Mastering Windows 2000 Professional [Paperback]

Mark Minasi (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 078212853X | ISBN-13: 978-0782128536 | Publication Date: October 23, 2000 | Edition: 2

The Only Windows 2000 Professional Resource You Need

From the expert that brought you Mastering Windows NT Workstation, Mark Minasi's Mastering Windows 2000 Professional, 2nd Edition gives you all the conceptual and practical information you need to get the most out of Microsoft's latest operating system. This is the premier resource for anyone installing, configuring, and running Windows 2000, whether as part of a corporate network or for home or small business use. You can depend on it for clear, authoritative instruction in hundreds of techniques that will make you and your workstation more productive. The perfect companion to Minasi's Mastering Windows 2000 Server!

This edition includes new coverage of Active Directory, Internet Connection Sharing, secure telecommuting and how to connect to the Internet using DSL, cable modem and ISDN. Brand new coverage of advanced scripting can turn you into a power-user, and entire chapters dedicated to troubleshooting are sure to save you hours of frustration. If you call Microsoft with a Windows 2000 question, they may charge you $200. Use this book instead and save yourself some serious money!

Coverage includes:
* Understanding features new to Windows 2000 Professional
* Installing Windows 2000 Professional
* Configuring for network or stand-alone use
* Active Directory Essentials
* Setting up peer-to-peer networking
* Setting up user profiles
* Setting up a security strategy-including special issues for telecommuting
* Customizing the desktop and other features
* Using the Management Console
* Connecting to the Internet-via LAN, cable modem, DSL, and ISDN
* Automating functions using the Windows Scripting Host and VB
* Installing and running applications
* Using the file system
* Setting up printers
* Using Windows 2000's native accessories
* Understanding network and Windows 2000 Professional architecture
* Connecting to Novell NetWare networks
* Setting up remote access
* Using Windows 2000 Professional administrative and diagnostic tools
* Configuring Windows 2000 Professional for sending and receiving email
Real Solutions to Real Desktop Support Challenges
If making a smooth transition to the latest version of Windows is important to you and your company, this book delivers the goods. It introduces you to the Windows 2000 architecture and all the new features, reveals configuration and optimization secrets to keep your workstations humming along, and teaches troubleshooting techniques that will get you out of hot water. There's no end to what you'll accomplish with these practical, step-by-step instructions from the world's most accomplished Windows NT/2000 expert!

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Geared more for the desktop than the network closet, Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional has its own collection of features to be capitalized upon and quirks to be accommodated. A couple of esteemed Windows authors--Mark Minasi and Todd Phillips--weigh in on the new and improved operating system in Mastering Windows 2000 Professional. Their expertise and obviously thorough research have yielded a fine book. This is a super choice for power users, systems administrators, and others who want a detailed picture of Windows 2000 Professional's features and how they work.

This is a big, comprehensive treatment of the whole OS, but it manages to avoid the tedium that befalls most of the books in this category. Rather than dryly documenting which interface elements do what, the authors explain how to wring top performance from your computer by telling you rather a lot about the Windows 2000 architecture and its place in networks. Sure, you get the how-to procedures you'd expect, but the prose is the main attraction here. That's where Minasi and Phillips share their knowledge about optimization, troubleshooting, and other tricks of their trade. Lots of OS books claim to be loaded with hints and tricks, but this one really is. Mastering Windows 2000 Professional will answer your novice and intermediate questions, but it more importantly will help you become an expert. --David Wall

Topics covered: Windows 2000 Professional, as it applies to novice and intermediate users who want to increase their level of competence. Early chapters deal with managing files and running applications before explaining how to hook up to the Internet. More advanced coverage goes to networking, performance tweaking, and problem-solving. Though they don't say, it seems likely from this book's ship date that the authors based their research on a late beta version of the OS (probably Release Candidate 2) that was very similar to the final product. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

The Only Windows 2000 Professional Resource You Need

From the expert that brought you Mastering Windows NT Workstation, Mark Minasi's Mastering Windows 2000 Professional, 2nd Edition gives you all the conceptual and practical information you need to get the most out of Microsoft's latest operating system. This is the premier resource for anyone installing, configuring, and running Windows 2000, whether as part of a corporate network or for home or small business use. You can depend on it for clear, authoritative instruction in hundreds of techniques that will make you and your workstation more productive. The perfect companion to Minasi's Mastering Windows 2000 Server!

