Book Helps Fix Cracked Windows

Microsoft's Windows operating system falls down stairs so often that there has evolved a mini-industry of books about handling the glitches. <br><br>There's a new one that users of Windows ME,

Tuesday, January 9th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Microsoft's Windows operating system falls down stairs so often that there has evolved a mini-industry of books about handling the glitches.

There's a new one that users of Windows ME, 98 and 95 should consider: ``Troubleshooting Microsoft Windows'' by Stephen W. Sagman. It's published by â€” you couldn't make this up â€” none other than Microsoft Press.

For sheer business synergy, it's hard to beat: One division of a corporation distributes a cranky, buggy product while another division publishes work-around advice.

But Sagman does such a good job that the book's 350 pages are certainly worth its $19.99 price.

One of the book's strengths is its organization. Chapters are structured around problem topics, and each chapter begins with a sort of flow chart that asks questions which, depending upon the answer selected, guide you to the appropriate advice.

Sometimes the advice is simply to ignore the problem. As Sagman points out, the Recycle Bin in Windows 98 will report that your hard-disk drive is 1.99 GB even if you know the drive is bigger. Windows ME fixes this problem.

Hundreds of problems are outlined in a straightforward, simple writing style with dashes of humor, and the screen-capture graphics greatly aid the step-by-step fixes. Problems range from imminent disasters (the hard disk is going to die) to annoyances, including error messages from programs that have been deleted and programs starting without your approval. And the solutions are sprinkled with tips for easier use.

The book steers readers to a Web site, http://www.mspress.microsoft.com/troubleshooting, that posts the latest fixes for the latest glitches.

Much of the advice will make experienced users remark, ``But everyone knows that!'' However, for everyone else, it's just the right approach. Making the text blue and orange wasn't necessary, but it is big enough to be easily read.

The book is widely available at retail and on the Web.

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So many Geographics, so little clutter

National Geographic magazine abounds with marvelous photography and interesting stories. But over the years, they just abound, filling shelf after shelf because they're too beautiful to pitch.

There is, however, an alternative to reinforcing the floor or getting a bigger house. The past 111 years of National Geographic are available on a set of 31 CD-ROMs for both Windows and Macintosh computers. It contains more than 194,000 pages and more than 184,000 photographs, and has a good, solid search engine.

System requirements are modest. For the PC: Windows 95 or higher, 24 MB of RAM, 16-bit sound and 16-bit color SVGA video. Installation takes 70 MB of hard disk space. For the Mac: PowerPC or higher, System 7.5 or higher and 32 MB of RAM.

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On the Net: http://www.nationalgeographic.com

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Questions and comments are welcome. Mail to Larry Blasko, AP, 50 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10020-1666. Or e-mail through the Internet to lblasko(at)ap.org.