measures must be taken. Some push their PC off a pier or chuck it into a
landfill. Others turn their former computing ally into a planter box. But
don’t give up yet–PC help is at hand. Just put down that hammer and pick
up “PC Annoyances” (O’Reilly, Bass, US $19.95).
This easy-to-read, accessible book from PC World expert Steve Bass covers
the waterfront of PC gripes and gremlins, with fixes for everything from
Windows glitches to browsers that won’t browse. These tips and tricks are
served up in bite-sized portions, relieving that other PC-related
annoyance–actually finding the right information to thwack the machine’s
irritating habits. Chapters are organized by the way people use their
computers, each devoted solely to email, the Internet, MS Office, music
and video, hardware, and more. Bass’ straightforward, jocular style helps
quell user aggravation, and quickly puts readers on the path to PC
contentment. “I have a quirky sense of humor and want to share it,” admits
Bass in the book’s preface.
Among the topics covered:
– Learn to kick Windows in the rear. Get past glitches, take charge of the
interface, live with the dreaded activation, and more.
– Conquer email, from Outlook and AOL to Eudora and Hotmail. Beat back
spam, avoid mailing lists, send big files, manage folders, and more, for a
half dozen email programs.
– Master Microsoft Office. From little-known right-click wonders to
backing up the unbackable to automating data entry, Bass delves into
workarounds for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
– Win the hardware battle. Discover how to wake up DSL, tame the notebook,
quiet a PC’s fan, save data, and save paper.
– Untie Internet knots. Shake up IE, stop Flash, outsmart defaults,
control Favorites, add the Google toolbar to Netscape, and more.
Fixing PC Annoyances doesn’t stop with the book–resources are available
on a special O’Reilly web page with links to articles and more than one
hundred utilities to help squash bugs, enhance email, untangle a system
snarl, and much more.
PC users of all ability levels will glean many a nugget from the pages of
“PC Annoyances,” learning to work faster, smarter, and frustration-free,
even if it’s just emailing family snapshots or keeping work organized. And
at 20 bucks a pop, it’s an economical substitution for an overworked–or
nonexistent–IT staff. With the flip of a page or two, readers can fix
that faux pas and have their PC purring again.
Advance praise for “PC Annoyances”:
“If something bugs you (or, more to the point, your PC), check this book
to see if there’s a way out. Steve’s light tone and spot-on analysis will
set you straight, without putting you to sleep.”–Woody Leonhard,
Publisher, Woody’s Watch e-zines; author, “Office Annoyances” and other
“Annoyances” titles
“‘PC Annoyances’ is packed with amazingly useful tips and tricks. Every
flip through the book brings me to something useful that I’m glad to know
and didn’t before.”–Steve Gibson, security expert and author of
ShieldsUP! and SpinRite.
“By concentrating on the annoyances–and the fixes–Steve Bass cleverly
exposes the underlying richness of Windows and your everyday applications.
Beyond boosting your own productivity and reducing your blood pressure,
you’ll be a hero to everyone around you!”–Bill Machrone, columnist and
contributing editor, PC Magazine
“Bass is the smartest and most entertaining technology writer covering
personal computers today. This book is a guaranteed cure for whatever ails
your PC, from the big errors that can bring a computer to its knees to the
glitches that are more trivial but no less maddening.”–Kevin McKean, CEO
and editorial director, InfoWorld magazine
Additional Resources:
Bonus downloads from PC World and other helpful information is available
at:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/pcannoy/annoyance_download.csp
A sample excerpt, “Email,” is available free online at:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/pcannoy/chapter/ch01.pdf
For more information about the book, including Table of Contents,
index, author bio, and samples, see:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/pcannoy/
For a cover graphic in JPEG format, go to:
ftp://ftp.ora.com/pub/graphics/book_covers/hi-res/0596005938.jpg
PC Annoyances
How to Fix the Most Annoying Things About Your Personal Computer
Steve Bass
ISBN 0-596-00593-8, 176 pages, $19.95 US, $30.95 CA, 13.95 UK
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938
1-707-827-7000
http://www.oreilly.com
About O’Reilly
O’Reilly & Associates is the premier information source for
leading-edge computer technologies. The company’s books, conferences,
and web sites bring to light the knowledge of technology innovators.
O’Reilly books, known for the animals on their covers, occupy a
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