Windows NT Power Toolkit Book

Stu Sjouwerman and Ed Tittel know that a large portion of people running Windows NT do so not because they have particular need of Windows NT's advanced networking capabilities but rather because they know it's a stronger, more robust operating system than mass-market versions of Windows. In Windows NT Power Toolkit, they explain how to get the most out of Windows NT as a platform for standalone operations and small networks. This is a book for people who enjoy wringing every possible bit of speed and reliability out of their machines. You can think of it as a restatement of the Windows NT how-to information that Tittel writes about in his popular certification books, repackaged for a broader sample of NTusers and with added emphasis on non-Microsoft tools.After providing an overview of Windows NT's architecture (something that's not widely understood outside of experienced NT administrators or those who have studied for Microsoft certifications), Windows NT Power Toolkit explores the Registry in depth. The authors intersperse recipes for particular effects (such as "Disable Dr. Watson" and "Turn Off CD AutoRun") with lists of options and explanatory passages on how Windows NT does various things. The authors use a similar approach to networking (including heterogeneous networks), administration and troubleshooting. The reader is left hankering for more coverage of the Windows Script Host, which is widely regarded as one of the power user's most valuable allies under Windows NT, but the authors do a great job of cataloging and documenting nifty third-party utilities for various jobs.Overall, Windows NT Power Toolkit communicates great quantities of information about Windows NT. Read it, try some of the authors' ideas and get more from your system. --David Wall, amazon.comTopics covered: Windows NT architecture, boot procedures, Control Panel applets, Registry contents, various Registry modifications, local networking with several protocols, administration, troubleshooting and security.Read More