by MS
Windows Vista Administrator's Pocket Consultant
by William R. Stanek
Microsoft Press © 2007 (567 pages)
ISBN:9780735622968
Offering core support and maintenance tasks using quick-reference tables, instructions, and lists, this book delivers immediate answers for the day-to-day administration of Windows Vista.
Table of Contents
Windows Vista Administrator's Pocket Consultant
Introduction
Chapter 1
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Introduction to Windows Vista Administration
Chapter 2
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Managing Windows Vista Systems
Chapter 3
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Configuring Systems, Hardware Devices, and Drivers
Chapter 4
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Customizing the Desktop and the Interface
Chapter 5
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Installing and Maintaining Programs
Chapter 6
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Managing User Access and Security
Chapter 7
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Managing Laptops and Traveling Users
Chapter 8
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Configuring User and Computer Policies
Chapter 9
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Managing Disk Drives and File Systems
Chapter 10
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Managing File Security and Resource Sharing
Chapter 11
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Configuring Advanced Windows Explorer Options, Offline Files, and Disk Quotas
Chapter 12
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Configuring and Troubleshooting TCP/IP Networking
Chapter 13
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Managing Mobile Networking and Remote Access
Chapter 14
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Managing Advanced Internet Options and Security
Chapter 15
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Optimizing Windows Vista
Chapter 16
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Supporting and Troubleshooting Windows Vista
Index
List of Figures
List of Tables
List of Listings
Windows Vista Administrator's Pocket Consultant
by William R. Stanek
Microsoft Press © 2007 (567 pages)
ISBN:9780735622968
Offering core support and maintenance tasks using quick-reference tables, instructions, and lists, this book delivers immediate answers for the day-to-day administration of Windows Vista.
Back Cover
Portable and precise, this pocket-sized guide delivers immediate answers for the day-to-day administration of Windows Vista. Zero in on core support and maintenance tasks using quick-reference tables, instructions, and lists. You’ll get the precise information you need to solve problems and get the job done—whether you’re at your desk or in the field!
Get fast facts to:
Install and configure Windows Vista—and optimize the user workspace
Maintain operating system components, hardware devices, and drivers
Create user and group accounts—and control rights and permissions
Administer group policy settings
Manage files, folders, disk quotas, and shadow copies
Set up and configure TCP/IP and mobile networking
Configure security and privacy settings in Windows Internet Explorer
Administer mobile PC settings with the new Windows Mobility Center
Troubleshoot system issues and optimize performance
About the Author
William R. Stanek has over 20 years of hands-on experience with advanced programming and development. He is a leading technology expert, an award-winning author, and a pretty-darngood instructional trainer. Over the years, his practical advice has helped millions of programmers, developers, and network engineers all over the world. He has written over 25 computer books. Current or forthcoming books include Microsoft Windows Command-Line Administrator's Pocket Consultant, Windows Vista Administrator's Pocket Consultant, Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Administrator's Pocket Consultant, Second Edition, and Windows Server 2003 Inside Out.
Mr. Stanek has been involved in the commercial Internet community since 1991. His core business and technology experience comes from over 11 years of military service. He has substantial experience in developing server technology, encryption, and Internet solutions. He has written many technical white papers and training courses on a wide variety of topics. He frequently serves as a subject matter expert and consultant.
Mr. Stanek has an MS with distinction in information systems and a BS magna cum laude in computer science. He is proud to have served in the Persian Gulf War as a combat crewmember on an electronic warfare aircraft. He flew on numerous combat missions into Iraq and was awarded nine medals for his wartime service, including one of the United States of America's highest flying honors, the Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross.
Windows Vista Administrator's Pocket Consultant
William R. Stanek
Microsoft®
Published by
Microsoft Press
A Division of Microsoft Corporation
One Microsoft Way
Redmond, Washington 98052-6399
978-0-7356-2296-8
© 2007 William Stanek
All rights reserved. No part of the contents of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the publisher.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2006934393
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Distributed in Canada by H.B. Fenn and Company Ltd.
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This book expresses the author's views and opinions. The information contained in this book is provided without any express, statutory, or implied warranties. Neither the authors, Microsoft Corporation, nor its resellers, or distributors will be held liable for any damages caused or alleged to be caused either directly or indirectly by this book.
