Scott Mueller is president of Mueller Technical Research (MTR), an international research and corporate training firm. Since 1982, MTR has produced the industry’s most in-depth, accurate, and effective seminars, books, articles, videos, and FAQs covering PC hardware and data recovery. MTR maintains a client list that includes Fortune 500 companies, the U.S. and foreign governments, major software and hardware corporations, as well as PC enthusiasts and entrepreneurs. His seminars have been presented to several thousands of PC support professionals throughout the world.
Scott is best known as the author of the longest-running, most popular, and most comprehensive PC hardware book in the world, Upgrading and Repairing PCs, which has not only been produced in more than 18 editions, but has also become the core of an entire series of books. Scott has authored many books for more than 20 years, including Upgrading and Repairing PCs, 1st through 18th editions; Upgrading and Repairing Laptops, 1st and 2nd editions; Upgrading and Repairing PCs: A+ Certification Study Guide, 1st and 2nd editions; Upgrading and Repairing PCs Field Guide; Killer PC Utilities; The IBM PS/2 Handbook; and Que’s Guide to Data Recovery. Scott recently completed Upgrading and Repairing PCs: Build a PC with Scott Mueller, a 2-hour DVD and 100-page book, which shows viewers how to build a computer, step-by-step. Contact MTR directly if you have a unique book, article, or video project in mind, or if you want Scott to conduct a custom PC troubleshooting, repair, maintenance, upgrade, or data-recovery seminar tailored for your organization:
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Scott’s premiere work, Upgrading and Repairing PCs, has sold more than 2 million copies, making it by far the most popular and longest-running PC hardware book on the market today. Scott has been featured in Forbes magazine and has written several articles for PC World magazine, Maximum PC magazine, several newsletters, and the Upgrading and Repairing PCs website.
If you have suggestions for the next edition of this book, any comments about the book in general, or new book or article topics you would like to see covered, send them to Scott via email at scottmueller@compuserve.com or visit http://www.upgradingandrepairingpcs.com. Scott has a forum exlusively for those who have purchased one of his books or DVDs. Visit http://forum.scottmueller.com to view the forum.
Brian Knittel has been a software developer for nearly 30 years. After doing graduate work in medical imaging technologies, he began a career as an independent consultant. An eclectic mix of clients has led to long-term projects in medical documentation, workflow management, realtime industrial system control, and most importantly, more than 15 years of real-world experience with MS-DOS, Windows, and computer networking in the business world. He is the author of Windows XP Under the Hood: Hardcore Scripting and Command Line Power, and is co-author of several other Que books including Special Edition Using Microsoft Windows editions covering XP Home, XP Professional, and Windows 2000 Professional. Brian lives in Albany, California, halfway between the tidal wave zone and the earthquake fault. He spends his free time snowboarding, restoring antique computers (check out www.ibm1130.org), and trying to perfect his wood-fired pizza recipes.
Mark Edward Soper has taught computer troubleshooting and other technical subjects to thousands of students from Maine to Hawaii since 1992. He is a longtime contributor to Upgrading and Repairing PCs, working on the 11th though 16th editions. He has contributed chapters to Upgrading and Repairing Networks, Second Edition, Special Edition Using Microsoft Windows, Millennium Edition, and Special Edition Using Microsoft Windows XP (both Home and Pro editions).
Mark coauthored both the first and second editions of Upgrading and Repairing PCs, Technician’s Portable Reference, and Upgrading and Repairing PCs: Field Guide and cowrote Upgrading and Repairing PCs: A+ Study Certification Guide, Second Edition. Mark also authored Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Home Networking, Absolute Beginner’s Guide to A+ Certification and currently is writing Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Home Automation. He is a regular contributor to Maximum PC magazine.
Mark Reddin is a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) and A+ Certified PC technician. In his younger days he enjoyed tinkering with computers during the time of the early Commodore and Atari systems (with all those wonderful games). Mark delved more seriously into computer technology during his undergraduate studies at Ball State University and has since been involved in the industry in various capacities. His experience with computers and networks has ranged from consulting to owning and operating a sales and repair shop. Additionally, he has been involved as both a technical and development editor with numerous Que publications over the past 5 years, including Upgrading and Repairing PCs and How Computers Work.
IntroductionIntroduction
Welcome to Upgrading and Repairing Microsoft Windows, Second Edition. This is the book for people who want to know more about how to use and support Microsoft Windows than most other books dare to detail. While covering all versions in many respects, this book devotes most coverage to Windows Vista and XP. Whether you want to install, manage, or troubleshoot the Windows operating system, this book goes far deeper than just the basics. Whether you support a large network of Windows machines, a few Windows PCs in a small office/home office environment, or just a single at-home system, this book can quickly turn you into an advanced Windows power user.
Is This Book for You?
Upgrading and Repairing Microsoft Windows, Second Edition is designed for people who want a thorough understanding of Windows and how it works without wasting time and pages on endless handholding through basic, everyday tasks. Each section fully explains management and troubleshooting issues related to Windows, including user management, networking, and security issues. Over the course of this book you'll develop a feel for what goes on behind the stylish graphical user interface so you can rely on your own judgment and observations and not some table of canned troubleshooting steps.
Upgrading and Repairing Microsoft Windows, Second Edition is written for people who will install, configure, maintain, and repair systems they use personally or in a corporate environment. To accomplish these tasks, you need a level of knowledge much higher than that of an average system user. You must know exactly which tool to use for a task and how to use the tool correctly. This book can help you achieve this level of knowledge.
Chapter-by-Chapter Breakdown
Chapter 1, "Windows Version History," examines the very beginnings of PC operating systems from DOS all the way through Windows XP and Vista, including the latest Service Packs. Microsoft operating systems have had quite a wild ride over the years and it's amazing to see how the operating system we all use almost every day has become what it is.
