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There's a perception in some circles that computer magazines are only for compugeeks and that we mere mortals are unlikely to get much from them. Trust me, that's very far from the truth.
Next time you're in the local news agency stop at the magazine counter and browse through a few. You'll find some have no relevance to your needs while others are aimed specifically at you. They will target the operating system you're using (XP, Vista, Mac) and will be full of handy hints on how to make your computer perform better for you.
You'll find hints on digital photography, manipulating images, downloading music, working with videos, and all manner of special interests as well as hints on your actual operating system and software. Of course there will be things you don't understand at first but, if you're connected to the Internet, it's so easy to learn more on the Net. For instance, if you run into an unfamiliar term you only need go to Google and type in, "define malware" to learn what it is. As your knowledge increases, so will your ability to solve problems without feeling helpless.
Another big plus with computer magazines is the amount of free software released with each copy. You'll get at least one DVD loaded with freeware, shareware and trial copies of all sorts of programs. Some of those you'll learn are exactly what you'd always wanted if you'd only known it existed!
There's no catch to the freeware and shareware but the trial copies are licensed by the manufacturer, usually for a period of time (probably a month) or for a specific number of uses. Once you've tried it out you can then decide whether you want to pay for it or simply uninstall it from your hard drive.
So don't write off magazines as being too geeky. They might be just what you need to take your next step in the wonderful world of computing.
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