Microsoft Books

This book knocked me flat when I read it. I was only going to read one or two chapters but got hooked from page one. I stayed up all night reading it and then re-read it the next day!

This story has action, danger, REALLY HOT SEX, magic, romance and mayhem. It's got it all!! There were parts that were so suspensful and erotic (the heroine is the savior of a superior and magical race but doesn't know it and how she finds out is really EXPLOSIVE!) that I was sweating!

This was really well written. If you like a good plot and great sex then you have to check this author out! Sherri L. King has created a world of mystery, magic and steamy romance the likes of which I've never seen. I couldn't believe this was an e-book!

I've read this author's other book on ellorascave.com and it was just as amazing (but too darn short)! I'm putting this author on my MUST BE BOUGHT list. I cant wait to see her books in print. I really really hope that there will be a sequel to this story!

Please Please PLEASE write more and write fast Miss King. I love your work!

I picked this on up on a lark at ellorascave.com. Sherri L. King has to be one of the HOTTEST new e-book authors to hit the web! I can't believe she isn't in print! (or is she???) This is a steamy erotic tale that leaves you wanting to read more and more until you realize you've been sitting there for hours! I was late to work the next morning because I stayed up most of the night reading this. I couldn't put it down! I thought about it all day and then when I got home I read it again!

And don't let me get started with those men! Let just say my husband is very happy I bought this e-book ;)

I hope she plans to write more in this series. Sherri L. King creates an indepth and beautiful world and I hope to see more of it!

By TT reviewer Brenda Gill [full review on our website]

Rayven has always been different from the people around her. She is an orphan and has always been overlooked by the couples who want to adopt a child. Her differences make the prospective parents uneasy. She is a child prodigy, a genius. She scores higher on standardized IQ tests than any other person tested before. She has eyes of an unusual gold color that seem to look right though a person. Her differences make her a loner.

He comes to her in the guise of a giant black hawk, and warns her of danger. Rayven thinks it was a dream until she realizes her foster parent's house was on fire. She is the only one to survive the fire. Rayven is surprised when, a few days later, she is arrested and charged with arson and the murder of her foster parents. She manages to escape and stays on the run for 13 long years. Rayven is captured and taken to the planet, Varood, where she is questioned by General Karis. She learns that she is the last of her race, the Aware. She was sent to Earth by her parents to escape the massacre that killed most of her kind. The Aware are a race with strange and frightening powers, and those in the Galactic are afraid of them, so they tried to exterminate them.

Rayven escapes with the help of a giant black hawk, the same one she thought she saw in her dream so many years before. She learns the hawk is really a man named Draco. He takes her though a dimensional doorway to the planet Hostes, where she meets the last remnant of her race. There she will test the extent of her powers and abilities to help save the last of her kind. As Rayven awakes to the power of passion, she has to save the people depending on her and come to terms with the feelings she has for the strange and sensuous man, Draco.

Rayven's Awakening is an exciting blend of science fiction, fantasy, and romantica. Ms. King has combined the different genres into a fast-paced, smoothly written tale. The love scenes are like molten lava, they're so hot, but they advance the story. They aren't put on the page to arouse and titillate, but to show the reader the deep love and greater passion Rayven and Draco have for each other. This book is going on my "keeper shelf" to be read again and again.

Firstly I have really been overly fond of futuristics but this book and those by other Ellora's Cave authors have me at a turning point. The starts with a 15 year old girl who's a prodigy she's different she lives with her foster parents those who come to love her - she's awakened from a dream by a Black Hawk to speaks to her telepathicaly there starts a cresendo of events that has you sitting on the edge of your seat tence moment that make you hold your breath. Sherri L King who is a versatile author of romantica Rayven's Awakening is intence Ravenous is witty all are scorching with love scenes to make you hot. I have read everyone of Sherri's books.. She's a keeper

The review in the Romantic Times Book Club magazine had me a little leary of buying this book. The reviewer is way off base. Although the story does start a little slow. The rest of the book makes up for it.

