Windows Vista in a Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference (In a Nutshell (O'Reilly)) (Paperback)

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Key Phrases: address bar, protected mode, system configuration utility, Windows Vista, Control Panel, Internet Explorer (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This unique reference thoroughly documents every important setting and feature in Microsoft's new operating system, with alphabetical listings for hundreds of commands, windows, menus, listboxes, buttons, scrollbars and other elements of Windows Vista. With this book's simple organization, you'll easily find any setting, tool, or feature for the task you want to accomplish.

Along with a system overview that highlights major changes, and a tour of the basics such as manipulating files and getting around the interface, "Windows Vista in a Nutshell" offers alphabetized references for these topics: The User Interface: Covers the Sidebar, Aero Glass, the new Control Panel layout, and applets, as well as how to customize animated windows, the desktop, Start menu, pop-up windows on the Taskbar, and more. The File System, Drives, Data, and Search: Discusses working with the new Windows Explorer, Virtual Folders, searches, indexing, saved searches, metadata, and sharing. The Internet and Networking: Examines TCP/IP, RSS, tabbed browsing, and anti-phishing features of Internet Explorer, plus cookie handling, parental control features, and more. Networking and Wireless: Offers an illustrated, step-by-step guide to setting up a home network; covers the Network Center, Sync Center, Hot Spot access, wireless management, collaboration, and sharing. Working with Hardware: Describes how to set up, maintain, and troubleshoot hardware--including keyboards, mice, monitors, USB devices, scanners, cameras, and sound devices--and how to add, install, and troubleshoot drivers. Security: Includes the Security Center, Windows Defender, User Account Protection, System Protection, Network Access Protection, WiFi encryption, Windows Firewall, file encryption, and more. Mobility: Explains Mobility Center settings, plugging a secondary monitor into your computer, and the new "network projection" feature for making presentations. Multimedia: Covers Windows Photo Gallery, Media Player, Media Center, podcasting features, connecting to and synching with MP3 players, recording TV and videos, making videos with Windows Movie Maker, and burning CDs and DVDs. The Command Prompt: Provides commands for working with files, utilities for troubleshooting the network, and instructions on how to create your own batch files.

Appendixes include information on installation, keyboard shortcuts, common filename extensions, and more. "Windows Vista in a Nutshell" is your one-stop source for everything you need from Microsoft's latest operating system.

About the Author

Preston Gralla is the award-winning author of more than 30 books, including How the Internet Works, Windows XP in a Snap, the Complete Idiot's Guide to Internet Privacy and Security, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Buying a PC, How to Expand and Upgrade PCs, and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Online Shopping. He has written about computer technology and the Internet and has been a columnist for many magazines, Web sites and newspapers.

Product Details

• Paperback: 732 pages
• Publisher: O'Reilly Media; illustrated edition edition (December 22, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0596527071
• ISBN-13: 978-0596527075
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #558,225 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An increasingly valuable reference, March 4, 2007

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Every important setting and feature in Microsoft's new operating system is covered in a guide which packs in listings for hundreds of commands, windows, menus, and other Windows Vista elements. From the new operating system's basic user interface and differences between Vista and other operating systems to tips in installation, keyboard shortcuts and more, this should be a basic reference for quite some time, offering essential keys to understanding and streamlining Vista's capabilities. Libraries will find it an increasingly valuable reference as Vista products permeate the stores and replace older systems in the next year or two.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars VERY VERY HIGHLY REOMMENDED!!, February 15, 2007

By	John R. Vacca "Tech Write Independent Reviewer" (Pomeroy, Ohio) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Are you a network administrator or application developer? If you are, then this book is for you. Author Preston Gralla, has done an outstanding job of writing a book that focuses on users and their networks and applications, not on large enterprise or corporate systems or network administration.

Gralla, begins with a brief guided tour of Windows Vista. Then, the author covers the basics of using windows, such as starting applications, manipulating files, and getting around the interface. Next, he provides a thorough examination of the elements that make up the Windows Vista graphical user interface. The author also covers all aspects of files and the file system, including the myriad of new features of Windows Explorer. He continues by detailing all aspects of the revamped browser in Windows. Then, the author puts the spotlight on the e-mail program formerly known as Outlook Express. Next, he covers wired and wireless networks, as well as laptops and mobile computing. The author then covers the myriad of new security tools built into Vista, with an emphasis on Internet security. He continues by covering everything about setting up, maintaining , and troubleshooting hardware, including keyboards, mice, monitors, USB devices, input devices, scanners, cameras, sound devices, and printers. Then, he covers how user accounts work on Windows Vista, and how to make use of them. Next, he covers all of the performance and troubleshooting tools in Windows. In addition, the author covers music and video playing and production, as well as new features that make it easier to connect a variety of multimedia devices to a PC. He continues by describing the organization o the Windows XP Registry, the central configuration database upon which Windows and all of your applications rely to function and remember your settings. Finally, the author provides complete documentation of the Command Prompt--which is often the overlooked and underestimated part of the operating system.

This most excellent book offers you a basic understanding of the deeper levels of network configuration available in large, enterprise-level networks. Perhaps more importantly, this book has tried to speak universal truths about Windows Vista.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Overview Of Windows Vista, March 22, 2007

By	Daniel McKinnon (Tewksbury, MA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

'Windows Vista in a Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference' by Preston Gralla is one of the best "in a Nutshell" books that I have seen. Covering every square inch of Windows Vista in a concise, compact manner, this guide is more like a 'teaching reference' about the ins and outs of Microsoft' newest operating system.

Packed full of 720 pages of Vista goodness, this book will take you quickly from the basics to the deepest crevices of what Vista has lurking around every corner. Vista administrators would be wise to pick up this book yesterday and start cramming their brains full of the content here.

If you are an IT professional and want to get Vista'd the best wasy possible you owe it to yourself to pick up this uber guide NOW.

***** HIGHLY RECOMMENDED