Windows Vista: The Missing Manual

by David Pogue

Windows Vista is Microsoft's most important software release in more than a decade. It offers users an abundance of new and upgraded features that were more than five years in the a gorgeous, glass-like visual overhaul; superior searching and organization tools; a multimedia and collaboration suite; and above all, a massive, top-to-bottom security-shield overhaul. There's scarcely a single feature of the older versions of Windows that hasn't been tweaked, overhauled, or replaced entirely. But when users first encounter this beautiful new operating system, there's gonna be a whole lotta head-scratchin', starting with trying to figure out which of the five versions of Vista is installed on the PC (Home, Premium, Business, Enterprise, Ultimate). Thankfully, Windows The Missing Manual offers coverage of all five versions. Like its predecessors, this book from New York Times columnist, bestselling author, and Missing Manuals creator David Pogue illuminates its subject with technical insight, plenty of wit, and hardnosed objectivity for beginners, veteran standalone PC users, and those who know their way around a network. Readers will learn how

This jargon-free guide explains Vista's features clearly and thoroughly, revealing which work well and which don't. It's the book that should have been in the box!

Genres: Reference

848 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

David Pogue, Yale '85, is the weekly personal-technology columnist for the New York Times and an Emmy award-winning tech correspondent for CBS News. His funny tech videos appear weekly on CNBC. And with 3 million books in print, he is also one of the world's bestselling how- to authors. He wrote or co-wrote seven books in the "For Dummies" series (including Macs, Magic, Opera, and Classical Music). In 1999, he launched his own series of amusing, practical, and user-friendly computer books called Missing Manuals, which now includes 100 titles.

David and his wife, Jennifer Pogue, MD, live in Connecticut with their three young children.

Reviews

[Balaji Dutt · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up this book after coming the realization that I was not very familiar with the workings of a stock Vista install. The book is good in that it does provide lots of insight into how Vista is organized and how things work now - useful even for an experienced XP user, because things have fundamentally changed in Vista. At the same time, the level of detail can be mind-numbing for a reasonably competent user. Still worth a read, but remember to skip quite a few sections!

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, nothing special: I recently got a new PC with Vista pre-installed, and that's why I got this book. Of the problems I've had - not many, mostly compatibility issues with installing older software - this book has been of some use about half the time. I'd hoped for better, but I guess it will take a bigger and more comprehensive guide to provide that.