Rayven was placed on Earth to keep her safe from the evil empire that tried to destory her people. She is the daughter to the ruling family of the The Aware. a magical and wonderous people. She has always been different. When the forces of the evil empire burn her fosters parents home they place the blame on her. She runs to save herself with the help of a Black Hawk. When she is finally capture by the empire, she finds a way to escape and the Black Hawk guides her to what remains of her people. She must run the full extent of her power as she is their savior.

Draco was the advisor to the King of the Aware. He secrets Rayven away on Earth and waits to bring her to her people. He has rule the Aware since the destruction of their world. He is Rayven soul mate.

They come together to reunite all the Aware and start and new dynasty.

Don and Martha continue to write about the customer experience from different viewpoints, each making great points and providing insight for both those who are recipients of that service and those providing it. As a member of the consulting field in this area, I always learn something more from reading their books.

This is an excellent book which challenges the most fundamental assumptions business leaders today make. I took it with me on vacation and couldn't put it down. Full of examples and best practices, this is easy to read and thought provoking. Don and Martha expose the crisis of "short-termism" which is increasingly challenging, especially in today's economy. They also highlight the evolving role of the customer given our networked and interconnected world. They share the latest trends and thinking on various topics from employee engagement to innovation to inspire leaders to think strategically about their customer experience design and the opportunities that will drive their long-term success.

Reading this book is just like being in a business presentation by Don and Martha. The text flows very fluently, pouring real life examples drawn from their extensive experience with marketing and customer management.
It is also like being in a meeting in our own business. If you are an executive with marketing and sales responsibilities and you already do your job 'out of the box', you'll want to read this book to inspire your actions. If you still have to prove your point inside your company, the book will give you tons of reasons to show your boss why the company needs to start doing things differently right now.
Concepts like "customers are the scarcest resource", "the experience you give your customers is more important than the message" come to life with abundant examples. Customer equity management applications get a lot more tangible, even if you haven't read Return on Customer: Creating Maximum Value From Your Scarcest Resource, the authors' previous book.
Highly recommended, easy read, but don't be fooled. This is high-impact matter, which may seem deceptively easy to execute. The final chapters about diversity and dissent, corporate culture and leadership bring forth the organizational efforts needed to push these concepts forward in the real world.
Extensive reference notes can help you further research the subjects covered, which is great in an environment of ever-accelerating change.

Don and Martha have done it again! They have identified and exposed one of the most difficult challenges in business today -that of short term-ism - or the obsession with making quarterly numbers at the expense of long-term and lifetime customer value.
They've dared to question some of the most fundamental business tenants and then provided evidence that new ones have emerged, such as the critical need to build and maintain trust, the necessity of employee empowerment, and the power of social networking, just to name a few.

Yes, this book is enjoyable to read; but more importantly, it has real-life examples, practical advice, and executable strategies for those who dare to build great companies for the future, not just the next quarter.

Elizabeth Rech
Hingham, MA

I read all books from Don and Martha. "one to one future" was the first and the best book I've ever read related to CRM. "return on customers" was a first attempt to demonstrate that company value isn't necessarely equal to EBITDA and value of shares. Don and Martha introduced here the concept of long-term view vs short-termism.
With this latest book "rules to break & laws to follow" - I've read it in one day! - they follow their concept of demonstrating what real value to a company means.
I do like especially the introduction of an "employee/empowerment"-dimension which was a little bit missing until now.
Real great book. A must for all leaders and managers.
René F. Lisi

Thank you for your quick and prompt service the item was as said it arrived quicker than what was implied.

Best, easiest to understand and fun to read. This book more than any other laid the foundation for my understanding of computer science.

Thank you Mr. Van Wolverton!

P.S. Just buy it -- you will be glad you did.

This book is simply the best reference source for MS-DOS. Easy to read and providing in-depth coverage of all DOS commands, this book covers version 6.22 as well as letting you know when a command first appeared and in what version of DOS.

If you wanted only one book on DOS, this is the one!

