Best Help Guides for Win 7 Home Edition

[Buffalo]

I have a frienc who just purchased a Laptop with Win7 HE Premium 64 bit and
was somewhat used to WinXP.
He is now in a nursing home and is having problems with the new system.
He thinks MS help is totally useless.
What would be some good recommendations?
Thanks,
Buffalo

 

[Kirk Bubul]

I have a frienc who just purchased a Laptop with Win7 HE Premium 64 bit and
was somewhat used to WinXP.
What would be some good recommendations?

I have bought and benefited from several Dummies books, among them
Woody Leonhard's Windows 7 for Dummies. Another good reference book I
bought is Windows 7 Step by Step by Peppernau & Cox from Microsoft
Press. Got both at Amazon.com.

 

[Stan Brown]

I have a frienc who just purchased a Laptop with Win7 HE Premium 64 bit and
was somewhat used to WinXP.
He is now in a nursing home and is having problems with the new system.
He thinks MS help is totally useless.
What would be some good recommendations?
Thanks,
Buffalo

The book WINDOWS 7 INSIDE OUT is excellent.

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

I have a frienc who just purchased a Laptop with Win7 HE Premium 64 bit and
was somewhat used to WinXP.
He is now in a nursing home and is having problems with the new system.
He thinks MS help is totally useless.
What would be some good recommendations?
Thanks,
Buffalo

To the suggestions by Kirk Bubul and Stan Brown, I'd like to add
"Windows Plain & Simple" from Microsoft Press.

There are probably dozens of books, but quality is a crapshoot.

Anyway, I have used and liked the above as well as the Dummies book that
Kirk mentioned, and I have liked the Inside Out series for earlier
versions.

 

[Paul]

I have a frienc who just purchased a Laptop with Win7 HE Premium 64 bit and
was somewhat used to WinXP.
He is now in a nursing home and is having problems with the new system.
He thinks MS help is totally useless.
What would be some good recommendations?
Thanks,
Buffalo

I think you should quantify what "having problems" means.

An unfamiliarity with the system isn't really a problem, the
same as say, "broken WiFi" would be. That's a technical problem.

If the user is uncomfortable with the interface, that is perfectly
understandable. You could always do something like this, to make
the interface seem more familiar. But if something needs to be
fixed on there, this thin veneer isn't going to make any
difference at all. The user is still going to feel helpless.

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/2227/get-the-classic-start-menu-in-windows-7/

For example, when UAC pops up, the user is going to be pissed.
It's a more secure OS, or at least does things to make it harder
for the user to compromise the system. And sooner or later, a
WinXP familiar user, is going to run into a Windows 7 roadblock.
And the built-in help, isn't going to be that much help in the matter.

You really need to train the user, how to slog through the
output of search engines Like the rest of us do
Or at least get them interested in sites like "sevenforums".

http://www.sevenforums.com/general-discussion/

I used to think, buying books was the answer, but when I consider
the ratio of useful info, to book thickness, I came to realize
I just wasn't getting my money from them.

Paul

 

[Allen]

The book WINDOWS 7 INSIDE OUT is excellent.

It matters why he is in a nursing home. W7 Inside Out is a load to
handle for an older (82) non-nursing home person. As computers,
operating systems, programs get more and more complex, the support
literature gets bigger and more unwieldy. To expand the subject, are any
of these books available in Kindle/Nook/etc format. As he is obviously
using something smaller than a desktop, perhaps he could install
software to read some of these things. I must point out that I am a
PAPER book nut who cannot see any of these in my future, regardless of
any advantages of electronic readers. One of my grandmothers owned a
small-town weekly newspaper and printing business and I think some of
her genes migrated to me, in an ink solution.
Allen

 

[Seum]

It matters why he is in a nursing home. W7 Inside Out is a load to
handle for an older (82) non-nursing home person. As computers,
operating systems, programs get more and more complex, the support
literature gets bigger and more unwieldy. To expand the subject, are any
of these books available in Kindle/Nook/etc format. As he is obviously
using something smaller than a desktop, perhaps he could install
software to read some of these things. I must point out that I am a
PAPER book nut who cannot see any of these in my future, regardless of
any advantages of electronic readers. One of my grandmothers owned a
small-town weekly newspaper and printing business and I think some of
her genes migrated to me, in an ink solution.
Allen

Every time I use Win 7, I feel like kicking Micro**** in the balls.

 

[Gordon]

Every time I use Win 7, I feel like kicking Micro**** in the ball

IMHO it's FAR superior to anything else they've done.
Care to elaborate?

 

[Dave \Crash\ Dummy]

It matters why he is in a nursing home. W7 Inside Out is a load to
handle for an older (82) non-nursing home person. As computers,
operating systems, programs get more and more complex, the support
literature gets bigger and more unwieldy.

<snipped>

I agree. A thousand page "help" book isn't much help, at all, especially
for something new and strange. I get more help from a "for dummies..."
book when approaching something for the first time.

 

[Char Jackson]

Every time I use Win 7, I feel like kicking Micro**** in the balls.

Is there anything you need help with? If you have any experience with
earlier versions of Windows, then Win 7 should be a piece of cake, for
the most part.

 

[Leala]

<snipped>

I agree. A thousand page "help" book isn't much help, at all, especially
for something new and strange. I get more help from a "for dummies..."
book when approaching something for the first time.

Yes, but your are a dummy.
That's why things are easier since they where made just for you.

 

[Ken Blake]

The book WINDOWS 7 INSIDE OUT is excellent.

I second that recommendation. Almost all the books in the Inside Out
series are excellent. Ed Bott is an excellent writer.

 

[SC Tom]

Yes, but your are a dummy.
That's why things are easier since they where made just for you.

With that type of grammar and word-usage, you have a lot of gall calling
someone else a dummy

 

[Anthony Buckland]

<snipped>

I agree. A thousand page "help" book isn't much help, at all, especially
for something new and strange. I get more help from a "for dummies..."
book when approaching something for the first time.

I'm getting on in years myself, although still at home.
Whenever I get a new version of Windows, I buy the I/O
book for it. This time, I found myself referring to it
within a few hours after first using Win 7.

 

[James Silverton]

I'm getting on in years myself, although still at home.
Whenever I get a new version of Windows, I buy the I/O
book for it. This time, I found myself referring to it
within a few hours after first using Win 7.

Dummies books are quite useful. It's a bit like speed reading a book
before studying it. I bought Pogue's "Windows 7, The Missing Manual",
but I haven't found myself using it much.

--


James Silverton, Potomac

I'm *not* (e-mail address removed)

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

Is there anything you need help with? If you have any experience with
earlier versions of Windows, then Win 7 should be a piece of cake, for
the most part.

He probably would like a pointer to a source of steel-toed boots.

 

[Bill Bradshaw]

I do not buy books. I use my library. You might browse what they have
and see if something looks good to you.

 

[Seum]

He probably would like a pointer to a source of steel-toed boots.

That's for sure Gene.

 

[Char Jackson]

He probably would like a pointer to a source of steel-toed boots.

I don't see what the big deal is, personally. Win 7 isn't that much
different from what came before. I guess some people are just
naturally violent.

 

[Bob I]

Every time I use Win 7, I feel like kicking Micro**** in the balls.

Why,because it took so long to release a version with this much capability?