Governor.

No matter how bad the problems are, Annoyances by Steve Bass seems to have at least some kind of a fix for you. Well, okay, so he doesn't get into major issues, such as, "Where did my "K" partition go? And where's all my data?" No, those kinds of problems are better left for the geek weenies who make a dollar or two when they are brought in to handle the major PC problems.

The book arrived in last week's mail. Now, while I've been around computers since the day's of a TRaSh-80, I do enjoy reading magazines like PC World and such. They give me insight into the types of questions friends and family members will email to me, or call me around 10:30 p.m. on a Friday night to plead for help.

Did I find anything useful? Yeah, there were a few tips and tricks I spotted in the book, and a few I had forgotten about. I did find a few useful tips about XP's firewall, although none of the tips were able to cure the block XP seems to invoke against mIRC and pIRCh against sending DCCs to others. Am I talking about sending mp3 files? Not necessarily, but I will, if you beg nicely, are female, and say please on the fifth Thursday of the 13th month of the 12th year of my now-dead cat's life.

All kidding aside: Bass' book is right on the money. So much so, in fact, it's been commandeered from my desk by a dear one. Dear what, I don't know. Let me find that my book isn't returned in a timely manner and it will be "dearly departed."

Is the book worth the $20 cover price? Sure -- for both the novice and the weenie just wanting to prepare for next week's tech support calls.

Rating:
Summary: Yes, Yes, Yes!!!
Review: You've probably seen the internet video of the man beating up his computer and finally knocking it to the floor. Or the internet video entitled "Bob Gets a New Monitor" starring Bob and his twelve-gauge shotgun. If either of these two characters could ever be you at one time or another you need to buy this book.

"PC Annoyances..." has a lot to offer on several levels. Besides being a valuable resource, this book is fun to read, is loaded with files to download, and the author is as interesting as he makes the book itself.

As a resource, "PC Annoyances..." has appeal for all levels of users. In the first chapter you will find out about issues with email programs such as fighting spam and how to eliminate the millions of > symbols from messages before forwarding the message for the millionth time. You will find answers to questions about attachments and how to back up email messages and address books. Although the focus is on Outlook and Outlook Express, he includes AOL, Eudora and Hotmail. I don't use any of these programs, but I still found the chapter to be an easy and interesting read. My favorite gem from this chapter is where to get a free virus removal program called Stinger. Stinger is not a substitute for an antivirus program. It's a useful tool for eliminating a virus from an already infected system.

The next chapter addresses Windows, primarily Windows XP. Topics include advice on screen resolution, using a laptop, windows updates and service packs. Bass provides a very informative and easy to understand explanation of the "hot" topic of product activation.

Chapter 3 deals with the Internet and includes information on browsers, dealing with those ubiquitous pop-up ads and spyware, as well as instant messaging. The focus is on Internet Explorer but Netscape and Opera are included when appropriate. My favorite part of this chapter would be the tips on using Google.

In chapter 4 you'll read about short cuts, tips and tricks for using Microsoft Office -mainly Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook. If you are a seasoned Office user, you probably won't find anything new in this chapter. However, it you are new to any of these programs, I'd be very surprised if you can't find an "a-ha, that's how to do that" in this chapter.

The next chapter covers Windows Explorer and tips for dealing with files, folders. filenames, and file associations.

The next to last chapter, 'Music, Video and CDs" focuses on RealOne and Windows Media Player. Fluctuating volume and videos that won't play are addressed. Among the tidbits in this chapter are tips on mp3s and capturing video streams. I have 2 favorites from this chapter - how to turn off RealOne's message center ads and turning off SuperCookie tracking in Media Player.

The last chapter, "Hardware," provides information about modems, DSL, AC adapters, monitors, printers, and fixing PC noises. I found the information on digital camera auxiliary power packs to be most enlightening.

With a wide range of topics, there has to be something in this book that makes it worthwhile for you. Besides being a valuable reference when you have a specific annoyance, this book is also fun to thumb through. After the first couple of pages, you'll want to continue thumbing through to the end. Download junkies will be delighted at the quantity of addresses for numerous files, utilities, reference tools, add-ons, and patches, etc. that are found throughout the book.

If you are not familiar with the author, Steve Bass is a contributing editor of PC World magazine. He started the Pasadena IBM Users Group in 1982 and followed that by co-founding the Association of Personal Computer User Groups. He was a licensed family therapist and met his wife while performing in a magic show.