Windows XP in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition

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A Desktop Quick Reference

By David A. Karp, Tim O'Reilly, Troy Mott

Publisher: O'Reilly Media

Released: January 2005

Pages: 686

Windows XP in a Nutshell, Second Edition documents everything there is to know about the world's most widely used operating system. Updated to include information on Service Pack 2 (SP2), this compact guide is the ultimate resource for IT professionals and Windows XP power users everywhere.

Written in O'Reilly's time-tested in a Nutshell format, Windows XP in a Nutshell, Second Edition cuts through the hype and delivers practical details in a no-nonsense manner. At the heart of the book is an invaluable 200-plus-page section titled Windows XP Application and Tools. In it, readers will find:

A list of available commands and utilities, including Start Menu accessories, command prompt tools, and hidden system administration utilities
A Task and Setting Index for quick access to hundreds of XP settings
A complete reference to XP's command prompt, including advanced commands and scripting features

Windows XP in a Nutshell, Second Edition also includes a primer on files, folders, and windows; control panels and built-in applications; how to set up a PC for Internet use; and the standard Windows rituals of troubleshooting, installation, and upgrading.

And, of course, this greatly expanded second edition also includes all the need-to-know details about the security technologies featured in SP 2, so you can better defend yourself against viruses, worms, and hackers. Readers even receive guidelines and instructions for installing SP2 on their PC, or across a network of computers.

With its wealth of tips, careful instruction, and expert advice, this must-have desktop reference is dedicated to making your time at the computer safer, easier, and more fun.

The Big Picture
1. Chapter 1 The Lay of the Land
  1. The Big Picture
  2. What’s New in Windows XP
  3. Windows XP Home and Professional Editions
  4. Windows Update
  5. Windows Service Packs
2. Chapter 2 Using Windows XP
  1. The Desktop
  2. Point-and-Click Operations
  3. Starting Up Applications
  4. Styles and Consequences of Styles
  5. Windows and Menus
  6. Keyboard Accelerators
  7. Common Controls
  8. Files, Folders, and Disks
  9. The Command Line
  10. Online Help
  11. Shutting Down
Alphabetical Reference
1. Chapter 3 The User Interface
2. Chapter 4 Windows XP Applications and Tools
  1. Using the Command Prompt
  2. Alphabetical Reference to Windows Components
3. Chapter 5 Task and Setting Index
4. Chapter 6 The Command Prompt
  1. Using the Command Line
  2. Command Prompt Choices
  3. Wildcards, Pipes, and Redirection
  4. Alphabetical Reference to DOS Commands
  5. MS-DOS Batch Files
Advanced Topics
1. Chapter 7 Networking
  1. Networking Terminology
  2. General Procedures
2. Chapter 8 The Registry
  1. What’s in the Registry
  2. Adding and Deleting Registry Keys and Values
  3. Organization of the Registry
  4. Hives
  5. Backing Up the Registry
  6. Exporting and Importing Registry Data with Patches
  7. Ten Cool Things You Can Do in Your Registry
3. Chapter 9 The Windows Script Host
  1. What Is WSH?
  2. Additional Resources
  3. Executing Scripts
  4. Creating a Script
  5. VBScript
  6. Object Model
  7. Wscript Object
  8. Shell Object
  9. Registry Routines
  10. Shortcuts
  11. Popup
  12. Network Object
  13. Network Printer-Related Functions
  14. FileSystem Object
  15. TextStream Object
  16. Object Browser
  17. Database Example
  18. Messaging
Appendixes
1. Appendix Installing Windows XP
  1. Installation on a New (Clean) System
2. Appendix Migrating to Windows XP
  1. Before Upgrading to Windows XP
3. Appendix Keyboard Shortcuts
  1. Keyboard Accelerators Listed by Key
  2. Keyboard Accelerators Listed by Function
4. Appendix Power Toys and TweakUI
  1. Inside TweakUI
5. Appendix Keyboard Equivalents for Symbols and International Characters
6. Appendix Common Filename Extensions
7. Appendix Services
8. Appendix Service Packs
  1. Before You Install
  2. Getting Service Packs
  3. Installing a Service Pack
  4. Key Features in Service Pack 1
  5. Key Features in Service Pack 2

