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Q: Does Windows 7 for Seniors cover the Professional edition?

A: I had Windows 7 Home Premium edition in mind for the book — most of that edition’s features are covered. The Professional edition has all of those feature, so it is relevant to someone using the Professional edition. However, Professional has additional features that aren’t covered in my book. Those features are mostly business and network related function.

See these two sites for info about what’s unique in Professional and, therefore, not covered in my book. That said, I think what is covered will be very useful to anyone who wants step-by-step instructions with illustrations.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_7_editions
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/compare/default.aspx

Snapsort lets you select two camera models for a side-by-side comparison with comments about differences and similarities.

Libraries are a new feature in Windows 7. A library allows you to group files that are stored in separate folders. You can use libraries without understanding them. However, the How-To-Geek website has done its usual thorough job in documenting libraries. Check it out.

Understanding the Libraries Feature in Windows 7 – the How-To Geek

The new libraries feature in Windows 7 makes it easier to manage your files and folders. Today we take a look at how to access libraries, how to use them, and how to include network locations to the libraries as well.

The libraries feature in Windows 7 provides a central place to manage files that are located in multiple locations throughout your computer. Instead of clicking through a bunch of directories to find the files you need, including them in a library makes for quicker access.

Understanding the Libraries Feature in Windows 7 – the How-To Geek

I bought my first TabletPC five or more years ago. I’ve had a handheld touch-computer running Linux for at least 3 years. I’m writing this on a convertible touch computer running Windows 7 (4GB RAM, 250GB hard drive). Moreover, I’ve lived near the bleeding edge of computing for 25 years – long enough to see Steve Jobs’ market-triumphs such as Lisa, neXt, and Newton. Still, I think competition sometimes drives innovation and usually brings down prices. I’m a big fan of choice and think the world would be worse off without Apple, although I, personally, wouldn’t miss it.

You can read elsewhere – everywhere, it seems – about the new iPad. (Note: iMac was a fitting and innovative name. Was that 15 years ago or more? Each new iName seems a little more iContrived or iAncient.) iPad is surely the best new iTouch this year, but it would be a failure in the PC (non-Mac) marketplace. PC users would be outraged by the following features of any computer:

• No USB. Really? I know, Apple was in the lead getting rid of disks and discs. Generally, proprietary connections and adapters such as those for the iPad are user-unfriendly and anti-competitive. Plus, these dongles are surprisingly ugly and – I just can’t believe this – they plug into the bottom edge of the iPad. Perhaps, you’ll be able to buy an Apple iLap Protector.
• 16GB storage. Really? Your cellphone and camera card have more storage these days.
• No memory card slots. This would have been one way around the lunacy of both no USB and limited storage: let people insert cards (an easy way to transfer photos). But then, how would you sell the more expensive iPads? Every handheld device I know of takes one or more types of cards.
• No Camera. This is jawdroppingly uncool from the Company of Cool (or so the fans think). Perhaps this is another innovation: People no longer what to video chat! Every cheap netbook and cellphone has a camera. How in the hell did this happen? (Video eats bandwidth. Perhaps ATT said no or wanted too much for the connectivity.)
• Non-removable battery. Classic Apple – Thou shalt not open the box! Once again, harshly anti-competitive (therefore, price-fixing) and user-UNfriendly.
• No tabs in browser. Huh? Is it 1999?
• No multi-tasking. Well, it’s not a computer, it’s a pretty gadget.
• $499. For an Apple product, that may seem cheap. But many netbooks cost less than $400 and are real computers with a multi-tasking OS, tabbed browsing, video conferencing, USB, card slots, and a keyboard.

Mostly, this gianormous iTouch looks like a Sony Reader-killer. Granted, the iPant is way better than a Kindle. But don’t worry about Kindle – Amazon could bury Apple in styrofoam peanuts.

(Someone may say, “No Flash – that’s a deal breaker.” Not me – that’s a plus, to me. I sometimes disdain Apple but I loathe Adobe.)

