A great place to start with Windows 7
933295
This book is a great place to start if you're new to Windows 7.  It covers all the basics-- from how to start up the computer and log in to how to create a network-- without being technical.  The text is set up in a series of exercises, and there are many diagrams and screenshots.

This is definitely a beginners-level book, but I mean "beginners" in the sense of those new to Windows 7.  I'm very experienced with computers dating back to the Apple II days in the late 1970s, but my new new computer came with Windows 7.  I found this book perfect.  It gave me a quick start with practical, accurate directions, but it never talked down to me.

The CD that comes with the book contains the entire text in PDF format, so you can have the book on your desktop.  It also contains sets of practice exercises that go with the chapters in the book.  I found these very useful.

If you want a detailed reference book, Step by Step Windows 7 isn't a good choice for you.  You'd probably be happier with Windows 7 Inside Out.  However, if you want a practical guide to getting started quickly, this is the book.  I recommend it very highly.
506218
My computer has been prompting me to update to Windows 10 for a while, but I was just sort of to the point where I felt like Windows 8 was working for me (which basically meant ignoring all the features and using it like a normal --old-- computer). When I received this book for review, I bit the bullet.

All reference books should be presented like this. There are pictures when needed, but each page has headings in different colors so your eyes naturally jump from one topic to the next.

Like most people these days, I do a lot of researching and reading on the computer. I love the section that deals with making reading easier, saving articles for later, and even how tp make and save notes directly on the screen. This is a perfect accompaniment for my touch screen laptop.

I'm looking forward to using this guide to help me use Windows 10 to organize my computer and web time more efficient. I also like the chapter on Caring for your Computer, which walks through updates, defragmenting and more - items which I feel I neglect out of ignorance.

On the other hand, if computers intimidate you, and you want an accompanient to your new Windows 10 model, the first few chapters will walk you through connecting to wireless networks, using the mouse, the start menu and more. You can even access two hours of  video tutorials.

The appendix detailing the top 10 apps - as simple as the new edge browser and mail and people (social media) apps - has encouraged me to at least try the functions available.
3860475
Our laptop had been having issues for quite some time now so my hubby upgraded its OS from Windows 7 to Windows 10 for free. Im glad to read the deal about Windows 10 free availability here. Our laptop is working now without problems and windows 10 features are easy to use. I liked the Edge and its also much easier to search for program apps as well as files. I haven't tried Cortana yet but this book has made me curious about it.
4799105
This book really helped me a lot in getting a better understanding about the Microsoft Windows 10. I am currently using Windows 8.1 but I really need to shift my operating system into the updated version.

I heard about the features of windows 10 from my friends and for that why I needed to know all the basic uses techniques of that operating system. In this sense this book really helped a lot. Throughout this book I have learned about the installation process, pinning apps, privacy settings, and much more things. I will like to recommend this guidebook to all interested folks because I found it super helpful.
3267203
This is the perfect read for me as I recently stopped using Windows Vista ( I know, dinosaur era here) and started using 8.1 and this book has been a major help for me in understanding my computer better as well as how to use it.  I am seriously not a computer person and wish I had read something like this book a long time ago.........

One of the reasons I was afraid to give up Vista was being afraid of the 'unknown' in something else.  If you are anything like me, then this book will be a big help to you because it covers so much.

Now, Windows 10 doesn't look as intimidating as it once did.
159060
This is just what I needed! It has every Windows 7 OS version on it. I would definitely recommend it to a friend!
312520
This is an excellent manual to have handy.  Written in an understandable manner, good for a beginner or a seasoned computer user.

I had Windows Vista and used it for about 8 months.  Then got a new computer that came with Windows 7 installed.  I immediately knew Win7 was much better, but thought it was actually just a stripped down version of Vista.  It is not.

This manual takes you step-by-step through the Win7 system, from "Getting Started" to system troubleshooting, should you want to go there.  Heck, I liked it just for learning what each little icon at the top of the Internet Explorer toolbars do.

It is all here.  How to turn things on and how to turn them off.  (Did you know you could disable most of those blinking ads that drive you nuts on webpages?  Well, you can.)  How to set your email account to get emails from more than one account.  How to use just a few handy keyboard strokes to save yourself about a million "clicks" per year. How to enable features and disable features.  (You know those irritating system messages that keep popping up?  You usually don't need them and you CAN get rid of them!)

This book is just chock full of nifty, time-saving tips.  And the guy who wrote it has a nice sense of humor, which makes the reading alot more fun. I started at the beginning and worked my way through the manual.  If I came to a part I didn't need, I just skipped it.  Plus the author tells you what you can skip, what you should not skip.  He also explains the consequences of any change you might make, how to reverse it, how the computer itself is doing a backup of its system settings, how to restore those settings if needed, how to make a backup disk of your own, and why you should. (Oh, yes, I have been lax about this - but now that I've read this manual I will not be so lax in the future!)

Why did I purchase a printed manual rather than just using the online Help Menu?  Well, what if the problem involves not being able to get online?  And besides that, some of us just prefer to have a book in our hand to which to refer.  I'm one of them.  Also, I wanted overall knowledge about the Win 7 operating system. I find the online help great for a specific problem, but not conductive to learning about the overall system.

