Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Before writing my own review, I was very surprised that this book didn't carry a 4+ star overall rating -- it's at least a 4-star book, but only for the right audience. If you are a casual user of Windows -- if you're NOT a "power user" who is interesting in lots of user interface customizations, and if you aren't interested in saving keystrokes or mouse clicks anywhere you can -- then this books wasn't written for you. If you are a casual user who wants more breadth and less depth on Windows 7, I enjoyed reading Windows 7 Secrets, a new book by Paul Thurrott. Both "Windows 7 Secrets" and "Windows 7 Unleashed" are listed on the back cover with a "User Level: Intermediate-Advanced". This book targets that audience, whereas "Windows 7 Secrets" is more for casual Windows enthusiasts who want to learn not only something about Windows 7, but also complimentary technologies such as Windows Home Server and Zune.
Since this review is for this book -- Windows 7 Unleashed -- I'd expect that you are truly an advanced Windows user (or an aspiring advanced Windows user). You don't need introductions, you don't need lots of transitional comparisons to Vista and XP (there are some, but they're limited). Instead, you want a single volume that covers the depth of Windows 7 alone.
I liked the author's perspective -- maximizing every performance point possible with Windows 7 -- even though I'm not ardently trying to do that. For me, I wanted to have a book that I could refer to if, say, I needed to know something more about User Access Control or group policies or tuning Windows 7. Yeah, I could hunt the web for that stuff, but I like a single, bound, book with all that info contained in one volume. Then, when I hit the web, I'm looking for something even beyond what the book has.
The author's writing style is straightforward -- very little fluff, very little humor. His passion is to save a mouse click here or there, cut seconds off performance delays, and customize everything to make your Windows 7 installation a truly hand-in-glove experience. I think he succeeds, but I don't have the inclination to that good of a hand-in-glove fit.
His coverage of Windows 7 is excellent, except on Windows Aero and the new Libraries concept. There are several cool, productive tricks to Aero that I didn't see covered (and "Aero" wasn't in the index), and neither is "Libraries" covered in the book or index (a big omission which I presume will be corrected in a later edition of this book -- I'm reviewing the book covering Windows 7 Release Candidate). Other than those two glaring omissions, he explains things about the Windows Registry I didn't know, even though I've dabbled editing the Registry for years. He does a great job overviewing security, including IE8. He's got a step-by-step troubleshooting section, covering system restore and lots more.
Although he does mark "New in 7" those features that are new in Windows 7, I would have preferred that he would have done more comparisons and constrasts to both Vista and XP. That wasn't the style he chose, though, so don't expect him to tell you, "This feature has been around since XP" -- he's telling you what's in Windows 7 right now, not where that feature was first introduced in the Windows family. That may be something to consider if you want a book that makes those comparisons and constrasts to older versions of Windows. Because of the poor Aero and Libraries treatment, I'm giving this book only 4 stars instead of 5.
He's got great appendices! Windows 7 Keyboard Shortcuts and a wonderful explanation on "Understanding TCP/IP".
In short, I think any 1, 2 or 3 star reviews for this book probably come from people who incorrectly thought this book was targeted to their casual computing needs. It's not for the casual user. It's for a power user. For Windows power users out there, if you want a book that covers the depths of the Windows 7 operating system, this is an excellent choice. That said, if you already have a similar book covering Windows Vista, you may not really need this book, since fundamentally not much has changed between Windows Vista and Windows 7, and key parts that are new -- particularly the way Windows 7 implements virtual libraries -- isn't covered at all.
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Covers Release Candidate of Windows 7. With purchase of this book you will get a free online edition written on final product. See product registration ad in back of book for details.Microsoft® Windows 7 Unleashed gives IT professionals, serious power users, and true geeks the powerhouse Windows 7 tweaks, hacks, techniques, and insights they need: knowledge that simply can't be found anywhere else. Top Windows expert Paul McFedries dives deep into Windows 7, returning with the most powerful ways to handle everything from networking to administration, security to scripting. McFedries begins with advanced customization, covering everything from startup/shutdown to the file system. He introduces new ways to tune Windows 7 performance, police Windows via Group Policies, tweak the Registry, make the most of Windows 7s management tools, and control Windows 7 from the command line. You'll find thorough coverage of securing Windows 7, including detailed guidance on web and email security and hardening both wireless and wired networks. You'll also discover better ways to troubleshoot devices, networks, and startup; add Macs to Windows networks; and automate Windows administration with state-of-the-art scripting techniques.This book is packed with expert tips, tricks, and troubleshooting techniques drawn from McFedries' unsurpassed Windows experience. If you want maximum value and performance from your Windows 7 PCs, you won't find a more valuable resource.Customize everything about Windows 7: IE8, startup/shutdown, file systems, the Start menu, Taskbar, and more Systematically monitor, tune, and optimize Windows performance–including practical techniques for accelerating startup Set up an easy, automated 9-Step maintenance schedule for any Windows 7 PC Unleash Windows 7s power user tools, including Group Policies, the Registry, MMC, and the command line Secure Windows 7 with security settings: auto-lock, Windows Firewall, Windows Defender, parental controls, BitLocker encryption, and more Protect your web privacy with Windows 7s new InPrivate Browsing Solve problems with Windows 7, startup, networking, and hardware Set up reliable Windows 7 networks, and manage them efficiently Safely provide remote access and VPN connectivity Use Windows 7 as a Web server Program the Windows Scripting Host and Windows PowerShellON THE WEB:Free Online Edition! When Microsoft releases the final product, you can get an updated edition of this book absolutely free! All examples and source code presented in this book $49.99 USA / $59.99 CANz
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