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Developmental Editor: Jenny Moss Benson
Project Editor: Maria Gargiulo
Technical Editor: Ben Smith
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Indexer: Jeanne Busemeyer
Body Part No. X13-23788
About the Author
William R. Stanek (http://www.williamstanek.com/) has over 20 years of hands-on experience with advanced programming and development. He is a leading technology expert, an award-winning author, and a pretty-darngood instructional trainer.
Over the years, his practical advice has helped millions of programmers, developers, and network engineers all over the world. He has written over 25 computer books. Current or forthcoming books include Microsoft Windows Command-Line Administrator's Pocket Consultant, Windows Vista Administrator's Pocket Consultant, Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Administrator's Pocket Consultant, Second Edition, and Windows Server 2003 Inside Out.
Mr. Stanek has been involved in the commercial Internet community since 1991. His core business and technology experience comes from over 11 years of military service. He has substantial experience in developing server technology, encryption, and Internet solutions. He has written many technical white papers and training courses on a wide variety of topics. He frequently serves as a subject matter expert and consultant.
Mr. Stanek has an MS with distinction in information systems and a BS magna cum laude in computer science. He is proud to have served in the Persian Gulf War as a combat crewmember on an electronic warfare aircraft. He flew on numerous combat missions into Iraq and was awarded nine medals for his wartime service, including one of the United States of America's highest flying honors, the Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross. Currently, he resides in the Pacific Northwest with his wife and children.
Acknowledgments
Writing Windows Vista Administrator's Pocket Consultant was a lot of fun—and a lot of work. As I set out to write this book, my first goal was to determine what had changed between Windows XP and Windows Vista and what new administration options were available. With any new operating system, and especially with Windows Vista, this meant a great deal of research to determine exactly how things work and a lot of digging into the operating system internals. Thankfully, I'd already written a book introducing Windows Vista and its new features, so I had a point of reference for my research, but not necessarily a complete one.
When you start working with Windows Vista, you'll see at once that this operating system is different from earlier releases of Windows. On the desktop, you'll see the fancy interfaces featuring Aeroglass and the cool new bells and whistles like the sidebar gadgets. In the Control Panel, you'll see the increased focus on centralized management and configuration. What won't be readily apparent, however, is just how different Windows Vista is from its predecessors—and that's because many of the most significant changes to the operating system are under the surface. These changes affect the underlying architecture and not just the interfaces—and these changes were some of the hardest for me to research and write about.
As Pocket Consultants are meant to be portable and readable—the kind of book you use to solve problems and get the job done wherever you might be—I had to carefully review my research to make sure I focused on the core of Windows Vista administration. The result is the book you hold in your hands, which I hope you'll agree is one of the best practical, portable guides to Windows Vista.
It is gratifying to see techniques I've used time and again to solve problems put into a printed book so that others may benefit from them. But no man is an island and this book couldn't have been written without help from some very special people. As I've stated in all my previous books with Microsoft Press, the team at Microsoft Press is top-notch. Throughout the writing process, Maria Gargiulo was instrumental in helping me stay on track and getting the tools I needed to write this book. Maria did a first rate job managing the editorial process. Thanks also to Martin DelRe for believing in my work and shepherding it through production.
Unfortunately for the writer (but fortunately for readers), writing is only one part of the publishing process. Next came editing and author review. I must say, Microsoft Press has the most thorough editorial and technical review process I've seen anywhere—and I've written a lot of books for many different publishers. Ben Smith was the technical editor for the book. It was a great pleasure working with Ben. He watched the technical details very carefully and was always ready to help out if needed. Two additional reviewers, Kai Axford and Shawn Rabourn, focused on security issues and technologies, and provided helpful feedback throughout the review process. Thank you, Kai and Shawn.
Last but not least, I want to thank my agents at Studio B: David Rogelberg and Neil Salkind. It has been a pleasure having you as my non-fiction agents over the past decade—hard to believe it's already been 10 years.
Hopefully, I haven't forgotten anyone but if I have, it was an oversight. Honest. ;-)
Introduction
Windows Vista Administrator's Pocket Consultant is designed to be a concise and compulsively usable resource for Microsoft Windows Vista administrators. This is the readable resource guide that you'll want on your desk at all times. The book covers everything you need to perform the core administrative tasks for computers running Windows Vista.
