Microsoft Windows XP Professional Administrator's Pocket Consultant

by Stanek, William R.

• ISBN13: 9780735613812
• ISBN10: 0735613818
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-10-26
• Publisher: Microsoft Pr

Summary

Ounce for ounce and dollar for dollar, the Pocket Consultant series from Microsoft Press is one of the best values around. The editors do a good job of recruiting competent authors and having them comply with well-thought-out style and formatting rules. Microsoft Windows XP Professional Administrator's Pocket Consultant is one of the gems of the series. Author William Stanek has spent time working with his subject--this book wasn't rushed to market to match the Windows XP release date--and he's good at revealing its administrative procedures clearly and concisely. The book is nicely indexed, so locating the section you need takes very little effort. This book--slightly larger than a paperback novel--is ideal for a harried administrator responsible for many different software products, as well as for consultants who need to learn how to use Windows XP Professional in a hurry.A particularly nice characteristic of Stanek's style: His skill at combining straight procedures ("Just follow these steps and it'll work") with supplementary information about options ("On the other hand, if you're doing something unusual, you might need to modify the standard procedure a bit"). As no real-life installation of Windows XP ever seems to match authors' ideas of normalcy, the supplementary information is critical. Screen shots are nicely handled as well. Their presence helps clarify what the text means, but they're not so large as to waste space. --David WallTopics covered: Microsoft Windows XP Professional, as system administrators need to understand it. The author explains hardware installation, permissions setting, network security zones, and several kinds of network connectivity. Coverage of the specific requirements of mobile users--including virtual private networks (VPNs) and dial-up--is particularly welcome.

Table of Contents

Part I Microsoft Windows XP Professional Essentials	1	(126)
Introduction to Microsoft Windows XP Professional Administration	3	(20)
Configuring the Environment	23	(36)
Configuring Hardware Devices and Drivers	59	(26)
Customizing Menus, the Windows Taskbar, and Toolbars	85	(18)
Optimizing the Desktop and Screen Appearance	103	(24)
Part II Microsoft Windows XP Professional Core Administration	127	(94)
Managing User Access and Global Settings	129	(20)
Managing Laptops and Traveling Users	149	(16)
Configuring User and Computer Policies	165	(26)
Configuring Folder Options, Offline Files, and Quotas	191	(30)
Part III Microsoft Windows XP Professional Networking	221	(78)
Managing Internet Options	223	(24)
Configuring TCP/IP Networking, Security, and Authentication	247	(20)
Managing Mobile Networking and Remote Access	267	(32)
Part IV Microsoft Windows XP Professional Optimization and Recovery	299
Optimizing Microsoft Windows XP Professional	301
Troubleshooting Microsoft Windows XP Professional	323