 | | | | Absolute Beginner's Guide to Security, Spam, Spyware & Viruses (Absolute Beginner's Guide) |  | Author: Andy Walker
Category: Book
This item is no longer available
Avg. Customer Rating:  (6 reviews)
Sales Rank: 7027521
Languages: English (Unknown), English (Original Language), English (Published)
Media: Library Binding
Edition: Reprint
Pages: 360
ISBN: 1435294025
Dewey Decimal Number: 005.8
EAN: 9781435294028
ASIN: 1435294025
Publication Date: May 29, 2008
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
 Excellent Product More for Experienced Users April 6, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I checked the book out of the library to give me something to read on a trip, and liked it so much, I purchased it when I returned. It includes step by step instructions for the beginner, but as you get further into the book, some of the details may scare away new computer users. Working on computers for 20+ years, I figured it would be a good review, but I learned a lot.
Practical, with attitude! March 16, 2006
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
If you were a fan of Call for Help, you remember Andy Walker's madcap segments. From the bunny suit to the propane torch and marshmallows, this guy can take a complicated topic and make it easy to understand. Andy's attitude comes through in this book - it is easy to understand and fun to read.
 Helpful But Repititious and a Bit Disorganized March 9, 2006
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
This book does a pretty good job at clearing away some of the mystery surrounding home computer security. For the uninitiated, it defines viruses, spyware, adware, spam, phishing, etc. and does a pretty good job of helping you to understand how these threats differ from each other. The book is less successful in differentiating the symptoms that help indicate which type of infection you might have. I think the author should have included a "symptoms matrix" which showed, in one chart, which symptoms apply to which threat and which threats might exhibit overlapping symptoms. Let's face it, many readers of this book bought it because they are having some type of malware problem and they need help in diagnosing it and then fixing it. Understanding what may have caused the problem is an important step, but it's only a step.
The book puts too much reliance on virus checkers and spyware to resolve your problems. Even if these tools prevent 99% of all threats, it only takes one threat to bring your system to its knees. I don't think the book does enough to help you fix that type of problem.
I also felt that the book may be a little irresponsible in encouraging you to wipe your system clean (reformat your hard disk and start over) if all else fails. It's a little bit like a book about warfare that spends a lot of time on dropping a nuclear bomb but didn't explain very well all of the other less drastic measures that should have been tried first.
Another issue with the book is that Parts I, II, and III contain essentially the same tips organized in a different way. So, while the straightforward and humorous writing style should make a cover-to-cover read entertaining, the somewhat redundant sections actually make such a read a boring task as the book wears on. I suspect that the writer was trying to make these sections as self-contained as possible, but I don't think the book's organization was sufficiently well thought out. The author needed to make up his mind whether this book was going to be a compendium of stand-alone articles or a step-by-step tutor for beginners. It tries to be both and that gets messy as one gets deeper into the book.
In summary, if you know little or nothing about the topics covered in this book, I recommend it as a learning tool. It's also great for gearing you up to prevent problems. But don't expect it to help you much in getting rid of an infection after the fact. Unless you are into nuclear warfare.
Secure your computer. December 2, 2005
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This book is a must have for anyone who owns a PC running windows. This is not your typical computer book. It is very well written, easy to read and is interspersed with excellent snippets of humor. Each chapter contains a wealth information, recommendations and sage advice to boot. Do yourself a favor and buy this book - secure your computer now.
Great book for even the experienced computer user. November 27, 2005
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
What can I say?
I have read this book from beginning to end. It is an easy read, highlighted by Andy's wit and style of writing.
His vast knowledge is shared in every chapter. Being a seasoned computer user, this book has even taught me things that I thought I already knew.
I recommend this book for anyone who owns a personal computer. You can read it to learn or just have it sitting close by for reference.
I personally hope there are many more books in the future from this author.
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