Customer Reviews

Microsoft Windows XP Inside Out Deluxe, Second Edition (Bpg-Inside Out)

5 star:		(61)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 ......(...)

for every version of windows that has come out, i have bought the 1000+ page reference work. this book is so far superior to the others, it is in a class by itself. it explains things in a clear manner (not so short that you don't get the principles involved, yet not so long that you get lost in the wordiness). it does not refer you to the system administator for slightly complex issues, but rather gives an explanation an intermediate user can use to resolve the problem (eg., it will explain how to edit the boot file to change the designation of the system(s) for multiboot). it lets you decide if you can do this yourself. many times all that an intermediate user needs is this sort of information. we do not have the extensive reference library and years of training, but we can do some advanced tasks, if the underlying principles are explained and how to accomplish the task is deliniated.
i have only read the first couple of chapters, but i already have a couple of pages of notes on installing and configuring my system when i install XP in 2-3 days. almost all of the questions i had about the differences in XP and its new features have been answered (eg., multiboot, bios, activation codes, access control, moving settings from old system onto clean install -- with references to other issues that i will want to know more about soon: dynamic drive, etc.)
by this book and forget the others. trust me. have i ever lied to you before?

Are you an experienced Windows user who is tired of all the operating system instruction manuals rehashing on how to create folders, use the recycle bin, and create desktop icons? Do you want to dig deep and unlock the real power of XP? If so, this meaty 1245 page manual is for you.

This book covers both XP home and professional editions and it is written with the assumption that you have already mastered the basics. A great deal of XP education is presented from making the most of virtual memory, to editing the registry, to hosting a Web or FTP site. Actually, so much territory is covered that it is impossible to list all here but if you need your intermediate to advanced questions answered you'll find it in Windows XP Inside Out.

This guide is logically sequenced and pleasing to the eye. Throughout you will find dialogue boxes that contain special tips, notes, figures, and useful tables. Eye-popping visuals bring your attention to new features exclusive to XP. Why not crack open this book and give your Windows knowledge the tune-up it needs to operate accurately, efficiently, and adeptly.

There are two versions of this book. The hardcover version has a couple more chapters and also more free e-books on the accompanying CD-ROM. The paperback version is, not surprisingly, cheaper and more portable (but still heavy!).

There's a lot of "meat" in this book, and the two authors did a wonderful job of keeping the book very well organized and very well written. The writing is fluid and you can almost read it like a novel, of course, assuming you are a PC geek like myself. Most other computer books I can hardly follow without sitting in front of the computer, but this book is so clear and well illustrated that I read chapter after cheapter in one sitting even when I did not have my XP laptop with me.

In terms of content, it covers everything an advanced user needs in order to fine-tune Windows XP. Both Profesional and Home editions of the OS are covered. (The hardcover version of the book has a nice summary on the differences at the beginning of *each* chapter.) This is a must-have guide for anyone looking to take full advantage of Windows XP as well as trouble-shooting when things go wrong.

After reading through titles like "Hacking XP" and "XP Hacks" and "XP for Power Users" and finding no satisfaction in any of them, I came across this thick volume which I had initally ignored because it was thick and it was published by Microsoft. I was skeptical what an official MS book would say about Windows XP.

I'm glad I overcame my suspicion and picked up this book, which I ended up buying. It's worth every penny, let me tell ya. It's packed with information both beginners and advanced users can use anytime, any place, in any mood. From wi-fi setup to taking full advantage of Windows Firewall to finetuning performance to interface customization, this book has it all. Best of all, the tips are 1) extremely useful and practical, 2) totally safe (unlike those in some other books which can really wreak havoc on your PC -- probably a conspiracy by some to make unwary users hate XP?), and 3) easily accessible and understandable. The three authors, veterans of the computer press, write very well and I, not a computer geek by trade or nature, actually felt happy reading through this book.

The only downside is this is a very thick book at over 1300 pages. It's packed with step-by-step guides and clear screenshots, so be prepared to spend a lot of time. Also, because it's big, a lot of real gems are buried, so be prepared to highlight a lot, too.

I agree with other reviewers: this is the best XP power user's guide, bar none. Be sure to get this "2nd edition" which was published just recently.

Would you like to know more about the Windows XP operating system? If so, then this guide is the one for you. It contains thousands of tips, tricks, and solutions to problems relating to the Windows XP operating system and it can help to expand your level of knowledge by leaps and bounds.

This reference book has three clear advantages: the overall length of the guide, the organization, and the format. First of all, the length is more than 1,200 pages, which is enough to cover a multitude of issues. Second, the organization is superior, with nine main section and black and blue colored tabs that help a user to find specific sections quickly. Third, the format is very helpful. Not only is the outline format easy to follow and learn from, the use of screen shots makes a tremendous difference by illustrating exactly what you can expect to see if you attempt one of the commands.

A book this large can get a little bulky to handle, but it contains so many useful tips and advice that you will likely have no problem overlooking this one small flaw. A person who is brand new to Windows XP can learn all about how the system works by using this guide, and a more advanced user can find out ways to do things that are simple and more efficient. I particularly liked the sections that cover managing and finding folders and different ways to use and manage the Windows explorer. I never knew that so many better, more user- friendly options existed until I found them in this guide.

I have read quite a few books about Windows XP, but this is one of the best reference guides of all. It presents an exhaustive amount of detail about Windows XP, covering just about any topic you could ever want to know. It's long, it's big, but it's also a very helpful book to keep close to your PC.