Hacking Windows XP [With CD-ROM]

It is the explanations that make this such a treat. I have read dozens of tweaks in various places but rarely do they explain what is going on. This also makes it easy to undo them (there was one that turned off the old DOS naming of files that the new Roller Coaster Tycoon game did not like). I read through the book and bookmarked the 20 or so that I liked the most. Then I found a dozen more. Now every three pages are tweaks that I am doing to all the computers in the house and my relatives. It also opened my eyes to Windows XP styles. I have timidly tried WindowBlinds and I loved it! Enough gushing, but for me a great book.

This is my new favorite book on XP. It shows you how to do many cool things in an easy to read and understand format. One reviewer wrote that all of the info in the book can be found on the web. Maybe if you illegally download the ebook version of this book. This book is loaded with unique content and is organized into a complete reference unlike any other XP book I have seen. The background information and undo help that the author provides makes the book very fun to read and you learn a lot about how Windows XP actually works. The book is organized into three main parts. The first part is called customizing your system. It talk about... well.. customizing the look of your computer. It starts off by talking about customizing the boot screen and then the welcome screen. Then, it guides you through customizing the look of the user interface. The author goes into great detail in showing you how to customize things you never even thought about. The second part of the book is called increasing your system's performance. First, the author covers how to analyze your computer for possible bottlenecks and even benchmark your computer so that you can have a base score to see how much faster you made your computer. Then they go through four chapters of tips to speed up your computer starting with the boot to general speed tips. The last part of the book is all about security. It talks about protecting your computer from hackers and how to fight spam, spyware, viruses, etc. This chapter was very useful as I had a lot of spyware on my computer and the book helped me get that junk off. Over all, I am very pleased with the book. It is not just a book of random tips like most XP books. Everything is organized just right with a lot of backgroud information which makes it fun to read. Well Done!

If Bill Gates ever paid attention to what customers actually wanted in their operating system rather than shoving it down our throat, then he would hire Steve Sinchak to write the next version of Windows. Concise, easy to read, and liberating.

This book is absolutely amazing. Has every tweak you could ever need for Windows XP. Very user friendly and a must-buy for all Windows XP users. Great for both new and experienced users.

Don't let the title of this book fool you - there is nothing evil going on here. The word "hacking" in the title refers to all the tweaks, modifications, optimizations, and customizations covered in the book. If you are a Windows XP user who already knows the basics, this book is the perfect source for making your Windows XP install your own. Steve Sinchak does a great job of guiding even first time "hackers" into the world of system customization. Contents at a Glance: Part I: Customizing Your System Chapter 1: Customizing the Look of the Startup Chapter 2: Customizing User Navigation Chapter 3: Hacking the Desktop Chapter 4: Customizing the Appearance of the Windows Interface Chapter 5: Hacking Windows Explorer Chapter 6: Exploring Other Windows Enhancements Part II: Increasing Your System's Performance Chapter 7: Analyzing Your System Chapter 8: Speeding Up the System Boot Chapter 9: Making Your Computer Load Faster Chapter 10: Making Your Computer More Responsive Chapter 11: Speeding Up Your Computer Part III: Securing Your System Chapter 12: Protecting Your Computer from Intruders Chapter 13: Fighting Spam, Spyware, and Viruses Chapter 14: Protecting Your Privacy The first 6 chapters are about fiddling with the user interface and some pretty cool eye candy. You'll find out how to change the system bootscreen, building a custom Welcome/login interface, an easy way to recompile explorer.exe to change START button text (with the book it's not as hard as is sounds,) build virtual desktops, create custom themes, and hack Windows Explorer. Part II was the most interesting to me, and in my opinion is the best part of the book. If you are looking to squeeze every possible ounce of speed from your XP machine, here you will find answers. First you will get a snapshot of your system's current speed situation using some great benchmarking and analysis tools. Next,this book guides you through shaving time off the boot process by hacking the boot.ini file, tweaking BIOS settings, turning off services you dont need (complete with great explainations of what each one does, and a couple of suggested configurations for maximum boot speed,)and maximizing boot file location on the hard disk. Once the boot is complete, the book shows you how to make XP load faster by adjusting startup programs, making registry hacks to filesystem settings, and even network IP settings for faster load times. And when XP is up and running you'll get a look at how the prefetcher works, registry hacks to tweak its performance, boost Intel CPU performance, tune the paging file, optimize Internet connections for maximum speed, and boost the speed of your home network browsing. The book wraps up with some great tricks for securing your XP install, dealing with Viruses and Spyware, and protectig your privacy. This title does include a CD, and I generally write those off as a little gimmicky. But in this case, it adds tremendous va