The Amazon.com Review (of a previous release)
Ounce for ounce and dollar for dollar, the Pocket Consultant series from Microsoft Press is one of the best values around. The editors do a good job of recruiting competent authors and having them comply with well-thought-out style and formatting rules. Microsoft Windows Administrator's Pocket Consultant is one of the gems of the series. Author William Stanek has spent time working with his subject--this book wasn't rushed to market to match the Windows release date--and he's good at revealing its administrative procedures clearly and concisely. The book is nicely indexed, so locating the section you need takes very little effort. This book--slightly larger than a paperback novel--is ideal for a harried administrator responsible for many different software products, as well as for consultants who need to learn how to use Windows in a hurry.

A particularly nice characteristic of Stanek's style: His skill at combining straight procedures ("Just follow these steps and it'll work") with supplementary information about options ("On the other hand, if you're doing something unusual, you might need to modify the standard procedure a bit"). As no real-life installation of Windows ever seems to match authors' ideas of normalcy, the supplementary information is critical. Screen shots are nicely handled as well. Their presence helps clarify what the text means, but they're not so large as to waste space.

The Barnes & Noble Review (of a previous release)
Whether you're upgrading your entire enterprise or simply buying new PCs on an ad hoc basis, Windows is coming into your enterprise. If you're responsible for supporting or administering it, this handy pocket guide offers you more useful answers per ounce than any other book we've seen. It's especially strong on Windows' new administrative features, and those really important tasks (like setting up desktop VPN connections) that you won't do often enough to memorize on your own.

The book's organized into four sections: essentials, core administration, networking, and optimization/recovery. In 350 pages, it manages to be remarkably complete. Want to use Windows' new Remote Assistance feature to resolve users' problems without leaving your computer? Prohibit users from setting up Internet Connection Sharing on your DNS domain? Set a new home page for all your users at once? Place custom content on each user's desktop? Use System Restore across a network? Lock the taskbar, so it can't be moved or lost? William R. Stanek walks you through all these tasks, and more.

We could go on. Setting disk quotas. Managing security zones. Using notebook power schemes. Rolling back troublesome driver versions. Checking the status of a LAN connection. Configuring the synchronization of offline files. If you need to do it as a manager or support professional, there's no faster way to find out how.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

The practical, portable guide to Windows® 7!

Whether you support 50 desktops or 5000, this indispensable guide provides fast answers for the day-to-day administration of the Windows® 7 operating system. This pocket-sized resource zeroes in on essential desktop support issues and procedures—delivering critical details through quick-reference tables, step-by-step instructions, and lists. It's the precise information you need to solve problems and get the job done—whether you're at your desk or in the field!

Get fast facts to:

• Manage and troubleshoot system configuration
• Configure hardware and network devices
• Customize desktop settings and optimize the user workspace
• Control system access through user and group accounts
• Support laptops and mobile users
• Enable remote access—from dial-up to wireless
• Configure offline files and disk quotas
• Use Group Policy to customize Internet settings
• Schedule routine maintenance and backups
• Resolve system problems and optimize performance