Definitely worth the money!  NOT something you will read in one sitting, that's for sure.  But you can go to the index and look up one specific thing that you want to know right away and then later start at the beginning and really learn about the Windows 7 Operating System.
4963337
I am glad I purchased this book.  It is very helpful.  Spend time with it and you will learn all sorts of things that can be done with your Windows 7
2490405
A quick read before installing Windows 10 on your PC or Surface Pro will assure you that this OS is no more difficult to use than Windows 7.  The book covers most of the basics of setting up Windows 10 and using it with simple descriptions and illustrations.  Well done.
689253
I've been a Windows user since the dawn of the program but still learned a lot. Worth the price - and yes, it is the manual that SHOULD have been in the "box." ;)
1859257
Very good book for learning Windows 10 the easy way!
2768083
The book is a basic introduction to Windows 8.1 which is the main reason I purchased the book.  It provides the information I need to use Windows 8.1 on a daily basis without going into the deep technical stuff.  I recommend it for the new to Windows 8.1 person who is not looking to become a expert in the operating system, i.e. developers, system administrators, etc.  There are many other books available for people who want more in-depth knowledge.
3914296
This book is an instruction/reference manual that brings you up to date with current Windows technology. The full expanse of uses is covered, but one can focus on one's particular areas of interest,without covering the rest. Like others in the 'Dumies' series, it is user friendly. I like it.
2789503
Windows 8 was on a desktop I recently purchased.  Like all computers today the information is skimpy and moving from Windows 7 to Windows 8 is a great leap.  This book offered plenty of help to get started as well as an in depth look into Win *
634663
First off let me preface this review with a bit of background. I've been using and supporting GUI operating systems and shells professionally since the days of OS2 and Windows 3.0. I'll add that as an experienced Windows user I was more than a bit disappointed with Microsoft's Vista efforts and have been anxious to move on to Windows 7. I'll say right now that Windows 7 has not disappointed me. It really is that big of an improvement.

As an a long time Windows user I've learned to benefit from the experiences and mistakes of others and I decided to read up a bit before tackling this project on my main PC. To that end I picked up a copy of Windows 7 Secrets from Amazon.com. What I found was a very useful reference for intermediate to advanced users. What it is not is a "Dummies" guide for beginners or at over 1000 pages a cover to cover read. It's just a bit too technical to hand to a non tech savvy beginner and leave them feeling comfortable upgrading Windows for the first time. On the other hand those with a bit of tech savvy will benefit for the hundreds of tips and tricks. What I personally found particularly useful were the tips for upgraders. For example I wanted to upgrade from 32 bit Vista the 64 bit version of Windows 7. This requires a clean installation (windows wipes the disk so do back up your data) and that used be pretty straight forward (if laborious) with previous versions of Windows. Not so with Windows 7. Microsoft chose to make this as difficult, unintuitive and time consuming as their massive resources could make it. To pull this off I had to look up a (legal to do) workaround and Windows 7 Secrets supplied me with a relatively painless method of getting my upgrade done. That alone was worth the cost of the book - at least to me.

But there's more. There is also a whole section for the Mac user wishing to run Windows 7. I don't run a Mac so I can't comment on that. There are also several chapters on customizing the Windows 7 "experience" (user interface) to your liking and the customization options in Windows 7 are numerous. Since Microsoft took it upon themselves to rename several functions within Windows old hands at NT and XP will appreciate the translations within the text. This is the book that you buy if you want to get deep under the hood while still reading the explanations in plain English.

Bottom line if you are an intermediate or advanced Windows veteran you'll find the sections on upgrading very useful and I think pretty much any tech savvy user at any level will find it a useful reference for customizing and securing Windows 7 and to help you take advantage of the many new features.
941769
The book was a great way to jump start my Windows 7 Desktop Support knowledge. I have been using the book for about 3 months, and find the information very usefully in every day use. Infomation is presented nicely and feels very fluid.
960908
Before I delve into the book, a quick bit about my background. I'm currently an IT professional/helpdesk manager an 80 person company with a mix of Mac and Windows users -- and I now use Macs personally and professionally after 10+ years with Windows. We're mulling the upgrade of our legacy XP image to Windows 7 and I thought this book would be a great help in the process. In short, it has its great parts and then some fair parts.

While the book indicates it is written by a sysadmin for sysadmins, there are clearly certain chapters that take a baby step approach -- assuming that the user knows little about the way Windows operates. That might be great for a sysadmin who has never touched Windows, but those tend to be rare. Other chapters delve into things such as how the start menu works and how to change the screen resolution -- something advanced users typically don't need step by step instructions for (and also hasn't changed significantly since the Windows 9X days.)

Perhaps what I was expecting more of is something along the Annoyances series of books that O'Reilly produces. While those books often look closer at the consumer end of things, there's usually plenty of helpful info in those titles. Nonetheless, this book is dryly written for corporate-types who need to be concerned with systems management, deployment, upgrades, backups, etc. -- of which the reader will find two to three useful chapters to read in their entirety. The rest of what the book presents, in my opinion, is better learned by playing with Windows 7 itself.

Overall, however, the book is great as a reference (contrary to what some others say here). It's probably not something you'll read cover-to-cover. The index and contents are thorough and will help you find out exactly what you're looking for. There are plenty of screenshots for those who like the see the visuals, as well as some good charts comparing all the editions of Windows available. Still recommended, but it probably won't be the only book in your Windows 7 arsenal.