Jeste^(Are) li tek počeli sa sustavom Windows 7^{(Windows 7)} , nakon što ste koristili drugu verziju sustava Windows ? Želite li kompaktnu knjigu koja je veća iznutra nego izvana i koja objašnjava gotovo sve što netko tko se prvi put susreće sa sustavom Windows 7^{(Windows 7)} treba znati, a da vam ne prigovara? Volite li knjige koje su dovoljno detaljne o svim osnovama i ilustriraju sve što vam pokazuju? Ako je odgovor potvrdan na sva ta pitanja, onda je ova knjiga za vas.

Gore, gore i daleko

Otkrivanje:^{(Disclosure:)} Nisam mislio da će mi se ova knjiga svidjeti. Više volim računalne knjige koje mi detaljno objašnjavaju stvari s obiljem ilustracija tako da znam što ću vidjeti prije nego što se i sam probam, a nisam mislio da će knjiga ovog kompakta moći posao. Sretan sam što mogu izvijestiti da je moja prva pretpostavka bila potpuno pogrešna. Windows 7: Up and Running fokusira se na osnovne stvari i pruža jasne ilustracije za svaki korak

.

Autor pretpostavlja da čitatelj ima iskustva s prethodnim verzijama sustava Windows , prvenstveno Windows XP ili Windows Vista , te ne troši vrijeme na objašnjavanje stvari poput "ovo je tvoj miš, ovo je tvoja tipkovnica" i slično. Knjiga počinje s detaljima o razlikama između verzija sustava Windows 7 i zahtjevima sustava za uspješnu instalaciju. Pruža jasan i koristan vodič za ljude koji nadograđuju sa Windows XP koristeći Microsoftov^(Microsoft) uslužni program Easy Transfer . Iako jednostavan prijenos^{(Easy Transfer)}definitivno opravdava svoje ime, bio bih sretan da imam tako jasno ilustrirane upute ispred sebe dok sam instalirao Windows 7 na svoje računalo koje je pokretalo Windows XP . Nažalost, nisam imao ovu knjigu kada sam radio instalaciju.

Sljedeći odjeljak objašnjava kako instalirati Windows 7 ako imate potpuno novo računalo ili ako vršite nadogradnju sa sustava Windows Vista^{(Windows Vista)} , budući da je postupak uvelike isti. Međutim, mislim da bi moglo biti previše lako propustiti upute za nadogradnju sa sustava Windows Vista^{(Windows Vista)} - da morate pokrenuti instalacijski program za Windows 7 iz sustava ^(within) Windows Vista ako želite da se vaši trenutni podaci sačuvaju. Ta je informacija trebala biti na prvom mjestu. Autor daje upute za čistu instalaciju, samo jednom rečenicom bilježi drugačiji postupak za Windows Vista , a zatim se vraća na Windows Vistapostupak instalacije na kraju odjeljka. Mislim da je vjerojatnije da bi se čitač nadograđivao sa sustava Windows Vista^{(Windows Vista)} umjesto da instalira Windows 7 na novi tvrdi disk, tako da je upozorenje da se instalacijski program pokrene iz sustava Windows Vista^{(Windows Vista)} , a ne da se diže s diska, trebalo biti ispred i u sredini umjesto dvije stranice kasnije.

O, vidi, novo je!

Sljedeći je opis svih novih značajki u sustavu Windows 7^{(Windows 7)} , osmišljen da pokaže ljudima koji su koristili Windows XP ili Windows Vista vrste stvari koje će im biti najkorisnije nakon nadogradnje, počevši od trake zadataka i prelaska na dobro ilustrirano objašnjenje Aera^(Aero) i svih njegovih varijacija. (Potpunije objašnjenje programske trake i Aero -a dolazi u sljedećem poglavlju.) Zatim knjiga ukratko govori o gadgetima za radnu površinu^{(Desktop Gadgets)} (mnogo poboljšanim od onih u sustavu Windows Vista^{(Windows Vista)} ) i novorevidiranim izdanjima tako vrijednih Windows ugrađenih aplikacija kao što je Paint , WordPad i kalkulator^(Calculator). Autor pretpostavlja da ljudi već znaju koristiti te aplikacije.

