Preface

There are literally thousands of programs, tools, commands, screens, scripts, buttons, tabs, applets, menus, and settings contained within Windows XP. And it has only been in the last couple of years that Microsoft's documentation has actually been more of a help than a hindrance. But it still isn't enough. What Windows XP users and administrators really need is a quick and easy way to find what they need to get done what they need to. There are plenty of books that will go into all sorts of detail about the theory behind a particular technology or application, but what if you don't need that? What if you know the theory but just can't remember the exact command-line or graphical sequence to customize the interface or check on the running processes? There are very few books that cut through the fluff and provide you the essentials for getting the job done. This book is intended to do just that.

Based on our own experience, hours of research, and years of hanging out on newsgroups and mailing lists, we've compiled over 300 recipes that should answer many of the "How do I..." questions one could pose about Windows XP.