Colophon

Title:

Windows XP in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition

By:

David A. Karp, Tim O'Reilly, Troy Mott

Publisher:

O'Reilly Media

Formats:

Print
Safari Books Online

Print:

January 2005

Pages:

686

Print ISBN:

978-0-596-00900-7

| ISBN 10:

0-596-00900-3

David A. Karp

David A. Karp is the author of the bestselling Windows Annoyances series of books and the founder of Annoyances.org. He writes for PC Magazine and his latest books include eBay Hacks and the upcoming eBay: The Missing Manual.

View David A. Karp's full profile page.
Tim O'Reilly

Tim O'Reilly is the founder and CEO of O'Reilly Media, Inc., thought by many to be the best computer book publisher in the world. O'Reilly Media also hosts conferences on technology topics, including the Web 2.0 Summit, the Web 2.0 Expo, the O'Reilly Open Source Convention, and the O'Reilly Emerging Technology Conference. Tim's blog, the O'Reilly Radar, "watches the alpha geeks" to determine emerging technology trends, and serves as a platform for advocacy about issues of importance to the technical community. Tim is an activist for open source and open standards, and an opponent of software patents and other incursions of new intellectual property laws into the public domain. Tim's long-term vision for his company is to change the world by spreading the knowledge of innovators. For everything Tim, see tim.oreilly.com.

View Tim O'Reilly's full profile page.
Troy Mott

Troy Mott is the president of Backstop Media, providing services for customized technical content delivery. He has a passion for editing and working with authors to create high-quality content. When he isn't staring at a computer screen, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Lisa, and their two children, Luke and Emma.

View Troy Mott's full profile page.

Colophon

Our look is the result of reader comments, our own experimentation, and feedback from distribution channels. Distinctive covers complement our distinctive approach to technical topics, breathing personality and life into potentially dry subjects. The animal on the cover of Windows XP in a Nutshell, Second Edition, is a climbing frog. There are more than 2,600 species of frogs and toads. The general differences between frogs and toads are that frogs jump (toads tend to walk), depend more on access to water, and are slimy (as opposed to dry and warty).

Frogs range in size from less than half an inch to almost a foot in length. Frogs are able to survive in diverse surroundings, including water, semi-deserts, and mountains. However, they are not able to survive in salt water and the iciest and driest climates. Frogs metamorphosize from swimming tadpole larvae to their adult form; tadpoles are more vulnerable to predation than are adults. Adult frogs rely on various methods of defense, including flight, poison, and many patterns and colors of camouflage. Frogs breathe and absorb water through their skin, which is shed periodically. Most are nocturnal or twilight animals, and rely more on their sense of vision and smell than hearing. Many species hibernate through the winter months. Despite fairy-tale claims, it has not yet been proven that frog-kissing produces princes.

The global frog population has been declining at unprecedented rates in recent years, causing speculation about the overall health of the biosystems from which they are disappearing. Mary Brady was the production editor for Windows XP in a Nutshell, Second Edition. Adam Witwer was the proofreader. Emily Quill and Claire Cloutier provided quality control. Ellen Troutman-Zaig wrote the index.

Hanna Dyer designed the cover of this book, based on a series design by Edie Freedman. The cover image is a 19th-century engraving from the Dover Pictorial Archive. Emma Colby produced the cover layout with QuarkXPress 4.1using Adobe's ITC Garamond font.

Melanie Wang designed the interior layout, based on a series design by David Futato. This book was converted by Julie Hawks to FrameMaker 5.5.6 with a format conversion tool created by Erik Ray, Jason McIntosh, Neil Walls, and Mike Sierra that uses Perl and XML technologies. The text font is Linotype Birka; the heading font is Adobe Myriad Condensed; and the code font is LucasFont's TheSans Mono Condensed. The illustrations that appear in the book were produced by Robert Romano and Jessamyn Read using Macromedia FreeHand 9 and Adobe Photoshop 6. The tip and warning icons were drawn by Christopher Bing. This colophon was written by Nancy Kotary and Ann Schirmer.

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