Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows XP Professional (With CD-ROM)

The thing about Windows XP Professional is, users love it. It has a slick interface and it behaves far more intelligently and predictably than some of its predecessors. The new system of software registration aside, Windows XP surely is the most highly acclaimed Microsoft operating system since Windows 95. Which means you--you being the system administrator, or organizational computing guru by some other title--have to know how to make it go and how to make the changes that users and bosses will inevitably require. Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows XP Professional provides you with the procedures you need to get jobs done in a hurry, plus a considerable amount of background information that will help you comprehend what's really going on. The authors' work can't be called all-encompassingly deep, but it is solid and well researched, and will answer most administrators' questions most of the time.

The formula used here is pretty standard, and generally effective. The writer will open his discussion of a subject--virtual private networks (VPNs), say, or performance logging--with some background information, then proceed to relate one or more procedures (stepped, but not too lavishly illustrated). Concluding prose explains variations upon the procedure, or how the subject at hand interacts with some other Windows feature. One particularly nice feature of this book (and of others in this series): The question-and-answer pages at the end of each chapter. These aren't put in as afterthoughts and are a good way to gain valuable nuggets of knowledge about Windows XP. --David Wall

Topics covered: Microsoft Windows XP for power users and administrators. Particularly nice coverage goes to installation of the operating system, configuration of networks--including virtual private networks (VPNs) and dial-up network connections--and disaster-preparedness utilities like IntelliMirror and restore points. This book ships with a quiz CD for those readers with exams in their future.