I was looking for a fundamental DOS book covering basic and network commands, scripts, and a reference. What I got was a book written before Windows 95 with no updated network Commands and a reference not formatted like a dictionary but more like a written chapter. It is a great first book for DOS but I wish I noticed the publish date.

This book is full of hands-on exercises, accurate examples, and a very good starting point for those of us who still have to deal with MS-DOS. Even though many claim that DOS is gone, it is alive an kicking within Windows NT, Windows 95, and Windows 98, and only true experts of DOS receive a full appreciation of a command line and automated tasks that DOS environment offers over GUI.

If anyone is looking for a windows commands book that show the actual commands and how to use them, this is the book for you. Its all here, this is real. Here is what i like about the book, uses the commands the way you would use them. Most of the books I have seen only show the help options, in this book the author goes through the commands. Even if you can't afford it, save some money for this, its only $24.00 something worth it.

Since I bought it, I use this book as a reference just about everyday and have been recommending it to others. This is also a must have book for students and beginners.

To make it short. This is the best command dos book, i have ever seen. The examples are clear AND i love it. I will recommend this book to anyone out there. The guy did a great job and deserves commendation. Good work

Babuska Basin

This is the best and most complete Windows command prompt book available. I have learned how to better accomplish tasks faster and in a very efficient manner.

WOW woooooooow wow
I have never seen anything like this before,,,A must get, here my fav chapter in order. Chapter 6 network connectivity commands is great, chapter 1 with all the shortcuts using the command prompt, then chapter 1 part II is cool, then chapter 4, 8, 11, 14, 3, then 12 and so on. I like them all. The Micelenious chapter is small but has some little tricks. There is a whole lot i have seen here that i did not see in other books. I wish the author has given more tips on the chapter 14 and 15 :)
What about how to tweak the dos prompt and so forth,,, cool cool cool. The first book i bought without any regrets....
Actually, i have started to create really neat tricks using this book. Compared to other books this is the best so far.

Thamk you author
Seth Wilkins

This has got to be the most thought out user-friendly reference manual to date. Great detail is given in the examples making them easy to understand. It is well organized thus making the location of information easy. This book is great for anyone. From those just learning about the power of being able to execute tasks via the command prompt, to a System Administrator who is looking for a way to have more specific control over their environment. Simply a great book!

A few years ago (I'm told) Bill Gates called all of the developers together and told them that the big thing it was necessary for Microsoft to do was to implement strong security systems in their mainstream products. I don't know if this is true, but the biggest changes in their 2003 series of products is greatly increased security emphasis.

Exchange Server is no exception. This book is oriented around how to get the most out of Exchange Server while protecting the security of the messaging system. It is written by a network security expert who worked closely with the Exchange Server development team. Published by Microsoft Press, this can be viewed as the definitive book on the subject.

Good book! I'm not an Exchange admin, but I need to understand what the issues are in Exchange and Outlook security. I found the book very helpful in a couple of ways:
* covers 5.5. and 2K, even though the title says 2003
* covers life cycle issues like archiving and compliance
* covers Active Directory and Certificate issues
I was impressed that the book managed to combine enough detail to be valuable to technical users, with clear enough descriptions of the issues to make sense to non-techies.

In today's environment of spam, virus, and bad things in general, knowing how to protect yourself is a very valuable commodity.
Paul has managed to condense everything you need down to a nutshell, okay, maybe more like an acorn tree. But it's all in there.
Chapter 20 should be a must-read for anyone in messaging. It goes over some of the legal aspects of you and your messaging system. Most administrators don't realize the possible litigation that they can get themselves into. And sure, your company will protect you. When it comes to a 10 million dollar lawsuit or an employee, who's going to get the shaft?!
Ever worry about what permissions have been set on something? Take a look at Appendix B for an in-depth guide.

I admit to a certain degree of bias, being that I'm the author and all, but this really *is* the only book that takes a comprehensive approach to every aspect of Exchange security. The book covers physical and operational security, patch management, end-to-end transport security using IPsec and TLS, client-to-client security with S/MIME, and even security issues related to mobile devices like BlackBerrys and Windows Mobile smartphones. Sample chapters are available from a variety of places, including the book's companion website at e2ksecurity.com.

