So I’m trying to drag my parents into the computer age kicking and screaming. Last Christmas I gave them my ancient IBM Aptiva to get them started and have gotten my mom to attempt to check email every once in a while. This year I bought them a new CPU/Motherboard combo to get the machine running smoother in hopes they’d use it more and I want to get them to upgrade from dial-up to DSL soon.
Essentially they are completely clueless on the computer and internet’s most basic concepts.
I know getting them a Computers for Dummies book will be useless, there’s no way they’ll crack open a reference book to learn the process and basics. So I’m hoping to find them some sort of interactive tutorial that will walk them through the basics of Windows XP, File Systems, the Internet and Email etc. On late night TV they advertise these Video Professor CD-Roms which look to be pretty close to what I’m looking for, though a companion guide book would be nice, but the whole Infomercial quality of them puts me off.
My question is this: Has anyone used those CDs before and can you tell me if they were of any value? Can anyone recommend another interactive tutorial which teaches the basics of computers, geared toward the most novice of people, that is good?