Chapter-by-Chapter Breakdown


Chapter 1, "Windows Version History," examines the very beginnings of PC operating systems from DOS all the way through Windows XP Service Pack 2. Microsoft operating systems have had quite a wild ride over the years and it's amazing to see how the operating system most of us use every day has become what it is.

Chapter 2, "Installing Windows," explains procedures and issues regarding the preparation and installation of Windows XP. It includes detailed steps for baseline installations for single desktops as well as in a more complex networked environment.

Chapter 3, "Upgrading Windows," discusses how to perform an upgrade Windows XP installation from an older version of Windows. You look at paths for upgrading Windows 98 and Windows NT/2000 to Windows XP as well as upgrading Windows XP Home to Windows XP Pro, including two methods for migrating user settings and documents to new Windows XP computers.

Chapter 4, "Windows Startup," details the Windows startup process, including what takes place between power-up and the appearance of the Welcome screen. In addition, it includes detailed information about Windows Services, which are processes that run in the "background" to provide support for Windows networking, searching, authentication, and management.

In Chapter 5, "Managing Windows," we cover the most important Windows management functions: adding and managing user accounts, hardware, device drivers, and hard disks. In addition, Chapter 5 gets down and dirty with Windows Backup, showing you how make essential backups of your precious data and how to restore those backups should the data on your hard drive be lost or corrupted.

Chapter 6, "Tweaking and Tuning Windows," shows you how to configure Windows for peak performance and usability, using the Windows configuration dialogs and special-purpose tools like TweakUI and the Registry Editor. In addition, we'll give you a checklist you can use to identify and fix the most common Windows performance bottlenecks.

Chapter 7, "Networking Windows," tells you how to configure Windows XP to run a reliable and secure network at home or at the office. Whether you have two computers or two hundred, a network can immediately pay for itselfmany times overby letting you share printers, giving you access to files from any computer, and letting you share a single Internet connection among several computers. This chapter also shows you how to set up Windows XP Professional's Remote Desktop feature so that you can access your computer from anywhere in the world.

Chapter 8, "Protecting and Securing Windows," covers the steps you can take to ensure your Windows XP PC is well protected from outside intrusion. Have you lost your administrator account password? Would you like some help protecting your computer from spyware and viruses? We'll help you learn how to recover lost passwords, use firewalls to block intruders, and protect your computer from viruses, spyware, and trojans. Learn how to take an active approach to security and harden your existing security to stop attacks before they start.

In Chapter 9, "Windows Commands and Scripting," we cover Windows scripting essentials and the oft-forgotten-but-highly-useful world of the command prompt. The command prompt environment not only runs old MS-DOS programs, but also gives you access to a large number of efficient, concise , and powerful Windows management and operating tools. The chapter covers the general principles of command-line programs, configuration settings, and several important commands, as well as scripting and batch file procedures that you can use to automate complex jobs.

Chapter 10, "Windows File Systems," covers file systems. If you're a Windows XP user deciding whether to switch to NTFS, or if you just want to know everything there is to know about the FAT file system, this is the place to look.

Chapter 11, "Windows Data Recovery," covers data recovery procedures. If you can't access your drive because of a corrupted master boot record (MBR) or volume boot record (VBR), you'll find information you can use to recover these sectors and regain access to your valuable data.

Chapter 12, "Windows Troubleshooting," looks at some of the more common problems encountered with Windows. Troubleshooting software is one part skill, one part craft, and one part knowing where to look for information. In this chapter, you'll look at how to identify Windows problems, and what tools and methods you should use to solve them. This chapter includes an extensive look at how to deal with a system that cannot stably boot, and how to use both the System Restore feature and the arcane but powerful Recovery Console when you can't even log into your user account.

Appendix A, "Windows Tool Reference," describes several useful categories of Windows management, maintenance, configuration, monitoring, and data processing tools that you may not be familiar with. Many of them are not installed by Windows Setup but instead are hidden away in obscure folders on your Windows Setup CD-ROM. Several more are available from Microsoft via free download over the Internet, and some others must be purchased. In any case, we think you should know about them.

Appendix B, "Windows Command Reference," lists all the executable programs provided with Windows 95, 98, Me, 2000, and the various versions of XP, including application programs, services, system components , built-in commands, control panel applets, MMC Management snap-ins, and screen savers. You can browse this listing to find useful programs you might not be familiar with, or to help identify the many obscure programs that are run automatically by Windows.




Upgrading and Repairing Microsoft Windows
Upgrading and Repairing Microsoft Windows (2nd Edition)
ISBN: 0789736950
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2005
Pages: 128

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