If you're going to pick up a book on Microsoft Exchange Server security, this is *the* book for you. Great and comprehensive coverage on everything to do with Microsoft Exchange Server from one of the foremost Exchange Security experts in the industry. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is seriously interested in understanding what's entailed in Exchange-related security, including some ground-breaking content on compliance (Sarbanes-Oxley, HIPPA, SEC, etc.) and legislation pertaining to e-mail ... which alone is well worth the price of the book! Highly recommended!!

The author of this book has shown us so much about how to use the taking and sharing of digital photos to express yourself that I feel really grateful to him for having written it. The ideas in the book are wonderfully creative, and it's a beautiful book to boot. I intend to give this book as a gift to my daughter for her birthday to accompany the new digital camera her dad and I bought her.

I was able to get an advance copy of Dane's book and am so glad that I did. There are so many books out there on digital photography, mostly how-to's that are basic. What Dane does in this book is attack the issue from a completley different point of view - how to use the images to tell a story.

I especially appreciate his very tactical advice on how to start the process - what picture to use first, how to setup a sequence that conveys a mood and character to the story line.

I really liked how he used real examples (his daughter) which helped take this practical book out of the theoretical and into the real world of dealing with images.

My girlfriends father relies on me for technical support for his camera (which we got him for Christmas). So for Fathers Day we bought him his own copy of Dane's book - and a copy of Microsoft's Digital Image Suite software.

He is loving both!

mark sylvester

This is a really amazing book that goes beyond the technical aspects of digital photography (those books are a dime a dozen) and explores the issues of organizing, archiving, and ultimately telling stories with your digital photographs.

I believe this book will have a lasting impact on the world of photography because it helps the reader capture better pictures, streamline the tedious parts of digital photography, and how to tell effective digital stories with photos. Stories and memories, isn't that's why we take photos anyway?

It's also a beautifully designed book that I'll keep just for the design even after I've absorbed all the content.

I just book the Italian version of this book which has just been published here.

This simple and lovely book is not about how to use my new sophisticated digital camera (I will have to study the manual) but has encouraged me to free my amateur photographer mind from concepts carved there like "don't shoot until you are pretty sure the scene is good enough and that film is not wasted". It didn't teach me either how to download the photos to my Mac but certainly has broaden my world and taught me creative ways of sharing my good memories with my Spanish family.

The photos are really nice and support very well all the concepts. The language is clear and so are the explanations even if I doubt I will use the Microsoft products mentioned in the book. I am sure I will be able to "replicate" them with my Mac. To cut a long story short: as the proverb says "it hasn't give me the fish but has given me the knowledge to catch fish by myself".

This book is about capturing experiences, not just photos. It is an excellent read for any beginner (or digital camera buff) interested in learning not just how to take digital images, but how to take and create photos that tell a story. I was originally looking for a book to help me expand the way I use my digital camera when I came across "Sharing Digital Photos". What an unexpected surprise. As soon as I went through it, I knew it was a great find and was amazed at the breadth of possibilities that exist.

Dane covers a multitude of options available for the digital photographer, and covers various methods, programs, and techniques for sharing, managing, and tweaking images. The clarity and simplicity with which the book delivers this information is refreshing. He delivers clear descriptions of the mythology and uses personal family experiences as examples. These personal stories form the heart of the book and make the concepts easy to understand. Each chapter continuously serves up an honest and straightforward delivery that helps create a solid perspective on the different techniques.

Access to website links allow you to experience the solutions and further demonstrate the possibilities. He uses "easy to follow" language, plenty of photo examples, and well laid out graphics in various combinations to effectively communicate the essential message in each lesson while encouraging you to dive in along the way. This book has changed my paradigm concerning digital images where they no longer sit idly in my hard disk! Happy story telling...

I feel the addition of a CD with examples and demos of the software programs would have made the experience even more enjoyable.

