Windows XP in a Nutshell

Windows XP is the very latest means of interacting with PCs, and the O'Reilly Nutshell series take a very sensible approach to providing documentation for it. David Karp and his co-authors start off with a quick overview, explaining what's new about this latest operating system, plus how and why it supersedes Win95/98/2000. They then pass on to an account of how to use it. This is largely centered on XP's new user interface - described by some as being like a cartoon.


There's an enormous amount that's new in XP. It is faster, more stable, and is packed with new features such as the built-in movie maker and CD writer. At the heart of the book there is a 200-plus-page reference section giving a detailed explanation of every feature, program, and tool - which is why these reference manuals are so thick! Fortunately, they are listed in alphabetical order, which makes everything easy to find.

After all that, there's still more to come. The latter parts of the book cover advanced topics such as networking, executing scripts, Start Menu accessories, command prompt tools, and how to deal with hidden system administration utilities such as the Registry Editor.

There are several appendices covering how to install XP, keyboard shortcuts, Power Toys, and there is also a Task and Setting Index, which provides users with quick access to locations of the hundreds of settings in Windows XP, organized alphabetically.

One of the new things about XP is that the interface has been simplified. This means well-known features seem to be tucked away out of sight. So the reference offers a sensible 'Where to Find It?' section designed to give Windows 9x/2000/Me users a guide to the XP counterparts to previously familiar features, plus information on installing and upgrading.

It will be useful as a guide for those who have just bought their new PC, or for experienced users who want to explore the detailed features of an operating system which everyone agrees is the best version of Windows to date. It's also amazingly good value - especially with Amazon's discount.

The latest edition has been revised and updated to include information on the security technologies featured in Microsoft's Service Pack 2 (SP2).