What do the following people all have in common:

• Bill Gates
• Barack Obama
• Oprah Winfrey
• Tiger Woods
• Angelina Jolie
• Beyonce Knowles
• David Beckham
• Johnny Depp
• My mother-in-law
• You
• Me

Besides all being human (purposefully leaving out the obligatory mother-in-law joke), they were all first time computer users at some time.  They all sat at a keyboard for the first time, stared blankly at the screen, and then said, “Now what?”

So, I decided to put together a list of books that every noobie should have on their shelves!  I’ve also copied a brief description of each book so that you can see what you’re getting yourself into.

General Computers

Just the Computer Essentials: A Plain-English, No-Nonsense Guide to Buying and Maintaining a PC Running the Windows Vista™ Operating System for Your Home or Home Office

You’ve seen the books for “dummies” and you’re beyond that - you know how to turn a computer on, check your email, and surf the Internet. There are books for geniuses that focus on getting over-detailed on technology you don’t care anything about. Why can’t there be a book for you - a book to help you buy a new computer or help you protect your computer and data without all the useless information???

You’ve come to the right place! Just the Computer Essentials is a book written for the everyday user.

Essential Introduction to Computers, Seventh Edition

The perfect coverage of essential computer concepts. Topics include hardware, software, communications, networks, the Internet, and covers information on how to purchase computers for personal use.

Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Computer Basics (4th Edition)

Who knew how simple computers could be?

What can you do with your new PC? The sky’s the limit! Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Computer Basics will show you how to set up and configure your PC, including how to connect to the Internet. Then you’ll learn how to fix your digital photos, create digital scrapbooks, download digital music to your iPod, burn your own custom CDs, watch DVD movies, write letters and memos, balance your checkbook, and create show-stopping presentations. And if you need more computing horsepower, you’ll even learn how to upgrade your PC and add new peripherals. It’s all easy, thanks to Michael Miller’s step-by-step instructions and helpful advice!

Now updated for both Windows Vista™ and Windows® XP, Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Computer Basics will have you using your new PC in no time! Here’s a preview of

what you’ll find inside:

• Learn how to set up and configure your new computer, and install new computer hardware and software

• Get the scoop on how to work with Microsoft Windows XP or Windows Vista, and how to personalize it just for you

• Learn how to use the most popular computer programs—including Microsoft®  Word, Microsoft®  Works, Microsoft®  Money, and Quicken

• Connect to the Internet for web surfing, email, instant messaging, blogging, and podcasts—and create your own MySpace page

• Become a digital media pro—learn to work with digital cameras and photos, download and listen to digital music, and burn your own CDs and DVDs

• Find out how to protect your PC from spam, viruses, spyware, and computer attacks

• Learn how to set up a wireless home network and share your Internet connection with multiple PCs

Internet

The Internet for Dummies

This bestselling guide has introduced flocks of folks to the Internet, but the Internet evolves faster than you can turn pages. So jump aboard our cyber-ship and discover the newest Internet. Along with classic tasks like e-mail and Web browsing, this edition covers new trends like online video, photo albums, and even using the Internet as your telephone!

• Connect your computer to the Internet
• Send and receive e-mail safely
• Find bargains online
• Post photos for your friends
• Download music and watch video
• Play online games

Internet Simplified

The content boom on the Internet has been explosive in the past few years with more than a billion people surfing worldwide. Internet Simplified shows beginning level computer users how to get comfortable surfing the web and how to navigate the flood of information once they find what they’re looking for. Users will find helpful information on the most talked about newcomers to the online world such as social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace, blogging, and downloading media content from YouTube and iTunes, as well as an introduction to the old standbys such as email, auction sites, and instruction for safe surfing. Coverage on how to safeguard against viruses and SPAM and keep computers free from unwanted visitors is approached in a gentle, user-friendly manner so anyone can apply the techniques and be free from troublesome intrusions. Full-color screen shots and numbered, step-by-step instructions guide readers through the intricacies of navigating the web in a friendly, approachable way. The updated design features a more sophisticated look and larger fonts and images to make this a perfect reference for all ages.

