Customer Reviews

Windows Vista Annoyances: Tips, Secrets, and Hacks

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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"...sleek on the outside but a big mess on the inside."

The author gives this executive summary in the first sentence of _Windows Vista Annoyances_ and then rolls up his sleeves and gets to work.

This book has a different approach from other books that deal with Windows annoyances, like one I recommend, Big Book of Windows Hacks. David Karp is scarcely concerned with potty training tips for Microsoft's maligned new operating system. Instead, he conveys patterns of good habits and basic hygiene that serve to make you master of Vista and not the reverse.

Notice that particular focus in the organization of the book. After the intro chapter, we get into:
2) Shell Tweaks
3) The Registry
4) Working with Media
5) Performance
6) Troubleshooting
7) Networking and Internet
8) Users and Security
9) Scripting and Automation
Appendix A - BIOS Settings
Appendix B - TCP/IP Ports

All good core stuff here. There are 64 pages on the Windows registry alone.

This is a far more detailed (and valuable) treatment than other books of this sort. Karp's writing style is clear and he makes certain that every term or concept that may present a problem is properly explained.

In addition, this book has something that is not common for a tech book
nowadays: a fairly complete and definitely useful index.

The index, combined with solid content, makes this book a worthwhile tool.

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Sometimes, a book in the Annoyances series is one that you can use to fine-tune an application you use often. And then there's this one... Windows Vista Annoyances by David A. Karp. Regardless of whether you hate Vista or think it's the best Windows OS out there, you'll be finding useful and applicable tips on every other page here. Vista is just tailor-made for a book like this, and Karp takes full advantage of the opportunities.

Contents:
Get Started with Windows Vista: Editions of Vista; Install Windows Vista; Migration to Windows Vista
Shell Tweaks: Customize Windows Explorer; Working with Files and Folders
The Registry: The Registry Editor; Structure of the Registry; Registry Tasks and Tools; File Type Associations
Working with Media: Playing Video; Handling Online Video; Sound and Music; Photos, Pictures, Images; Media Center Annoyances; CD and DVD Drives
Performance: Trim the Fat; Make Your Hardware Perform; Hard Disk
Troubleshooting: Crashes and Error Messages; Dealing with Drivers and Other Tales of Hardware Troubleshooting; Preventative Maintenance and Data Recovery
Networking and Internet: Build Your Network; Internet Me; Secure Your Networked PC; Web and Email
Users and Security: Manage User Accounts; Permissions and Security; Logon and Profile Options; Share Files and Printers
Scripting and Automation: Windows Script Host; build a VBScript Script; Object References; Wacky Script Ideas; Command Prompt Scripting; Windows PowerShell
BIOS Settings
TCP/IP Ports
Index

When I bought my new laptop , it came loaded with Vista. Since it was pretty early in the Vista release cycle, I thought it would be good to learn it since adoption would be widespread in a short period of time. Yeah, right. Vista turned into one of the most annoying operating experiences of my life. Slow performance, endless "do you really want to..." dialog boxes, reboot times that took forever... While you can't get rid of the overall pain of Vista (unless you "upgrade" to XP or a Mac), you can use Karp's information to lessen the daily headaches. For instance, he takes you into the Performance Options settings to help you figure out what eye candy you can live without so that you actually get work done. He shows you how to tweak the registry to eliminate the menu opening delay. He also goes into some depth on how to get Vista set up to greatly reduce the start-up time (and that's a MAJOR accomplishment). And that's just a fraction of what you'll find here that will find immediate application in your life with Vista.

It's always a good thing to get a decent reference guide to the major software packages in your life. Vista is no exception. But there's a few packages where you need someone to tell you how to *live* with the less-than-stellar results on your screen. Vista's the poster child for that. Windows Vista Annoyances should be *very* close at hand as you work with the operating system. Assuming you haven't already switched to something else...

Can anyone remember in recent memory an operating system more hated from the start than Windows Vista? The outcry from users, developers, admins etc have caused this OS to become infamous to say the least. With all the changes and confusion for this latest generation of Microsoft Windows, it's great that a book like 'Windows Vista Annoyances: Tips, Secrets, and Hacks' is out on the market. This book is perfect for IT Admins that are having problems with this "upgrade" from the mighty Micro$oft. With over 600+ pages of material, this book is jam packed full of information to get things up and working (and STAY up and working) right away. From creating scripts to troubleshooting problems when Vista won't load up or crashes for no good reason, this is a perfect book to have on your desk. The audience is for IT admins but any hacker could get something from this book if you are not enjoying your Vista experience.

***** RECOMMENDED

For the advanced user, this book is a gold mine of information! I've bought half a dozen books on Vista, and this is the one that turned out to be actually quite useful. (The others, although quite thick, still mostly just cover basic stuff I already know.)

Windows Vista holds many annoyances for users and has many quirks stemming from bad design, so having WINDOWS VISTA ANNOYANCES in a developer or web applications collections is an important key to successfully using the system and working around common issues. From customizing Explorer and managing Vista's Registry options to optimizing the PC and using it to work a network, WINDOWS VISTA ANNOYANCES is packed with tips on how to make it work efficiently and well. Highly recommended as a methodical, practical series of applied steps and insights.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This book is written for intermediate users, not beginners, and it is the best. When I purchased a new computer, it came with Windows Vista. So I bought 3 books on Vista, including Microsoft's own "Windows Vista Inside Out". I have found this book consistently more helpful in making the operating system do what I want it to do, rather than what Microsoft thinks it ought to do. It is clear, concise, and humorous; and that makes it easy to read. I just wish it had included a CD of the book, also.

This book like all the O'reilly books brings you nothing but quality material as you need it. David Karp covered almost every problem you might encounter using Windows Vista, and of course the Solutions to these problems. This is a large book and it's not like the many other tech books that you read and get bored along the way, no it isn't, David has done a great job of entertaining and yet getting to the point.

This is a must have book for anyone using windows Vista. I highly recommend it.Windows Vista Annoyances: Tips, Secrets, and Hacks

This book made the change EASY!!

Going from XP to Vista was a snap with the help of this book. If you are like me, a very amateur PC user used to XP, this book will make the switch to Vista painless and even fun.

The XP version of this book (Windows XP Annoyances for Geeks) by the same author, had Appendix A (Setting Locator) covering 700+ individual XP settings and showed how to drop down through the menus to get to the respective setting/s. This was (and still is) of tremendous benefit to me.

The Vista book (Windows Vista Annoyances) does NOT have this Appendix and it is a major ommission, IMO.

Bazza

I'm not completely sure who the target audience for this title is, as a book that in one section covers automated registry search and replace and cloning your hard drive via a SATA/IDE to USB device and the next switching the Windows Media Player skin will probably not be 100% useful to most readers.

This is one of the first in this series that I think is a little off topic. Like its predecessors, the book does offer solutions to many bugs and issues Vista presents, but for the most part is focused on familiarizing users with the normal administrative settings and features of the OS; taking the reader to a Power User level. A few of the chapters provide information readily available (free) from the Annoyances web site (and in a few instances I've found provides downloads and how-to's the book says you can't actually do), as well as what you could find via a Google search, but there is enough unique content to the release to make this a good purchase.

As a side note, the book has 60 pages dedicated to scripting: MS-DOS, VBScript, and PowerShell. Although I'm glad to see this introduction being made to readers, no one should be under any illusions about the information provided: it is a very glossy overview and you will absolutely need to read other dedicated guides before you will be able to script any of the languages they cover.