Customer Reviews

Windows XP Hacks

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this book of the strength my positive experiences with the Google Hacks book and have been probably even happier with this one (if you haven't read Google hacks, go buy that one too).

To start with, even though this is an easy book to understand, if you are a new user to Windows XP or any of the newer MS OS's, go and buy another book first. If you have some experience with this OS, then go buy this. Its brilliant.

Many of the tweaks in this book are implemented by editing the registry, but that said, they are very easy to do. Some useful examples are those that speed up the booting of your PC, those that add useful commands to your right-click context menu and those that point you to some very useful 3rd party utilities.

The networking section has some very good tips and tools available, especially for those running wireless networks. There are also good tips on blocking spam, surfing with proxies and stopping popups and the like.

Its difficult to review a book that has 100 short (to the point) tips and the more I read what I have written, I am not doing this book justice. If you go to oreillys site and review the TOC I am sure you will make up your own mind.

My mind is already made up. As an experienced XP user, just a handful of the tips I have got from this book saves me a lot of time a day. I thoroughly recommend you taking a good look at this book. The tips in here will make your colleagues sit up and say 'how did you do that?'.

This book is a perfect example of an OK idea presented in a bad medium. Had the author chosen to make this a web site or a magazine article, I don't think anyone would object to the rudimentary information provided within. Instead, the author presents 100 "hacks" comprised entirely of overviews on quickly-dating shareware and freeware downloads, as well as step by step instructions on how to use the intrinsic Windows dialogs to change properties and settings. Little presented here could not be as easily discovered by Googling "Windows XP tips tricks", browsing popular computer magazines, or using the internal Help.

Some hacks in this book are really basic:

Hack 20: Making Windows XP look like Windows 2000 again.
Hack 23: PowerDesk Shareware
Hack 86: Info on two Graphical Shareware
Hack 98: Keyboard remapping shareware
Hack 99: Using ClearType on Win XP

is this a book about "Customizing Windows XP and Shareware Info" or are they really hacks?

There is even some mis-information:
Hack 3: Claims that BootVis will speed up boot up time, while the official Microsoft website corrected the issue: boot speed up is built in and automatic and doesn't require BootVis.

Hack 92: Claims that removing DLL from RAM will let other program have access to the RAM and make the computer faster... not true: they will be removed automatically from RAM when other applications need the RAM. The "Least Recently Used" DLL will be unloaded automatically. On the other hand, if you listen to an mp3 file and close Windows Media Player, and then see another mp3 and run Windows Media Player again, it will be much faster because the DLLs are already in RAM.

This book should be more appropriately titled: Customizing, Shareware, and Hacks for Windows XP.

The O'Reilly Hacks book format is to provide the reader with one hundred focused 'hacks' that provide a wide variety of tips for expert readers on the subject at hand. This book falls a little off that mark. The text of the book is not very focused, though it is more personable and easier to read than the other Hacks books.

What bothered me was that the hacks were not all particularly XP relevant. Picking a web browser and a hack on war driving seem off the mark to me. On the one hand, they could have called it 'Windows Hacks' and I would think that the book was dead on. Since they called it 'Windows XP Hacks' I expected to see more XP specific information.

That being said, the book has a lot going for it. There is a lot of cool and unique content in it. I particularly liked the sections on tweaking the UI and hacking the registry. I also appreciated the information on how to surf the Internet safely.

Before you buy you should have a look at the table of contents first to make sure that you are getting value for your dollar.

Before I write anything else, I should make it clear that anyone telling you how to "hack" is almost certainly full of it. Downloading free software, changing the boot screen, and clicking an option in Windows Media Player cannot possibly be called "hacks." Realistically, these are just tips, but I guess saying "Windows XP Tips" ins't as sexy. "General PC Tips," is what this book should really be called due to the inclusion of so much that is neither XP-specific nor a hack.

I give this book three stars for being readable and having some useful tips that make it worth borrowing from a library. I give it maybe 2 stars for the cost of actually having to buy it (I don't think it would make a very good reference anyway).

This book is by no means advanced, as implied by the title. For example, it gives you some "security" hacks and it tells you about turning off unnecessary services, but so what? If you didn't already know what services were, how could you possibly know which ones to turn off? No mention at all of turning off DCOM and disabling it, or why you would want to do so (see (...) for why).

