Special Edition Using Windows XP Home Edition, Bestseller Edition [Paperback]

Robert Cowart (Author), Brian Knittel (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0789728516 | ISBN-13: 978-0789728517 | Publication Date: September 23, 2002

The only Windows XP Home book you need! This edition covers Service Pack 1 (SP-1), the first update to Windows XP since it was released in 10/01! Finally, the stability of Windows NT/2000 in an operating system built for the home and small business user--Windows XP has answered many prayers. Don't be fooled, though. Under those millions of lines of code, under the spit polished interface and under the hype lies an operating system that can be elegant one moment and confounding the next. This book will help you avoid making the leap from 9x to XP unprepared. Also included, more than 45 minutes from Brainsville.com! This unique video package brings Bob and Brian right to the desktop. They introduce the viewer to Windows XP and demonstrate how to use it, covering topics ranging from mastering the new XP user interface to how to set up and fine tune a local area network.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The only Windows XP Home book you need! This edition covers Service Pack 1 (SP-1), the first update to Windows XP since it was released in 10/01! Finally, the stability of Windows NT/2000 in an operating system built for the home and small business user--Windows XP has answered many prayers. Don't be fooled, though. Under those millions of lines of code, under the spit polished interface and under the hype lies an operating system that can be elegant one moment and confounding the next. This book will help you avoid making the leap from 9x to XP unprepared. Also included, more than 45 minutes from Brainsville! This unique video package brings Bob and Brian right to the desktop. They introduce the viewer to Windows XP and demonstrate how to use it, covering topics ranging from mastering the new XP user interface to how to set up and fine tune a local area network.

About the Author

Robert Cowart has written more than 30 books on computer programmingand applications, with more than a dozen on Windows. His titles includeWindows NT Unleashed, Mastering Windows 98, Windows NT ServerAdministrator's Bible, and Windows NT Server 4.0: No ExperienceRequired. Several of his books have been best sellers in their category, andhave been translated into more than 20 languages. He has written on a wide rangeof computer-related topics for such magazines as PC Week, PCWorld, PC Magazine, PC Tech Journal, Mac World, andMicrosoft Systems Journal. In addition to working as a freelanceconsultant specializing in small businesses, he has taught programming classesat the University of California Extension in San Francisco. He has appeared as aspecial guest on the PBS TV series Computer Chronicles, CNN'sHeadline News, ZD-TV's The Screen Savers, and ABC'sWorld News Tonight with Peter Jennings. He is president and co-founder ofBrainsville.com, a company specializing in creating multimedia trainingmaterials. Robert resides in Berkeley, California.

In his spare time he is involved in the music world, presenting chamber-musicconcerts and playing classical piano. He also is a teacher of the TranscendentalMeditation technique, and meditates regularly in hopes of rewiring his innercomputer.

Brian Knittel has been a software developer for more than 20 years.After doing graduate work in nuclear medicine and magnetic resonance imagingtechnologies, he began a career as an independent consultant. An eclectic mix ofclients have led to long-term projects in medical documentation, workflowmanagement, real-time industrial system control, and most importantly, 15 yearsof real-world experience with MS-DOS, Windows, and computer networking in thebusiness world. Previously, he co-authored Special Edition Using MicrosoftWindows 2000 Professional and contributed to several of Bob Cowart'sother Windows books. Brian lives in Albany, California, halfway between thetidal wave zone and the earthquake fault. He spends his free time restoringantique computers and trying to perfect his wood-fired pizza recipes.

Elaine Kreston has been a contributing author on other computer booktitles, and is a creator and designer of Web sites. Her natural affinity forhelping others solve computer problems was discovered while procrastinating fromher real job, that of a professional cellist.

Mark Edward Soper has been a PC user for 18 years, and has been acomputer trainer and technical writer since 1988. Author of more than 150magazine articles and several books, including The Complete Idiot'sGuide to High-Speed Internet Connections and TechTV's Upgrading YourPC, he also has written frequently about Windows from version 3.1 to Windows2000. He lives in Evansville, Indiana, where he enjoys researching the historyof transportation.

James Michael Stewart has been writing about Microsoft, the Internet,and certification for nearly seven years. Michael has contributed to more than75 books in this area. Michael's technical interests include ITcertification, Windows, security, and the Internet. Michael also is aninstructor at Networld+Interop. He spends his spare time learning to doeverything, one hobby at a time.

Will Schmied (BSET, MCSE 2000, MCSA, CWNA, Server+, Network+, A+) is afreelance consultant and technical writer. Will has contributed works to severalof the Internet's largest ITWeb sites, including MCPMag.com, TCPMag.com,TechRepublic.com, CertCities.com, Cramsession.com, ISAServer.org, andMSExchange.org. Will has also worked on books for several publishers, includingQue, Osborne/McGraw Hill, and Syngress, in addition to several print magazinearticles.

