Show Me Microsoft Windows XP

Microsoft Windows XP Home and Professional editions provide an elegant new user interface and powerful new tools with which to burn a CD, view and manage digital photos and music, and invite PC experts to see and manipulate what's on your screen over the Internet. This book covers all the important tasks that readers need to know, from using WordPad, Paint, and Outlook Express to configuring a firewall and backing up data. Service Pack 1 coverage is included. Show Me Microsoft Windows XP offers readers a fast, visual way to solve problems and get work done with Windows XP, covering the tasks in a way that makes it easy for new and upgrading users to get going quickly. Other features include a `Troubleshooting Guide` to help solve common problems, and a `Project Guide` with a listing of real-world projects by feature.

User review
The simplicity cannot be understated
In terms of the total content, this book is designed for the beginner. All of the basic operations of using XP, even down to how to resize windows, are demonstrated using a combination of screenshots, pointers and text. The selective content, such as the features of service pack 2, will appeal to the more experienced user. Each feature new to SP2 is flagged with an icon in the text, so it is easy to pick out additions to the system. My opinion is that if you cannot figure out how to do something by following the steps illustrated in this book, then you may be untrainable.
Not all of the steps in a sequence are shown each time. For example, clicking the start button, the first step in many of the sequences, is not demonstrated after the initial section. The author assumes that once you have done it a few times, it does not have to be explicitly demonstrated. After that, there is an ordered list of steps on one side of the page and a screenshot with numbered arrows pointing to the item to be examined, clicked or filled. The simplicity of it all cannot be understated, I occasionally use it as a reminder. When I can't remember the sequence of steps to complete a task, I reach for this book and turn to the appropriate page. In most cases, within seconds, my memory has been jogged and I know what to do.

User review
Windows XP: See it done-do it yourself!
A very commendable, thorough book. Although I am already an experienced Windows XP user this hefty volume `fills in the gaps` and is a great time-saver.
I would highly recommend `Show ME!` to new and intermediate XP users. Each page uses visual screen shots with small blocks of 1-2-3 `see it done-do it yourself` steps so you will spend much less itme reading and more time doing with this simple step-by-step approach.
In addition, nearly every instruction page has a `Did You Know?` box with interesting time-saving tips.
^o^