CIG Windows 95: Introduction

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Windows 95

Introduction

These days, there's no shortage of ways we Windows users are made to feel like complete idiots. Armies of alleged "Windows experts" and "Windows consultants"--their pockets appropriately protected--charge exorbitant fees for prattling on in some techno-language that bears only the faintest resemblance to English. Magazines spout Windows "tips" and "tricks" that give a whole new meaning to the word "esoteric." The shelves in bookstore computer sections groan under the weight of more bloated and incomprehensible Windows volumes than you can shake a stick at. (If you plan to check this out for yourself, be careful: I think public stick shaking is illegal in some states.) And, of course, the worst offender is Windows itself, with its genius for turning routine tasks into heart-stopping adventures.

Well, a pox on all their houses! We are definitely not complete idiots. (Partial idiots? Well, okay, maybe sometimes; but complete idiots? No, never.) In fact, we're smart enough to know a thing or two ourselves:

We're smart enough to know that, despite the claims of those geek-speaking gurus, Windows isn't brain surgery or even rocket science. So it shouldn't take a Ph.D. to figure out how to use it.
We're smart enough to know that the only truly useful tips are those that either make Windows easier to use or make it easier for us to get our work done.
We're smart enough to know that life's too short to read five kazillion pages of arcane and mostly useless information about a computer program. We have lives to lead, after all.
And we're smart enough to know that there has to be an easier way to work with Windows.

A Book for Smart Windows Idiots

If you're no fool, but Windows makes you feel like one, welcome to The Complete Idiot's Guide to Windows 95! This is a book for those of us who aren't (and don't even want to be) computer wizards. This is a book for those of us who have a job to do (a job that includes working with Windows 95) and just want to get it done as quickly and painlessly as possible. This isn't one of those absurdly serious, put-a-crease-in-your-brow-and-we'll-begin books. On the contrary, we'll even try to have a little fun at Windows 95's expense as we go along. (I do, however, feel compelled to apologize for some of the jokes in advance.)

You'll also be happy to know that this book doesn't assume you have any previous experience with Windows 95. I'll begin each topic at the beginning and build your knowledge from there. However, if you have used a previous version of Windows, I'll be pointing out the differences in Windows 95 so you can get productive posthaste.

With The Complete Idiot's Guide to Windows 95, you'll get just the facts you need--not everything there is to know. This means I'll be avoiding long-winded discussions of boring, technical details. Instead, I'll present all the information in short, easy-to-digest chunks that you can quickly skim through to find just the information you want.

What to Expect

With Windows, it seems, anything can happen (and often does). So my best advice as you cross over into Windows 95 territory is to expect (you guessed it) the unexpected. However, the last thing you need is to be thrown a few curve balls by the book that's supposed to be your trusted guide in this newfound land. So, to get you better prepared for the journey to come, let's bone up on some of the flora and fauna you'll be seeing along the way.

First, the itinerary. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Windows 95 is organized into seven reasonably sensible sections. To help you find what you need fast, here's a summary of what you'll find in each section:

Part 1: An Introduction to Windows 95

The three chapters that open the book are designed to help you get your Windows travels off on the right foot. Chapter 1 lists the top 10 things you need to know about Windows 95; Chapter 2 gives you some general Windows 95 tidbits and answers a few common questions; Chapter 3 tells you about the all-important chore of installing the program.

Part 2: Workaday Windows 95

Ninety percent of learning Windows 95 involves learning a few simple techniques that can be applied to almost any Windows 95 program. These universal skills are the ones you'll be using day in and day out, and they're the subject of Part 2. You'll learn how to start Windows 95, how to use the mouse and keyboard, how to crank up programs and commands, and how to get through fundamental tasks such as opening and closing files, and printing.

Part 3: Navigating Your Computer with Windows 95

My Computer and Explorer are the Windows 95 tools that give you an easy, graphical way to work with your computer's files, folders, and floppy disks. The three chapters in this section explain the basic features of both My Computer and Explorer.

Part 4: Okay, Enough Gawking. It's Time to Get Some Work Done!

This section of the book covers a hodgepodge of topics that'll help you get the most out of your Windows 95 investment. The first few chapters concentrate on the various freebie programs that are part of the Windows 95 package. I'll discuss WordPad (a word processor), Paint (a drawing and painting program), and lots more. Then I'll show you how to share info between applications, use Windows 95's multimedia programs, work with fonts, and use Windows 95's networking features.

Part 5: A Few Windows 95 Odds and Ends

The chapters in Part 5 prove that, yes, you can have Windows 95 your way. The program comes with a fistful of customization options that enable you to give Windows 95 a complete makeover. In particular, I'll show you how to change the colors and background pattern of the Windows screen, set up a screen saver, customize the mouse and keyboard, and add new hardware and software to your system.

And for you modem-hounds in the crowd, I'll take you through the basic communications doodads in Windows 95. I'll begin by showing you how to set up your modem. From there, I'll tell you how to use your modem to dial your phone, call bulletin boards, and connect with online services. Then I'll take you on a tour of the Microsoft Exchange program's e-mail and fax capabilities. (And at the back of the book, check out the section on the Microsoft Network, the latest member of the online world.)

But before that, I've thrown in two chapters that tackle Windows' most common problems and give you easy, non-technical solutions.

To make the instructions easier to read, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Windows 95 uses the following conventions:

Text that you're supposed to type appears in bold.
Text that appears on your screen and text you select also appear in bold.
As you'll see, Windows 95 uses quite a few keyboard shortcuts. These shortcuts almost invariably require you to hold down one key and press another. For example, one shortcut you may use a lot requires you to hold down the Ctrl key, press the Esc key, and then release Ctrl. To avoid writing out a mouthful like that over and over, we needed an easier way to express these key combinations (a sort of "shortcut shorthand," if you will). So key combinations appear with a plus sign (+) in the middle, as in Ctrl+Esc.

Also, look for the following features that point out important information:

By the Way...
These boxes contain notes, tips, warnings, and asides about Windows 95 that are interesting and useful (at least theoretically!).

Transitional State
I realize that many of you aren't new to Windows, just to Windows 95. So, to make the transition a little smoother and a little more manageable, these icons point out major differences between Windows 3.1 and Windows 95.

Technical Twaddle
These "geek boxes" contain technical information you can use to impress your friends (and then forget five minutes later). But really, you may find these fascinating if you're a closet geek wannabe, or if your interested in background information and technical details that will help you feel more like an "insider" in the computer world.

Acknowledgments and Other Assorted Tips of the Hat

I'd like to thank the members of the Academy... Whoa, wrong speech! I'd like to thank Barry Pruett, Seta Frantz, Audra Gable, Michelle Shaw, and the other members of the Que family who contributed to this project (they're all listed at the front of the book).

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