I use Windows Live Photo Gallery every day as my only photo organizing, editing, and publishing program. It’s great. I have chapters on Photo Gallery in each of my books. Here’s a link to a briefer article with lots of screenshots.

Learning Windows 7: Manage Photos with Live Photo Gallery – the How-To Geek

How to Work with the Action Center | Windows 7 Tutorials

Wed, 01/13/2010 – 21:14 — Alin-Cristian 

Action Center Explained

Action Center is a Windows 7 feature which continuously monitors the state of your system’s security. If it notices any kind of problem, like your antivirus being disabled, it immediately notifies you, so that you can take corrective action. It also monitors a series of maintenance related items: checks if you have scheduled any system backups, tries to find solutions to recent computer issues, checks for any maintenance problems, etc.

When a problem is detected, the user is notified and guided on what he/she could do to fix them.

How to Work with the Action Center | Windows 7 Tutorials

Another good tutorial with detailed screenshots from the How-To-Geek.

Learning Windows 7: Watch TV Programming Without a TV Tuner – the How-To Geek

I’m honored to see my Windows 7 for Seniors back in the Top 100 of all Computer Books on Amazon. Thank you to those who have bought, read it, or commented on it.

Wiley has created four booklets out of my Digital Cameras & Photography for Dummies. The new product is called Digital Photography for Dummies: Portable Collection Some of the content has been updated or supplemented by other authors. Unfortunately, the photos are in black and white and smaller than in the original book.

I don’t want to undermine Wiley’s marketing decision, but the portable collection is about the same price as the original book, which was portable already, in full color, and comes with a DVD.

Although Windows Vista and earlier versions of Windows included an email program (Windows Mail or Outlook Express), Windows 7 does not include an email program. Instead, Microsoft expects you to download and install Windows Live Mail. In Windows 7 for Seniors, I chose to describe how to use Gmail (from Google) instead of Windows Live Mail. I chose Gmail, in part, because it doesn’t require downloading and installation, which makes it easier to use for some people. Having used many different email programs over 20+ years, I like Gmail, especially because it is Web-based, meaning your messages are accessible anywhere using any browser, instead of stored on one particular computer. (This is an example of “cloud computing,” meaning the programs and data you use are “out there, in the cloud,” as it were.)

If you are interested in information on using Windows Live Mail, visit http://download.live.com/.

Log on Automatically to Windows 7 Without Typing Your Password | Windows 7 Tutorials

Desktop computer sets new pi record 

A comparitively humble desktop computer has successfully calculated pi to 2.7 trillion digits, 123 billion more than the previous record set by a supercomputer in August 2009. Since 1995, records for pi have been set by supercomputers, but Fabrice Bellard claims his method is 20 times more efficient.

Gizmag reports that using a Core i7 running at 2.93GHz, with 6GB RAM and a 7.5TB of hard disk space, it took 131 days and over a terabyte of disk storage for Febrice Bellard to complete and check the record of 2,699,999,990,000 digits.

So how long is that number? According to the BBC, if you were to recite one number every second, it would you over 49,000 years to reach the end.

Desktop computer sets new pi record

I think Vista was a huge improvement over XP and Win7 is a modest improvement over Vista. In general, I recommend waiting for a new computer to get a new version of Windows, instead of upgrading an old system. Exceptions would include if you have a very new system (less than 6 months old) or you like keeping up with technology.

The Home Premium edition is best for almost everyone. See http://www.mjhinton.com/help/?p=715 for my biggest gripe about Win7 changes from Vista.

Merri happened to notice tonight that Window 7 for Seniors for Dummies had its highest rank on Amazon so far. (And one review.)

With the book in the top 10 of those 3 sub-categories, it is also #88 among all Computers & Internet books on Amazon. I see by the note that it has been in the top 100 for 2 days and was higher than #88, but I don’t know how much higher. (That, in turn, suggests we missed a rank higher than #1787 in all books, perhaps on Christmas Day.)

Very cool. Thanks to buyers, reviewers, and well-wishers. Happy New Year, all.