Windows 2000 Quick Fixes Book

Microsoft Windows 2000 has been out for some time now, allowing its users to become familiar and frustrated in equal portions. Jim Boyce's Windows 2000 Quick Fixes is written for its power users who use either the Professional or Server versions of the operating system. Quick Fixes is, as its name implies, a relatively thin tome of just 285 pages, but not one which shies away from the finer details where necessary. The content is divided across 13 chapters, covering installation, hardware configuration, printing, networks, security, policies, backup and repair. Just from browsing these contents, it becomes clear that this isn't a "top 50 ways of customising your desktop" kind of book. While there are sections on customising the taskbar and various folders, the bulk of the book is devoted to more serious matters. The entire first chapter guides you through installing Windows 2000 in the first place, including tips on dual booting, choosing between file systems and using the recovery console. Before long we're into the realms of networks, which is where the book really begins to feel at home. Beyond configuring network adapters and protocol bindings, the majority of this information is written for people who actually build and run networks using the Server edition of Windows 2000. After an interesting chapter on TCP/IP and another on dialup connections, we're onto hosting a Web site on your computer. Boyce includes information on SSL for Web security, setting up an FTP site for file transfer and hosting multiple sites on one IP address. Next up we're onto managing users, policies, certificates and security, which perhaps ominously leads us to the final chapter on backup, recovery and repair. Even the most complex tips are handled as concisely as possible, allowing at least two to be included on most spreads, and often more still. This allows you to dip in randomly and find something interesting, although most of this book's readers will turn to it when they want something specific. It's definitely focused at the networking side of Windows 2000 and Server in particular, but for users of the more administrative bent, it represents a far more approachable title than many of the thick bibles. --Gordon Laing Read More