Download PDF Windows® XP for Power Users: Power Pack by Curt Simmons

Sinopsis

AT FIRST GLANCE, THE Windows XP interface is radically different than the typical Windows interface used in the past. In fact, the first boot of Windows XP often leaves new users a bit shocked when they see a virtually empty desktop. The good news is the sleek Windows XP interface is easy to use, and it provides you with plenty of configuration options so that you can make Windows XP look just the way you want. This first chapter takes a look at the Windows XP interface. It shows you how to configure all of the interface items and features so that Windows XP meets your needs.

The Windows XP Start menu is a bit different than the Start menu found in previous versions of Windows. The Start menu still provides you with access to different programs and portions of Windows XP, and its goal has not changed. The purpose of the Start menu is to . . . well . . . start something. It provides you with access to documents and programs, but also operating system features and easy access to the things you use most of the time.
 

The Start menu in Windows XP provides you with a two-column design, shown in Figure 1-1. At the top of the Start menu, you see your username and photo icon configured for use with your username. In the left column, you see access to several programs, and the right column gives you access to files and other portions of the operating system.

Content

1. Configuring the Windows XP Interface
2. Managing Users
3. Working with Applications
4. Using Digital Media on Windows XP
5. Startup, Shutdown, and Power Management
6. Managing Hardware on Windows XP
7. Managing the Hard Disk
8. Working with Folders and Files
9. Working with the Registry
10. Working with the Microsoft Management Console
11. Networking on a Workgroup
12. Networking in Windows Networks
13. Remote Networking
14. Internet Access, ICS, and ICF
15. Sharing and Security
16. Auditing and Disk Quotas
17. Backing Up and Restoring Data
18. Monitoring and Managing System Performance
19. System Failure and Recovery
20. Customizing with Windows XP PowerToys
21. Scripting with Windows XP

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Download PDF Windows Vista The L Line™, The Express Line to Learning by Michael Meskers

Sinopsis

Windows Vista might well be the personal computer’s first gigabyte application. Unlike other consumer-based applications that still arrive on a CD distribution (capacity about 650 megabytes [MB]), Vista arrives on a DVD (capacity about 4.7 gigabytes [GB], which is approximately seven times that of a CD). The reason Vista now arrives on a DVD instead of a CD is twofold. First, Vista’s installation DVD includes all five versions of Microsoft’s new operating system. The second, more significant, reason is that Vista’s new visually enhanced applications require much more space to run and install than previous editions of Windows. In other words, Vista’s new graphics features and computing capabilities take up more memory space, or RAM, to run properly.
 

The downside to this increase in system requirements is that older computers might not have enough free space on their hard drives to run Vista. If they do happen to contain enough memory to run Microsoft’s new operating system, they might not have enough space left to run other third-party applications, or they might experience slower processing times when running Vista and additional third-party applications.
 

Vista might also require that the drivers for some peripherals  including Web cameras and Internet network adapters that worked with earlier versions of Windows be updated, or they might no longer be compatible with this version of Windows, in which case you must acquire (or download) new versions of these tools. Vista requires an order of magnitude more of everything to run properly  RAM, CPU speed, graphics adapter, even network adapter. However, later I discuss the Vista Upgrade Advisor, which will tell you immediately whether your existing system can run Vista and if so at what level.
 

However, Microsoft is banking that the overall user experience of Windows Vista provides you with enough positive benefits to either purchase a new computer with Vista preinstalled or upgrade your current computer to include Vista. The new layout and functionality of Windows Vista is designed to let you find, organize, and view computer files in an easier, more intuitive, manner. This additional functionality is meant to streamline your overall computing experience. Vista’s improved security, digital entertainment features, and productivity tools are all incentives meant to persuade you to invest your time (and money) into using Vista.
 

Windows Vista is by far the most complex and the most multifunctional version of Windows that Microsoft has ever produced. It needs lots of breathing room as well as a whole lot more sheer graphical and computing power in terms of CPU speed, main memory, and graphics adapter memory. However, after you are exposed to the bright and flashy colors of Vista, previous versions of Windows pale in comparison.

