SIMMONS, Curt 1968-

PERSONAL: Born 1968; married; wife's name, Dawn; children: Hannah, Mattie. Education: Certified by Microsoft as systems engineer, systems administrator, and certified trainer; degree in English.

ADDRESSES: Home—Saint Jo, TX. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Wiley Publishing, Inc., 111 River St., 5th Fl., Hoboken, NJ 07030. E-mail—curt.simmons@hotmail.com.

CAREER: Computer trainer and writer.

WRITINGS:

How Howard Crenshaw Stopped the Flood (novel), Writers Club Press, 2002.

COMPUTER GUIDES

(With Patrick Terrance Neal) MCSE Study Tips for Dummies, IDG Books Worldwide (Foster City, CA), 1998.

(With Scott Rachui) MCSE Exchange Server 5.5 for Dummies, IDG Books Worldwide (Foster City, CA), 1999.

Microsoft Proxy Server 2.0 MCSE Study System, IDG Books Worldwide (Foster City, CA), 1999.

MCSE Windows 98 Ace It!, IDG Books Worldwide (Foster City, CA), 1999.

Windows 2000 Hardware and Disk Management, Prentice Hall (Upper Saddle River, NJ), 2000.

Configuring Windows 2000 Server, Prentice Hall PTR (Upper Saddle River, NJ), 2000.

Creating Active Directory Infrastructures, Prentice Hall PTR (Upper Saddle River, NJ), 2000.

MCSE Windows 2000 Server for Dummies, IDG Books Worldwide (Foster City, CA), 2000.

Master Active Directory Visually, IDG Books Worldwide (Foster City, CA), 2000.

Microsoft ISA Configuration and Administration, M&T Books (New York, NY), 2001.

MCSE Internet Security and Acceleration Server 2000 Study Guide; Exam 70-227, Osborne McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 2001.

MCSE: Designing a Windows 2000 Directory Services Infrastructure, Prentice Hall (Upper Saddle River, NJ), 2001.

How to Do Everything with Your BlackBerry, Osborne McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 2001, second edition, 2004.

Wireless Internet Access for Dummies, Hungry Minds (New York, NY), 2001.

How to Do Everything with Windows XP, Osborne McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 2001, second edition, Osborne McGraw-Hill (Emeryville, CA), 2003.

How to Do Everything with Windows ME, 2001.

Active Directory Bible, IDG Books Worldwide (Foster City, CA), 2001.

Windows XP Secrets, Hungry Minds (New York, NY), 2002.

Windows XP Headaches: How to Fix Common (and Not So Common) Problems in a Hurry, Osborne McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 2002.

(With James Causey) Microsoft Windows XP Networking Inside Out, Microsoft Press (Redmond, WA), 2002.

MCSE Windows XP Professional Study Guide (Exam 70-270), Osborne McGraw-Hill (Berkeley, CA), 2002.

(With Ash Rofail) The Microsoft.NET Platform and Technologies, Prentice Hall (Upper Saddle River, NJ), 2002.

(With Ron Gilster) MCSA: All-in-One Desk Reference for Dummies, Wiley Publishing (New York, NY), 2003.

(With Jennifer Ackerman Kettell and Guy Hart-Davis) Microsoft Office 2003: The Complete Reference, Osborne McGraw-Hill (Emeryville, CA), 2003.

(With David Dalan) A+ Technician's On-the-Job Guide to Networking, Osborne McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 2003.

Microsoft Office FrontPage 2001 Bible, Wiley Publishing (Indianapolis, IN), 2003.

A+ Technician's On-the-Job Guide to Windows XP, Osborne McGraw-Hill (Berkeley, CA), 2003.

How to Do Everything with Photoshop Album, Osborne McGraw-Hill (Emeryville, CA), 2003.

Mac OS X Headaches: How to Fix Common (and Not So Common) Problems in a Hurry, Osborne McGraw Hill (Berkeley, CA), 2003.

iPhoto 2 for Dummies, Wiley Publishing (New York, NY), 2003.

How to Do Everything with Windows XP Digital Media, Osborne McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 2004.

Windows XP for Power Users: Power Pack, Wiley Publishing (Hoboken, NJ), 2004.

PC Magazine Windows XP Speed Solutions, Wiley Publishing (Indianapolis, IN), 2005.

SIDELIGHTS: Author, technology expert, and computer trainer Curt Simmons has written more than thirty books on computers and computer technology. He is also the author of the 2002 novel How Howard Crenshaw Stopped the Flood. Among his many computer guides is Windows XP Headaches: How to Fix Common (and Not So Common) Problems in a Hurry, which helps Windows XP users identify what is wrong when their computers are not working right and gives them solutions designed to get them running again quickly. Aimed at beginning to intermediate-level users, the book "focuses on troubleshooting common XP problems," noted Library Journal reviewer Rachel Singer Gordon. He gives solutions to annoying problems such as cursors that blink too quickly, problems with folders, malfunctioning printers, software glitches, start menu troubles, temperamental Internet connections, misconfigured drivers, and more. Simmons also tackles XP-related troubles found in e-mail programs such as Outlook and in networking applications.

Many of Simmons's books offer expert advice on taking and passing important technology certification tests. MCSE Windows XP Professional Study Guide (Exam 70-270) contains authoritative study materials for students preparing the take the Microsoft Certified System Engineer test in Windows XP Professional. The book includes self-study guides, two-minute drills, sample tests, and lab questions. An accompanying CDROM also offers multimedia training such as instructional videos and samples of online tests.

Simmons does not abandon the technology professionals he helps attain their certification; he also provides advanced training material and instructional guides for working technology experts. A+ Technician's On-the-Job Guide to Networking, for one, provides detailed information for practicing A+-certified tech experts who have encountered problems with networking applications, as well as those who simply need to construct a functional network as simply as possible. Aimed at intermediate-level computer technicians, as well as beginning networking students, the book covers topics in network configuration and troubleshooting. "Clear step-by-step instructions that don't talk down to readers make this a recommended purchase" for libraries, according to Gordon in another Library Journal review.

In How to Do Everything with Your BlackBerry Simmons turns his attention to the popular and ever-expanding handheld computing market. Emphasizing the basics of wireless e-mail and Internet use, the author covers configuring, troubleshooting, and using BlackBerry technology in business and personal situations. Tips, notes, step-by-step instructions, and illustrative screen shots provide clear instruction for BlackBerry users of all levels.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Library Journal, August, 2002, Rachel Singer Gordon, review of Windows XP Headaches: How to Fix Common (and Not So Common) Problems in a Hurry, p. 131; October 1, 2002, Rachel Singer Gordon, review of MCSE Windows XP Professional Study Guide (Exam 70-270), p. 123; June 1, 2003, Rachel Singer Gordon, review of A+ Technician's On-the-Job Guide to Networking, p. 161; September 1, 2004, Rachel Singer Gordon, review of How to Do Everything with Your BlackBerry, p. 182.

ONLINE

Curt Simmons Home Page, http://www.curtsimmons.com (June 19, 2005).