This is a great book. It showed me new tips to do in Power Point that enhances your look of your presentation. I learned a lot of valuable information I will use in the future. The book was easy to follow and the CD has all of the templates discussed in the book that you can use or copy. I would highly recommend this book to someone who wants to improve their PowerPoint skills.

I do just enough presentations to know that I need to concentrate on improving my delivery and contents. I was excited to get a copy of Solving the PowerPoint Predicament: Using Digital Media for Effective Communication by Tom Bunzel. This is more than the typical "here's how PowerPoint works" book...

Contents: Planning an Effective Presentation; Implementing Professional Design Principles; Creating Dynamic Visuals; Secrets of Animation and Navigation; Using Video and Audio Effectively; Powerful Presentation Tools; The Latest Technologies - Beyond PowerPoint to the Future; Delivering a Killer Presentation; Index

Most books that talk about PowerPoint are tutorials on how to create one for your presentation. But realistically, nearly anyone can create a PowerPoint presentation with little effort. Whether it's effective or not is a vastly different story. Bunzel approaches the subject from the point of view of the presentation itself... what keeps an audience interested, what types of displays work to reinforce the message, etc. Once you understand what makes for a good presentation, it's much easier to decide what you should and shouldn't do in PowerPoint. Bunzel draws upon the experience of professional presenters, many who make their living using tools like PowerPoint to communicate to others. There are also a number of additional resources and recommendations for software you can add on to your presentation to make it stand out from others (photos, videos, software add-ons, etc).

For me, I was surprised to see how much animation can add to a presentation. I've always avoided the cheesy fade-ins and animations that come with PowerPoint, as I was under the impression that they were more distracting than helpful. But after reading this book, I realize that I've been limiting the possibilities. This is one of those books that could make the difference between boring your audience or firing them up, between being a one-time speaker to being a repeat invitee...

This book is a comprehensive resource for professionals who plan and deliver presentations. It begins with the basics and progresses to the use of more advanced presentation tools. This book also offers practical advice and step-by-step instructions (with numerous graphics and screen shots), which makes it easy for readers to immediately implement the techniques outlined. I especially liked having additional resources listed at the end of each chapter.

Everyone in the business world (and probably in government, education, and all the others as well) uses powerpoint. But that is not to say that it is used effectively. PowerPoint presentations can be just about as boring, trivial, and useless as presentations made in any other way.

This book is about how to make effective and hard hitting presentations. It is not a book on the mechanics of using PowerPoint, it is a book on using PowerPoint to communicate effectively. It teaches you to go beyond the normal bullets to tell a story that breaks through the barriers to reach the audience at all levels.

To be sure, the book does include a lot of information on doing more sophisticated things than normal with PowerPoint including using third-party add ons to extend its capabilities.

Recommended to anyone who makes presentations.

Tom Bunzel has been an indispensable presentation coach to me for years. In person and in his books he has an uncanny way to bring out the best in people. This book puts in one place Tom's knack for making technical stuff easy while keeping readers focused on the subtle arts of using PowerPoint to make effective presentations. This is the perfect book for new or seasoned presenters to take their communications to a whole new place.

This book is written in a very understandable way for new WordPerfect users, yet has enough depth to provide quite a bit of "meat" for those having substantial experience with the program. Enough detail is provided so that users can learn how to turn out handsome and professional yet complex documents for desktop publishing, business, or personal use.

I particularly like the tear-out guide in the front, which includes great project-oriented information for those conducting a job search: using the provided templates, keeping contact information, and looking for a job on the Internet. (However, I suspect that anyone who learns to use WordPerfect as expertly as possible from using this book will not be out of a job-hunting for long!)

Once again, Laura & Read have pulled off a very easy-to-read yet comprehensive guide covering all of the program's basic features and quite a bit of advanced functionality too!

I recommended this book as a good reference to keep handy at your desk.

I don't normally buy computer books these days because many are lame. When a client asked me to use WordPerfect for a project, however, I thought a book would help me get reacquainted with the software.

