有句谚语类似于“犯错是人。要真正把事情搞砸需要一台电脑。” 我认为几乎所有曾经使用过计算机的人都会偶尔觉得自己像个傻瓜——尤其是在遇到只对计算机程序员或高级硬件极客有意义的东西时。这就是For Dummies系列书籍如此受欢迎的原因。这些书的存在有一个很好的理由：以几乎任何人都可以理解的方式解释事物，而无需与读者交谈或过度使用超出普通用户范围的高级技术内容。(tech stuff)Windows 7 傻瓜版(Windows 7 for Dummies)正是这样做的，使用相同的轻松公式，该公式已成为该系列的标准。要了解有关这本书的更多信息，请阅读本评论的其余部分。
我们都知道这不是真的(Really)适合傻瓜
在解释For Dummies系列丛书约定的标准第一部分之后，Windows 7 for Dummies开始了一个良好的开端，询问“什么是 Windows 7 以及您为什么使用它？” ("What is Windows 7 and why are you using it?")并回答“如果你和大多数人一样，你别无选择。” ("If you're like most people, you didn't have much choice." )有人可能会认为，有了这样的开端，Windows 7 for Dummies会花时间贬低Windows 7，但实际上恰恰相反。对Windows 7(Windows 7)留下深刻印象的理由非常充分，本书一开始就对其进行了解释，以及Windows Vista 和 Windows XP 用户(Windows Vista and Windows XP users)对他们进行转换感到高兴的具体原因。
我自己是Windows 7的新手，我很高兴早在第 16 页就找到了一个有用的建议来提高我令人喘不过气的旧(page 16)台式计算机(desktop computer)的性能。我喜欢诙谐的部分标题(section title)Windows 7 人人都认为你已经知道的东西。(Windows 7 Stuff Everybody Thinks You Already Know. "This part explains how Windows 7 has changed things for the better,")“这部分解释了 Windows 7 如何使事情变得更好，”它通过介绍的方式说，“它会在 Windows 7 彻底搞砸时向您发出警告。”("and it warns you when Windows 7 has messed things up completely.")
与大多数全能书籍一样，Windows 7 for Dummies可以按任何顺序阅读，如果您愿意，只需阅读说明您需要了解的内容的部分即可。然而，这本书是为Windows 7的新手设计的，它的结构是我认为对新手来说合乎逻辑的方式。每个部分都从基础开始，然后转到更高级的主题，每一章都包含实用的建议和有用的提示和技巧。由于Windows 7与其前身明显不同，因此作者确保对每个新功能进行详细描述，并与之前版本的情况进行比较。这既展示了Windows 7的优势，也展示了Microsoft，无论出于何种原因，选择了离开。（我仍然想知道为什么他们忽略了Outlook！）我从不关心Microsoft的默认设置(default setup)，一路回到Windows for Workgroups，我很欣赏关于自定义开始菜单(Start Menu)等内容的明确说明。能够将东西放在对您有意义的地方对于使新界面熟悉有很长的路要走，即使它绝对不是您习惯的。轻松愉快的傻瓜(For Dummies)系列写作风格也使事情变得更容易。这本书充满了严肃的信息，但它并没有把自己当回事。作者也没有花更多的时间试图变得聪明，而不是解释事物以便读者能够理解它们，这在我最近阅读的其他一些类似书籍中一直存在问题。我喜欢解释所有新图标含义的图表，以及清晰的屏幕截图，可以准确地向我展示每个屏幕的外观，并标记所有各种组件，以便我可以轻松分辨出是什么。我现在正在上网本屏幕上(netbook screen)工作，能够看到书中清晰标记的图表上的内容是一个很大的优势。（它让我不必购买更坚固的电脑眼镜，但那是另一回事了！）
互联网，简化
名为“在 Internet 上完成工作”("Getting Things Done on the Internet")的部分是最大的部分，而且非常正确。许多人将大部分时间花在电脑前以某种方式使用Internet，而Windows 7 for Dummies采用了一种非常彻底的方法来设置您的计算机以进行网上冲浪(web surfing)、电子邮件和安全。由于 Windows 7 没有内置的电子邮件程序(email program)，因此有关于下载和安装Windows Live Mail的明确说明，包括一个说明Windows Live的所有其他组件的框(Windows Live)Essentials 是（并且有一条说明说您不必安装任何您不想要的）。也有将Windows Live Mail与基于 Web 的电子邮件提供商（Gmail、AOL、Yahoo ! Mail Plus）一起使用的说明，但奇怪的是，微软(Microsoft)的Hotmail被省略了。
定制和更多，更多
正如我所提到的，我喜欢修补Windows 界面(Windows interface)，对我来说，名为“自定义和升级 Windows 7”("Customizing and Upgrading Windows 7")的部分是最有趣的。这不仅仅是部分标题(section title)会让您相信的内容 - 它涵盖程序安装和删除(program installation and removal)，使您的计算机可供残障人士使用，以及设置还原点和制作备份等基本常识性措施。对用户帐户和文件共享(file sharing)进行了广泛且易于理解的讨论。网络在(Networking)“自定义和升级 Windows 7”("Customizing and Upgrading Windows 7")中有自己的章节部分，其中的说明应该使使用计算机时最令人沮丧的部分变得容易得多。