Content

1. Installing Windows Vista
2. Using the Windows Vista Desktop
3. Welcome to Internet Explorer 7
4. Security, Privacy, and Parental Controls in Windows Vista
5. Working More Efficiently with Applications, Files, and Folders
6. Working with Vista’s Free Tools
7. Connecting to the Outside World
8. Adding (And Removing) Additional Programs and Devices with Vista
9. Working with Digital Media
10. Maximizing Your Windows Power and Performance
11. Keeping Up, Backing Up, Disaster and Recovery
12. Getting Help and Support

 

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Download PDF Windows Vista™ Secrets® by Brian Livingston and Paul Thurrott

Sinopsis

We waited more than five years for Vista. As you may recall, Windows XP was released with much fanfare in October 2001. But instead of the next Windows version shipping in just a couple of years, as originally expected, Microsoft lost its way in the development process. Vista didn’t make it to consumers until early 2007. Was it worth the wait?
 

The short answer is, “Yes.” We believe Vista is a major advance on Microsoft’s previous operating systems. If you’re buying a new PC today, we don’t hesitate to recommend that you get Vista rather than requesting XP or another, older operating system. (If you’re upgrading an older PC to Vista, by contrast, be sure to first read our tips in Chapter 3.) In 2001, Microsoft executives widely claimed that XP was “the most secure operating system we have ever delivered.” In fact, XP and its new Web browser, Internet Explorer 6.0, were full of maddening security holes that previous operating systems didn’t suffer from. ActiveX exploits, drive-by downloads, and many other kinds of weaknesses were quickly exploited by black-hat hackers. Microsoft has been issuing patches for XP and IE 6.0 ever since.
 

The Vista OS and the new IE 7.0 browser are welcome steps toward changing that. Will they never need patching? We’d hardly say that. But Microsoft has added “hardening” features to Vista that should make remote exploits more difficult for hackers to carry out. Besides improved security, XP users who switch to Vista will also find enhancements in desktop searching, Windows Sidebar access to applets called gadgets, PC-to-PC content transfers, and even new games—mahjong and (finally!) chess.
 

Unlike the first chapters of most books—which are filled with boilerplate thank-yous and personal musings—we really do want you to read this chapter. Instead of filling our first few pages with acknowledgements of names you’ve never heard of, we’ve moved the credits for our valued sources into the chapters they helped us with.
 

In these pages, we aim to give you a crash course on Windows Vista. In other words, read on and you can learn the most important new features of Vista in the time it takes to sip a nice, hot cuppa Joe.

Content

1. Surviving Setup
2. Selecting the Right Vista Version
3. Installing and Upgrading to Windows Vista
4. Vista Compatibility
5. Understanding the Windows Vista User Experience
6. What’s New in the Windows Vista User Interface
7. Where’s My Stuff? Finding and Organizing Files
8. Using Windows Sidebar
9. Fonts
10. Security
11. Windows Vista Security Features
12. New User Account Features
13. Digital Media and Entertainment
14. Windows Media Player 11
15. Enjoying Digital Photos
16. Making Movies and DVD Movies
17. Digital Media in the Living Room: Windows Media Center
18. Having Fun: Games and Vista
19. Mobility
20. Computing to Go: Windows Vista Mobility Features
21. New Tablet PC Features
22. Internet and Networking
23. Browsing the Web with Internet Explorer 7
24. Windows Mail and Contacts
25. Using and Understanding Windows Live Services
26. Home Office/Power User
27. Managing Your Schedule with Windows Calendar
28. Keeping Your Data Safe
29. Microsoft PowerShell

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Download PDF Microsoft® Office Project Server 2007: The Complete Reference by Dave Gochberg and Rob Stewart

Sinopsis

When we embarked on this endeavor, we knew that the tools that made up Microsoft’s Enterprise Project Management (EPM) solution were large and complex. Writing a book on the topic was going to require a significant amount of work and focus. We are grateful to have been selected to add this book to the McGraw-Hill Complete Reference series. Writing a technical book where the title includes the word “complete” is a somewhat daunting task, however, especially for people who have never written anything so large. Actually, the really complete version would probably require thousands of pages. We did what we thought was best to cover the spectrum of topics. In some cases, we made judgment calls about features and how likely they were to provide value. Although we skipped lower-value features in some areas, we delved deeper in others. We chose to spend a good portion of effort on configuration and data flow of the systems. Note that throughout the book, we make recommendations and discuss “best practices.” We stand behind each of them based on our experiences, our discussions with other consultants, information we learned at seminars and trade shows, and so on. Keep in mind, however, that not every one of our recommendations will be the right solution for you and your organization. To succeed, make sure you identify stakeholders, analyze (with the stakeholders) your organization’s needs, and make the decisions that best suit those needs. The flow of the book follows the general process of what it takes to actually succeed with an implementation of Project Server 2007, starting with value of planning. It was written for a blended audience, from the EPM novice on one end of the spectrum, to the experienced EPM professional. Finally, we hope this can truly be a “reference” in that after your system is up and running, you may go back to a single chapter for specific and useful (through possibly obscure) information.