Digital Photography

David Pogue’s Digital Photography: The Missing Manual

If you’re ready to jump into digital photography or would like to increase the skills you already have, David Pogue’s Digital Photography: The Missing Manual is just what you need. Bestselling author David Pogue provides a no-nonsense guide to the entire process, including how to: buy and use a digital camera; get the same photographic effects as the pros; manage the results on your Mac or PC; edit photos; and, finally, share the results with your adoring fans — on paper, online, or on mugs, jigsaw puzzles, and blankets.

After reviewing hundreds of digital cameras and photo services in his weekly New York Times column, David Pogue knows digital photography. With this new Missing Manual you will:

• Get expert advice on how to choose a digital camera, including information on the only specs that matter. (Hint: it’s not about megapixels).
• Learn the basics of lighting, composition, and shooting lots of photos
• Understand how to choose the best camera settings for 20 different scenarios
• Unravel the problems of correcting images and storing them
• Learn David’s tips and tricks for sharing and printing images
• Get a special troubleshooting section you can turn to when things go wrong

David Pogue’s witty, authoritative voice has demystified the Mac, Windows, iPods and iPhones for millions of readers. Now, he offers step-by-step instructions and plenty of friendly advice to help you join in the fun and get real satisfaction from digital photography.

Operating Systems

Windows Vista® Plain & Simple Kit

Whether you’re helping friends and family get up and running, or buying a new computer for yourself or a family member, this easy, colorful, two-book kit is designed for you. It’s loaded with tips and tricks to make it easy for you–or the new user you’re helping–to set up and use a new Windows Vista-powered PC. This kit features two great resources: The WINDOWS VISTA PLAIN & SIMPLE GUIDE TO HELPING FRIENDS & FAMILY answers the most common questions and how-to’s related to selecting, setting up, and running a new PC. It uses real-world analogies to explain basic computing concepts and offers helpful techniques, support sidebars, Web site suggestions, and more. You also get the popular WINDOWS VISTA PLAIN & SIMPLE book–the easy, colorful, SEE-HOW guide to getting things done with Windows Vista. Topics include running programs and gadgets, browsing the Web, burning CDs, organizing photos and music, playing games, troubleshooting, and other everyday tasks and topics.Each book offers practical examples and troubleshooting tips–written in plain English–for the tasks that novices want to accomplish most. Get up and running quickly–and get to the good stuff faster!

Beginning Ubuntu Linux

Beginning Ubuntu Linux, the award–winning and best–selling Ubuntu book for beginners, is now in its third edition, presenting readers with an up–to–the–minute introduction to the world of Linux and the open source community. A detailed overview of Ubuntu’s installation and configuration process encourages you to take the plunge and switch to Linux, and from there you’ll learn how to wield total control over your newly installed operating system. Guided through the most commonly desired tasks such as printer configuration, listening to audio CDs and MP3s, watching movies, performing office and Internet–related tasks, as well as general system maintenance matters, authors Keir Thomas and Jaime Sicam will soon have you using and enjoying Ubuntu Linux and never looking back.

You’ll also find a series of comprehensive tutorials on Linux internals and the command–line prompt—essential for any Linux user—along with special sections on optimization, security, and system maintenance that will broaden your knowledge to professional level.

The complete Ubuntu Linux distribution is included free on the DVD inside the book. Simply insert the DVD and follow the instructions in the book to install Ubuntu Linux!

Microsoft Office

Microsoft Office 2007: Essential Concepts and Techniques

In Microsoft Office 2007: Essentials Concepts and Techniques you’ll find features that are specifically designed to improve retention, and prepare readers for future success. Our trademark step-by-step, screen-by-screen approach now encourages users to expand their understanding of the Outlook 2007 software through experimentation, exploration, and planning ahead.

Security

Cyber Crime Fighters: Tales from the Trenches

Written by leading cyber crime investigators, Cyber Crime Fighters: Tales from the Trenches takes you behind the scenes to reveal the truth behind Internet crime, telling shocking stories that aren’t covered by the media, and showing you exactly how to protect yourself and your children. This is the Internet crime wave as it really looks to law enforcement insiders: the truth about crime on social networks and YouTube, cyber stalking and criminal cyber bullying, online child predators, identity theft, even the latest cell phone crimes. Here are actual cases and actual criminals, presented by investigators who have been recognized by the FBI and the N.H. Department of Justice. These stories are true—and if you want to stay safe, you need to know about them.

