Insider Power Techniques for Microsoft Windows XP

Accept no limits! Tweak Windows XP for ultimate performance with the undocumented secrets and hidden gems of the experts who work with the technology every day. Three Microsoft Consulting Services (MCS) professionals have teamed with well-known Windows book author Paul McFedries to reveal their best from-the-field techniques, practices, hacks, tricks, and workarounds for putting all of your PC’s muscle to work. Smart, straightforward, and uncompromisingly practical, this book is the ultimate insider’s guide to pushing Windows XP as far as it can go!

Put professional-level practices to work for you:

• Tweak registry settings without getting burned
• Employ lethal techniques to help fight viruses, intruders, and spam
• Customize startup and shutdown—get work done behind the scenes
• Install devices and drivers—painlessly
• Learn 10 ways to help give your system rock-solid stability
• Write your own scripts—or run the ones inside
• Share your PC using group policies, account lock-outs, and other management tools
• Optimize memory, performance, and usability
• Easily synchronize files between your mobile and desktop PCs
• Troubleshoot problems the way the experts do

Delivering from-the-field insights and secrets of three Microsoft Consulting Services (MCS) consultants who've been deploying and supporting the operating system since its release, this resource provides power users with a wealth of unique, real-world techniques, tweaks, tricks, and workarounds—all focused on doing more and getting more from Windows. (Computer Books)

Paul McFedries is the author of numerous books on Windows, including Complete Idiot's Guide to Windows XP, Unauthorized Guide to Windows Me, Complete Idiot's Guide to Windows Me, Complete Idiot's Guide to Windows 2000, Unauthorized Guide to Windows 98, Complete Idiot's Guide to Windows 98, Windows 98 Unleashed, and Windows 95 Unleashed.

Geoff Winslow has been in the consulting field for more than 10 years, with just over five years with Microsoft, first as a consultant and then as a senior consultant. His experience with Windows has been infrastructure engagements, from Microsoft Windows NT 3.51 OS deployments and domain designs all the way through to current day Windows 2000 and XP deployments and Active Directory® designs and deployments.

Scott Andersen is an MCS consultant and MCP with 12 years of IT and consulting experience. He works with customers designing, building and deploying Windows XP desktop solutions.

Austin Wilson has been with Microsoft since 1994 as a systems engineer, an architectural engineer, a principal consultant, and a service line architect. Most recently he has been involved in corporate Windows XP deployments.