Content

1. Consider This before You Commit to Project Server 2007
2. What Your CFO Needs to Know about Project Server
3. The New Architecture of the Microsoft EPM Environment
4. New Features and Some That Have Been Retired
5. Plan for Your Project Server 2007 Implementation
6. Building Blocks for Implementation Success
7. Requirements, Prioritization, and Project Planning for Project Server
8. Details on the Installation and Confi guration of Project Server 2007
9. Installation of Project Server 2007 and Prerequisite Software
10. SharePoint Central Administration in a Project Server Environment
11. Configuring Security in your EPM Environment
12. Configuring Enterprise Data Settings
13. Confi guring Time and Task Management
14. Configuring Look and Feel Settings
15. Configure the Remaining Server Settings
16. Roll Out the Desktop
17. Project Server 2007 Maintenance
18. Performance of Your EPM System
19. Application/Database Migration from Previous Versions
20. Techniques and Solutions for New Project Requests
21. Integrating Project Server 2007 with External Systems
22. Project Server in Action
23. Time Tracking and Task Updates
24. Reporting and Views
25. Resource Management
26. How the Project Manager Interacts with Project Server
27. How the Team Member Interacts with Project Server
28. How the Resource Manager Interacts with Project Server
29. The Executive and Miscellaneous Roles
30. Project Server 2007––Doing More for Collaboration and Communications

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Download PDF Delivering Business Intelligence with Microsoft SQL Server 2005 by Brian Larson

Sinopsis

Business Intelligence The first step in effective decision making is to set specific, measurable goals. Once these goals have been set, the objective is to get accurate, useful information to the appropriate decision makers to serve as a foundation for the decision and as feedback on the effectiveness of that decision. Having the foundation and feedback information available at the appropriate time is extremely important. The question becomes, How does an organization go about obtaining and distributing this information? As the title of this book suggests, the answer is, Through the use of business intelligence. In fact, this objective serves as our definition of business intelligence.

Definition Business intelligence is the delivery of accurate, useful information to the appropriate decision
makers within the necessary timeframe to support effective decision making.

Business intelligence is not simply facts and figures on a printed report or a computer screen. Rows upon rows of numbers showing detailed sales figures or production numbers may be extremely accurate, but they are not business intelligence until they are put in a format that can be easily understood by a decision maker who needs to use them. Concise summaries of customer satisfaction or assembly-line efficiency may be easily understood, but they are not business intelligence until they can be delivered in time to meaningfully affect daily decision making. We also discovered earlier in this chapter that effective decision making is important at all organizational levels. Timely foundation and feedback information is needed as part of that effective decision making. Therefore, we need to make business intelligence available throughout our organizations.

Content

1. Part I - Business Intelligence
2. Chapter 1 - Equipping the Organization for Effective Decision Making
3. Chapter 2 - Making the Most of What You've Got—Using Business Intelligence
4. Chapter 3 - Searching for the Source—The Source of Business Intelligence
5. Chapter 4 - One-Stop Shopping—The Unified Dimensional Model
6. Chapter 5 - First Steps—Beginning the Development of Business Intelligence
7. Part II - Defining Business Intelligence Structures
8. Chapter 6 - Building Foundations—Creating and Populating Data Marts
9. Chapter 7 - Fill'er Up—Using Integration Services for Populating Data Marts
10. Part III - Analyzing Cube Content
11. Chapter 8 - Cubism—Measures and Dimensions
12. Chapter 9 - Bells and Whistles—Special Features of OLAP Cubes
13. Chapter 10 - Writing a New Script—MDX Scripting
14. Chapter 11 - Pulling It Out and Building It Up—MDX Queries
15. Part IV - Mining
16. Chapter 12 - Panning for Gold—Introduction to Data Mining
17. Chapter 13 - Building the Mine—Working with the Data Mining Model
18. Chapter 14 - Spelunking—Exploration Using Data Mining
19. Part V - Delivering
20. Chapter 15 - On Report—Delivering Business Intelligence with Reporting Services
21. Chapter 16 - Let's Get Together—Integrating Olap with Your Applications
22. Chapter 17 - Another Point of View—Excel Pivot Tables and Pivot Charts

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