Windows Vista Annoyances: Tips, Secrets, and Hacks

List Price: $34.99 Discount Price: $14.99

Customer Reviews:

An absolute "must have" if you're going to live with Vista... [Posted on 2008-05-12]
Sometimes, a book in the Annoyances series is one that you can use to fine-tune an application you use often. And then there's this one... Windows Vista Annoyances by David A. Karp. Regardless of whether you hate Vista or think it's the best Windows OS out there, you'll be finding useful and applicable tips on every other page here. Vista is just tailor-made for a book like this, and Karp takes full advantage of the opportunities.

Contents:
Get Started with Windows Vista: Editions of Vista; Install Windows Vista; Migration to Windows Vista
Shell Tweaks: Customize Windows Explorer; Working with Files and Folders
The Registry: The Registry Editor; Structure of the Registry; Registry Tasks and Tools; File Type Associations
Working with Media: Playing Video; Handling Online Video; Sound and Music; Photos, Pictures, Images; Media Center Annoyances; CD and DVD Drives
Performance: Trim the Fat; Make Your Hardware Perform; Hard Disk
Troubleshooting: Crashes and Error Messages; Dealing with Drivers and Other Tales of Hardware Troubleshooting; Preventative Maintenance and Data Recovery
Networking and Internet: Build Your Network; Internet Me; Secure Your Networked PC; Web and Email
Users and Security: Manage User Accounts; Permissions and Security; Logon and Profile Options; Share Files and Printers
Scripting and Automation: Windows Script Host; build a VBScript Script; Object References; Wacky Script Ideas; Command Prompt Scripting; Windows PowerShell
BIOS Settings
TCP/IP Ports
Index

When I bought my new laptop , it came loaded with Vista. Since it was pretty early in the Vista release cycle, I thought it would be good to learn it since adoption would be widespread in a short period of time. Yeah, right. Vista turned into one of the most annoying operating experiences of my life. Slow performance, endless "do you really want to..." dialog boxes, reboot times that took forever... While you can't get rid of the overall pain of Vista (unless you "upgrade" to XP or a Mac), you can use Karp's information to lessen the daily headaches. For instance, he takes you into the Performance Options settings to help you figure out what eye candy you can live without so that you actually get work done. He shows you how to tweak the registry to eliminate the menu opening delay. He also goes into some depth on how to get Vista set up to greatly reduce the start-up time (and that's a MAJOR accomplishment). And that's just a fraction of what you'll find here that will find immediate application in your life with Vista.

It's always a good thing to get a decent reference guide to the major software packages in your life. Vista is no exception. But there's a few packages where you need someone to tell you how to *live* with the less-than-stellar results on your screen. Vista's the poster child for that. Windows Vista Annoyances should be *very* close at hand as you work with the operating system. Assuming you haven't already switched to something else...

Book is Great, but MS Vista Sucks! [Posted on 2008-07-14]
I like the book, having skimmed my way through most of it, but I wish I didn't have to buy it. In other words, I wish I didn't own Vista Home Premium SP1. This piece of Sh_t has BSOD crashed more times in the 6 weeks I've used it than in the 3 years I used XP Pro SP2. The book warned me that Vista doesn't handle USB external HDDs well, & it is true. I rip my CDs to an external HDD. Rips fine. When I try to shut down Windows Media Player 11, I get a BSOD "IRQL_Not_Less_Than_Zero" error (or something like that...), crash then a reboot that never reboots. I have to shut the power off, then go through the whole "Windows did not start correctly" BS. I'm getting an Apple....

Most useful book on Windows Vista [Posted on 2008-07-30]
This book is written for intermediate users, not beginners, and it is the best. When I purchased a new computer, it came with Windows Vista. So I bought 3 books on Vista, including Microsoft's own "Windows Vista Inside Out". I have found this book consistently more helpful in making the operating system do what I want it to do, rather than what Microsoft thinks it ought to do. It is clear, concise, and humorous; and that makes it easy to read. I just wish it had included a CD of the book, also.

This book made the change EASY!! [Posted on 2008-08-24]
This book made the change EASY!!

Going from XP to Vista was a snap with the help of this book. If you are like me, a very amateur PC user used to XP, this book will make the switch to Vista painless and even fun.

Windows Vista Annoyance- Superb book! [Posted on 2008-09-26]
This book like all the O'reilly books brings you nothing but quality material as you need it. David Karp covered almost every problem you might encounter using Windows Vista, and of course the Solutions to these problems. This is a large book and it's not like the many other tech books that you read and get bored along the way, no it isn't, David has done a great job of entertaining and yet getting to the point.

This is a must have book for anyone using windows Vista. I highly recommend it.Windows Vista Annoyances: Tips, Secrets, and Hacks

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