Special Edition Using Windows XP Professional, Bestseller Edition

Rating:
Summary: Good for beginners and moderately experienced users
Review: I am a UNIX professional who has fallen behind in my knowledge of Windows. So, when I purchased my latest PC, I decided to jump back in and learn Windows XP by purchasing this book. Keep in mind that I have used Windows 95/98/2000 in the past, but only to get my work done. Saying that, I did not find the first half of this book worthwhile. It very much holds your hand and is lacking detail and specifics. However, I feel it would be good for Windows XP neophytes.

The second half I found to be a slightly more valuable "system administration" section. Topics like dual booting, editing the registry, and performance tuning were very interesting to me. However, each of these topics could fill its own book so it is understandable that this book can't explain them in full detail. Still, a lot of this was new to me in the Windows world and I found it a worthwhile read. It definitely increased my knowledge of Windows XP. However, if you're a professional Windows System Administrator or Tech Support, I feel this book isn't enough.

Overall, the book seems to be well written and fairly free of grammatical errors and typos. The authors stick in some humor to keep it interesting. I appreciated the number of URL's added by the authors for screensavers, news articles, downloads and what not. While simple, this definitely adds value. Most importantly, the URL's actually worked when I tried them! The author's tips also add a slight amount of value.

I cannot comment on the included video CD-ROM as I do not prefer to learn that way. I learn better from reading and doing, so I skipped this. Based on the CD-ROM's description page, it sounds like a lot of basic topics for people with little experience. So, the value of the CD-ROM will ultimately depend on the reader's level of experience.

In a nutshell, this book did exactly what I purchased it for. It brought me back up to speed with Windows XP. It also markets itself for a user level of "Beginner-Intermediate". That is why I gave it 4 stars. However, it's title of, "The only Windows XP book you'll ever need" is obviously marketing hype, which I have come to expect from most all computer books.