在需要的地方提供帮助
"Help!"的部分购买这本书非常值得。我在其他任何地方都没有看到过这么好的常见错误消息、Windows 7问题和解决方案列表。(Windows 7)本节将引导您处理几乎所有可能出现的问题，其令人放心的语气和详尽的说明应该可以在短时间内解决任何问题。每个问题都用您可能会看到的消息进行说明，这样可以很容易地告诉您正在查看解决问题的正确说明。而且，由于这本书是针对新的Windows 7用户的，所以有一个部分会引导您将信息从旧计算机转移到新的Windows 7计算机。我希望当我在旧桌面上安装Windows 7时能拥有它。(Windows 7)
但是等等，还有更多！
最后的“十之分”("Part of Tens")章节有点像蛋糕上的糖霜，总结了很多关于Windows 7烦恼的好信息和对笔记本电脑用户的有用提示，简而言之，直截了当的部分。为傻瓜(For Dummies)系列设置格式的人清楚地知道他们在做什么。
判决
我是For Dummies(For Dummies)系列的长期粉丝，因为——尽管有这个名字——他们并不认为读过这些书的人是愚蠢的。整个想法是向读者展示他们实际上是多么聪明和有能力，一旦他们阅读了说明。他们一步一步地解释一切(everything step)，并带着一点幽默感和大量(humor and plenty)插图。如果您想要一本很好的Windows 7指南，它解释了普通用户想知道的一切，为常见的烦恼提供实用的解决方案，并在阅读时面带微笑，那么Windows 7 for Dummies绝对是您的最佳选择。
Book Review - Windows 7 for Dummies
There's a sауing that goeѕ something like "To err is human. To really mess things up requires a computer." I think just about аnyone who's ever used a computer has occasionally felt like, well, a dummy—espеcially when confronted with something that only makes sense to computer programmers or hіgh-level hardware geeks. And thаt's why the For Dummies series of books is so popular. These books exist for one very good reason: to explain things in a way nearly anyone can understand, without talking down to the reader or going overboard with high-level tech stuff that's outside the scope of the average user. Windows 7 for Dummies does exactly that, using the same lighthearted formula that's become a standard for the series. To find out more about this book, read the rest of this review.
We all Know it's Not Really for Dummies
After the standard first section that explains the For Dummies book series conventions, Windows 7 for Dummies gets off to a good start by asking "What is Windows 7 and why are you using it?" and answering "If you're like most people, you didn't have much choice." One might think that with a beginning like this, Windows 7 for Dummies would spend time putting Windows 7 down, but in fact, it does exactly the opposite. There are very good reasons to be impressed with Windows 7, and this book starts right off by explaining them, and the specific reasons that Windows Vista and Windows XP users will be happy they made the switch.
I'm a relative newcomer to Windows 7 myself, and was delighted to find a helpful suggestion for improving the performance on my wheezy old desktop computer as early as page 16. I loved the tongue-in-cheek section title Windows 7 Stuff Everybody Thinks You Already Know. "This part explains how Windows 7 has changed things for the better," it says by way of introduction, "and it warns you when Windows 7 has messed things up completely."
