Microsoft Windows Operating Systems

Books about Microsoft Windows Operating Systems

Windows Vista: The Missing Manual offers coverage of all five versions of the new Windows Vista OS. Like its predecessors, this book from New York Times columnist, bestselling author, and Missing Manuals creator David Pogue illuminates its subject with technical insight, plenty of wit, and hardnosed objectivity for beginners, veteran standalone PC users, and those who know their way around a network. Readers will learn how to:

Navigate Vista's elegant new desktop
Locate anything on your hard drive quickly with the fast, powerful, and fully integrated search function
Use the Media Center to record TV and radio, present photos, play music, and record any of the above to DVD
Chat, videoconference, and surf the Web with the vastly improved Internet Explorer 7 tabbed browser
Build a network for file sharing, set up workgroups, and connect from the road
Protect your PC and network with Vista's beefed up security
And much more.

Read the Book Review

Written by the authors of the immensely popular Microsoft Windows XP Inside Out, this book packs hundreds of timesaving solutions, troubleshooting tips, and workarounds for using the latest version of the Microsoft Windows operating system - all in a concise, fast-answer format. Dig into the work-ready tools and resources that help you take your Windows Vista experience to the next level. Get the answers you need to use the new features of Windows Vista, including the sidebar and gadgets, and the Windows slideshow. You'll also discover how to use new features in Microsoft Windows Media Player and Microsoft Internet Explorer 7. Get up-to-date information on how to configure and customize your desktop, how to use new security-enhanced features, and more.

"Windows Vista for Starters" is teaches you the basics of Windows Vista so you can start using this operating system right away. Written by "New York Times" columnist, bestselling author, Emmy-winning CBS News correspondent and Missing Manuals creator David Pogue, the book will help you: * Navigate the desktop, including the fast, powerful and fully integrated desktop search function * Use the Media Center to record TV and radio, present photos, play music, and record all of these to a DVD * Breeze across the Web with the vastly improved Internet Explorer 7 tabbed browser * Become familiar with Vista's beefed up security, and much more Windows Vista is a vast improvement over its predecessors, with an appealing, glass-like visual overhaul, superior searching and organization tools, a multimedia and collaboration suite, and a massive, top-to-bottom security-shield reconstruction. Every corner of the traditional Windows operating system has been tweaked, overhauled, or replaced entirely. Aimed at new and experienced computer users alike, Windows Vista for Starters: The Missing Manual is right there when you need it. This jargon-free book explains Vista's features quickly and clearly -- revealing which work well and which don't.

Go beyond Microsoft's Help guide and discover the true secrets of Windows Vista that are essential to power users. Written by two of the most recognized Windows authorities, Brian Livingston and Paul Thurrott - this resource provides you with numerous tips, tricks, and undocumented features that aren't available anywhere else. You'll find extensive screenshots, tables, and illustrations that clearly show how to achieve optimal performance, fix desktop problems, and take advantage of the robust features of Windows Vista.

Featuring tips, tricks, and details not found anywhere else, this book reveals features of the new OS and is packed with little-known information that readers can put to use instantly
Page after page contains screen shots, tables, and illustrations and unveils unique information not available anywhere else
Bypasses the obvious and instead examines uncommon tips on fixing Windows desktop problems and how to prevent them entirely

Windows XP Annoyances is by David A. Karp and is targeted to the intermediate and advanced Windows XP user. Once you have Win XO installed and operating, this is the book you need in order to fine tune the operations and make Windows XP behave in the manner you think it should.

According to Amazon, "In Windows XP Annoyances David Karp reveals his ideas about how to use Windows XP most effectively, for maximum fun and productivity and as little aggravation as possible. If you're comfortable working with Windows XP (or any of its recent predecessors) but find certain aspects of it, well, annoying, you'll find this book to your liking. Karp guides his readers through potentially risky procedures, such as editing the Registry and adjusting hardware device drivers, with skill and precision.Topics covered: How to get the most out of Windows XP, even when it appears that the operating system is working against you. Troubleshooting techniques, hardware advice, Registry hacking, interface customization, and advanced networking subjects all find a place in this book.

Windows XP - The Missing Manual is by David Pogue, creator of the Missing Manual series and author of 20 how-to bestsellers. This the book you need if you are just about to upgrade from earlier Windows versions (Win 98, 95 and SE) to Windows XP. Geared to beginners and intermediate users, Windows XP - The Missing Manual provides the details and handholding you need to make the move to this new operating system. It covers both Windows XP Home and Windows XP Professional versions.

The first several chapters cover the basics such as the new Windows desktop, taskbar and start menus, how to organize your files and programs, and how to get help as needed. The second section is the meat - discussing how to launch and use your programs and manage your documents - it even includes how to run legacy (pre-XP) applications. The second section also discusses the multimedia aspects of Windows XP - how to use Media player, Sound Recorder and Movie Maker. Unfortunately, it does not cover the latest version of Movie Maker II and its bevy of new features. The second section also covers how to use the control panel and various applications to customize and set up Windows XP to work for you. The third section covers hooking up tot the Internet, web, chat & videoconferencing, and how to set up and use Outlook Express. That section also includes how to install various peripherals as well as how to maintain, update and troubleshoot Windows XP. The final sections covers how to build and set up a Network - both in the home as well as in the office.

Like the other "Missing Manual" books, this book is very easy to use, well organized and avoids the kind of jargon that scares away computer newbies. I used this book as my guide for installing Windows XP. It worked for me.