Special Edition Using Microsoft Windows Xp, Home Edition [With CDROM]

This book covers just about everything you need to know when using XP Home Edition. The level of information contained surpassed my expectations. It covers topics ranging from the history and evolution of Windows to choosing a network and cabling system, to multi-booting with Linux.For first-time users the new XP features are explained in detail. For experienced users, these new features are compared with features from previous operating systems, bringing a smooth transition to this powerful operating system. If you have not made the jump to XP yet, I assure you will be convinced to move after reading the first chapter of this book.The book is not intended to be read from chapter 1 to the end in sequence. Basic XP interface usage is explained from Ch.4 through Ch.7, but then there's a whole bunch of additional Graphical User Interface (GUI) information covered in Ch. 21. I would have grouped all these chapters together before getting into more advanced topics, but I guess the authors had a purpose for that. The Bob and Brian's Signature Tips are a plus in this book. Together with the Notes and Cautions the reader obtains valuable real-world information and is also encouraged to experiment with the software.What I enjoyed most about this book was that the authors did not limit coverage to simply the XP OS, they also wrote about useful 3rd party utilities such as Tweak UI, Partition Magic and Virtual PC that provide additional functionality to the XP system.This book is highly recommended for everyone new to Windows XP, and for experienced users of previous OS's that made or are planning to make the upgrade. Windows XP Home is an entirely different OS and you should have this book handy so you don't miss the many new features it provides.5 stars and 100% recommended.

I was VERY pleasantly suprised by this book: it actually tells you things you NEED to know and HOW to do it (in *detail*)!I've been a professional in the computer industry for 20 years and buy all kinds of technical books on a regular basis (although I'd don't believe I've bought a Que book before). Normally I end up getting poor value - two or three useful bits of information for an entire book. I think this is due to the fact that authors generally just rehash the manual and have little genuine insight into the technology they're writing about. This is most definitely not the case with Robert Cowart and Brian Knittel. I found the book packed with really useful practical information that I haven't seen elsewhere. For example, the sections in the book dealing with Hone Networking, Internet Connection Sharing and network Security are brilliant!! Using the detailed information in this book I've been able to get my home network, cable modem and gateway router internet connection sharing set up working (securely) with no problems at all. Other books I've purchased tell you only in the vaguest of terms to "install network hubs and cabling" without providing the real details (probably because they've never done it themselves). Robert and Brian's book tell you EXACTLY what to do. For instance, how to wire-up an RJ-45 plug (which colour wires go into which holes - I've not seen this described anywhere else and without this information I'd have been completely stumped!). The book also saved me plenty of problems with its excellent coverage on security. In fact, I took the book into work and spoke to our network administrator about a couple of points in the book and he obviously found it an eye opener as he borrowed it for a day!I very strongly recommend this book.

When you upgrade to Windows XP, you can learn the new features by fumbling through the miniscule manual that comes with the software, struggle with the software's non-intuitive help menu, or read a good third party book. If you opt for the latter, Que's Special Edition Using Windows XP will quickly get you up and running with XP. The book is written in easy to understand language, well organized, and tells you everything you need to know about XP, including customizing the XP interface and setting up a network. You'll also learn how to optimize your system's performance and use XP on the Internet.The book itself is an excellent well written resource and comes with a bonus CD where the authors lead you through a series of video presentations that show you how to get the most out of XP. It's like having your own personal XP tutors, but at a fraction of the cost. I can highly recommend this book and CD ROM combo to anyone who wants to cut to the chase and learn XP quickly and thoroughly.

I have purchased several of Cowart's comprehensive guides to Windows operating systems over the years, and they continue to be thorough, thoughtful, and easy to read. The discussion of Installation options and file systems was particularly helpful as I upgraded to Windows XP. For example, being a power user, I want to run multiple operating systems on my PC, and this book explained numerous ways to do that. The networking section is particularly strong, with lots of discussion of setup options, wireless stuff, and security issues. A novel and useful addition was the CD, which, instead of the usual shareware stuff has video of the two authors walking you through various procedures, including things like wiring up your local area network and fine tuning the GUI. Very spiffy. The Que Special Edition books have more information per page than most of the competition. Highly recommended!

This excellent book has helped me quickly assimilate the many changes and new features in Windows XP. It has extensive coverage of the technical features I wanted to know about, like optimizing system performance, tweaking the new XP interface to suit your needs, and booting XP with other operating systems on your computer. It also has many chapters on networking and on using XP on the Internet.I was pleased by the easy-to-understand writing style in this book. It is readable and even lively, unlike many of the other computer books that I have read.One of my favorite parts of the book is the 45-minute video presentation that comes with it. On the CD-ROM are a series of full-screen Quicktime videos, where the authors (Robert Cowart and Brian Knittel) walk you through the new XP interface, how to configure and "tweak" it, and how to set up and configure a network. You see the author talking while you see them using their computer at the same time, demonstrating what they are talking about. I thought this was a great innovative approach. It was easy to just watch and learn, kind of like being at a class with the authors. ...