What's the best book for comprehensive foundational computer learning?

I'm self-taught on computers, i.e., not well-taught. :-o

I have gotten past the phase of knowing nothing about computers other than how to surf the Internet. But my knowledge is still painfully uneven, decent in some areas and zero in many other areas. I need a hard copy book for computer beginners that spells everything out, taking nothing for granted in terms of previous acquired knowledge.

Any suggestions?

 

I found this page which lists "How Computers Work", "Absolute Beginner's Guide to Computer Basics" and "Windows XP for Dummies" among others.

There is no single definitive guide on the subject and at the pace at which things change, by the time you were done reading such a book (if there was one), it would be outdated. Your best bet would to be to learn on an "as needed" basis.

Like you, I'm self-taught and I learn things as I need to.

 

What do you want to learn? Operating systems, hardware.. very basics, or what??
I say get an A+ study guide if your in the middle range of understanding and what a general knowledge.

 

Check out the forums - loads of info to help you.

http://forums.majorgeeks.com/forumdisplay.php?f=20:wave

 

conceptualclarity...

If you don't know anything much about the hardware, that would be the best place to start. You could Google to find a beginner's guide to PC hardware. Better yet check Amazon, where you can look at the book reviews.

Once you know a little bit about hardware, I think the best thing to learn is system software such as hardware drivers and operating systems. You can probably find something on this topic at Amazon.

Once you have mastered that topic, I recommend learning BASIC. It's the primary (simplest) programming language of them all, and it's relatively easy to learn. Obviously, it's not very sophisticated, and it's not really useful in a practical sense, but it will give you a foundation for learning to program should you ever decide to go down that road. Learning BASIC will help you understand how programs are designed and function together. This helps to understand what's going on inside the PC...

 

PSCO2007's idea is excellent. MG is the best forum, however there are others worth reading as well. I would approach such study not to gain specific knowledge at first, but rather to observe the troubleshooting techniques employed by the wizards that inhabit these sites. Take note of the pinned or sticky FAQs in these forums, usually well written advice for the common problems people see and good advice in general. There are several here at MG along this line.

Take note of the division of labor as it were. You will occasionally see a Malware Jedi stop by here for the software/OS expertise offered here, and see some of us go in there when we need their help. It is a challenge, to say the least, to be expert in all the areas one might run into problems with, hence MG has specific forums, i.e. networking, where folks help out with specific areas.

I would concern myself with my own OS for a start. If you're using Win 7, don't initially get bogged down in XP issues, master what you use first.

Every problem you have that is solved either alone or with help should go into a paper and pen notebook. (when your computer goes down, your digital resources will be limited) I took notes for years, I have many dozens of text files that I compiled on such issues as "Recover a Corrupted Registry in XP" and "NTLDR is Missing" for example. Rather than rely on memory for some of these problems that only pop up once in a blue moon, I have my notes to fall back on to walk me thru the troubleshoot/repair process. In some ways the best computer book is the one you write for yourself.

I would start by mastering data backup, some kind of emergency restore plan for my computer, and begin collecting the software tools used onto removable media such as CD/DVD or USB sticks. Searching this forum will yield much good info for you...

 

In that vein, here is a link for Acronis Trueimage - it will take a snapshot of your comp, and if you have a crash, you can restore your OS, including updates and everything on your "C" drive in a matter of minutes.

These are free if you have a Seagate,Maxtor or WD hdd.

http://www.seagate.com/ww/v/index.j...toid=d9fd4a3cdde5c010VgnVCM100000dd04090aRCRD

http://support.wdc.com/product/downloaddetail.asp?swid=119

Good luck!!

 

The vast majority of helpers here and on similar forums are self taught too, me included. The subject is so huge that sitting at home reading 3" thick books in the hope of becoming 'expert' is more likely to cause you to nod off than learn a great deal imo. But I'm not knocking books - they can be very useful as reference material when trying to understand better a particular aspect, but they are no substitute for the real thing - using and experimenting with your system and software settings and options.

It's already been suggested you start by mastering system backup and I wholly endorse that. When you start really pushing beyond the familiar, trying things you've never tried before, you need to be sure that if something you do messes up, as it most surely will, that you have a quick and sure way of getting back to where you were. Once you are confident about that you will have no fear of experimenting and can relax and truly enjoy and get maximum benefit from the learning process.

 

I think "Upgrading and Repairing PCs" 21st edition (yes it has been updated and rewritten since 1988) is a great start to helping you learn it all. You can skip sections and learn as much as you want to. Note: I have the 15th edition.

 

Wow, that has jogged my memory! I have here the tenth anniversary edition, 1998, cost me £51.49 ($78.95 US), and I've just measured it at 3.25 inches! But I have to agree, if it's a hardware textbook you want you probably won't beat this one. Wonder what it measures at now - 4" plus? And it says on the back cover that it (only) covers Intel compatibles, i.e. the original IBM PC spec. So that's just hardware, or a small part of it anyway - just imagine what an equally comprehensive book on software might cost/measure/weigh today, and destined to be outdated in just a month or two. :eek

But such books do give you a solid basic understanding of how computers work and if the price isn't a deterrent I would agree with pcunite and recommend keeping a copy handy.

 

@ Earthling
Just checked it on Amazon, about half of what you paid back in the day. And some AMD processors covered.

@conceptualclarity
While this is an excellent book, keep in mind that most of your problems with a computer will not be hardware related, particularly when newish. Drivers, configuration, software compatibility, and the never ending battle against the nasties that miscreants spread are where most of us spend our time.

 

Comprehensive computer knowledge may seem like a proper and noble goal, but practically speaking, it is hardly attainable.
I suspect that there are few people who would claim to have acquired truly extensive and comprehensive knowledge of all
aspects of computers and computer related topics.

I suggest that you think about what will be most useful to you right now and in the near future, as well as give you a usable
foundation.

Gaining a Practical understanding of computer "backup" will be immediately helpful but it's usually not considered
to be a fun or interesting thing to do or study.

Since you are a PC user, in my opinion, learning about your Operating System will give the most useful knowledge that you
can use immediately. Everything you do with your computer relies on the O.S. and learning how to manage it's various aspects
will help you with many of the things that you want to do.

You can browse amazon.com or the like and find which books get the highest ratings from reviewers and read some of the reviews.
For example, here are a couple for Windows 7:

Windows 7 - The Missing Manual

Windows® 7 Inside Out

Here are some articles about Backup:

Backup Your PC With Ease For Free Using Easeus Todo Backup

Be Prepared: These Are the Vital Files You Should Backup

How to backup your PC and laptop

Here are some articles prepared by Major Attitude, one of the Major Geeks owners.
Backup, format or restore your PC