Windows Vista Annoyances Tips, Secrets, and Hacks for the Cranky Consumer
O’Reilly Media, Inc.
By David A. Karp
ISBN 10: 0-596-52762-4
ISBN 13: 9780596527624
Pages: 664
First Edition December 2007

Windows Vista may be the next big thing, but it still contains enough quirks and unaccountable behaviors to vex anyone.
This unique guide not only discusses the most irritating features of the latest Microsoft operating system and how to get around them, but also explains how to improve Windows and do more with the software than Microsoft intended.
You'll find information on setup, installation, upgrade from other Windows versions, the revamped interface, new security features, user accounts, troubleshooting, and the markedly improved Internet Explorer 7.

Other chapters cover a wide range of key topics:
* Media Center - tips on photos, videos, music, TV tuners, HD, and the media center engine
* The Registry - explains the background and tools for working with Windows' database of settings
* Tinkering Techniques - offers hacking-style customization and problem-solving topics
* Networking and Wireless - includes LAN setup, WiFi sniffers and access points, connection sharing, firewalls, routers, and FTP
* Scripting and Automation - introduces simple programming using the Windows Scripting Host for automating repetitive tasks

No other book takes our patented cranky, solutions-oriented approach.
Our collection of tips, tools and techniques will improve your experience with Windows Vista, so you can control the OS -- rather than the other way around.

Table of Contents

1. Get Started with Windows Vista. . 1
2. Shell Tweaks. . 22
3. The Registry. . 83
4. Working with Media. . 148
5. Performance. . 204
6. Troubleshooting . . 274
7. Networking and Internet. . 341
8. Users and Security. . 457
9. Scripting and Automation . . 512
A. BIOS Settings . . 575
B. TCP/IP Ports. . 585
Index. . 589

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Networking with Microsoft Windows Vista
Your Guide to Easy and Secure Windows Vista Networking
Published Dec 19, 2007 by Que.
By Paul McFedries
Pages: 552 {pdf}
Edition: 1st.
ISBN-10: 0-7897-3777-9
ISBN-13: 978-0-7897-3777-9

Your Guide to Easy and Secure Windows Vista Networking is a complete beginner’s guide to creating, configuring, administering, and using a small network using Windows Vista computers. Inside you’ll find comprehensive coverage of networking hardware, including Ethernet (wired) hardware (from NICs to cables to switches to routers) and wireless Hardware--from wireless NICs to access points to range extenders.

We include handy “buyer’s guides” that tell you how to make smart choices when purchasing network hardware.
With hardware in hand, we then show you how to roll up your shirtsleeves and put everything together, including configuring a router, laying cable, and connecting the devices.
Next, we then show you how to wrangle with Windows Vista’s networking features.
These techniques include using the Network and Sharing Center, managing wired and wireless connections, accessing shared network resources, sharing local resources on the network, and working with network files offline.
And if you are a music and video aficionado, we’ve got you covered with a special chapter that shows you just how to set up a networked Vista PC as your digital media hub!

No networking book would be complete without extensive coverage of security issues that affect anyone connected to the Internet.
We show you how to secure each computer, secure your global networking settings, and batten down your wireless connections.
The last part of the book includes intermediate networking tasks such as making remote connections, monitoring the network, troubleshooting network problems, and setting up Vista’s built-in web server and FTP server.
* No longer is networking a topic that only geeks need to understand.

* If you have even one computer on the Internet or if you use wireless in your home or office, you need this book!

* Extensive hardware coverage that shows you what equipment to buy and how to set it up!

* Easy to follow buyer’s guides that enable anyone to make smart and informed choices when purchasing networking hardware.

* Complete and comprehensive coverage of Windows Vista’s networking features.* Thwart hackers, crackers, thieves and other Internet malefactors by following our easy to understand chapters on security!

* Loaded with tips, tricks, and shortcuts to make networking easier and more secure.* Chock full of real-world examples and network configurations that you can put to work today!

Networking with Microsoft®Windows Vista™
Table of Contents
Introducion. .1
How This Book Is Organized. .3
Part I: Networking Hardware for Windows Vista. .3
Part II: Managing and Using Your Network. .3
Part III: Securing Your Network. .4
Part IV: Advanced Networking with Windows Vista. .4
Conventions Used in This Book. .4

Part I: Networking Hardware for Windows Vista 7

 

1 Understanding Ethernet Networking . .9
What Is Ethernet?. .10
10BASE-T. .12
100BASE-T (Fast Ethernet). .12
1000BASE-T (Gigabit Ethernet). .13
Beyond Gigabit Ethernet. .13
Understanding Network Interface Cards. .13
Understanding Network Cables. .18
Twisted-Pair Cable. .18
Crossover Cable. .20
Understanding Switches. .22
Understanding Routers. .24
Understanding IP Addresses. .25
The Router and Dynamic IP Addressing. .26
The Router as Firewall. .27
The Router as Switch. .28
Understanding Other Ethernet Devices. .30
Network Attached Storage. .30
Print Server. .31
Digital Media Receiver. .32
Powerline Adapter. .32
A Buyer’s Guide to Ethernet Hardware. .32
Purchasing a NIC. .33
Purchasing Cables. .34
Purchasing a Switch. .35
Purchasing a Router . .36
From Here. .37
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