This is a review for the full 433'ish page book. Not the quick start guide, not the cheat sheet, etc, etc.

If you are familiar with Windows XP-W7, then the first 50'ishpages will be enough for you. Rathbone goes over the major differences in W8 and how to navigate and accomplish what you want.

After that, this book is more for newbs who are learning about Windows for the first time.

I am glad to have this as a reference for when I forget where something is or how to Task X". I read the first 135 pages then skimmed the rest of the book.



" ( )

I'm usually a fan of the "Dummies" series (and the various competitors), but if this book is a fair representation, I can't say the same about the "Mini" editions.

My mother got a new computer just before Christmas, and it had the new-to-me (and new-to-her) Windows 8 installed. Windows 8 is quite a change from the prior versions of the operating system, so it took me a while to get oriented. (This was before I received the book.)

Having figured out my way around generally, I hoped the book might explain why I was doing things. But that's not the purpose of these 64 pages; it's to get you started with the most common tasks (which are shopping for apps and socializing on networks). Due to the few pages, helpful cross-references are completely missing (on page 8, we're told to "summon the Charms bar" with absolutely no explanation of what it is or what the options are; those are explained on page 21, but this mini edition doesn't make that link).

I had the option of leaving the book behind with my mother (a novice at computers), but its limited content would either be irrelevant to her or something we had already done (like setting up the accounts and installing apps). There are helpful tidbits in the book, but I suspect the full edition would be the better purchase for most users who would need a book like this.

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LT Haiku:

"Touch me!" says Windows;
Dummies book barely teaches
How to get around. ( )