Windows XP Pro: The Missing Manual

By L.J. Zacker, David Pogue, Craig Zacker

Book Overview

With the release of Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), Microsoft latest and most reliable corporate desktop operating system now provides better protection against viruses, worms, and malicious hackers. SP2 includes Windows Firewall, Pop-up Blocker for Internet Explorer, and the new Windows Security Center. But it still comes without a single page of printed instructions. This superbly written guide fills the gap. Coauthored by David Pogue, New York Times technology columnist and Missing Manuals creator, Windows XP Pro: The Missing Manual uses wit, technical insight, and scrupulous objectivity to light the way for first-time and intermediate network and standalone PC users. In fact, this jargon-free book explains XP's features so clearly revealing which work well and which don't that it should have been in the box in the first place. The book reveals which features work well and which don't, such as the Remote Desktop software that enables people to connect to the office from home, the encryption file system that protects sensitive information, and the Windows Messenger that enables real-time text, voice and video communication. Contents include: Getting started. The book's early chapters cover using menus, finding lost files, reducing window clutter, and taming the new, multi-column Start menu. Mastering the network. Special chapters help you navigate the corporate network, dial in from the road, and even set up your own small-office (peer-to-peer) network, step by step. Understanding security. User accounts, file encryption, and the NTFS file system keep your private files private, while still offering network access to coworkers you specify. Flying the Net. This book demystifies Outlook Express 6 for email, Internet Explorer 6 for Web browsing, and the new Windows Messenger for voice, chat, and video conferencing. Windows XP Pro: The Missing Manual isn't for system administrators or OS theory geeks; it's for the novice or budding power user who wants to master the machine and get down to work. Yet, anyone who uses XP Pro (including hardcore techies) will find this new system much easier-- and more fun--to digest with this new Missing Manual.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0596008988
• ISBN13: 9780596008987
• Release Date: December 2004
• Publisher: O'Reilly Media
• Length: 704 Pages
• Weight: 2.46 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 7.0" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

He's Right, It Should Have Been In the Box

The title is right! This is the book that should have been included in the basic box with XP Pro. It is set at just the right level for the average user trying to come up to speed on a new operating system. While the basic user interface is more or less the same as the previous windows operating systems, the underlying code structure is based on NT rather than the older DOS/Windows. This book isn't for system administrators or advanced readers. It's aimed at the average user who wants to master the machine well enough to get down to work or to look up something without having to call for support. It is basically crystal-clear, jargon-free (well, computers are still the subject, how about nearly jargon-free). This edition is up to date to include Service Pack 2, which changed a number of screens and philosophies in the security area.

Find it fast, right and easy

I have bought too many 'helper' books, manuals etc. over the years - and mostly found them cumbersome and hard-to digest. NOT so with the David Pogue & Zacker "Missing Manual". I can relate to several questions that needed explanations - and every time I check them out in this publication - I get the answers that serve my curiosity - and by that, tremendously improve my XP experiences and work. This Manual is for us, who are 'non-geeks' and like to improve our skills. Thank you, guys!

Superbly written for non-nerds

This is by far the most understandable XP Pro book I've found. It takes the position that there's nothing wrong with witty, polished prose in technical writing. In fact, the excellence of the writing makes learning far less of a chore than you find in geekier books.As for the gripes by previous reviewers: Good grief! It says right on the cover that the book "isn't for system administrators or OS theory geeks; it's for the novice or budding power user." It's clearly intended for people new to XP Pro, or even intermediate users who'd like a crystal-clear explanation of, say, understanding how file encryption is different in XP Pro and XP Home, or how to dial into your PC from the road using a laptop, or how to set up a home network, step by step.(And to whoever wrote that you can find the same information in the online help--get real!! Microsoft's online help for XP Pro is opaque, humorless, loaded with jargon, and free of illustrations. And above all, it NEVER mentions bugs and problems and workarounds, as this book does.)Bottom line: If you're a network administrator, it's true that you'll be much happier with a much thicker, more technical (and dry-as-dust) book. But if you're a home user, or maybe you've been issued an XP Pro box at work and you want to get the most out of it, this book presents a complete, entertaining, and easily understood a picture of the beast they call Windows XP Professional. HIGHLY recommended.

The combination is.......

Simply put- BUY THIS BOOK!!!!! If you own Windows XP Pro*, this manual is a must have, invaluable resource tool. Easy to read and filled with helpful tips on maximizing the efficiency of your system; Pogue and Zacker got it right! You'll save yourself so much time on completing your tasks that it'll pay for itself as soon as you get it. My only question is why didn't we get one of these when we purchaced Windows XP?? *I use it on XP Pro and Home editions

THE FINE MANUAL THAT "MISSED" IN EVERY 'XP' PACKAGE

The best quality of this book is that it combined the best of everything: it harnessed the best aspects of a step-by-step method with that of a detailed exposure. A welcomed combination! It is a hard-to-resist text if your goal is to conquer "Windows XP Professional" without any skin-pain.This is one of the few books that presented a well-balanced information: not too much, but never too little. Everything about it is comprehensive. Its authority is unquestionable. Indeed, this is the type of manual that users would have loved Microsoft to include in their 'XP' package.Only if Mr Gates would listen to us!