Customer Reviews

Fixing Windows XP Annoyances

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I've put off using Windows XP as long as possible. I recently decided that I wanted to use it for the screen shots of my next book since it's in color and the palettes in XP look so much nicer. But it's driving me nuts! I hate the cutesy icons and the dumbed down feel. I have a copy of Windows XP Annoyances sitting right on my desk to help me overcome the many things that really do annoy me. I don't have time to read a tome on using Windows XP, so when I run into something I want to do I just grab this book.

As most O'Reilly book, it's easy to use because of its great indexing. I can normally find a topic within seconds, read it, fix it, and get back to work. I've been able to get rid of most of the cutesy stuff but not all of it. This book doesn't just cover the easy things either, it gets into networking and internetworking issues, working with and repairing the registry, lots of troubleshooting topics and scripting and automation.

Every Windows XP owner should also own this book.

Windows XP Annoyances is one of a kind. If you are looking for a guide through XP, this is not the book to get, but if you want a book that explains Windows XP in more depth then this is the right book for you. This book tells about the problems with Microsoft's new system and how to fix and customize it for your personal needs. It explains how to use the registry in detail to get past the "cute" animations for maximum performance and less annoyance. It does a great job and will tell you things that Microsoft books won't, like changing the startup logo. REMEMBER, this is not a manual! It is as the cover says "Windows XP Annoyances." Although it does teach some basics it will not tell how to use the OS, but rather techniques and tricks to make its performance and appeal better.

Just when I thought I had seen it all, XP Annoyances comes around. Just a few minutes with this book, and I had improved the performance of my network connection, fixed a nagging problem I was having with the Search tool, and found some registry settings I didn't even know existed. The hype around these books seems justified; highly recommended.

The author knows Windows, and it shows on every page. The book's lighthearted approach is refreshing, and the quality of the information is first-rate. The author does mention some of the bugs in windows xp, but only to end of fixing them, which is not something most writers bother to do. I was finally able to share my internet connection (without spending any money), and even speed up the computer by messing around in the Registry. This book is indispensable.

A lot has been said concerning this David Karp's book, "Windows XP Annoyances". And, I will add that it lived upto my expectations. Just as its name suggests that there are annoying things about Windows XP, its job was to insulate (as precisely as possible), those irritating XP issues.
This book is a pleasure to read. It defines and executes its chores with impressive precision. Very few problem-solving texts are as forthright. It highlights each problem, and then goes about the solving procedure without any complaint or criticism. Its business-like approach is nice. I valued it so much!

If you are an experienced Windows user and are about to move to, or have just moved to XP, this is the one essential book on the subject and probably the only one you will ever need. I have found it invaluable, and heads above Microsoft's "Windows XP Inside Out". Don't let the term annoyances fool you into thinking that this is just a book about problems encountered with XP, it also contains all the information you will need to make XP work the way you want, including:

How to avoid some serious problems with installation;
Differences from other Windows versions;
Ways to customize Windows not found in Microsoft's book;
And yes, all the quirks and pitfalls that make XP "annoying" compared to previous systems, and how to work around these annoyances.

Any quick search for XP customization books and you quickly see that there are several around the 1000 page mark and with high user markings. Given this, there is only so much you can expect from a book half that size. However, despite other people's opinion on the information covered in this book, if you are looking for a fun and faster read which does actually target the portions of the operating system that most home users would like to cover, this is a perfect choice.

The biggest appreciations I have for this title is that the word "hack" never appears, the customizations are not 100% dependent on shareware or freeware downloads, the user is not sheltered from the realities of configuring the OS, and the range of configuration varies from novice to advanced - keeping the reader from stagnating at a particular level.

To weigh in on the decision to purchase this title, consider that not only does the title give you the ability to alter your environment, the author has dedicated space to educate the reader on how to identify and troubleshoot problems - a skill really needed and a topic quite often skipped by other titles. The book also ties in with the authors web site, which makes mentioned downloads easily accessible to the user, adding value to the static text with dynamic content.

Although this title differs slightly in overall feel from previous "Annoyances" titles (advancements in the OS are bound to reduce the need), this stands on it's own and is a very good addition to your XP library.

Lots of good stuff here collected from the discussions on author's Website forum. Found some errors in the content and some basic English errors that made me less trusting about the accuracy. Tone not bothersome to me.

The killer is the poor index. Lots of good stuff I found in the book that I could not find in the index. Related topics are scattered around. Light weight and compact size. Yucky cover.

I bought "WindowsXP Inside/Out". Has almost the same content on the stuff I looked up. Well organized, accurate index, very heavy, costs more, has searchable disk of the book contents.

It is an OK book but after reading one of the larger books "WindowsXP Inside/Out" there wasn't much here that I didn't already know. He had a lot more tips in his Windows95/98 books but I think Microsoft has fixed a lot of those annoyances in XP. He does try to give you what they don't and I did get a couple tips that the other's didn't cover. Mostly registry tweeks which I didn't mess with much, unless it would make a substantial difference. His approach is more like "how making this change will effect you" rather than just "you can make this change" that the other books use. It goes into a lot of troubleshooting problems so I will keep it around and dig it out when (or if) I ever do get the "Blue Screen of Death".

A great resource for anyone that has to resolve problems occasionally or regularly on XP operating systems. Broken into sections to make it easy to pinpoint the symptoms and resolution you are looking for to solve your problem.

Anyone in the business of troubleshooting PCs and networks will find it well worth the price. No helpdesk should be without it. System Administrators will definitely want this in their library. Once again I find mine getting borrowed regularly.