Windows Vista Resource Kit - Second Edition
By Mitch Tulloch, Tony Northrup, and Jerry
Honeycutt, with The Windows Vista Team at Microsoft
- Publisher: Microsoft Press
- ISBN-10: 0735625964
- ISBN-13: 978-0735625969
- Price: £43.99 (UK) $69.99 (US) Recommended
Price
- Available From:
Amazon.com
Book cover reproduced with kind permission of
Microsoft Press
Recently updated to include Microsoft Windows
Vista Service Pack 1, the Windows Vista Resource Kit
- Second Edition is a vast tome containing a host of
in-depth technical information enabling system
administrators to deploy, maintain and troubleshoot
the Windows Vista operating system.
The target audience for this reference work is
the experienced IT professional running Windows
Vista Business, Enterprise and Ultimate; however,
sections of the book are also relevant to users
running Windows Vista Premium. Of particular
interest to Vista Premium users are the chapters
referencing Windows Defender, Configuring the
Windows Firewall, Service Pack 1, and Backup and
Restore.
Split into six parts Windows Vista Resource Kit -
Second Edition covers the following topics:
Overview
The overview section does exactly what its name
implies; giving a general view of what is new in
Windows Vista, along with all the latest
improvements implemented with the release of Windows
Vista Service Pack 1. The overview covers the
various editions of Windows Vista and finishes off
with a look at the Windows Vista Security system
Deployment
Prior to deploying it is essential that a system
administrator is aware of any possible
incompatibilities between the software currently
running on their network and Windows Vista. The
deployment section, therefore, guides the user
through the process of testing application
compatibility prior to implementing and deploying
Windows Vista. It also explains the pitfalls of
applications failure, preparing Windows PE and how
to use the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit
Desktop Management
The vast majority of desktop management is
implemented through the Windows Vista Group Policy
Console and this section starts by giving the user a
breakdown of the new group policy features
implemented in Service Pack 1. The section also
includes valuable information on managing users and
user data, managing disks and file systems,
Bitlocker drive encryption, ReadyBoost and Windows
Meeting Space.
Desktop Maintenance
The reliability and performance tools in Windows
Vista enable users to visually monitor and, if
necessary, isolate performance problems rather than
simply viewing a list of performance data. By using
the resource overview an instant summary of the
performance metrics for CPU, Disk, Network and
Memory can be seen. Details in the event viewer also
enable the administrator to gather information on
hardware, software, the system in general and, of
course, security events. This section also covers
Remote Assistance, managing and deploying updates,
client protection and using Windows Defender.
Networking
The networking section of the book covers all
aspects of configuring a Windows Network, including
configuring Wireless settings TCP/IP and connecting
to an Active Directory. Further parts of the
networking section introduce the user to the Windows
Firewall and offers advice on managing the firewall
through Group Policy, netsh and scripts.
Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting can be the bane of every
administrator’s life and can result in considerable
down time. The troubleshooting section starts by
discussing Start Up configurations and
troubleshooting start up issues; it also includes
details of the Windows Vista System recovery Tools
and Windows Boot performance diagnostics. It advises
on troubleshooting hardware, drives and disk issues
and network. The section also contains a valuable
list of the most common Windows Vista Stop Messages.
Verdict
Windows Vista Resource Kit – Second Edition is
the de-facto reference guide to the Windows Vista
operating system and, in itself, is a magnificent
work that no administrator should be without. Its
content and terminology may be slightly above the
non-professional user, but it still has some useful
and essential information for user’s who simply wish
to get to know the inside workings of Windows Vista.
The book also contains a companion CD which not only
includes a fully searchable e-book of the entire
resource kit but also numerous timesaving scripts.
While many books covering the Windows Vista
operating system are currently available, it is fair
to say that none can match the diversity, expertise
and sheer knowledge that you will find in this one
volume.
Rating:
- Ease of Use: 9
- Features: 10
- Value for Money: 9
- Overall: 9