Microsoft Windows XP Inside Out [With CDROM]

by Ed Bott, Carl Siechert, Craig Stinson

Book Overview

Hey, you know your way around a desktop -- so now dig into the Windows XP operating system and really put your PC to work! The Deluxe Edition of this popular reference provides updated coverage of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0735613826
• ISBN13: 9780735613829
• Release Date: April 2001
• Publisher: Microsoft Press
• Length: 1245 Pages
• Weight: 4.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 2.2" x 7.4" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Excellent power user's guide

This huge volume is definitely a must-have guide for everyone aspiring to becoming a Windows XP advanced user. Casual users should stay away for now until they become familiar with Windows. Also, strangely, you won't find coverage of Windows Movie Maker in this otherwise complete power user's guide to WinXP.This "deluxe edition" is hardcover (vs. paperback for the regular, cheaper edition), has two added chapters (one on fax and one on advanced user adminitration), and includes a couple interesting e-books from Microsoft on the CD-ROM, in addition to an e-book version of the book itself.This book covers both the Pro and Home editions of WinXP -- and each chapter has a handy brief discussion of the differences between the two editions. In fact, I find this feature, together with the two extra free e-books, worth the price premium over the regular edition. Besides, hardcovers are just easier to lay down on a desk and they last longer as well.In terms of "meaty stuff," this book will satisfy your hunger for advanced knowledge of XP. After reading the book you'll become an XP expert. If you want to become a guru, then get the other "Inside Out" books such as Windows XP Networking Inside Out and Windows XP Security Inside Out (highly recommended). Or you can use this book as a jumping board to acquire some advanced knowledge and then figure out the guru-advanced topics yourself. Either way, this book can help you master Windows XP.Still not convinced? Pick a copy and read the chapter on system optimization. Clearly written and organized, the chapter gives you everything you need to know about optimizing Windows, including the best explanation of the performance monitor I've come across (as well as concrete steps for taking advantage of this and other tools). Then you'll see how useful this book is.

Microsoft Press is making XP a welcome addition.

After installing Windows XP I began to ask several question about the configuration and administration of the operating system. I found this book to have the answers and much, much more information for me. I also found that this 1250 page reference manual is very useful in studying for the Windows XP Professional Exam, 70-270.Published by the company that produced the software, this book is broken down into 9 parts, with part 1 being the XP Overview of installing, configuring, deploying, moving files and components. Also covered here is accounts, permissions, policies, passwords and troubleshooting hardware.Part 2 is the customization of XP with task scheduling, power management which includes hibernation. Part 3 is the explorer which has areas like managing and finding files, encryption and offline work covered. Part 4 is the digital media section which includes the media player, scanner and imaging.Part 5 is the advanced IE area including internet security, customizing Outlook express, web hosting and communications. Part 6 the goes into system maintenance and recovery, which tackles topics like routing and disk management, troubleshooting errors messages and regedit.Part 7 is the networking part talking about small to large networks, sharing resources and remote access. Part 8 teaches about system administration with topics like profiles and policies and the even viewer. Finally part 9 is the Appendices which include the command prompt. MMC, services and system information.The cd-rom included has a number of utilities and tools and you need to have XP installed in order to run the cd. Also include the e-book of the book and overall an excellent manual to have on hand.

Just plain good

Like someone who wrote one of the earlier reviews, every few years I also find myself buying another 1,000+ page book about whatever new version of Windows I can finally no longer avoid installing. Then several years later I try (unsuccesfully) to give it away in a yard sale, never having looked at more than a handful of pages. But this one is different. Excellent writing (even if it is a big, fat book; some things just can't be made short) and excellent information. (How happy are you when you've spent days looking for an obscure tidbit, and you turn to the index in a new book and not only find it, but three whole pages devoted to it?) This book had paid for itself before I even got out of the bookstore. (Ooops. I suppose I shouldn't have said that here.) And--even more amazing--I've actually spent time reading it since I got it home.

Useful and complete

As promised there is no elementary information in this book (like "how do I resize a window?"). It is intended for people who have used previous versions of Windows and want to know all of the settings/features/facilities that are in XP. It contains some very useful technical information (e.g. do NOT enable Plug and Play in the Bios), but is written in a way that non-technical people (ordinary users) can understand.

Buy This Book

If you want a help book on Windows XP that does not waste 2 or 3 chapters with basic stuff that you have known since you played with your atari 2600, then Buy This Book, it deals with Intermediate/Advanced stuff without much wasted space....I haven't had a chance to read the whole thing but I have tweaked my system with alot of advice and how to's from this book.....If you are a former windows 2000 user, you may not be as excited as I am because I went from using the awful WinMe to XP, (hey! that rhymes)....anyway I don't regret anything about this book based on a quick look and read of a few chapters......I hope this helps you with any decesions ......(...)