Introducing MicrosoftWindows Vista | Introducing Microsoft Windows Vista

William R. Stanek

PUBLISHED BY
Microsoft Press
A Division of Microsoft Corporation
One Microsoft Way
Redmond, Washington 98052-6399

ISBN-13: 978-0-7356-2284-5
ISBN-10: 0-7356-2284-1
Library of Congress Control Number 2006924470

Printed and bound in the United States of America.

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Distributed in Canada by H.B. Fenn and Company Ltd.

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Acquisitions Editor
Martin DelRe

Project Editor
Karen Szall

Technical Editor
L. J. Zacker

Copy Editor
Jennifer Harris

Indexer
Patricia Masserman

Body Part No. X12-41775

Acknowledgments

Introducing Microsoft Windows Vista provides a first look at the latest desktop version of Microsoft Windows. Writing this book based on the beta product was challenging because there wasn't any documentation for anything. I had to dig deep into the operating system to understand how everything works and then document what I found in this book. I hope you find the resulting book a good start for learning about the new features of Windows Vista.

I'd like to thank everyone from Microsoft who contributed to this project. Karen Szall, as the project editor for Microsoft, did a great job and I couldn't have completed this project without her help. I'd also like to thank Martin DelRe, Heather Stafford, and Sandra Haynes, who provided help at critical points of the project. Jennifer Harris and Linda Zacker provided content and technical review of the project. Thank you, Jennifer and Linda, for all your hard work.

Throughout this book, you'll find a new sidebar feature called "From the experts." This sidebar is meant to provide additional details and pointers about topics of discussion, and you'll find contributions from myself and various other Microsoft experts, including: Jerry Honeycutt, Tony Northrup, and Mitch Tulloch. Thank you Jerry, Tony, and Mitch for your contributions to the experts’ sidebars. I need more good friends like you guys.

About the Author

William R. Stanek (http://www.williamstanek.com/) has over 20 years of hands-on experience with advanced programming and development. He is a leading technology expert, an award-winning author, and a pretty-darn-good instructional trainer. Over the years, his practical advice has helped millions of programmers, developers, and network engineers all over the world. He has written over 25 computer books. Current or forthcoming books include Microsoft Windows Command-Line Administrator’s Pocket Consultant, Microsoft Windows Vista Administrator’s Pocket Consultant, Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Administrator’s Pocket Consultant, Second Edition, and Windows Server 2003 Inside Out.

Mr. Stanek has been involved in the commercial Internet community since 1991. His core business and technology experience comes from over 11 years of military service. He has substantial experience in developing server technology, encryption, and Internet solutions. He has written many technical white papers and training courses on a wide variety of topics. He frequently serves as a subject matter expert and consultant.

Mr. Stanek has an MS with distinction in information systems and a BS magna cum laude in computer science. He is proud to have served in the Persian Gulf War as a combat crewmember on an electronic warfare aircraft. He flew on numerous combat missions into Iraq and was awarded nine medals for his wartime service, including one of the United States of America’s highest flying honors, the Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross. Currently, he resides in the Pacific Northwest with his wife and children.

About the Experts

Throughout this book, you’ll find small chunks of information “From the experts.” The following authors generously agreed to contribute to this book’s effort to provide early information about a product still in development—that’s not an easy task. These three authors are currently coauthoring the Microsoft Windows Vista Resource Kit, which is scheduled for publication in 2007. Their contributions to this book are greatly appreciated.

Mitch Tulloch, Most Valuable Professional (MVP), is president of MTIT Enterprises, an IT content development company based in Winnipeg, Canada. Mitch is the author of over a dozen books, including the Microsoft Encyclopedia of Networking and the Microsoft Encyclopedia of Security. Mitch has written over a hundred articles, is a regular columnist and editorial writer, and contributes articles to several popular Web sites and industry magazines including NetworkWorld, BizTech Magazine, and Microsoft Certified Professional Magazine. For more information about Mitch and his writing activities, see http://www.mtit.com.

Tony Northrup, CISSP, MCSE, and MVP, is a networking consultant and author living in the Boston area. As a consultant, Tony has provided networking guidance to a wide variety of organizations, from Fortune 100 enterprises to nonprofit organizations and small businesses. Tony has authored and coauthored a dozen books on Windows and networking. For more information, see http://www.northrup.org.

Jerry Honeycutt has written more than thirty books, including Microsoft Windows Desktop Deployment Resource Kit and Microsoft Windows Registry Guide, Second Edition. Jerry is a columnist for Microsoft TechNet, and he is the documentation lead for the Solution Accelerator for Business Desktop Deployment. For more information, see http://www.honeycutt.com.