But this book has done much more than that. The authors have provided an extremely well-written volume, filled with valuable insights. Instead of taking the standard "let's run down the menus" approach, they have given us a book filled with practical examples, excellent tips, and just plain good writing. I quickly picked up a handful of tricks that made my work easier and impressed my client!

The authors deserve praise for this excellent work, and computer book publishers everywhere should take notice. Hey guys, it IS possible to publish good stuff!!!

Two features make this book worth its sticker price: (1) it contains answers to your questions, and (2) it teaches you questions that you should have been asking. For example, I was having trouble using the WordPerfect CD to get Clip Art into my document. By reading parts of Chapter 12, "Adding Graphics to Documents", I quickly figured out what I needed to know. In the process, I also learned the details of how I could acquire additional Clip Art from the Corel Web site. Thus, Using Corel WordPerfect 9 taught me information about Clip Art that I hadn't thought to ask. Speaking of graphics and other glitzy things you can put in your documents, you also might want to check out the section on Organizational Charts ("org charts"). In case you didn't know (as was the case for me) WordPerfect can draw a variety of useful charts and boxes, connected in just about any manner you wish. How? Check out Chapter 16, "Inserting Charts". You'll find step-by-step instructions that quickly teach you how you can construct what you need.

Frankly, I've never used a book before to help me with a software package. I always figured that the Help Screens and/or the manual were more than enough. This book might convince me to change my mind.

This one's a keeper. The authors are WordPerfect trainers with long experience, and it's obvious.

If you've never used a computer before, this is not the book for you. However, if you've used another word processor or an older version of WordPerfect, this is the right book. Enough introductory material for folks new to WordPerfect to get started, but far more information for those wishing to improve their skill level from intermediate to advanced word processor operators.

As someone who's long considered himself a WordPerfect expert, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself repeatedly learning new techniques for using the world's most powerful word processor, WordPerfect. Over and over again, the authors offer procedures that accomplish the same result, but involve fewer steps to realize them than those I developed myself.

The book consistently offers step-by-step procedures with screen shots, so there is no mistaking what needs to be done to accomplish a desired result. Each chapter also ends with a troubleshooting guide, addressing the most common troublespots for the subject matter of the chapter.

The index and table of contents are thorough and well organized, making the book a valuable desktop tool for learning as you go, quickly checking to get detailed procedures, or to see if the authors have a more efficient way of using the program. The authors also provide links to the best of the many WordPerfect resources on the Web.

The book does not cover use of the suite's other major components such as the QuattroPro spreadsheet and Presentations, nor of add-on packages in the profession-specific WordPerfect editions, but does cover use of the CorelCentral personal information manager. The book also does not cover macro writing using Visual Basic for Applications, which is new to WordPerfect and still not adequately implemented as of Service Pack 2. It does, however, cover macro writing with PerfectScript, the traditional WordPerfect scripting language.

If you just want to learn to install WordPerfect and write a few letters, you might look elsewhere for a tutorial. But if your goals include becoming an expert in WordPerfect 9, the anchor component of the integrated WordPerfect Office 2000 suite, this book will help you achieve that goal.

You probably will not read this book in bed; it's best kept beside your computer where you can try out the techniques.

Paul E. Merrell, Links Administrator, WordPerfect Universe,

I love the book. I have worked in "office" services for 15 years and I have to say that my coworkers and associates are in for a treat. I love the projects and tips. I think the thing that most impresses me is I really do hear a recognizable voice. Someone who knows their stuff well enough to see some fun in doing it.

This book is one that I would take to the office (or maybe not - then people would think that I was the genius) and recommend to others.

I enjoyed the book and found it very informative.

BTW - what is that (flyleaf?). The color pages at the begining of the book and can you make more featuring other office functions i.e. Order, Invoicing, and Accts Rec and tie it all together as you did with the Job Search? I loved that!

This is a great book cover to cover. For the admin who has never participated in an Active Directory roll out this book is a must have. The chapters quickly familiarize you the most powerful aspects of Active Directory without much repetitiveness. This is an excellent book for those wanting an overview or for a beginner with Active Directory. Well worth the purchase price.

