Book is strictly for beginners and really does not cover the difference between behavior in previous windows operating systems and Vista. IMHO it should.

I purchased this book to learn my way around Vista. I didn't think it was worth the money. It was more like a Welcome to Windows beginner book. I haven't found anything on here that has been helpful in my Vista experience. Much easier to just research online....

Windows Vista for Dummies is just what I needed to allow me to, "step by step" transfer from my old program to my new computer... I am not dumb but I do enjoy following instructions, step-by-step, written with a little humor...
Thanks,
Virginia J. Dolder

the book is very helpful for someone like me who knows very little about computer and nothing at all about vista. just purchased a windows vista computer and was lost now i'm beginning to understand

Although the friends that I bought this book for are enjoying it, it doesn't give them the minute details that they really need. They have never had a computer before and this book assumes they know more than they do. We forget how overwhelming the computer was for us when we first got started and assume that everyone has a basic understanding of what to do. If this book is truly for dummies, it needs to be really basic for such people.

Short and to the point, for those of us not having the time or the desire to go over and over items before figuring out what you are reading! Good job Peter Weverka!

i rely on books like this helpme find and show how to do

larry j. maynard

It was a very good purchase. I order it for my mother in law who knows nothing about a computer.It's helped her out alot.

This dummy really needed help with Vista and, reading from back to front and browsing for particular problems, I have learned how to cope with some of the differences between Vista and XP.

I also have Dummies for Office 2007, WordPerfect7, Quattro Pro6, Quicken
2008 and Digital Photography, so I guess that makes me a major dummy ~~~~

the book was clearly written and easy to understand. there are the usual tips and hints that are always helpful. the only thing i miss is a glossary.

I FOUND THE BOOK TO BE QUITE HELPFUL, AND TO THE POINT
IT IS WRITTEN IN PLAIN ENGLISH, WITH OUT ALL THE UNNECESSAY PROGRAMMER
BUZZ WORDS.

bought the book but returned it. it was missing chapters 12 and 13.

Although computer literate and having haD SEVEN PREVIOUS COMPUTERS, AGE @ 79 HAS TAKEN A TOLL OF MY MEMORY ... THIS HAS BVEEN MOST HELPFUL!

Like all Dummies books it's easy to find what you're looking for and understand. Covers any questions I've had so far

ASIN:0471754218 Windows Vista For Dummies
I ordered this book for my 81 year old Dad who had just bought himself his first computer. Since his laptop came with the new vistas program and I still had windowsXP I was unable to help him.He loves the book.Says it is very user friendly and is written in such away that the first time computer user can easily understand. It has helped him alot. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has the Windows Vista program

I love all the dummies books, and this is no exception. I am the "tech" person where I work, so everyone looks to me for answers. If I can't figure it out, I look to these books.

I have found this book to be just about useless, and regret spending money for it. I don't think I have found anything helpful about anything I have tried to look up.

An excellent book for a quick start in the basics of Vista. Answers many of your questions that you may have as this version of windows has moved around many of the tools that you were used to in the past versions of windows.

...here is what the first page should say: "If you need this book just buy a Mac!"

Ok, In all seriousness this is a great book for those of you wanting to get to know THE BASICS Windows Vista. It will help you choose the right version, perform the basic configurations, etc.

On a side note:

I have been a Windows user since 3.1. As soon as I used Vista for the first time I immediately switched to Mac. I have been very unimpressed with the performance of Vista; much worse than the initial release of any other Windows Operating system. With the new Intel Core Macs I can now run Windows XP (not Vista) when I need it through Boot Camp or VM Ware (both work great and I would highly recommend).

Windows Vista for Dummies, by Andy Rathbone.
I found this book very helpful. Would recommend to every person using the new Windows Vista.

I had just bought a new computer with Vista as the o/s. Since I knew nothing about Vista and in the world of computers I am a dummy I immediately thought of this series "for Dummies" books.
I puchased it from Amazon and it was delivered within the week...even before the computer which I bought arrived. The book is very useful and Amazon is great.

As with all the "Dummies" books I like the way Andy separates the wheat from the chaff by telling you up front which things you really need to know, and which things are nice to know but not necessary. He presents the information in easy to understand plain language and includes enough humor to keep it interesting. I find myself reading on screen help and then referring to "Dummies" to see what it really said.

The book has been a tremendious help in navigating thru the Windows Vista format. without it I was ready to chunk the computer.

MOVING FROM XP PRO WAS A DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE FROM PREVIOUS
ONES. ... I AM SUCCESSFUL IN FINDING ANSWERS TO MY PROBLEMS
... WILL TAKE AWHILE TO GET THRU MY DUMMY BOOK, BUT I AM SURE MOST ANSWERS ARE IN THERE.

KEN BRONSON

I was pleased with Andy's xp for dummies so I bought this one mainly for help installing old xp programs on vista ,but found very little help in that department.The rest of the book is very informative,but if you own the xp book you won't be impressed.

This book is simply wonderful for someone who buys a new computer with Vista preinstalled and, if you actually pay attention to the advice it gives, it will be a big help.

The most important thing with Vista is to create a Recovery Disk IMMEDIATELY. We didn't and had to wait for a week before we could buy one from HP. Meanwhile the computer sat like a paperweight.

this dummies book has been a great help being that I had no clue what Vista was and that is what my new Dell Laptop came with.

Just like the previous Windows book I find it very helpful. I enjoy his humor, and it is easy to read. Andy Rathbone takes you step by step, and makes it understandable. I would reccommend it to anyone.

This marks the ultimate... although not the Windows Vista Ultimate edition!... of Dummies titles gone wrong.

What began years ago, Dos for Dummies, has turned into a mish-mesh of topics that do not relate, do not connect, and do nothing more than confuse newcomers.

As an advanced Windows user and programmer, I understood the concepts herein. It was my first exposure to Vista. But all through the book I kept wondering HOW anybody who does not already consider themself a master at operating systems could go from one point to the next.

The topics appear almost randomly.

The Dummies publisher does this intentionally, and it used to work because it would be a surprise and not a planned, contrived way to just look, well, dumb.

The more traditional titles, especially Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft Windows Vista All in One (Sams Teach Yourself), go out of their way to address BOTH the newcomer's needs as well as getting the more advanced user up to speed.

This Dummies title, and unfortunately many others these days, rely on their series gimmicks to fill the book and rely far less on content that will truly help the newcomer to the topic.

If you know Vista or don't, you will get little value. I do like the cartoons! And I do like the top ten lists, but is the book worth buying just for those?

I did not find this as helpful or as easy as another book I have gotten. The illustrations are not so bad. There is just not enough of them. The directions are not really in step by step, with illustration and not easy to understand as my other book on Vista is. It is not really done with a clear understanding of ease that a novice would need to be comfortable to use this book.

This book helps you find all the new features that you have a hard time finding on your own.

It was easy to understand and very informative. Great for beginners.

VERY, VERY HELPFUL. LOVE THE AUTHOR AND HIS SENSE OF HUMOR. WHEN LOOKING FOR COMPUTER HELP, I NOW LOOK FOR ANDY RATHBONE BOOKS.

Ok, but somehow I expected more comparisons with XP. It got me started on understanding Vista. I guess I will need to take a class somewhere to get what I really need.