Great Books to Help Solve Your Operating System Woes

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. 

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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.

The author's tone is to the point and professional without being dry, without any of the phony, forced humor that appears in a lot of operating-system books. Though he inexplicably ignores the Windows XP Power Toys--some very handy utilities you can get from Microsoft's Web site--he does a great job of handling important questions. Case in point, the important issue of which files can be deleted to free up disk space, and which you shouldn't touch even though they look like pointless garbage. Similarly useful attention goes to the question of which background processes can be safely halted, and which are important. There's fine coverage of scripting with the Windows Script Host (WSH), as well. --David Wall

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.

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Mac OS X - The Missing Manual - Second Edition - this is another in the Missing Manual series by David Pogue and fills in Mac users on the details on working with Max OS X "Jaguar", This SECOND EDITION is totally re-written and covers a lot more ground then the first edition. If you are planning to upgrade from 9.x or already are using OS X, this is the manual you need. This book is the guide to OS X 10.2 Jaguar.

If you are new to Mac and OS X,  the beginning sections provide the basic information you need to get started. The first several chapters covers the essentials like the advantages of the new OS like improved stability, command line interface, better Internet and networking integration, etc. , new features and enhancements like Dock, Finder toolbar, and the "new" Max OS X folder structure. The book continues with what's new - covering the over 150 enhancements of OS X including Sherlock 3, iCal, iSync, .Mac, built-in firewall and Internet sharing. It also covers how to set up your Ac for network sharing (Rendezvous, Windows compatibility, VPN, Wi-Fi, etc), and of course, entertainment - (iTunes, DVD Player, InkWell and iChat. The book also delves into the engine beneath OS X and Jaguar - Unix.

Amazon says, "Mac OS X: The Missing Manual ranks among the best books to have at your side as you explore the latest Macintosh operating system as an everyday user who wants to get some work done, have a bit of fun, and feel part of the Mac community. David Pogue--a respected Mac authority and longtime author on the subject--is the perfect guide on such a quest, as his Mac knowledge is profound and his ability to explain facts and procedures considerable.  Pogue writes really well, so his prose is a treat to read and most readers will appreciate his occasional page-long straight prose passages. More often, though, the wisdom in this book comes in the form of annotated procedures and bulleted lists, as well as notes and tips. There are also two highly handy "Where'd It Go?" glossaries: one for longtime Mac users (this one answers such questions as where the Apple Extras folder is) and one for Windows users (to explain, for example, the equivalent of Ctrl-Alt-Delete on the Mac).

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