Rating: 
Summary: Microsoft Press is making XP a welcome addition.
Review: After installing Windows XP I began to ask several question about the configuration and administration of the operating system. I found this book to have the answers and much, much more information for me. I also found that this 1250 page reference manual is very useful in studying for the Windows XP Professional Exam, 70-270.Published by the company that produced the software, this book is broken down into 9 parts, with part 1 being the XP Overview of installing, configuring, deploying, moving files and components. Also covered here is accounts, permissions, policies, passwords and troubleshooting hardware. Part 2 is the customization of XP with task scheduling, power management which includes hibernation. Part 3 is the explorer which has areas like managing and finding files, encryption and offline work covered. Part 4 is the digital media section which includes the media player, scanner and imaging. Part 5 is the advanced IE area including internet security, customizing Outlook express, web hosting and communications. Part 6 the goes into system maintenance and recovery, which tackles topics like routing and disk management, troubleshooting errors messages and regedit. Part 7 is the networking part talking about small to large networks, sharing resources and remote access. Part 8 teaches about system administration with topics like profiles and policies and the even viewer. Finally part 9 is the Appendices which include the command prompt. MMC, services and system information. The cd-rom included has a number of utilities and tools and you need to have XP installed in order to run the cd. Also include the e-book of the book and overall an excellent manual to have on hand.
Rating:
Summary: Such a great book!
Review: I have two Inside Out books on my desk this one and Windows Server 2003 Inside Out. I've learned tons from both. If you are looking to leaern all you can about Windows XP, I think Windows XP Inside Out is the book to get. It's not a quick reference or anything but it is very detailed.
Rating:
Summary: Great review of WiIndows XP
Review: I have worked with Windows 98, 98SE, ME and now XP. I have to say that this book is well documented with alot of information. As a computer technician, I recommend this book to anyone who is running or going to buy Windows XP. It is a must be in one's library. I found it well packed with a wealth of information, charts, and disk that it great. I foudn everything I needed in the book without any trouble. Great source book. A+ book.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Reasource
Review: I use this book 3-4 times a week. It is a good tool in my opinion as it put things in a realworld perspective. If you ever read any of the Microsoft press books you'll know that it is all put in to a plain Vanilla way and most IT business aren;t plain or Vanilla. This book is great to have.
Rating:
Summary: A Fine Book
Review: The greatest strength of the book is it's immediate usefulness to general pc users who are eager to learn Windows XP and not afraid to experiment. I initially had reservations about this new operating system but I quickly got comfortable with it through the excellent instructions in the book. Previously esoteric routines were made clear and accessible to those without much technical background on Windows much less, business-oriented OS. The command line items like controluserpassword2 were really engaging- especially for a novice. Amazing! All the information I seek were easily accessible. The editorial abilities of the authors also show in the highly readable manner the book was written. They had an almost uncanny ability to feel the fear of inexperienced users and anticipate them with quick solutions and clear intructions. The blurb on the book covers, however, don't do justice to the book's content. It mentions "Intermediate/Advance" without really saying the benefit that beginning users can get from it. Overall, I find the contents of the blurb to be annoying. It sounds too "canned!" Other than that the contents of the book itself were an excellent guide from the easier to the more challenging features of Windows XP. If the cure for fear of a new operating system is knowledge, then this knowledge has been communicated very well by the editors of the book. As a result I enjoy using Windows XP and I look forward to discovering its myriad of features!
Rating:
Summary: Measured by Usefulness
Review: this books has saved me countless hours and $. That is how I measure a books worth. Was it worth the price? More than that!
Rating:
Summary: Details details
Review: This is a highly detailed 1400 page text produced by the good people at Microsoft. Typical Microsoft, the book tends to read like stereo instructions. That aside, I gave it 5 stars because of its detailed and comprehensive coverage of the subject. The included CD is also impressive, with a networking encyclopedia and dictionary included. This book is not for light weights. If you are a home or private user of XP, I would recommend you shop elsewhere. However, if you are an administrator then you need to ask yourself, Why is this book not on my reference shelf? Get your boss to buy it for you. Compare this book to Mark Minasi's "Mastering Windows XP Professional" (ISBN: 0782141145).
Rating:
Summary: Hefty, beany, beefy
Review: This is a huge book, 1165 pages filled with good stuff, plus an index of 77 pages. Lots of stuff I didn't even know that I didn't know. It is worth the (rather reasonably low) price of this book just to get its recommendation for a really good shareware imaging program. A great value.
Rating:
Summary: The definitive XP reference, not for casual users
Review: This Microsoft Press reference book is a tome and over kill for the casual user. But if you really want to learn how to use the very best of XP this is the standard, the premier, it is the definitive guide. XP Inside Out is an appropriate title. My first Windows user's manual was measured in ounces and a hundred plus pages. XP is over 1200 pages and almost 7 pounds. You need wheels to go desk to desk with it. You can take it to bed, it's bigger than your pillow. You can soak it in paraffin to make a Yule log. But it's this size that creates the very best topical layout, reference, and index that I have yet seen by Microsoft. Users can actually trace error messages to their plain English explanation and suggested solutions - a first for Microsoft. Authors Halverson, and Young, Microsoft "employees," have produced a superb reference tool for power users, developers, system designers, software instructors, consultants, and CIOs. If you want to know anything about XP, use this book. It is suitable for (interested) users 12 years of age to professional software and hardware systems experts. That's quite a span and good technical writing, editing, and layout is responsible. But there is more. The book includes a full text and illustrated e-book version on CD (40 MB on your hard drive and running with MS Internet Explorer or Netscape). That's worth the cost of the book by itself because standard XP search, find, and print tools can be used to navigate the 1,400 pages instantly. It's worth the Amazon.com price, no reservations by this reviewer.
Rating:
Summary: You need this book in your library
Review: Whether you're a newbie or an intermediate user of XP, their is never an end to tricks you can learn. I use this book in the classroom to train my students, they love it. People make a mistake and purchase the skinniest book they can find or one that has in the title "24 hours", or "weekend". Those books are great but their not going to help you at 12 o'clock in the morning when you have a XP or computer question. Buy this book you won't be sorry.
Carl
Software Trainer
www.johnsontraining.net
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