Customer Reviews

Windows NT Power Toolkit

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

 

 

It's rare that I find a book that delivers what it promises, but I was really impressed by Windows NT Power Toolkit. I am an NT Administrator, and this book actually taught me things that I did not know. What significant is that I felt before I read it that I was an advanced NT user. It's obvious now that I wasn't, but this book has taken me to the next level. Thanks goes to the authors for delivering on what turned out to be a really good book. I am really glad this book was recommended to me by a friend.

This is one of the best Windows NT reference books that I have seen. This details the many common tools and utilities used in the NT environment, complete with switches and options. There is also good links to the source or to sites with more information. The links and references are also included in the CD, with the links being hyperlinked to the web. The CD has dozens of tools such as Diskeeper Lite, WinGate Pro, WS-FTP Pro, Autopilot NT tuner, File Rescure to retrieve deleted files, Hyena, SPQuery for service packs and hot fixes, and lots of others. One of my interests is NT security, and there is a chapter devoted to managing NT system security, including policy recommendations. Another good chapter is about setting up a web site with IIS and information on third party web tools. There is also good information on W2K and an O=overview of Windows 2000, still in beta. For those that use the performance monitor, there is alot if info on NT performance monitor objects and counters. this book is jam packed with useful information in its 799 pages. It is put together real well and I like the layout, complete with dozens of figures and screen shots. Our company has ordered several copies for our network guys and security engineers.Again, one of the best reference books I have seen since i use a lot of these tools and utilities.

Windows NT PowerToolkit is directed at the everyday user of NT who needs to get more out of their workstation. It is also designed to be useful for those that administer NT.

The book was immediately useful as a reference. I needed to find a utility that would track calls made to a RAS Server for billing purposes. The section on RAS contained a reference to a piece of freeware to track calls. I also had some problems with NT RAS's reliability as a serious business solution. Many of the problems I encountered were covered in this same section.

Windows NT Power Toolkit is also a good overview of NT fundamentals. I find that most of the problems I encounter are not easy to look up in a manual. This book provides the background that I need to solve most of these types of problems. For example, the book contains a list of most of the executables in the winnt directory and their functions. Having access to this information would have saved me countless re-installs of NT.

I also liked the readability. I went through the first 35 pages while standing in line at the post office the day after I received the book.

This is truly the Power Toolkit reference for NT. As an experienced NT'er, MCSE and sysadmin, I found the book to be both a useful reference and an excellent read. Anyone who uses NT, whether an administrator, power user or a regular user, will find this book an invaluable tool.

Unless your primary duty is NT Administrator or you are an NT fanatic you will not want to sit down and read this book cover to cover.

I have found it to be a very good reference for solving problems at hand or to gain background on and area of NT administration before I have a discussion on the subject with someone else.

I found this book disappointing. Like another reviewer, I bought this book based on the hype and the quality experience I've had with Stu's email list. The problem with the book is that it seems a mile wide and an inch deep in information. There are probably some tidbits here and there to glean, but when you need more than a cursory explanation of any NT issue you will not find it.

That said, the book is well-written and well-designed, so I give it 3 stars. However, it does NOT fulfill my needs at all, and that is of course quite a let down.

author is a spammer ... tell him to stop bulk mailing links to his stupid books.

I bought Stu & Ed's book "Window NT Power Toolkit" with very high expectations based on the all Five Star ratings on Amazon.com and other places. It's a good book, no doubt about that, and it's been a joy reading it.

However, I failed to find significant new stuff to give it a Five Star rating. The title of the book itself - Windows NT Power Toolkit - made me expect too much maybe! Like the Unix Power Toolkit book, which is a great reference and truely a power toolkit.

I'm a great fan of Stu & Ed, so don't get me wrong! Most of the utilities referred to in the book were not new, if you are a regular at sunbeltsoftware.com or get Stu's e-mail newsletter! (Is that one of the reason I failed to find much new stuff in the book? ).

The book is not a Comprehensive reference to Win NT. Nor does it significantly enhance my Win NT Admin skills any more than they already are.

Maybe I should read it again a couple of times? Maybe I've just been reading up a lot on NT! One of my favourite NT books is "Essential Windows NT System Administration" by Aeleen Frisch (O'Reily Press) which did add significantly to my skills and is a must have for all NT folks.

Summary & Big Predicament: You can't do WITHOUT this book, because a) It's by Stu & Ed b) It's got all Five Star ratings and is a NT bestseller! However, experienced NT pros may not find enuff new stuff or the "Power Tools" they're looking for!

My background is in the computing industry for the last twenty years, and in the WindowsNT world for about six years. During that time, I have gone through a plethora of System Management manuals, How-To books, and especially NT Administrator's guides. Overall, I found this book to be the best yet. It is well written and concise - it has everything! This has become my new NT Administrator's "bible". (I had the book less than 2 days, and it paid for itself quite easily in the amount of time I saved configuring some special concerns in my NT network!) I highly recommend this book to anyone who is running an NT network. You will wonder how you survived without it!

Hats off to Stu and Ed for one FINE piece of work!!