Hacking Windows Vista: ExtremeTech (Paperback)

by Steve Sinchak (Author)
Key Phrases: disabling this service, run programs list, disable this service, Internet Explorer, Registry Editor, Windows Explorer (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Vista is the most radical revamping of Windows since 1995. However, along with all the fantastic improvements, there are a couple of things that likely drive you up the wall. Don’t worry, though—just join forces with author Steve Sinchak and you’ll end up feeling as though Microsoft designed Vista just for you! He shows you how to tweak logon screen settings, build custom Sidebar gadgets, personalize Aero Glass with themes and visual styles, turn your PC into an HDTV media center, fine-tune your firewall, and more.

From the Back Cover
"Why didn't they ask me before they did that?"

Vista is the most radical revamping of Windows since 1995. But along with all the fantastic improvements, there are a couple of things that drive you up the wall. Maybe you're not seeing the performance you expect. Security is better, but boy, is it annoying. And what's with that interface thing that's just in the way? Well, you can fix all that. When you and Steve Sinchak are finished, you'll think Microsoft designed Vista just for you.

How to improve the view

A few of the things you'll learn to do

1. Tweak logon screen settings

2. Build custom Sidebar gadgets

3. Personalize Aero Glass with themes and visual styles

4. Customize Internet Explorer® 7

5. Configure BIOS for maximum boot speed

6. Crank up Windows® Explorer

7. Turn your PC into an HDTV Media Center

8. Fine-tune your firewall

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 316 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; illustrated edition edition (May 29, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470046872
• ISBN-13: 978-0470046876
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #253,759 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Hacking Windows Vista - Not Hacks, Just Basic Settings, April 12, 2008

By	Mark "Technology, Music and Movies" (East Coast) - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)

Hacking Windows Vista: ExtremeTech

Did I read the same book?

For those who are completely unfamiliar with Windows Vista, this book does hold some useful instructions on how to change basic settings. However, this book is grossly over-titled. Nothing in this book rises to the description of "Hacking." Indeed, if you are technically experienced, you will find, as I did, that many basics are missing from this text.

Pros
+ Nice writing style and seems well edited with usable visual aids
+ Well organized sections with a useful index
+ A few useful tips and tricks
+ Good for beginners

Cons
- Focuses more on basic settings than anything really in-depth
- Misses many basic settings altogether and glosses over many more areas
- A lot of XP knowledge is included, not all tips are new to Vista
- Title is a gross exaggeration
- Not useful for experienced tech professionals

All one has to do is review the list of topics from the description to see that this book is one of basic settings at best.
- Logon screen settings - window dressing at best, very similar to XP configuration
- Build custom Sidebar gadgets - Was out in beta before Vista, but Vista is the first version to include this. Still, the help files included in Vista walk you through this. Nothing special.
- Personalize Aero Glass with themes and visual styles - more look and feel stuff
- Customize Internet Explorer® 7 - Actually has some useful tips, yet once again, not too different from XP
- Configure BIOS for maximum boot speed - Ok, anybody with basic A+ knowledge should know this. Once again, not that different from XP
- Crank up Windows® Explorer - Somewhat useful
- Turn your PC into an HDTV Media Center - Also available with XP. Once again, Vista Premium and Ultimate include software pre-installed, but there's nothing too technical here
- Fine-tune your firewall - There are some nice improvements here, but once again, if you knew how to set it up on your XP box, nothing that different here.

I was surprised that some basic things were excluded or glossed over in a book with the title "Hacking Windows Vista." For example, how do you get beyond the stripped down version of Disk Manager included here to make changes to your boot partitions? What are the different types of partitions that can and can not be changed? A very fundamental topic. No real discussion here. How do you adjust UAC settings and why should you or should you not? Once again, big issue discussed with Vista, with a very light treatment here. How do you combine Vista security with other anti-virus products that have overlapping features? Why is the system configuration manager needed to perform administrative tasks? The list of lightly treated topics goes on.

No book can cover everything, I understand. And I go out of my way to give authors the benefit of the doubt. But when you have a book titled like this one that only covers basic configurations, it's clear that they were trying to cash in on the buzz around Vista and the need for some to feel they are "hacking." And I normally wouldn't mind them cashing in, but they provide much less value in return to a large part of the audience.

Like I said, great book for beginners. If you have any experience with Windows Technology or work in the tech industry, you should really already know this stuff.

Enjoy.

28 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Winner, July 16, 2007

By	Joseph F. Keeney "Carol Keeney, Author" (CT) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I bought Hacking Windows Vista to help me make a decision about upgrading to Vista. After reading it, I got more than I bargained for -- it was not just a superficial book dealing with cosmetic changes. It went into depth about making Vista secure, a major concern of mine. It was so well written that nothing was left to guesswork. For example, detailed instructions show you how to undo the hacks that the author suggests.

Yes, I guess I could go all over the Internet looking and eventually get the information the author provides. But the information would be scattered. It is nice to know that it is all in one book so I can start out doing things right from the beginning.

No, I don't know the author. After using computers professionally and personally for twenty-two years, I know a good book when I see one.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Don't waste your money, December 28, 2007

By	The Kwil (CO USA) - See all my reviews

This is a review of the digital edition.
Don't waste your money on the digital edition of this book. This is my first digital edition through Amazon and its totally disappointing. The default portion of the screen that is visible for reading the book is only the middle horizontal third and the bottom third of the browser window. There is a view drop down letting one zoom in, but even completely "zoomed in" the width of the page is 3/4 of my monitor width (1024x768) and just a little over 3/4 of the height. For comparision, consider a pdf file in Adobe Reader (8.1.1). A page can be viewed so that it is nearly as wide as the screen and only my Windows taskbar and the adobe menu take up valuable reading space.
The small page size means I have to lean forward to read the book on my monitor. I spend a lot of time reading pdf etc files on my computer and write programs for a living. So I actually was looking forward to being able to read the book without having to hold the heavy tome in my hand. When Amazon offers you a digital edition for an extra $5.00. Say NO!
The digital edition isn't really yours. You have to have internet access in order to read it (even though you paid for it). Its not searchable. If it was my book in a pdf or similar file on my hard drive, Google desktop would turn it up if it had any interesting information to a desktop search (another reason I thought I would try out the digital edition). So I suppose it will evaporate if Amazon ever crashes. But wait, didn't I pay for it?
I haven't recieved the paper version of the book, but the digital version is in black and white. I really can't read Figure 2-2 which is a Start Panel in Vista.
The book itself looks like it might be pretty good. But I also hope that anyone involved in its production and sale to Amazon for digital rights reads this review so they will be aware of what a poor product Amazon has to offer in this regard.