Hudson and Fullerton definately come through in their presentation of Active Directory! Their clear and concise approach, drawing from their experience in training and consulting shines through! I am in the process of upgrading the network where I now work from Windows NT and this book is an invaluable resource!

The authors have done a very good jobs of explaining several complex matters. More importantly, the authors have clearly shown that they have trenmendous amount of real-world experiece. It's good to know that we still have some authors like that instead of too many professional writers, who have no real world experience and who just paraphase what M$ says about their product on the online help.

Thanks.

Tam T. Nguyen, MCSE

Special Edition Using Microsoft Active Directory provides the network administrator with complete, authoritative, "user friendly", in-depth coverage of the newest directory service from Microsoft. Sean Fullerton and James Hudson use their extensive previous training and administration experiences to expertly explain how to design, implement, and troubleshoot using the new directory service "Active Directory". Special Edition Using Microsoft Active Directory is very highly recommended for users ranging from Beginner to Advanced levels of experience. 554pp.

This book is very helpful if you are planning a Windows 2000 Active Directory design or already have one and need to get the most out of your AD. The authors have organized the book very well making it easy to find the information you need. The book is very useful as a quick reference. Additionally, material is presented in a logical order making it easily readable cover-to-cover if you need a comprehesive understanding of AD.

The authors stress the importance of a solid DNS design and drive home the point just how critical DNS is for good AD operation. There is a good description of forests, trees, and domains as well as much helpful information on planning sites and site replication. The book also goes into detail on printers and scripting.

I found the book very useful for setting up and administering different features of Windows 2000 such as group policy. There are good chapters on Group Policy Architecture and Managing Group Policy.

As an MCSE+Internet certified analyst assigned to the AD design team for a Fortune 500 company, I highly recommend this book. It makes a good operational reference for your bookshelf. Although not geared specifically for Windows 2000 certification tests, it is worth reading if you are preparing for the exams.

I agree with everything Robert Nogale wrote in his review prior to mine, but after purchasing this book based on it, wanted to add a little something.

When I bought this book, I also purchased 'Using Word 2000'. From my personal experience, the "Using" series published by Que are good enough to use as replacements for the worthless books that are sold for use in college courses, and hold no value afterwards. I acutally aced all of the classes I took in the subjects that they publish the 'Using' series in, which speaks well of them. My teachers were skeptical at first, but were also impressed afterward. They had provided me with far MORE information than the courses they gave taught and were 'savers' for use later on. I now have an extensive library of Que books to reference.

Both of these books are advertised as coming with CD-ROM's, which is the best idea I've ever seen. To be able to carry around a CD with you is much easier than packing a 900 page book! What I have come to watch for when it comes to these CD's however, is content. They are only so wonderful if they contain the entire contents of the book that they come with, which is readable in .PFD format. All you need is Acrobat Reader, and you are set...

While 'Using Word 2000' delivered on this promise, 'Using Windows ME' did not. It does come with some very nice software, however. My only complaint was that the book was not provided on CD for reading while I'm on the road with my notebook computer.

The author Ed Bott is a very knowledgable man who has written an excellent book. I would not want to detract from this fact with my review. I would buy this book again, but wish for others also buying it to be aware of the slight disappointment I had. Que publishers do stand behind their books 100% and you cannot go wrong with that!

In Special Edition Using Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition, computer expert Ed Bott zeroes in on topics, tools, and techniques that help intermediate to advanced Windows users become more productive with their PCs. This edition covers the most important new technologies in this Windows upgrade for consumers, including MP3 audio, cable modems, home networking, scanners and digital cameras, and system utilities. It also covers crucial Internet issues, from security options to email management. Hundreds of from-the-trenches tips and tidbits of advice will help the SE reader master the intricacies (and oddities) of Windows Millennium. User Level: Intermediate-Advanced, 880pp.

