Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional Expert Companion: Tips, Tricks, and Utilities for the Power User (Eu-Expert Companion)

Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional has a lot of things going for it, but useful online documentation is not one of them--particularly if you're not totally clueless about what you want to do and how to do it. Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional Expert Companion does a good job of explaining how to use the operating system in terms that, while often are too basic for the "Expert" who's mentioned in the title, won't insult the intelligence of a generally capable Windows 2000 user. If you're the administrator of a Windows 2000 network, you'd be wise to keep this book on hand as a resource for users who come to you with questions about how to make adjustments to their workstations. It'll come in handy, too, when you have to tweak user machines yourself.

Authors Craig Stinson and Carl Siechert provide lots of background information on numerous topics, and frequently insert useful blurbs on potential pitfalls. (They cover easily neglected stuff, like forgetting to open a port in your firewall for time-synchronization services.) Where it's appropriate, Stinson and Siechert give you step-by-step instructions for accomplishing tasks; these are reinforced by tables that enumerate options and alternatives. Overall, this is a highly effective (if unexciting) book about configuring Windows 2000 Professional. --David Wall

Topics covered: Windows 2000 Professional for the competent user and network administrator. All critical operations are explained, including hardware, software, and user administration. The same goes for local area networks (LANs) and Internet connectivity.