What's So Special About Windows 95, Anyway?	How Do I Get Rid of a Program?	What's Up With This "OLE" Stuff?
Windows 95 for Dummies	"Windows 95 is a little easier for beginners to figure out. For example, [it] automatically keeps track of the past 15 files or programs you've used."	"The Add/Remove Programs icon can uninstall programs, but only if those programs have been designed with the uninstall feature in mind... [otherwise] buy a third party uninstaller program."	"A way to merge varieties of data into one file. For example, your boss can stick an icon into a letter file; when your co-worker double-clicks on the icon, he'll hear your boss's voice telling him he's fired."
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Win95	"Windows 95  certainly isn't the Second Coming, but it's definitely not just a warmed-over version of Windows 3.1. It boasts a boatload of improvements ... sure to make the time you spend each day hunkered down in front of your monitor ... a little less drudging."	"Display ... the Add/Remove Programs Properties dialog box ... If the program you want to blow to kingdom come is on this list, highlight it and then select the Add/Remove button ... [Otherwise] you need to turn up your sleeves and do the whole thing by hand." No mention of uninstaller utilities.	"[Here's] a wish list ... If the data changes in the original application, update the copied data automatically. If I want to make changes to the copied data, make it easy to find both the original application and the original data file ... Wishes can come true, because OLE addresses both of these issues."
The ABCs of Windows 95	"Windows 95 ... breaks free from the restrictions imposed by DOS and yet can still run existing DOS and Windows programs. It ... advances into the future without leaving all of the past behind."	"Click on [Add/Remove Programs] in the Control Panel ... click on the program and select Remove to see [if it can be uninstalled that way]." Uninstaller utilities appear 130 pages later in an appendix.	Only comment: "An automatic way for Windows programs to share data."
Windows 95 For Busy People	"Most everyday tasks are now easier to accomplish than ever before. For example, the second mouse button has become a powerful weapon ... The desktop tools that replace [Program Manager and File Manager] are reminiscent of those found on a Macintosh."	Visit the Install/ Uninstall tab of the Add/Remove Programs Properties window and see if the program is listed there click the Add/Remove button ... If you purchase [an uninstaller] ... be certain that the one you choose was designed to work with Windows 95."	"Suppose you have a master company phone list [in] a Microsoft Word document ... You have other Word documents that include lists of employee names and phone numbers. OLE can let you keep all of these documents up to date whenever you update the master phone list. (Well, maybe it can.)"

By Mike Musgrave
July 25, 1997

Used to be, bein' dumb was easy. But in this day and age, even Forrest Gump types have to know how to add and remove programs from the Windows 95 Start menu. Now the walls of the computer sections of bookstores are filled with volume after volume of titles to teach you how to master Bill Gates's pride and joy with minimum brain strain. New ones pop up every month -- not that it stops stores from selling two-year-old titles with obsolete advice. (Hint: Check the book's publication date, appearing opposite the title page.)

We procured copies of four of the leading Win 95 books and read them cover-to-cover. Then we tested how well they could answer three simple questions about living with Windows 95.

Windows 95 for Dummies
by Andy Rathbone (IDG Books, $20)
In Chapter 24, "Ten Atrocious Acronyms," one actually learns that the abbreviation for International Business Machines is pronounced "Aye-bee-em." The author of this book isn't afraid to look silly so you won't have to. Dummies contains some of my favorite metaphors. Why do DOS programs run slower under Windows 95? "Windows 95 is like a camper shell that is put on a pickup truck. Although the truck is more comfortable, it is slower and can't go underneath low bridges." This book is good for beginners, despite its sometimes cluttered organization -- but no-nonsense types will not appreciate the cutesy humor.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Windows 95
by Paul McFedries
(Que, $20)
The Idiot's Guide does a good job of getting you functional in Win 95, but beyond the basics it's hit or miss. It explains disk compression simply enough so that you might even retain a nugget or two of information, but a brave, ill-advised section on OLE -- "Object Linking and Embedding" -- does a remarkable job of wiping out any knowledge you might have had on this tricky subject, leaving you feeling like, yes, a Complete Idiot. It's best for those with a little Windows 3.1 experience who are anxious about moving to Win 95.

The ABCs of Windows 95
by Sharon Crawford (Sybex, $20)
This focuses on those already familiar with Win 3.1 and doesn't demonstrate lots of patience for people who don't know or care about the guts of a computer. Just out of the gate, on Page 3, Crawford goes on a nostalgia kick on how little memory computers had when she was a whippersnapper, then explains that Windows 95 "plays a sort of trick when it comes to memory so Windows applications have access to as much memory as they need." Now, I'm not a smart man, but why are certain parts of my computer tricking other parts of my computer? Are parts of my computer tricking me? If you have pipe dreams of one day wearing a pocket protector of your own, this is for you. Otherwise, it's the least practical book of the bunch.

Windows 95 for Busy People
by Ron Mansfield (Osborne, $25)
This book will occasionally dump you off in nowheresville with nothing but a glib word and best wishes (see our chart). It often assumes that you already can wing your way through most of Win 95. Still, it took on the issue of sending and receiving faxes -- which most of the other books ignored -- and made it easy. Featuring a decent attempt to clarify networking, this is the book to get if you actually want to understand the systems administrators at your office when they explain why your PC isn't working.