Windows XP Home Networking [Paperback]

Paul Thurrott (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 3, 2004 | ISBN-10: 0764578162 | ISBN-13: 978-0764578168 | Edition: 2

Home networking is easy when you ask an expert

For most of us, it's not about the technology—it's about what we can do with it. A home network lets you share Internet connections, printers, and files between two or more computers. Go wireless, and you can read your e-mail, surf the Web, or download new music from anywhere in or around your home. And with the improvements and added security features in Service Pack 2, Windows XP home networking is safer and more fun than ever before. Paul Thurrott shows you just how it's done, in language that makes sense.

• Understand networking software, learn what hardware you need, and configure a modem
• Explore broadband options and their security issues
• Use Windows XP's network and wireless network setup wizards
• Set up security to protect shared files and user accounts
• Participate in multiplayer games
• Integrate Bluetooth devices and add Mac OS® X or Linux machines to your network
• Deal with spam, pop-ups, malicious add-ons, and other malware
• Manage instant communication with Windows® Messenger and MSN® Messenger
• Synchronize your Palm OS® device or Pocket PC with your desktop

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

All the Know-How You Need to Set Up a Home Network–and Make the Most of It

• Plan and set up a wireless or wired home network with ease
• Share Internet connections, files, and peripherals between computers
• Ensure that your home network is safe from outside intrusion

Windows XP is packed with features that make home networking easier than ever. In this comprehensive guide, Windows expert Paul Thurrott shows you step by step how to choose between wired and wireless options, set up and secure your network, and then take advantage of Windows XP’s many network capabilities and options. From sorting out cables and routers to sharing Internet connections and printers to configuring firewalls and e-mail, this book delivers all the information you need to bring networking home.

Detailed Instructions for Networking Your Home

• Get a modem or broadband Internet connection
• Understand your home networking options
• Set up a wired or wireless home network
• Share Internet connections, printers, and files
• Secure your network with passwords and a firewall
• Explore advanced networking options
• Configure browsers, e-mail, and instant messaging
• Create your own Web page and get remote assistance
• Synch PDAs with your networked PCs
• Harness Windows XP Professional Edition for Remote Desktop access

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Paul Thurrott is News Editor for Windows & .NET Magazine and Connected Home Media. A Windows aficionado, he contributes to numerous Windows-oriented print publications, online newsletters, and Web sites. He is the author or coauthor of more than fifteen books, including PC Magazine Windows XP Digital Media Solutions, also from Wiley.

Product Details

• Paperback: 456 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 2 edition (December 3, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764578162
• ISBN-13: 978-0764578168
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,373,423 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

The author of over 20 books, Paul Thurrott is a technology analyst for Windows IT Pro and the majordomo of the SuperSite for Windows (www.winsupersite.com). He writes a weekly editorial for Windows IT Pro UPDATE (www.windowsitpro.com/email), a daily Windows news and information e-mail newsletter called 'WinInfo Daily News' (www.wininformant.com), and a monthly column called 'Need to Know' in Windows IT Pro Magazine. He also blogs daily via the SuperSite Blog (community.winsupersite.com/blogs/paul), posts regularly on Twitter (www.twitter.com/thurrott), and appears weekly in the highly rated and hugely popular Windows Weekly podcast with Leo Laporte (www.twit.tv/ww).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GreatBeginners Guide - Don't fall victim to SOHO NETWORKING, April 15, 2004

By 

Darius T. Copeland (MidWest United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Windows(r) XP Home Networking (Paperback)

This is an excellent beginners guide - Some smart reviewer convinced me to buy SOHO networking by Pete Moulton instead of this book to learn how to set up a home network. Don't fall for that review - - this book is excellent for the beginner, and you don't need to have a phD in computer engineering to understand the principles. I think if the review encouraging SOHO Networking instead of this book had mentioned that he is a highly trained computer person, I wouldn't have wasted the money on SOHO Networking, and would have purchased this book in the first place.

If you are moderatly windows savvy, and need to get straight easy answers on how to build a home network, then this is the book for you.

I'm a non-college educated blue collar worker, have no formal computer training, but do know my way around the PC and windows XP - I was able to build my home network quite quickly and easily using this book.

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent for beginners !!, July 19, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Windows(r) XP Home Networking (Paperback)

I own several Windows networking books but this one is the best available today.......it does not only explain networking, but also the advanced functions of MS Outlook Express, MSIE, and other programs in regards to internet and networking. Recommended for beginners since it is easy to read and understand. Not for advanced compu-freaks since it is not too technical.

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not well done at all!, January 29, 2005

By 

Karl F. - See all my reviews

This review is from: Windows XP Home Networking (Paperback)

This book offers pages of the history of operating systems, including the future of Windows, in great detail. The author should have put that much thought into the discussion of networking with Windows XP. There are some instructions, not very well written, but this author doesn't seem to understand how owners of several computers approach creating small networks. There's no discussion of why you would take a specific approach, or when you need to take specific steps.

I also bought Home Networking for Dummies, which is the most well-designed approach to networking I've read. If you want to know when to do something, how to do it, why to do it, and read extremely well-written instructions that anyone could follow, don't buy this book, buy Home Networking for Dummies instead.