Chapter 2, "Windows Boot (Startup)," details the Windows startup process, including what takes place between power-up and the appearance of the Welcome screen. In addition, it includes detailed information about Windows services, which are processes that run in the background to provide support for Windows networking, searching, authentication, and management.
Chapter 3, "Installing Windows," explains procedures and issues regarding the preparation and installation of Windows. It includes detailed steps for baseline installations for single desktops as well as in a more complex networked environment.
Chapter 4, "Upgrading Windows," discusses how to upgrade Windows to a new version. You look at paths for upgrading existing systems to either Windows XP or Vista. Also shown are methods for migrating user settings and documents to new Windows computers.
Chapter 5, "Tweaking and Tuning Windows," shows you how to configure Windows for peak performance and usability, using the Windows configuration dialogs and special-purpose tools such as TweakUI and the Registry Editor. In addition, we'll give you a checklist you can use to identify and fix the most common Windows performance bottlenecks.
Chapter 6, "Networking Windows," tells you how to configure Windows to run a reliable and secure network at home or at the office. Whether you have two computers or two hundred, a network can immediately pay for itself—many times over—by letting you share printers, giving you access to files from any computer, and letting you share a single Internet connection among several computers.
Chapter 7, "Protecting and Securing Windows," covers the steps you can take to ensure your Windows PC is well protected from outside intrusion. Have you lost your administrator account password? Would you like some help protecting your computer from spyware and viruses? We'll help you learn how to recover lost passwords, use firewalls to block intruders, and protect your computer from viruses, spyware, and trojans. Learn how to take an active approach to security and harden your existing security to stop attacks before they start.
In Chapter 8, "Managing Windows," we cover the most important Windows management functions: adding and managing user accounts, hardware, device drivers, and hard disks. In addition, Chapter 8 gets down and dirty with Windows Backup, showing you how make essential backups of your precious data and how to restore those backups should the data on your hard drive be lost or corrupted.
In Chapter 9, "Windows Commands and Scripting," we cover Windows scripting essentials and the oft-forgotten-but-highly-useful world of the command prompt. The command prompt environment not only runs old MS-DOS programs, but also gives you access to a large number of efficient, concise, and powerful Windows management and operating tools. The chapter covers the general principles of command-line programs, configuration settings, and several important commands, as well as scripting and batch file procedures that you can use to automate complex jobs.
Chapter 10, "Windows File Systems," covers file systems. If you're currently running FAT32 drives and deciding whether to switch to NTFS, or if you just want to know everything there is to know about the file system, this is the place to look.
Chapter 11, "Windows Data Recovery," covers data recovery procedures. If you can't access your drive because of a corrupted master boot record (MBR) or volume boot record (VBR), you'll find information you can use to recover these sectors and regain access to your valuable data.
Chapter 12, "Windows Troubleshooting," looks at some of the more common problems encountered with Windows. Troubleshooting software is one part skill, one part craft, and one part knowing where to look for information. In this chapter, you'll look at how to identify Windows problems, and what tools and methods you should use to solve them. This chapter includes an extensive look at how to deal with a system that cannot stably boot, and how to use both the System Restore feature and the arcane but powerful XP Recovery Console and Vista Recovery Environment when you can't even log in to your user account.
This edition of Upgrading and Repairing Windows also includes online content that can be found at http://www.informit.com/title/9780789736956.
Appendix A, "Windows Tool Reference," describes several useful categories of Windows management, maintenance, configuration, monitoring, and data processing tools that you may not be familiar with. Most of them are not installed by Windows Setup but instead are hidden away in obscure folders on your Windows Setup CD-ROM. Several more are available from Microsoft via free download over the Internet, and some others must be purchased. In any case, we think you should know about all of them.
Appendix B, "Windows Command Reference," lists all the executable programs provided with Windows 9x/Me, NT/2000, and the various versions of XP and Vista, including application programs, services, system components, built-in commands, Control Panel applets, MMC Management snap-ins, and screen savers. You can browse this listing to find useful programs you might not be familiar with, or to help identify the many obscure programs that are run automatically by Windows.
Appendix C, "Remote Desktop and Remote Assistance," shows you how to set up the Windows Remote Desktop feature so that you can access your computer from anywhere in the world. It also includes information on third-party remote connection tools that offer alternatives to using Remote Desktop.
Getting the Most from This Book
Upgrading and Repairing Microsoft Windows, Second Edition is not a book that you read through once and never touch again. In fact, this is not a book that needs to be read straight through at all, although any Windows user will learn a great deal from doing just that.
This book is, in fact, a detailed and valuable reference that should be kept next to your PC (and your copy of the latest edition of Upgrading and Repairing PCs) at all times. The information shoehorned into every line of every page of this tome will help you put Windows to work the way it was meant to and keep it running for the long term.
Scott's Website— http://www.upgradingandrepairingpcs.com
Don't miss my book website at http://www.upgradingandrepairingpcs.com! Here, you'll find a cache of helpful material to go along with the book you're holding. I've loaded this site with tons of material, from video clips to monthly book updates. I use this spot to keep you updated throughout the year on major changes in both the PC hardware industry and the evolution of Windows. Each month, I write new articles covering new technologies released after this book was printed. These articles are archived so you can refer to them anytime.
You'll also find exclusive video clips available nowhere else!
I also use this site to tell you about some of the other fantastic Upgrading and Repairing PCs products, including
Upgrading and Repairing PCs
Upgrading and Repairing PCs: Build a PC with Scott Mueller
Upgrading and Repairing Laptops
Upgrading and Repairing Servers
Upgrading and Repairing Networks
If you have technical questions, use my forum at http://forum.scottmueller.com. Y...