     •    Learn how today’s criminals can track your whereabouts, read your emails, and steal your identity

     •    Find out how much of your personal information is already online—and how to keep the rest private

     •    Learn how cyber stalkers really think—and how to protect yourself  from them

     •    Protect your laptop, your iPod, and your precious data from getting stolen

     •    Encounter the “dark side” of Internet dating

     •    Discover the hidden crime wave on today’s specialized social networks

     •    Uncover the cell phone “upskirters” and “downblousers” —and the technicalities that keep them out of jail

     •    Follow cyber crime specialists as they investigate and catch online sexual predators

     •    Get the real truth about phishing, pharming, criminal spam, and online scams

     •    See how investigations really work—and why TV crime shows often get it wrong!

     •    Walk through your own personal, step-by-step, online safety checkup

Other Resources

If you are interested in getting started on pretty much any technical topic, you really can’t go wrong with something from the Dummies Series. These books assume nothing, giving you clear and concise that is not only easy to follow but is in language that doesn’t require a pocket protector or and advanced degree in engineering to understand.

And once you get used to using that Internet thing, your first stop should be Newbie.org!

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If you’re feeling lucky, then you may want to try out service pack 2 for Vista and Windows 2008 Server.  Microsoft released it today and there are a number of fixes and updates available.

Here are all the links that you will need to get you up and running (maybe running).

Standalone installer packages:

• 32-bit five languages
• 32-bit all languages
• 64-bit five languages
• 64-bit all languages
• Itanium five languages
• Itanium all languages

ISO images:

• five language
• all language

Windows Update:

• patch

You can read more about this at Ars Technica.

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One of the things that has kind of bugged me in the past is that there was very little option when it came to customizing how my windows desktop arranged itself.  I could tile or cascade the windows but that was about it!  But, when I came across MaxTo, my world changed.

What MaxTo allows me to do is configure my desktop so that when I maximize an application, it stays in the boundaries that I set up for it automatically!  This way, it is really easy to have multiple applications open and see them all on my screen easily.

I find that I can get a lot more done in the day now since I do not have to keep flipping back and forth between windows.  Now, I find that I am wanting a bigger monitor!

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Sometimes it takes the worst of situations to bring out the best in us.  This is what happened to me the other day.  A woman comes into the office that I work in, obviously quite distraught.  We quickly discover that she is the widow of a popular local doctor whom recently passed away suddenly.  She was carrying with her a laptop and was looking for some help.

It appears that when her husband passed away, he did not leave a record of the user names and passwords for his laptop and there was a lot of information on the system that she would be needing in the near future.  She was hoping that we could help.  Of course we could.

We Hate F8! We Hate F8!

Initially, I assumed that the users would not have changed the default administrative password from blank.  So, all I needed to do was use F8 when booting, go into safe mode, then create a new account with administrative access.

Unfortunately, F8 was disabled on the system and the only way to enable it was to log into Windows.  Time to look for something else.

Linux To The Rescue…NOT

My next reaction was to try one of the Linux based password recovery tools.  There are a number of boot CDs out there that boot a small Linux kernel and then attempt to recover the password.  After trying two different boot CDs, I quickly came to the realization that Linux was going to be of no help this time around.

It just so happens that this was no ordinary laptop.  This laptop was a Dell XPS M1730.  And, it came with dual hard drives running off a RAID array using the Intel Matrix Storage Manager.  And, it had no Linux drivers.

Ask Bart

So, how was I going to proceed.  It was obvious that there was no way to get access from a download and boot Linux CD.  Then I thought of Bart.  Since BartPE creates a self-contained bootable Windows CD, this might do the trick!

