Press releases

Big Book of Windows Hacks--New from Make: Tips & Tricks for Unlocking the Power of Your Windows PC

Press release: October 24, 2007

Sebastopol, CA--If you aren't satisfied with the way that Windows Vista or XP is working, don't worry--help is here. O'Reilly's newest release, Big Book of Windows Hacks ($34.99), covers everything from multimedia to hardware to Internet, and more.

Well-known technology expert Preston Gralla brings over 100 hacks to those of us who don't have time to find shortcuts and workarounds on our own. Gralla is highly qualified to write this book, having collected hundreds of new tips about both Vista and XP. His hacks and tips include enough step-by-step details and technical background to satisfy advanced users, but are also presented in an approachable, down-to-earth way so that less-advanced users can make use of them as well.

"I've been using and writing about Windows since Windows 1.0, and have accumulated a great deal of expertise about the operating system in that time," says Gralla. "I've figured out hundreds of tips and tricks through the years...and find more every day. This book is a way to help others with Windows...It's authoritative, as well as being approachable, and written for people with many different levels of experience."

Bigger, better, and broader in scope than any previous hacks books, the "Big Book of Windows Hacks" gives you everything you need to get the most out of your Windows Vista or XP system, including its related applications and the hardware it runs on or connects to. Whether you want to tweak Vista's Aero interface, build customized sidebar gadgets and run them from a USB key, or hack the "unhackable" screensavers, you'll find quick and ingenious ways to bend these recalcitrant operating systems to your will.

The Big Book of Windows Hacks includes:

  • Expanded tutorials, new background material, a series of "quick hacks," and informative sidebars
  • Security hacks, including protection at wireless hotspots, hacking Vista file permissions and user account protection, and more
  • Efficiency hacks, such as tweaking your PC hardware, troubleshooting hardware problems, and speeding up system performance
  • Fun hacks, like building a custom Media Center PC or turning a PC into a digital video recorder
  • "Beyond Windows" hacks for running Linux inside Vista, dual-booting Linux/Windows or XP/Vista, or emulating classic video games on your PC

In all, this remarkable book contains more than 100 hacks so that the power user in you never again needs to be at the mercy of systems and hardware run by Microsoft's domineering Vista and XP operating systems.

Preston Gralla is the author of Windows Vista in a Nutshell, the Windows Vista Pocket Reference, and is the editor of WindowsDevCenter.com. He is also the author of Internet Annoyances, PC Pest Control, Windows XP Power Hound, and Windows XP Hacks, Second Edition, and co-author of Windows XP Cookbook. He has written more than 30 other books.

More information about the book, including table of contents, index, author bio, and samples

Big Book of Windows Hacks
Preston Gralla
ISBN: 0596528353, $34.99 US
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938; 1-707-827-7000

About O’Reilly

O’Reilly Media spreads the knowledge of innovators through its books, online services, magazines, and conferences. Since 1978, O’Reilly Media has been a chronicler and catalyst of cutting-edge development, homing in on the technology trends that really matter and spurring their adoption by amplifying “faint signals” from the alpha geeks who are creating the future. An active participant in the technology community, the company has a long history of advocacy, meme-making, and evangelism.

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