Microsoft Windows 7 Unleashed

Before writing my own review, I was very surprised that this book didn't carry a 4+ star overall rating -- it's at least a 4-star book, but only for the right audience. If you are a casual user of Windows -- if you're NOT a "power user" who is interesting in lots of user interface customizations, and if you aren't interested in saving keystrokes or mouse clicks anywhere you can -- then this books wasn't written for you. If you are a casual user who wants more breadth and less depth on Windows 7, I enjoyed reading  Windows 7 Secrets , a new book by Paul Thurrott. Both "Windows 7 Secrets" and "Windows 7 Unleashed" are listed on the back cover with a "User Level: Intermediate-Advanced". This book targets that audience, whereas "Windows 7 Secrets" is more for casual Windows enthusiasts who want to learn not only something about Windows 7, but also complimentary technologies such as Windows Home Server and Zune.Since this review is for this book -- Windows 7 Unleashed -- I'd expect that you are truly an advanced Windows user (or an aspiring advanced Windows user). You don't need introductions, you don't need lots of transitional comparisons to Vista and XP (there are some, but they're limited). Instead, you want a single volume that covers the depth of Windows 7 alone.I liked the author's perspective -- maximizing every performance point possible with Windows 7 -- even though I'm not ardently trying to do that. For me, I wanted to have a book that I could refer to if, say, I needed to know something more about User Access Control or group policies or tuning Windows 7. Yeah, I could hunt the web for that stuff, but I like a single, bound, book with all that info contained in one volume. Then, when I hit the web, I'm looking for something even beyond what the book has.The author's writing style is straightforward -- very little fluff, very little humor. His passion is to save a mouse click here or there, cut seconds off performance delays, and customize everything to make your Windows 7 installation a truly hand-in-glove experience. I think he succeeds, but I don't have the inclination to that good of a hand-in-glove fit.His coverage of Windows 7 is excellent, except on Windows Aero and the new Libraries concept. There are several cool, productive tricks to Aero that I didn't see covered (and "Aero" wasn't in the index), and neither is "Libraries" covered in the book or index (a big omission which I presume will be corrected in a later edition of this book -- I'm reviewing the book covering Windows 7 Release Candidate). Other than those two glaring omissions, he explains things about the Windows Registry I didn't know, even though I've dabbled editing the Registry for years. He does a great job overviewing security, including IE8. He's got a step-by-step troubleshooting section, covering system restore and lots more.Although he does mark "New in 7" those features that are new in Windows 7, I would have preferred that he would have done more comparisons and constrasts to both Vista and XP. That wasn't the style he chose, though, so don't expect him to tell you, "This feature has been around since XP" -- he's telling you what's in Windows 7 right now, not where that feature was first introduced in the Windows family. That may be something to consider if you want a book that makes those comparisons and constrasts to older versions of Windows. Because of the poor Aero and Libraries treatment, I'm giving this book only 4 stars instead of 5.He's got great appendices! Windows 7 Keyboard Shortcuts and a wonderful explanation on "Understanding TCP/IP".In short, I think any 1, 2 or 3 star reviews for this book probably come from people who incorrectly thought this book was targeted to their casual computing needs. It's not for the casual user. It's for a power user. For Windows power users out there, if you want a book that covers the depths of the Windows 7 operating system, this is an excellent choice. That said, if you already have a similar book covering Windows Vista, you may not really need this book, since fundamentally not much has changed between Windows Vista and Windows 7, and key parts that are new -- particularly the way Windows 7 implements virtual libraries -- isn't covered at all.

Probably the best book I've seen out there on really comprehending Windows 7; it goes into much greater technical detail than all the other overly simplistic books I've seen.

This book has lots of good information about Windows 7, but does not cover the 70-680 exam objectives very well. The author starts out saying what's wrong with Windows 7 and how he would fix it. This book has some good information about customizing Windows 7 to suit your own needs. It gets into some very good information about configuring startup settings and the Registry. I will keep this book as a good desk reference, but I'm using other materials to study for the 70-680. Unlike other Microsoft study materials, the information in this book is actually useful.

As a book required for my evening class I wanted to get a kindle copy as well as the book for home use. Content wise the writer really attempted to take a dry technical read and apply real world scenarios to the modification options. It also appears that he tries to take a non pro windows stance to his work but as you work thru the chapters you start to lose that feel. 5 stars for the fact that the digital copy has been spot on with the book thus far and has dropped the weight of my Kelty bag.

Well written book. Much good information, however it just seems to alck that 'something' which would make it special. I fear that I will need another source to polish my Win 7 skills, especially since I skipped Vista. I do feel that it is targeted for too broad of an audience (from newbies to experienced users) and fails to a degree on aiding both groups

This book provides a single source option for many tips/tricks on getting the most out of Windows 7. I'm sure this book has saved me a ton of time - both in searching for specific information and by leveraging tips in the book to speed up everyday tasks. The book is easily understood, logically laid out, and well indexed.

Looks great sitting on my shelf while I use Google to search for IT issues like everyone else in the world.

If you are going to buy one book on Windows 7, make it this one. Unless, that is, you are an absolute beginner. This book is just under 800 pages and not needed if most of what you are doing is surfing and email.

This is an excellent publication, aimed squarely at folks who are already familiar with the basics and more mundane features of Windows - past and present. It is very thorough and comprehensive in its approach - nearly 800 pages. I especially liked the chapters on security and networking (particularly arcane subjects!), and the numerous 'hints and tips' coded scripts can be downloaded from Paul McFedries website as a zip file, a great timesaver. Inidentally, many of the comments also relate to Windows Vista, which is an added bonus for those still running that O.S.The other aspect that I liked, is that the diagrams are concise and to the point, not overly large or colourful or taking up valuable 'real-estate'. Some publications, usually, to be fair, aimed at a more basic level of understanding, have lots of 'pretty pictures' but little really useful explanatory text. This manual is definitely NOT one of those!Incidentally, Amazon's copy is exactly half the price of a major high street bookstore, so is a fantastic bargain. I wholeheartedly endorse it.

I found this book especially useful for those who really want to learn Scripting in windows 7. There is a lot of command line information in its pages. As the Author clearly states, you need to be a power user to appreciate this book. For instance you will find comprehensive information editing the Registry - well explained. You will not find things like Windows 7 deployment, Imagex, WIM. To me this was dissapointing but then this book was not aimed for that. Insteady you will find tones of optimisation hacks, things you may not find in most books. I do not know if there are many books that will give you that much information on Windows 7 scripting. Don't buy the book if you are not a power user as you may find it 'punishing'. Good book if you want to be a Windows 7 guru. This book has given me power on 'hidden' settings in Windows 7, the author is really experienced in Windows.

Helpful in explaining some features when studying for Microsoft certification

very good book

Don't buy this book it is out of date and only covers the release candidate of Windows 7 which was released nearly 3 years ago