I got together the following items:

1. A blank CDR
2. A copy of the latest BartPE package
3. The RAID drivers
4. A copy of Windows XP Pro with Service Pack 1 (Sorry, you’re on your own for that one)

I installed the BartPE package to C:\pebuilder3110a on my hard drive.  Then, I extracted the drivers that I got from the Dell website and placed them in the C:\pebuilder3110a\drivers\SCSIAdapter folder in a directory called iastor. The \drivers\SCSIAdapter folder is where you can put any number of non-standard drivers that will automatically load then you boot the BartPE CD.  (For more information on the on adding drivers to a BartPE CD, see their Adding drivers page.)  I then proceeded to create the BartPE image and burn it to CD.

Getting the Files

The next step was to get access to the laptop.  I put my newly minted CD into the laptop and booted the machine from it.  Everything worked like a charm and on first try, too! (That almost never happens for me!)  I was able to access the files on the RAID array without any problem.

Now, I could probably have stopped here and copied the files that were needed to a USB drive or even burned them to a CD/DVD.  But, I wanted to provide full access to the system so that they would not have to keep coming back to me for help whenever they wanted to get something off the computer.  I would have to get the passwords for her.

All Your Passwords Are Belong To Us

To start the process of password recovery, I needed to get a few things:

1. USB flash drive
2. ophcrack password recovery software
3. Vista password tables for ophcrack

I booted the laptop one again with the BartPE disk and made sure the USB flash drive was available to the system on boot up.

Next, I started to look through the system and I searched for two files:

• C:\Windows\System32\config\SAM
• C:\Windows\System32\config\SYSTEM

I copied these two files over to the flash drive, took out the flash drive and shut down the computer.

I then installed ophcrack on my other computer and installed the Vista tables.

Next, I used the Encrypted SAM option to load the files into ophcrack.  It immediately recognized all of the accounts that were on the system.  It also indicated that the Administrator account and the Guest account had blank passwords.  That means that if F8 had been available, I could have gotten into the system in Safe Mode (stupid F8).

So, I started the password recovery process and DING! 29 seconds later I had all of the passwords for the three other accounts on the system.  I tried all three and they all worked.

Looking back at the passwords now and the hints that were given in Windows for the passwords, I was on the right track to guessing them but this was a much quicker process.

Lessons Learned

Through all of this, I have learned some lessons about security, passwords, and computers:

1. Unless you encrypt your hard drive or use some other form of access other than a password (e,g, biometrics, smart card, etc.), it is relatively trivial for someone to get your passwords if they have physical access to your system
2. Someone does not have to have physical access to your system the entire time they are trying to hack your password.  Simply grabbing a couple of files from your computer takes a couple of minutes and they can hack away at your system at their convenience
3. In the event of your untimely passing, would your loved ones know how to get access to your computer, e-mail, Internet accounts, etc.?  If not, you may want to consider a way of getting that information to them

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I’m pretty sure that it has sunk in to the people of Microsoft by now that their deployment of Windows Vista has been an utter disaster. Vista has been out for over a year and a half now and it looks like there is only about a 14% adoption of the new OS.

This should serve as a warning for all other software developers out there and software companies. It is really easy to screw up your market and turn your clients against you.

This has prompted me to provide you with some lessons that we should all have learned from the Vista debacle.

Just because you decide you are going to lead does not mean that others will follow.

Microsoft figured they had it all figured out. Windows XP was arguably the most popular operating system on the market and the most successful version to date. Now was the time to lead the sheep clients to a bold, new OS.

Unfortunately, computer users like to think for themselves. They will not purchase something new just because they are told to do so.

Some of the more common alternatives that users went with other than buying Vista include:

1. Doing nothing and sticking with Windows XP
2. Buying a Mac
3. Learning Linux
4. Putting off purchases in the hopes that something better comes along

Lesson: Let your clients lead. Get to know what they want and put in the new options that they want, not what you think will make you money. Make the client happy and the money will find you.

Terms like “better”, “easier” and “improved” are subjective.

I will be the first person to admit that there are some definite improvements to the way that things are done in Vista. Yet, I often miss the way things were done in XP.

Microsoft has told us that Vista is better, easier and improved. Does this mean that XP was worse, harder and crappy? Of course not! So if many people feel that this is inaccurate, your credibility may just go out the window.

