DOS for Dummies® - Softcover

Gookin, Dan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1878058754 ISBN 13: 9781878058751

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, 1993

Synopsis

A guide to all versions of DOS through to 6.2 for beginners. Other titles in this series include "SOS for DOS", "Unix for Dummies", and "SOS for WordPerfect".

About this title

Review

DOS for Dummies, the book that changed the way computer books are written and marketed has come out in a third edition. By and large, it's the same as the previous edition (advances in MS-DOS have not been numerous), but there is some new information here. Further, DOS for Dummies remains an entertaining book and if you use DOS, it's the book you want to assist you.

The basic idea of this book is that you can identify a problem you're having with your computer, ranging from how to turn the thing on to how to back up only the files that have changed since the last backup. You can then turn to the relevant section--the table of contents is very detailed--read a few pages, carry out some procedure, and move on to the next problem. You'll find sections on hardware, file management, text editing, and software installation. Later chapters deal with troubleshooting.

The newest material in this release of DOS for Dummies deals with DOS 6.22 and the DOS-like shell that you can use under Windows 95 and Windows 98. For users of the latest versions of Windows, Gookin demonstrates some relevant procedures. But most of the coverage deals with DOS itself and programs that are designed to run under DOS. There's even stuff about WordStar here (it's a little-known fact of history that the Rosetta stone was written with WordStar).

DOS for Dummies is funny, too, in a wry sort of way. What kind of joke is appropriate to a section about parallel ports, anyway? The author manages to infuse practically every passage with humour. Other computer books should make an effort to take themselves less seriously. The verdict: if you're using DOS--and more of you are than the Windows people would have us believe--this book will provide you with valuable help. --David Wall

Review

excellent and fun to read (Mourne Observer & County Down News, 23 July 2003)

Edition details

• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
• Publication date: 1993
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1878058754
• ISBN 13: 9781878058751
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 408