Microsoft Windows Vista (Visual QuickStart Guide)

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 624 pages
• Published by: Peachpit Press January 7, 2007
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0321434528
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0321434524
• Book Dimensions: 8.9 x 7 x 1.5 inches
• Weighs: 2 pounds

Product Description
This fast-paced, no-fluff book teaches you the basics of Microsoft Windows Vista and includes tips, shortcuts, and workarounds for Windows veterans as well as new users, whether you're using the Home, Business, Enterprise, or Ultimate edition of Vista. You'll find step-by-step instructions and plenty of screenshots that guide you through Vista's new and updated features, including the glasslike Aero interface; instant search; the Sidebar and Gadgets; and the improved versions of Internet Explorer, Mail, Live Messenger, Photo Gallery, Movie Maker, and Media Player. You'll also find information on setup; installation; upgrading from other Windows versions; troubleshooting; hardware; and organizing your documents, music, photos, and videos. Laptop and mobile users will learn how to connect from the road, jump onto a public wireless network, and conserve battery power. Author Chris Fehily also walks you through setting up a network, connecting to the Internet, configuring routers and firewalls, and hooking up printers and other devices. You'll learn how to use Vista's beefed-up security features to protect your PC and network and share files while keeping personal stuff private.


About The Author
Chris Fehily is a writer and consultant living in San Francisco.


Reader Reviews
Another operating system from those guys at Microsoft so another Visual Quickstart Guide to the rescue. In June 2003 I bought a new pc with XP loaded and reviewed Chris Fehily's excellent hands-on book to that system. This new title has an extra 136 pages because Vista does more and the text explains the differences (where required) between the various versions of the software. The Peachpit editorial format really works well making a ton of information very accessible. Every page has two columns with any screen shots fitting into the inside ones. The step-by-step copy leads you through the various on-screen options and hundreds of Tips suggest even more choices. Sidebars are printed on grey panels and here Fehily provides background information. Incidentally his writing style is easy and casual, another plus point for the book. The twenty chapters obviously cover all the essentials and nicely over the page from the Contents a more detailed contents gives a fuller breakdown of each chapter. A ten page Appendix 'Installing Windows Vista' might be just what you're looking for if it is not pre-installed. I mentioned in my XP book review how important an index is for this sort of book and this Vista edition has a twenty-three pager, which I reckon is more than 2500 references. There are already several Vista books available and I've looked at some aimed at the same reader as Chris Fehily's book but to my mind they lack the easy to follow format and rely on a straight copy approach backed up with too few screenshots. Also some seem rather costly despite Amazon's low prices. However if you are new to it all and feel that you want something really easy Microsoft publish a very simple and colorful guide Windows Vista(TM) Plain & Simple (Bpg-Plain & Simple), so that you can (as Chapter 2 puts it) Jump Right In. I think it is worth stressing that Fehily's book is basically aimed at beginners and intermediate users (like me). Advanced pc folk will no doubt find it very frustrating but there are plenty of copy heavy books for them. ***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover. Comment | | (Report this)