Windows Vista-The Complete Reference

John R. Levine

Margaret Levine Young

The McGraw-Hill Companies

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ISBN-13: 978-0-07-226376-3

0-07-226376-8

Sponsoring Editor
Megg Morin

Editorial Supervisor
Janet Walden

Project Manager
Vasundhara Sawhney

Acquisitions Coordinator
Carly Stapleton

Technical Editor
Diane Poremsky

Copy Editor
Bill McManus

Proofreader
Tulika Mukherjee

Indexer
Kevin Broccoli

Production Supervisor
Jean Bodeaux

Composition
International Typesetting and Composition

Illustration
International Typesetting and Composition

Art Director, Cover
Jeff Weeks

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Rob Tidrow dedicates this book to his family.

About the Authors

John R. Levine is the author of two dozen books, ranging from Linkers and Loaders to The Internet For Dummies . He also runs online newsgroups and mailing lists, hosts a hundred web sites, and consults on programming language and Internet topics. He lives in the tiny village of Trumansburg, New York, where in his spare time he's the mayor (really). John is also active in the anti-spam movement, is a board member of CAUCE (Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial E-mail), and runs the http://www.abuse.net web site.

Margaret Levine Young is the co-author of over two dozen books with various co-authors, including The Internet For Dummies ; Internet: The Complete Reference, Millennium Edition ; and UNIX For Dummies . She holds a B.A. in Computer Science from Yale University, writes software for the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations at http://www.uua.org, lives near Middlebury Vermont, and experiments in e-commerce at her family's Great Tapes for Kids web site at http://www.greattapes.com.

Will Kelly is a freelance technical writer and consultant in the Washington, DC area. He has also worked as a courseware developer, project manager, trainer, and analyst. Much of Will's career has focused on helping commercial and Federal government IT organizations develop, deploy, and support desktop, mobile, and web technology products and services.

Will was the technical editor of over 30 computer books between 1994 and 2004. His articles about mobile computing and Small to Medium Enterprise topics regularly appear in Processor Magazine and PC Today Magazine. And he never misses spinning class or the gym (even on deadline nights).

Rob Tidrow is Publications Senior Specialist for Affiliated Computer Services (ACS, Inc.). He has also been a freelance technical writer and consultant for several years , specializing in Windows technologies and networking. Rob has a wife (Tammy) and two sons (Adam and Wesley). He lives in Centerville, Indiana, on a 34-acre "micro-farm," enjoys playing golf (even in the cold temperatures ), and never seems to get enough seat-time on his tractor.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the following people for valuable assistance in writing this book: Rob Tidrow and Will Kelly, for doing the heavy lifting to get all the details about Windows Vista correct; Megg Morin, for making the book happen and for putting up with the foibles of the authors; Tonia Saxon, Jordan Young, and everyone on the Microsoft Beta Support Team, for answering lots of questions. We also thank our friends and (most of all) our families for putting up with us during the seemingly endless process of updating such a long book. From Will:

• Megg Morin, for gently shepherding me through this book project.

• Diane Poremsky, technical editor, for keeping me honest.

• My friends, clients , and colleagues, who challenge me to be a better person, writer, and professional.

• Spinning class at Washington Sports Club, for providing an outlet for the stress and frustration I felt after yet another crash or reinstall of the Windows Vista beta or Release Candidate.

From Rob:

• Megg Morin, for keeping after me throughout the book project.

• Diane Poremsky, for reviewing all the technical aspects of the book and even pointing out my typos.

• Carly Stapleton, for organizing material and renaming a bunch of my screenshots.

• Carole McClendon, my agent, who is quite simply the best in the business.

• My family, for allowing me to work on this book for many weeks without much interaction with them.