Like most all-about-something books, Windows 7 for Dummies can be read in any order, and you can, if you wish, just read the parts that explain what you need to know. However, the book is designed for newcomers to Windows 7, and it's structured in what I think is the logical way for a newcomer. Each section starts with the basics and moves on to more advanced topics, and every chapter is loaded with practical advice and helpful hints and tips. Since Windows 7 is noticeably different from its predecessors, the author makes sure that each new feature is described in detail, and compared to the way things were in previous versions. This shows off both the advantages of Windows 7 and the features that Microsoft, for whatever reason, chose to leave out. (I still wonder why they omitted Outlook!) I have never much cared for Microsoft's default setup, going all the way back to Windows for Workgroups, and I appreciated the clear instructions for such things as customizing the Start Menu. Being able to put things in places that make sense to you goes a long way toward making a new interface familiar even though it's definitely not what you're used to. The lighthearted For Dummies series writing style goes a long way toward making things easier as well. The book is filled with serious information, but it doesn't take itself seriously. Nor does the author spend more time trying to be clever than in explaining things so the reader can understand them, which has been a problem in some other similar books I've read recently. I liked the diagrams that explained what all the new icons mean, and the clear screenshots that showed me exactly what each screen would look like, with all the various components labeled so I could easily tell what was what. I'm working on a netbook screen now, and being able to see what's what on a clearly labeled diagram in a book is a big plus. (And it saves me from having to buy stronger computer glasses, but that's another story!)
The Internet, Simplified
The section called "Getting Things Done on the Internet" is the largest one, and quite rightly so. A lot of people spend a goodly portion of their time in front of a computer using the Internet in one way or another, and Windows 7 for Dummies takes a very thorough approach to setting up your computer for web surfing, email, and security. Since Windows 7 does not have a built-in email program, there are clear instructions for downloading and installing Windows Live Mail, including a box that explains what all the other components of Windows Live Essentials are (and a note that says you don't have to install any of them that you don't want). There are also instructions for using Windows Live Mail with web-based email providers (Gmail, AOL, Yahoo! Mail Plus) but oddly enough, Microsoft's Hotmail is omitted.
Customizing and Much, Much More
As I mentioned, I like to tinker with the Windows interface, and for me, the section called "Customizing and Upgrading Windows 7" was the most interesting. It's more than what the section title would lead you to believe—it covers program installation and removal, making your computer accessible for people with disabilities, and basic common-sense measures such as setting restore points and making backups. There's an extensive and easy-to-understand discussion of user accounts and file sharing. Networking gets its own chapter in the "Customizing and Upgrading Windows 7" section, with instructions that should make what is often the most frustrating part of using a computer a lot easier.
Help Where it's Needed
It's well worth buying the book just for the section titled "Help!" I haven't seen such a good list of common error messages, Windows 7 problems and solutions anywhere else. This section will walk you through dealing with just about anything that might come up, and its reassuring tone of voice and thorough instructions should have just about any problem solved in short order. Each problem is illustrated with the messages you're likely to see, which makes it easy to tell you're looking at the correct instructions for fixing the problem. And, since the book is aimed at new Windows 7 users, there's a section that walks you through moving information from your old computer to a new Windows 7 computer. I wish I'd had this when I installed Windows 7 on my old desktop.
But Wait, There's More!
The "Part of Tens" chapter at the end is kind of like frosting on the cake, wrapping up a lot of good information on Windows 7 annoyances and helpful hints for laptop users, in short, straightforward segments. The people who set up the format for the For Dummies series clearly knew what they were doing.
Verdict
I'm a long-time fan of the For Dummies series, because—despite the name—they don't assume anyone who reads those books is dumb. The whole idea is to show the readers how smart and capable they actually are, once they've read the directions. They explain everything step by step, and do it with a dash of good humor and plenty of illustrations. If you want a good guide to Windows 7 that explains everything the average user wants to know, offers practical solutions to common annoyances, and puts a smile on your face as you read, Windows 7 for Dummies is definitely the book for you.