This edition includes new coverage of Active Directory, Internet Connection Sharing, secure telecommuting and how to connect to the Internet using DSL, cable modem and ISDN. Brand new coverage of advanced scripting can turn you into a power-user, and entire chapters dedicated to troubleshooting are sure to save you hours of frustration. If you call Microsoft with a Windows 2000 question, they may charge you $200. Use this book instead and save yourself some serious money!

Coverage includes:

• Understanding features new to Windows 2000 Professional
• Installing Windows 2000 Professional
• Configuring for network or stand-alone use
• Active Directory Essentials
• Setting up peer-to-peer networking
• Setting up user profiles
• Setting up a security strategy-including special issues for telecommuting
• Customizing the desktop and other features
• Using the Management Console
• Connecting to the Internet-via LAN, cable modem, DSL, and ISDN
• Automating functions using the Windows Scripting Host and VB
• Installing and running applications
• Using the file system
• Setting up printers
• Using Windows 2000's native accessories
• Understanding network and Windows 2000 Professional architecture
• Connecting to Novell NetWare networks
• Setting up remote access
• Using Windows 2000 Professional administrative and diagnostic tools
• Configuring Windows 2000 Professional for sending and receiving email

Real Solutions to Real Desktop Support Challenges
If making a smooth transition to the latest version of Windows is important to you and your company, this book delivers the goods. It introduces you to the Windows 2000 architecture and all the new features, reveals configuration and optimization secrets to keep your workstations humming along, and teaches troubleshooting techniques that will get you out of hot water. There's no end to what you'll accomplish with these practical, step-by-step instructions from the world's most accomplished Windows NT/2000 expert!

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 1040 pages
• Publisher: Sybex; 2 edition (October 23, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078212853X
• ISBN-13: 978-0782128536
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.6 x 2.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,969,717 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

95 of 100 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Windows NT book rehash, February 12, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Mastering Windows 2000 Professional (Paperback)

This is a rehash of a Windows NT book for the most part, with a LITTLE veneer of Win2000 features tacked on. He has a whole chapter on the dorky PAINT program, but only a few pages on TCP/IP setup features and doesn't include the advanced features.

This could have been a good 200 page book with a bit more thoughtful selection of material. As published, it's a mediocre 1100 page boilerplate job.

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The 2nd Edition is OUTSTANDING, January 8, 2001

By 

W. Craft (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mastering Windows 2000 Professional (Paperback)

If I only had one book on Win2000 Professional, this 2nd edition would be it!

Note: The first edition of this book was good for beginners but did not go deep enough for power users. However, in the second edition, the Minasi we all love from his classic "Win2000 Server" is back--and he is at his best. The 2nd edition is still useful for beginners, but it also has the meat that power users are looking for. Very clear and totally comprehensive.

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The right book for the layman, March 22, 2000

By 

Gadgester "No Time, No Money" (Mother Earth) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Mastering Windows 2000 Professional (Paperback)

I disagree with the first reviewer's assessment. This book is quite good and useful. It's more than a rehash of the win2k online manual or any other book (as far as I know). Instead it contains good, practical information you can use every day.

I got this book last night and read most of it in 24 hours. I still like the "Windows 2000: The Complete Reference" better for its clarity and technical accuracy, but if you are not into technical details this book (Mastering Windows 2000 Pro) may be for you. From setting up win2k to using win2k (who still can't use Windows?) to trouble-shooting win2k, the information is all there, and the book makes a good read from cover to cover as the authors write very succinctly.

If you are just a user, as opposed to a technician or sysadm, this book is about right to get you started on win2k. I love win2k for its performance and reliability (not a single crash so far!), and this book makes an excellent companion. (If you need more in-depth coverage, Windows 2000: The complete Reference is worth checking out.)