I found this book to be adequate. However, due to constant networking glitches, I finally upgraded to XP. I'd give the book 5 stars, but it was not as thorough as it could have been on Internet Connection Sharing and Network troubleshooting.

I wish I had this book when I first purchased my computer in 2000. Having this book would have saved me a lot of tech/software calls. I have purchased other books, only to line the garbage with them. Anyone wishing to have backup support for Windows ME should purchase this book.
dg

Recently I sat down on a barnes and noble bookstore and tried to decide which was the best windows me book to buy. Although I know my way about Windows (and Linux if you must know the truth), I was discovering a lot of situations with Win ME where I needed more detailed information. I didn't necessarily want one of those tomes with lots of information; I really wanted a more detailed overview of how behavior in Windows ME differs from previous versions of Windows OS. I also wanted to extend ME into a home networking environment.

One problem with many of the Windows ME books is that they are cluttered with legacy information about ISA cards, making cosmetic changes to the desktop, Outlook Express, and net meeting (none of which interests me). What I wanted to know was about USB ports and hardware detection, managing multiple users, setting up a home network, multiple profiles and dual booting with Linux, the ins and outs of system restore, power management troubleshooting, stuff about partitioning and ME boot disks, basic troubleshooting for Direct X games, new hardware support and switches for custom installing ME.

Another problem with many Windows books is that they are stuffed with screenshots and little explanation. Often the bigger books mainly consist of screenshots and a description of the steps, rather than explaining why.

Anyway, the book I ended up buying was Special Edition Using Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (with CD-ROM) by Ed Bott. It was rather large and full of a good bit of extraneous parts, but this book covered all these advanced topics relatively well. Also, each chapter ends with excellent blue troubleshooting pages. The documentation and layout is easy to read and logical and full of "information chunks." It's clear that the author is not simply recycling information from his Win 95 or 98 book.

The next book I almost bought was the extremely readable The Unauthorized Guide to Windows Millennium by Paul McFedries. It was a smaller book than the Special Edition book and extremely readable. They covered many interesting topics about how to extend ME, while not dwelling on technicalities unlikely to interest the current batch of users. I liked the networking section, but was surprised that the book talked mainly about power management as it relates to notebooks and not about desktops.

Another very excellent (and big) book was Microsoft Windows Me Millennium Edition Secrets by Brian Livingston and Davis Straub. I think Livingston writes a weekly column on Windows tips, and I found a lot of useful information and tips in this book. The only problem was some of the material seemed dated and from a previous book. And there was an awful lot about Outlook Express, Net Meeting and Internet Explorer, as well as configuring the desktop. The book also contained good information about networking, but I found that the Que Special Edition mentioned above contained less irrelevant material, less screenshots but more useful information. If you want a reference (i.e. a big book), this wouldn't be a bad choice at all. I didn't find the writing for my topics of interest to be particularly helpful or full of depth. Still, a great book.

I also considered Alan Simpson's humongous Microsoft Windows Me Bible, which also wasn't a bad book. Still, I thought there was a lot of filler here. I would have preferred that the author remove chapters on less crucial features that relate more to 98 than to ME. Also, I didn't find it that readable.

Other books I considered were Windows Millennium: The Missing Manual (published by Oreilley). Of course Oreilley books are tops, but this book didn't seem especially noteworthy, and this book went to the other extreme by including very few screenshots. This book is a smaller book and didn't contain enough topics to help me out.

I checked out some more beginner books, including Dan Gookin Teaches Windows Me (The Author Teaches Series)and Mastering Windows Me by Robert Cowart. Not bad, basically a good book for screenshots, but nothing remarkable.

So that's what I gathered in an hour of browsing through ME books. None of these books are bad, and most are quite good, and lord only knows if my opinions would have changed had I read more chapters. But I should say that I have kept the Special Edition book at my side and referred to it quite often and been pleased to find almost everything I was looking for and more. The only lament is that it's more of a reference and less of a "start-to-finish" book, but the binding of this big book is pretty strong, so you may get around to bringing it to the beach some day. Some day.