Customer Reviews

Upgrading and Repairing Microsoft Windows (2nd Edition)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I should first state that I am a BIG fan of Scott Mueller and his book series "Upgrading and Repairing PCs". Mueller is THE authority when it comes to PC hardware and I've been his fan since 1995. Thus, I decided to order his first book on the Windows operating system.

Now here's the review of U&R Windows:

Pros:

Mueller goes into the history of DOS and Windows in very intricate detail in the first chapter and it's very interesting. He then proceeds to cover Windows operating system upgrades and installation scenarios. A detailed explanation of the product activation is explained and is most intriguing. Mueller also goes over the different versions of Windows (OEM, Retail and Volume) with differences in each.

Then he goes in the various processes used in Windows startup routines in his famous "last to the minute detail" explanation of registry entries, and system processes. A healthy and detailed list of Windows services, what they are and how they work are given in chapter 4 and reading this chapter was quite enjoyable.

The rest of the book follows with networking, tweaking, troubleshooting, file systems, data recovery, securing the operating system and scripting. I was quite pleased to see a section detailing on how you can reset a Windows administrator password.

Cons:

Chapter 8 of the book, Protecting and Securing Windows, needs a serious re-write and is the most disappointing part of the book. Although 3 competing software firewall are discussed (Norton Personal Firewall, Tiny Personal Firewall and Sygate Personal Firewall), only 2 anti-virus programs (Norton Antivirus 2005 and AVG Free Edition) are discussed. Where is NOD32, Kaspersky or Mcafee?

The spyware removal section is the standard "lock, stock and barrel" answer of using Ad-Aware and Spybot to clean off spyware, with a suggestion to use HighJackThis at the very end. For an advanced Windows repair book like this, I was really expecting more from Mueller.

Completely missing from the book is mention of any of the freeware Sysinternals utilities (Filemon, Regmon, Autoruns, etc) that are so vital to troubleshooting Windows (and FREE!). A discussion of Windows PE or BartPE would make this book golden. Device detection information using system information utilites such as Everest, PCI32 or Belarc Advisor would also be an asset to this book.

Also, a scripting chapter (presumeably made by Brian Knittel, co-author of the book) goes in "deep and heavy" into scripting and seems out of place in a book like this.

Summary:

Overall, I like this book. It appears, however, that Mueller's authority is mostly in the hardware arena and not in the software one.

Upgrading and Repairing Microsoft Windows
Reviewer: Fred Sabin, President, NJCC
ISBN Number: 0-7897-3403-6
Posted at NJCC: http://www.njcc.org/news/productreviews/

The New Jersey Computer Club (NJCC) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to educating the public about computer systems, software, and their uses; providing community service to charities and educational groups; awarding an annual NJCC Memorial Award; and sharing knowledge and social activities with other computer enthusiasts. A frequent topic of discussion, and a major need of all of our membership, is how to upgrade, troubleshoot, and repair their computer systems. This book is an excellent and indispensable companion guide and reference to Upgrading and Repairing PCs, 16th Edition, on everything associated with computer system operations and problems.

Upgrading and Repairing Microsoft Windows, authored by Scott Mueller and Brian Knittel, and published by Que Publishing, is an up-to-date comprehensive (705 page) book that comes with a two hour instructional and reference DVD. Detailed technical information is very well presented in an easy to read format with extensive diagrams, figures, and tables that both illustrate concepts and organize historical and statistical data for clarity of understanding and ease of use.

There are two main ways of using this book. First, you can utilize it as a learning tool to gain knowledge about an area of interest, such as installing or upgrading a Windows operating system. Second, you can utilize it as a technical reference, to find detailed information on a specific Windows topic or operation. Of major importance is the fact that the text covers not only current data and information, but also historical content on older Microsoft operating systems that may still be in use.

The chapters on "Managing Windows", "Protecting and Securing Windows", "Windows Troubleshooting" and the "Windows Tool and Command References" (Appendix) are of special interest, as diagnostic and troubleshooting operating system problems are significant concerns for our membership. The chapters on "Installing and Upgrading Windows" are also very important for those who need assistance in the installation and/or upgrading of their Windows operating system.

The DVD is especially useful with video presentations by Scott Mueller on "XP Installation", "System Backup", "Windows Optimization", "Eliminate Spyware" (Malware), and "Windows Versions" (History). These segments will be valuable to both novice and experienced users.

I have personally used Scott Mueller's Upgrading and Repairing PCs for many years, and I have always found the content to be very accurate, informative and useful. This companion Upgrading and Repairing Microsoft Windows book has the same characteristics. I have not read either book in its entireity, but I know what is available in each book and where to find it, and when you need the information it is very satisfying to know that you have it readily accessible.

I consider this book as essential for our User Group personnel who provide technical assistance and support for our membership, and I very strongly recommended it to all our NJCC members and other computer users as a learning and self help tool for their own benefit. In my opinion it is by far the best book I have found available on this topic.

This book is a handy reference to have in any tech's library. It teaches you about not only the history of Windows, but focuses on the later versions of the operating system without totally neglecting the older versions.

It's coverage of command-line tips and tricks is excellent; however I found it lacking in that it didn't cover two areas: (1) It did not cover why the System Restore feature sometimes fails and how to prevent that occurrence; and (2) it only mentioned the SFC utility in the appendix of programs that come with Windows, and that is one program that needs to be gone into depth a bit more.

Some of the sections on scripting could have been written to be easier to follow for those new to the subject, but overall I still have to give this book an excellent rating!

It definitely was worth the money, and I am overall pleased with the purchase!

Windows is covered very well in this book. The DVD is great too, especially the section on how to slipstream updates and drivers into the XP installation process.

Excellent product for the price I paid, and the shipping is A+, I'm a Computer Eng, and I use it as a reference all the time, I will recommended it.

This has got to be one of the best books I have read on Windows. If you really want to get into the nitty gritty of your operating system then this is the one for you. Scott Mueller writes in clear and precise language that you can understand, and gives steps on how to not only repair but to upgrade Windows. It also comes with a DVD that covers Vista's SP 1, can't ask for anymore than that. It is truly an awesome read.

I got in this imposing 700+ page book, looked at it a little and put it on my desk to get to later. Well, you know how that works. Then I was trying to delete some files. And I got a message that the directory was messed up and to run CHKDSK. What's that, and how do you run it, and can I run it while I'm doing other things. So I picked up the book. The index sent me to page 513. There's CHKDSK. Here's how you run it. But it doesn't run under Windows, you have to schedule it to run and then re-boot windows, and then you get a message saying that this might take a long time. It worked and I could go delete the files.

You know, I think I need to read the whole book. I flipped through it some more while waiting on CHKDSK to run and there's a lot of good stuff here. I particularly liked the idea that it talks about what's included with Windows (many versions) but also includes some commentary on various third party programs that work better, faster or do things that the standard software doesn't do.

The book is in reference format, it's easy to look up things that you need to do. And like with CHKDSK, the things you find are in a section dealing with similar problems.

So while CHKDSK was running I turned to the front of the book. Surprisingly, it's even pretty interesting. And I'm not big on computer books. If you're having trouble with Windows, or planning to have trouble, this is the book I recommend.

The must in depth book book on Windows you can purchase. It is a must read if you are interested in the inner workings of Windows.

I work as an IT Assistant. I ordered this book because I also have Upgrading and Repairing PC's by this same author. I have already had a few chances to use the excellent advice, and help inside this book. I am very happy with my purchase!

It is Very good book with alot of stuff.So much useful information,configuring windows and so on.A book for anybody that works on and builds computers.A must have.James