Windows Vista Inside Out (Paperback)

by Ed Bott (Author), Carl Siechert (Author), Craig Stinson (Author)
Key Phrases: protected mode, auto playlist, advanced security management, Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player, Windows Explorer (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Learn everything you need to know for working with Windows Vista--from the inside out! Written by the authors of the immensely popular Microsoft Windows XP Inside Out, this book packs hundreds of timesaving solutions, troubleshooting tips, and workarounds for using the latest version of the Microsoft Windows® operating system--all in concise, fast-answer format. Dig into the work-ready tools and resources that help you take your Windows Vista experience to the next level. Get the answers you need to use the new features of Windows Vista, including the sidebar and gadgets, and the Windows slideshow. You'll also discover how to use new features in Microsoft Windows Media® Player and Microsoft Internet Explorer® 7. Get up-to-date information on how to configure and customize your desktop, how to use new security-enhanced features, and more. Plus, you'll get tools, ebBooks, and more on the companion CD. With INSIDE OUT, you get all muscle and no fluff!

From the Publisher
Key Book Benefits:

-Award-winning INSIDE OUT format makes hundreds of tips, tricks, and workarounds easy to find and easy to use -Includes coverage of new features in Windows Vista, Windows Media Player, and Internet Explorer 7 -Details how to configure and customize your desktop and how to use security-enhanced features -Includes a companion CD with tools, eBooks, and more

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Product Details

• Paperback: 1132 pages
• Publisher: Microsoft Press (January 18, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0735622701
• ISBN-13: 978-0735622708
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.4 x 2.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #115,181 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

111 of 115 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Title for End-Users, June 4, 2007

By	Jase T. Wolfe - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

If you're an administrator and are looking for a title to give you an edge on configuring, managing, deploying, etc. Vista, this title isn't for you; the Windows Vista(TM) Resource Kit is what you're looking for. This book is for average users new to Vista who want to familiarize themselves with the new OS and the bundled applications.

For the most part, the first 9 chapters cover the basics of Vista insofar as the user experience is concerned, concentrating on configuration, getting your plug and play hardware to work, understanding and using the embedded software, and using the provided support tools to help yourself and your friends. The coverage in this area is very complete, well written and easy to follow, with very little missing insofar as things "you should know". Although separated by a few chapters, chapters 15 thru 19 continue this coverage with information about the digital media (pictures, video, and music) tools included (Windows Media Player, Photo Gallery, Movie Maker, Media Center, and DVD Maker).

Chapters 10 thru 14 deal primarily with security and in-home networking. These sections include understanding what viruses, worms, and spyware are, reviewing the security tools and utilities in Vista that can protect you from these kinds of threats, and keeping your system updated. This is followed by an overview of local account management and parental controls, and finally setting up a peer to peer network and sharing resources. Again, all these sections are very well written and make it easy for those that might be uncomfortable with these areas to read and implement successfully.

The remaining chapters step up the technical level to include information on system maintenance, system tune-ups, troubleshooting tools, service management, as well as the registry. Many of these topics, if not properly explained, can cause the reader to have issues with their system when not properly implemented, but the authors have done a good job of explaining the what's and how's, as well as providing good recommendations on when to not do something.

If you're looking for a good end-user book to teach you the basics of Vista and then advance your skills on the OS, this is an excellent and inclusive read that won't leave you looking for additional materials later on.

91 of 95 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential reading for all things Windows Vista, February 11, 2007

By	Kenneth Gardner - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Like XP Inside and Out before it, this book covers -- superbly -- every major aspect of Windows Vista. Major topics include setup and startup, personalization, security and networking, digital media, and system maintenance and management. Subtopics include Vista's new Aero look, the new start menu, the (awesome) new search features, the new and improved Windows Explorer, Internet Explorer 7, Media Player 11, the new security features (including a persuasive defense of Vista's new UAC feature), and the new system maintenance and performance tools. It is essential reading for all things Vista.

The book is chock full of practical information and advice on how best to install, configure, operate, and maintain Vista. If there is one way to do something, they tell you the correct way. If there is more than one correct way, they tell you that, too. They often make recommendations about what method you should choose. I was particularly interested in the sections covering how to get the most out of the new performance tools such as the revamped Task Manager and new Resource Overview tool. If you regard yourself as a power user, you are going to love these new tools.

In sum, this book is your instruction manual for how to get the most out of Vista. This is regardless of what Vista edition you use or whether you are a beginning, intermediate, or advanced user. As an extra bonus, the book also comes with a CD containing a searchable edition of the book and a few other goodies. You can install it on your hard drive and use it as a online guide. If I was going to buy only one Vista book, this is it. Just as the XP Inside and Out book was before it.

37 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bravo!, March 2, 2007

By	Mattress Mack - See all my reviews

They've done it again. Those who have read Windows XP Inside-Out should proceed straight to Checkout because this Vista edition is the encore of that performance. Suffice it to say this book will fill your heart with the same joy and happiness you got from the last edition and so there is no need for you to read beyond this paragraph.

Multiple authors should be able to produce a better product than a lone ranger, and while that is not always realized, these authors have managed that achievement. The authors spent over three years on the book and solicited input from the source - the programmers and technical professionals who developed Vista. The result is a tome that is thorough and comprehensive.

Windows Vista Inside-Out covers all user features of all editions of Vista and indicates differences with XP - new or dropped features. The Inside-Out titles are not written for Grandma, and so it is presumed the reader is proficient at basic computing. After the basics, you can ride this tome from novice to power-user status or higher. There is plenty here to use or support Vista in a standalone or workgroup environment. Consider Windows Vista Resource Kit to fill the gaps, including deployment in server environments.

Click the book cover to see the table of contents.