If you want to "Hack" your computer with XP, borrow this book and read it. Ignore irrelevant tips and suggestions of software that you don't think you would use. Then return it and go to www.tweakxp.com for more information. In some cases I like Tweakxp.com better because the information is more candid (e.g., "Real Player is poorly written adware/spyware," from (...).

There is no reason to buy this book. Even if your library doesn't have it, there are good, free online sources for the same information.

As a note concerning previous posts about the BootVis "hack," Microsoft lied; Bootvis does improve performance. Here's a quotation from one site that actually tested the program: "I'm not sure what kind of game they are playing but the "Bootvis.exe is not a tool that will improve boot/resume performance for end users." is a blatant untruth." (from (...). These guys tested the program on four machines, and all four improved performance significantly. I must add that Bootvis also speeded up my own boot time from just over 34 seconds to less than 25 (about a 25% improvement- and this is not supposed to improve performance?).

The book is intended for those of us that prefer to tamper with or 'improve' the basic Windows XP package. I would say that target audience should range from those who are more knowledgeable than just opening Windows Explorer and surfing around to those who are hardcore 'tweak geeks' like myself who just have to find a way to make everything run faster, smoother and with minimal work.

Windows XP Hacks is very well thought out from beginning to end: it takes you from tweaking the start up and boot up screen, to making file surfing easier, to internet usage and finally exploring registry hacking.

The language used in the book never comes across as dry or 'techy', I never felt as though I was being schooled, rather I was being talked with about hacking XP, which promotes user friendliness and immediately puts the novice reader at ease and in a frame of mind to continue reading. The information provided on tweaking XP will initiate someone from entry level to a full fledged tweaker. Hardcore 'geeks' will find some new tidbits of information in the book, but it will benefit the entry level and mid level computer enthusiast the most. The tips are very well explained and some are further enhanced with illustrations which always make things even easier.

All in all, this is a great read and a definite tool for those willing to get down and dirty with Windows XP.

If you are using Windows XP and want to become the power user of XP Home or Professional, then definitely you should read this Book. Windows XP is one of the best OS from Microsoft, it was improved a lot in the areas of Music, Digital Photography, Personal Firewall, wireless, it is stable and secure compare to earlier Microsoft Windows OS.

But every user is not a power user of XP, but if you want to become a power user of XP OR if you want to get most from XP, then Windows XP Hacks books is for you. Author compiled and put together most useful 100 tips / tools / features with which you will get most of it.

This book covers a list of topics like Controlling Contral panel, removing uninstallable XP components, stopping pop-up ads, cookies, speed up downloads, protecting yourself using firewalls from viruses, Blocking Spam, how to boot / shutdown fast, tweaking Registry and much much more.

All the 100 tips grouped properly into following 12 chapters.

Startup and Shutdown

The User Interface
Windows Explorer
The Web
Networking
Email
The Registry
Basic Utilities
Applications
Graphics and Multimedia
System Performance
Hardware

It also explains what are the useful tools available on the Net for free/buy to hack Windows XP. One of the hack I liked most is, how to get POP3 for free for Yahoo.

You get all the tips to bend XP in your way, you will save quite a bit amount of time in searching Internet / Knowledge base to get your work done. I recommend for all users who use Windows XP.

It seems like no one edited or tech edited this book. From the start, where he talks about putting 'huskies' (they are wolves) as his boot screen to the bootvis problem already discussed, to numerous other technical errors, this book is not up to snuff to the rest of the hacks books.

I didn't even try half the registry hacks because if he can't get some very basic information right, am I certain I want to trust someone with more detailed, specific information?

Very poorly edited, very poorly researched book, and not worth the price.

I never would have believed I could be so stupid as to pay $24.95 for a book that is tantmount to one giant advertising insert. You know, like the junk mail and filler that you find in your mail box every week, or the Sunday paper. Garbage for the most part...the occassional hidden gem...found ONLY IF you are digging through with a fine tooth comb. This book has countless web sites listed with software "free to try, $xx.xx to buy if you like it" and not a whole lot more. I bought the book from a local bookseller, so paid full cover price, and have been kicking myself ever since.

I thought I knew everything there was to know about XP --- was I wrong! I've found something new on every page of this book. There's stuff about hacking the interface, wireless networks, keeping yourself safe on the Internet, cool email tricks, startup and shutdown...Even the toughest hacks are easy to follow, so it's not just for techies. And with each hack, you also learn how to apply it to other things, so you can figure out new hacks of your own. This is the best book I've bought on XP. I'd recommend it to anybody.