Will holds a Bachelor's Degree in Engineering Technology from OldDominion University. Will currently resides in Newport News, Virginia, with hiswife Allison, their children Christopher, Austin, Andrea, and Hannah, and theirpets Peanut and Squeaky. When he is not busy playing with the latest intechnologies, you can usually find Will trying to improve his bowling average orlogging some serious time on Dungeon Siege.

You can visit Will at http://www.netserverworld.com or http://www.soitslikethat.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 1056 pages
• Publisher: Que (September 23, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789728516
• ISBN-13: 978-0789728517
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.4 x 2.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,297,248 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

67 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A REALLY useful and practical book!, November 29, 2001

By 

Russell Archer (London, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Special Edition Using Microsoft(R) Windows XP, Home Edition (Paperback)

I was VERY pleasantly suprised by this book: it actually tells you things you NEED to know and HOW to do it (in *detail*)!

I've been a professional in the computer industry for 20 years and buy all kinds of technical books on a regular basis (although I'd don't believe I've bought a Que book before). Normally I end up getting poor value - two or three useful bits of information for an entire book. I think this is due to the fact that authors generally just rehash the manual and have little genuine insight into the technology they're writing about. This is most definitely not the case with Robert Cowart and Brian Knittel. I found the book packed with really useful practical information that I haven't seen elsewhere. For example, the sections in the book dealing with Hone Networking, Internet Connection Sharing and network Security are brilliant!!

Using the detailed information in this book I've been able to get my home network, cable modem and gateway router internet connection sharing set up working (securely) with no problems at all. Other books I've purchased tell you only in the vaguest of terms to "install network hubs and cabling" without providing the real details (probably because they've never done it themselves). Robert and Brian's book tell you EXACTLY what to do. For instance, how to wire-up an RJ-45 plug (which colour wires go into which holes - I've not seen this described anywhere else and without this information I'd have been completely stumped!). The book also saved me plenty of problems with its excellent coverage on security. In fact, I took the book into work and spoke to our network administrator about a couple of points in the book and he obviously found it an eye opener as he borrowed it for a day!

I very strongly recommend this book.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A valuable XP resource, November 29, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Special Edition Using Microsoft(R) Windows XP, Home Edition (Paperback)

When you upgrade to Windows XP, you can learn the new features by fumbling through the miniscule manual that comes with the software, struggle with the software's non-intuitive help menu, or read a good third party book. If you opt for the latter, Que's Special Edition Using Windows XP will quickly get you up and running with XP. The book is written in easy to understand language, well organized, and tells you everything you need to know about XP, including customizing the XP interface and setting up a network. You'll also learn how to optimize your system's performance and use XP on the Internet.

The book itself is an excellent well written resource and comes with a bonus CD where the authors lead you through a series of video presentations that show you how to get the most out of XP. It's like having your own personal XP tutors, but at a fraction of the cost. I can highly recommend this book and CD ROM combo to anyone who wants to cut to the chase and learn XP quickly and thoroughly.

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A complete and detailed book, January 22, 2002

By 

Carlos Santiago (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Special Edition Using Microsoft(R) Windows XP, Home Edition (Paperback)

This book covers just about everything you need to know when using XP Home Edition. The level of information contained surpassed my expectations. It covers topics ranging from the history and evolution of Windows to choosing a network and cabling system, to multi-booting with Linux.

For first-time users the new XP features are explained in detail. For experienced users, these new features are compared with features from previous operating systems, bringing a smooth transition to this powerful operating system. If you have not made the jump to XP yet, I assure you will be convinced to move after reading the first chapter of this book.

The book is not intended to be read from chapter 1 to the end in sequence. Basic XP interface usage is explained from Ch.4 through Ch.7, but then there's a whole bunch of additional Graphical User Interface (GUI) information covered in Ch. 21. I would have grouped all these chapters together before getting into more advanced topics, but I guess the authors had a purpose for that.

The Bob and Brian's Signature Tips are a plus in this book. Together with the Notes and Cautions the reader obtains valuable real-world information and is also encouraged to experiment with the software.

What I enjoyed most about this book was that the authors did not limit coverage to simply the XP OS, they also wrote about useful 3rd party utilities such as Tweak UI, Partition Magic and Virtual PC that provide additional functionality to the XP system.

This book is highly recommended for everyone new to Windows XP, and for experienced users of previous OS's that made or are planning to make the upgrade. Windows XP Home is an entirely different OS and you should have this book handy so you don't miss the many new features it provides.

5 stars and 100% recommended.