Ed Bott and Carl Siechert have combined their considerable talents for producing user-level documentation in creating Microsoft Windows XP Inside Out. One of the most carefully researched books on Windows XP to date, this large volume has all the information and procedures most everyday users of the operating system will want. With its nicely formatted how-to instructions, detailed documentation of command-line commands, intelligent explanatory text, and broad scope, this book makes a great reference for a family or business that uses Windows XP extensively. Even the illustrations are more helpful than usual, largely because the publisher has gone to the trouble of annotating many of them with pointers and labels.
Bott and Siechert deal with the most controversial features of Windows XP, notably product activation, in a straightforward way. They simply explain what activation is for, tell how to go about it, and move on. If you're a power user interested in getting around activation and performing other unsanctioned hacks, look for your information in online newsletters. This book plays by Microsoft's rules, and that's fine. It's obvious that the authors have had access to Windows XP for some time, and spent a lot of time exploring its new features. Count on this book to explain the complete set of Windows XP's features--even the exciting networking stuff--in terms you can easily follow. --David Wall
Topics covered: Microsoft Windows XP (Professional and Home editions) for home and office users who want to install, use, and run applications. Emphasis is on basic set-up and configuration, hardware installation and modification, file management, multimedia, and networking.
Take your Windows XP knowledge to the next level! Designed for advanced home and office users, this thoroughly updated second edition delivers in-depth information on core and advanced Windows XP topics, including all-new coverage of Windows XP Service Pack 2, Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition, Windows Media Series 9, and Windows Movie Maker 2. The award-winning Inside Out format makes it easy to find the timesaving solutions, troubleshooting tips, and workarounds you needand it features new Reality Check sidebars, which offer the straight scoop on popular wisdom about Windows XP.
About the Authors
Ed Bott is a best-selling author and award-winning journalist who has been a part of the personal computer industry since the days when an 8-MHz 80286 was a smokin’ machine. Ed’s feature stories and columns about Microsoft Windows have appeared regularly in print and on the Web for more than 15 years, and he has written books on nearly every version of Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office—so many, in fact, that he’s lost count of the exact number. Ed is a three-time winner of the Computer Press Award and a two-time recipient of the Jesse H. Neal award from American Business Press. Microsoft Windows Security Inside Out for Windows XP and Windows 2000, which he coauthored with Carl Siechert, earned the Award of Merit from the Society for Technical Communication in 2003. After spending three years living in Microsoft’s neighborhood in Redmond, Washington, Ed and his wife Judy exchanged the gray and damp of the Northwest for the sunny Southwest and have never been happier.
Carl Siechert began his writing career at age eight as editor of the Mesita Road News, a neighborhood newsletter that reached a peak worldwide circulation of 43 during its eightyear run. Following several years as an estimator and production manager in a commercial printing business, Carl returned to writing with the formation of Siechert & Wood Professional Documentation, a Pasadena, California firm that specializes in writing and producing product documentation for the personal computer industry. Carl is a coauthor of several books published by Microsoft Press, including Field Guide to MS-DOS 6.2, Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional Expert Companion, and Microsoft Windows Security Inside Out. Carl hiked the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada in 1977 and would rather be hiking right now. He and his wife Jan live in southern California.
Craig Stinson an industry journalist since 1981, is a contributing editor of PC Magazine and was formerly editor of Softalk for the IBM Personal Computer. Craig is the author of Running Microsoft Windows 98 and a coauthor of Microsoft Excel Inside Out and Running Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional, all published by Microsoft Press. Craig is an amateur musician and has reviewed classical music for various newspapers and trade publications, including Billboard, the Boston Globe, the Christian Science Monitor, and Musical America. He lives with his wife and children in Bloomington, Indiana.