Lesson: Make certain that any claims you make about your new product does not reflect poorly on your old product and can be, more or less, agreed upon universally without leaving much room for opinion.

People will not change for the sake of change.

There is a certain geek element out there that want the latest and greatest in anything that you make. These are the types who stand in line for the new iPhone, even though they will not be able to get service for several months.

But, the majority of your clients do not fall into this category. Rather, they are cautious and are concerned about spending their money.

Lesson: You need to give your clients a reason to upgrade and change. Without that, they will not part with their money.

More options are not always better.

Have you ever stood in the cereal isle at he grocery store? Have you ever tried to decide which cereal to buy? It is insane how many different types and brands of cereal there are out there. Different manufacturers have knock off versions of other brands. Manufacturers try to create a new cereal by simply changing something small about one of their old cereals. It’s almost enough to make the buyer go cereal serial.

It appears that Microsoft hired all of their marketers from the cereal industry. They have split Vista into multiple editions and made the selection process so confusing people are not even sure how many editions there are. There could be four, five or six, depending on who you ask. And this does not even take into consideration OEM and open licensing. How is the average consumer suppoed to decide?

Lesson: Make your product models/editions/versions simple and easy to understand. Preferably, make one model and allow them to purchase additional options, much like the automotive inductry (but stay away from the upgrade bundle concept).

Trying to force users to upgrade will just make them find other ways of doing things.

Windows XP can no longer be purchased from Microsoft. This has been the case since June 30, 2008. They had announced that this was going to be the case back in April but they decided to postpone it. But, as it stands, you can not purchase a Windows XP from Microsoft.

Has this stopped people from selling it? No way! In fact, Dell is turning this into big business along with other companies.

Lesson: Do not try to force the hand of your clients. If they do not like your new product, they will find ways to stay with the old and send you less money in the process.

Don’t make people relearn something they already know.

With so many “improvement” in Vista, it is really difficult to know how to navigate around the system. While it may be more intuitive for a new user, the vast majority of people who will be using Vista will be those who have experience in other versions of the Windows operating system.

I know as someone who is technical, this really put me off because I’m not really interested in learning a whole new operating system, especially when I am finding it harder and harder to learn new things.

Lesson: Make your new product intuitive for both old and new users.

Make sure that those who are selling and supporting your software are on board with the upgrade.

I think that one of the biggest reason that Vista has done so poorly is that it failed to be adopted and promoted by the people who are in the trenches. I mean the techs, company computer guys, and sales personnel. Since these people were not behind Vista, they were not recommending it to friends, family and clients. This is where a new product is made or destroyed.

Lesson: Make sure that those who are speaking directly with the people who are parting with their money believe that your new product is the best version of the product ever made. Ensure that these people know as much about the product, they are excited about the product, and that they are using the product themselves every single day.

Don’t make people choose between functionality and aesthetics.

There are a very small number of people out there who will choose something useless that looks pretty over something that just gets the job done. Unfortunately, Vista, while it looks really nice, often does not get the job done.

Many people, especially those who decide to upgrade to Vista, find that the cost of all the bells and whistles means that some of their old hardware and software does not work and their system is now slower than ever.

Lesson: Focus your attention on ensuring your product gets the job done. If you have time and it is warranted, make it look pretty.

Make sure your product is ready for the market.

Even Steve Ballmer admits that they messed up the release of Vista. There are too many incompatible software packages that were critical to business and many hardware manufacturers had not gotten around to finishing up releasing new drivers for existing hardware.

All this made Vista a show stopper before people even looked at it.

Lesson: Make sure your product is usable by the largest audience possible with as few barriers to upgrade or replacement as possible.

Don’t force a hardware upgrade unless you absolutely have to.

This has goe to be one of the biggest complains made by users. Vista rarely runs well on hardware that XP was more than happy to work on. So now, the cost of purchasing Vista has just gone up significantly. This can get very expensive, expecially if they are part of a large business that has hundreds or thousands of machines to replace.

Lesson: Try to keep the collateral cost of upgrading to a minimum. Do not make people buy new products or add-ons unless they absolutely have to.

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