Mastering Windows 98: Making the Most of Your Upgrade

Do you use the "channels" which came with Windows 98? Me neither. That's two of us who will find at least part of Mastering Windows 98 somewhat useless. Hosted by a very happy woman named Sheila who almost can't contain her (apparently) sheer joy over saying words such as "taskbar," "menu" and "desktop," the video is divided into three segments containing 2-3 subtopics each. Viewers familiar with the Windows 95 desktop will discover that there's not a huge amount of difference in Windows 98 (in my opinion, Windows Explorer is just as clunky as it was), except for the "active desktop" option for folks who are connected to the Internet all day long. The program also covers the changes in navigation features, new options on the start menu, and working with toolbars. The bottom line here is that while some tips are really useful (such as putting a shortcut to your co-worker's hard drive on the toolbar), many others are--excuse the bad pun--windows dressing. Of course, I'm not entirely convinced that what users truly need are umpty-ump different ways to access a particular file. However, I suppose for heavy Windows 98 operators, the hour spent here would probably pay off in a few seconds of increased productivity each day, which should eventually make you break even...right about the time the next upgrade appears. Optional. Also available: Learning Windows 98: First-Time User's Guide. Aud: H, C, P. (R. Pitman)