Windows 7 Inside Out Review

Once again, Ed Bott and company have written another excellent book covering a Microsoft operating system. This time, they write about Windows 7. Having the operating system available for about a month now, this book is a good pickup for any users who just want to get the most out of their system and to be able to squeeze the most out of it. Of course you don’t need this book if all you do in Windows 7 is occasionally browse the web, listen to music or write essays, but for everyone else who wants to dig a little deeper, this book is a perfect starting point.

I want to make one thing clear though. This book will most likely not make you a Windows 7 expert overnight. What you will get out of this book however, is the knowledge of the authors who’ve spent hours, weeks and even months testing and configuring the operating system to get the most out of it. Windows 7 Inside Out gives you a look at many of the features in the new operating system and explaining how to use it to your benefit. I seriously learned a great deal about Windows 7 by reading this book. In fact, many of the recent Windows 7 articles I’ve written on has some information in some way or another linking to the knowledge I’ve gained by reading this book.

This book is also great in my opinion because it can cater to such a big audience. What I mean is that the book can be picked up and read, from beginning to end, no matter what your level of computer expertise may be (of course, you need to have some computer knowledge like how to use the mouse, working with folders and files in Windows Explorer etc). I don’t ever recall a time when reading this book I got lost or confused. While I’m no Windows expert myself, I can pretty guarantee you that you’ll be able to follow along just fine. In my opinion, this is accomplished due to the consistent writing style. There are three authors for Windows 7 Inside Out but it feels as if one person wrote it. With many other co-author books, the same can’t be said because each author has a different writing style and the readers can definitely tell them apart. The bad news is that while the reader may read a paragraph or chapter from one author, they have to readjust when another author takes stage and the reading flow can definitely be disrupted. This problem certainly isn’t present in Windows 7 Inside Out.

Windows 7 Inside Out gives you the grand tour of your brand new operating system. From teaching you how to efficiently create computer backups to using new features like Libraries, HomeGroups and many others, the knowledge is all at your fingertips. Now I’m sure Windows 7 has a lot to do with it as well but everything seems so simple when you read it in this book. I kid you not. Almost every major topic gets covered. From security, file management, backups, installation, Internet Explorer to digital media, it’s all here. The only thing I wish the authors did do but didn’t is tell about interesting and often humorous computer stories they have encountered. These guys have experienced a lot in the computer industyr and I’m sure they have some pretty interesting stories to tell of.

Do yourself a favor and pick up this book today. I hate to bring this up every time I talk about Windows 7 but I’m sure there are still many users out there that still want to dearly hang on to Windows XP. It really is time to let go folks. This operating system is far more superior and I’m willing to go as far as saying that is a fact. Sharing your media on your network has never been easier thanks to HomeGroups. Providing Remote Assistance, while it was a pain to work with before, is now approachable thanks to new technology that allows you to easily connect to others even if they are behind routers. Security has been improved a lot. Backing up your entire computer takes just a few simple clicks. I mean almost everything you need is here. By reading Windows 7 Inside Out, you get to harness those features for maximum effectiveness. Don’t miss out!

Ed Bott maintains two very informative blogs on Windows:

Microsoft Report
Windows Expertise
[highlight]Purchase here:
Windows 7 Inside Out[/highlight]