By Flip
Degunking Windows, Second Edition is a great companion book for those computer users who are beginners or are entering the intermediate level. This book is a very quick and easy read, providing the details of how to maintain a computer that is free from the daily gunk that accumulates with use.
It discusses how to keep your files organized for ease of use, how to clean up the clutter associated with internet surfing, and the often unknown clutter from installing and deleting programs in Windows that build up over time. In addition to how to just keep your Windows computer clean and free from gunk, it discusses the need for firewalls, antivirus, and anti-spyware that have become the modern-day scourge of web surfing. In combination, the safe practices of better securing your computer system and the benefit of keeping it free of gunk help speed up your system and offer a greatly reduced risk of infection from spyware, viruses, Trojans, hackers and script kiddies.
However, Degunking Windows attempted to discuss some things such as editing the Windows registry in a manner that was for the beginner, yet failed to go into any detail on the structure of registry keys or their function. Instead, it offered a cursory discussion into one of the most complex aspects of the Windows operating system, then suggested the use of third party software as a means of cleaning it. For the beginner or slightly advanced user, I personally don’t suggest even mentioning the editing of the registry due to the consequences that a simple mistake can have.
This book also suggests the use of third party software to aid in cleaning and degunking Windows, which for many beginners is the best route to go. However some of the software they mention are memory resident programs that will only add to the clutter of the Windows, resulting in a counter-productive outcome.
I consider myself a Windows power user, so from this perspective this book fell well short of what I expected. The book failed to detail that third party software can be of great benefit as well as a great hindrance when addressing portions of the Windows operating systems that were not addressed by Windows themselves.
However, for the beginner or slightly advanced user, this book is very well written and details many great suggestions that I not only endorse but that I myself use on a daily basis. So if you are a user that is at a level who is comfortable with changing Windows default settings and wants to learn how to keep it clean and healthy, then this book will not disappoint you.
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