How Our Book Is Organized


Although this book advances logically from beginning to end, it's written so that you can jump in at any location, quickly get the information you need, and get out. You don't have to read it from start to finish, nor do you need to work through complex tutorials.

This book is broken down into six major parts. Here's the skinny on each one:

Part I, "Introducing Windows XP Professional," introduces Windows XP and explains its features, new screen elements (GUI), and the design and architecture behind Windows XP. It then explains how to ready your hardware and software for installation of XP and describes the installation process itself.

Part II, "Getting Your Work Done," is, well, about getting your work done. Perhaps the bulk of readers will want to study and keep on hand this part as a reference guide. Here, we cover using the interface, running programs, organizing documents, sharing data between applications, and printing and faxing documents. We also cover how to best work with the increasingly popular plethora of digital imaging tools and formats encountered with digital photography and nonlinear video editing in your PC.

Part III, "Windows XP and the Internet," introduces you to Windows XP networking, Internet style. We start with Internet connection options and then move on to the supplied Internet tools. We provide in-depth coverage of Outlook Express for mail and newsgroups, Internet Explorer for Web surfing, Windows Messenger for audio and videoconferencing, and the new security features that these programs gained in Service Pack 2. The final two chapters show you how to set up your own Web server, and how to diagnose Internet connection problems with utilities such as ping and ipconfig.

Part IV, "Networking," deals with networking on the LAN. Here, we explain the fundamentals of networking and, in case you don't have a corporate networking department to do this for you, we walk you through planning and installing a functional LAN in your home or office. We cover the use of a Windows XP network; give you a chapter on dial-up, remote, and portable networking; show how to internetwork with Unix and other operating systems; and finish up with crucial security tips and troubleshooting advice that the Windows Help files don't cover. This section also covers the updated Windows Firewall, Windows XP's Remote Desktop and Remote Assistance features, and shows you how to set up a secure, shared Internet connection for your LAN.

Part V, "System Configuration and Customization," covers system configuration and maintenance. We tell you how to work with Control Panel applets, provide tips and tricks for customizing the graphical user interface to maximize efficiency, manage your system fonts, and describe a variety of ways to upgrade your hardware and system software (including third-party programs) for maximum performance.

Part VI, "System Configuration and Maintenance," dives even deeper into system administration and configuration, with coverage of supplied system administration tools such as the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) and its plug-ins. We also provide techniques for managing multiple users; means for managing the hard disk, including multiple file system formats such as FAT32 and NTFS; and details on setting up multiboot machines with Windows 9x, DOS, Linux, and Windows 2000. We cap off this part with coverage of the Windows Registry and a chapter on troubleshooting and repairing problems with your Windows XP installation.

Appendix A covers installation of Service Pack 2, and Appendix B describes the changes that SP2 brings, with cross references to coverage of its new features throughout the book.



Special Edition Using Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Special Edition Using Microsoft Windows XP Professional (3rd Edition)
ISBN: 0789732807
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 450

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