Because the focus is on giving you maximum value in a pocket-sized guide, you don't have to wade through hundreds of pages of extraneous information to find what you're looking for. Instead, you'll find exactly what you need to get the job done. In short, the book is designed to be the one resource you turn to whenever you have questions regarding Windows Vista administration. To this end, the book zeroes in on daily administration procedures, frequently used tasks, documented examples, and options that are representative while not necessarily inclusive.
One of the goals is to keep the content so concise that the book remains compact and easy to navigate while at the same time ensuring that the book is packed with as much information as possible—making it a valuable resource. Thus, instead of a hefty 1,000-page tome or a lightweight 100-page quick reference, you get a valuable resource guide that can help you quickly and easily perform common tasks, solve problems, and implement everyday solutions for systems and users.
Who Is This Book For?
Windows Vista Administrator's Pocket Consultant is designed for
Current Windows system administrators
Accomplished users who have some administrator responsibilities
Administrators upgrading to Windows Vista from earlier Windows releases
Administrators transferring from other platforms
To pack in as much information as possible, I had to assume that you have basic networking skills and a basic understanding of Windows operating systems. With this in mind, I don't devote entire chapters to understanding Windows basics, Windows architecture, or Windows networks. I do, however, cover desktop customization, mobile networking, TCP/IP configuration, user profiles, system optimization, and troubleshooting.
I also assume that you are fairly familiar with Windows commands and procedures as well as the basics of navigating the Windows user interface. If you need help learning Windows basics, you should read the Windows Vista documentation.
How Is This Book Organized?
Windows Vista Administrator's Pocket Consultant is designed to be used in daily administration, and as such, the book is organized by job-related tasks rather than by Windows Vista features. The books in the Pocket Consultant series are down-and-dirty, in the-trenches books.
Speed and ease of reference is an essential part of this hands-on guide. The book has an expanded table of contents and an extensive index for finding answers to problems quickly. Many other quick reference features have been added as well. These features include step-by-step instructions, lists, tables with fast facts, and extensive cross-references.
Chapters 1 through 5 cover the fundamental tasks you need for Windows Vista administration. Chapter 1 introduces key administration tools, techniques, and concepts. Chapter 2 covers customizing system and environment settings. Chapter 3 explores hardware and device management. Chapter 4 focuses on customizing the Windows desktop. Chapter 5 discusses how to install, manage, and maintain programs.
Chapters 6 through 11 focus on the essential tasks for managing access, permissions, and more. Chapter 6 discusses techniques you can use to manage user access to systems and configure global settings. Chapter 7 zeroes in on administration issues that are specific to laptops and traveling
users. The chapter details considerations you should make when configuring laptops, such as power management, hardware profiles, and networking. Group Policy is the subject of Chapter 8. In this chapter, you'll find extensive lists that tell you exactly what policies you should use to manage permissions, rights, and capabilities. Chapter 9 discusses partitioning, monitoring, and optimizing drives. The chapter also details file compression and encryption. Chapter 10 covers working with files and folders with a particular focus on security. Chapter 11 discusses additional file and folder options including offline files, shadow copies, and disk quotas.
Chapters 12 through 16 zero in on networking, optimization, and security techniques and tasks. Networking is the subject of Chapter 12, which examines local area network settings. You'll find a complete discussion of installing and configuring TCP/IP networking. The chapter also covers troubleshooting networking and provides steps for performing detailed network diagnostics. Chapter 13 moves from corporate network environments to mobile environments, examining dial-up networking, wireless client connections, and remote access with virtual private networks (VPNs). Chapter 14 explains how to configure advanced Internet options and security, such as default applications, trusted sites, and security zones. You'll also learn how to customize Internet security settings through Group Policy. In Chapter 15, you'll learn how to improve system performance, optimize drives, and enhance data security. In Chapter 16, you'll learn how to use Remote Assistance to remotely troubleshoot problems with devices, applications, and the Windows operating system itself. You'll also learn how to troubleshoot problems with startup and shutdown and how to back up and recover a computer. Hopefully, after reading these chapters, you'll be able to improve the overall experience of your users and reduce downtime.