Navigacija i još mnogo toga

Programska traka sustava Windows^(Windows) 7 znatno je nadograđena u odnosu na onu njegovih prethodnika, a nove značajke zaslužuju potpuno objašnjenje – koje dobivaju. Definitivno sam cijenio ilustracije Aero Peek -a, budući da je moje računalo prestaro da bih u potpunosti iskoristio Aero . I objašnjenje kako prikvačiti aplikacije na programsku traku također je bilo vrlo korisno. Prije mnogo godina koristio sam program pod nazivom Geoworks koji vam je omogućio prikvačivanje bilo kojeg izbornika i uvijek sam mislio da Windows skraćuje ljude ne dopuštajući im da učine tako nešto. Pa^(Well) , sada je razvoj Windowsa^(Windows) sustigao i čini sučelje mnogo jednostavnijim za korisnike. Objašnjenje Jump Listsbio jednako vrijedan.

Izlet u Knjižnicu

Windows 7: Up and Running jasno objašnjava koncept knjižnica^(Libraries) , s obiljem ilustracija. Ovo je još jedna nova značajka koju je Microsoft stvorio kako bi pomogao korisnicima sustava Windows 7^{(Windows 7)} da učinkovitije prate svoje podatke. Prema knjizi, većina ljudi nije koristila mape tipa "Moji dokumenti", već je stvorila vlastite. Ovo mi je bilo prilično iznenađujuće. Mislio sam da su samo stari korisnici računala poput mene stvorili svoje mape umjesto da koriste one koje je Microsoft ugradio (još uvijek koristim prilično istu strukturu direktorija koju sam imao na svom prvom računalu kasnih 1980-ih). Knjižnica^(Library) _omogućuje ljudima da imaju najbolje od oba svijeta - svoje željene mape plus strukturu koja olakšava praćenje onoga što ste kamo stavili. Jako sam cijenio jasne ilustracije i objašnjenje kako Knjižnični^(Library) sustav funkcionira. Odmah ću stvoriti vlastitu strukturu knjižnice^(Library) .

Go Go Gadget

Moram reći da nisam ljubitelj desktop "stvari". Držim samo nekoliko ikona na sebi, radije koristim podizbornike izvan izbornika Start^{(Start Menu)} da bih došao tamo gdje želim ići. Sidebar na mom Windows Vista računalu me izludio i isključio sam je prilično brzo nakon što sam je prvi put susreo. Windows 7: Up and Running navodi dostupne gadgete za radnu površinu ^{(Desktop Gadgets)}sustava Windows 7^{(Windows 7)} i objašnjava da više nisu ograničeni na bočnu traku^(Sidebar) . To mi je dalo naznaku da bi ipak mogli biti korisni. Za ljude koji nisu toliko izbirljivi u pogledu sadržaja radne površine kao ja, Gadgeti^(Gadgets)bi svakako bilo korisno, a objašnjenje olakšava njihovu upotrebu. I sama ću isprobati nekoliko, sada kada ih mogu smjestiti gdje želim.

Dijelite i dijelite podjednako

Sljedeći dio knjige posvećen je dijeljenju datoteka i kućnoj grupi^(HomeGroup) . Počevši s jasnim objašnjenjem što je HomeGroup i kako stvoriti onu koja radi za vas i ostale na vašoj mreži, Windows 7: Up and Running ulazi u specifičnosti dijeljenja datoteka, zaštite vaših podataka i kontrole tko ima pristup što. Svaki korak dolazi s jasnom ilustracijom onoga što ćete vidjeti na zaslonu. Po prvi put, dijeljenje pisača spojenog na USB jednostavno je, a dijeljenje glazbe između računala u istoj kućnoj grupi^(HomeGroup) također je jednostavno. Dok sam čitao ovaj odjeljak, bio sam previše svjestan da naše domaćinstvo do sada ima samo jedno Windows 7 računalo - ostali koriste Windows XPili Mac OS X - tako da ne bih mogao iskoristiti sva poboljšanja sustava Windows 7^{(Windows 7)} u umrežavanju i dijeljenju datoteka. Zatim sam uočio odjeljke koji se posebno bave dijeljenjem datoteka s tim drugim operativnim sustavima i bio sam sretan kamper. Volim premještati datoteke naprijed-natrag između računala i nisam bio u potpunosti uspješan u integraciji računala sa sustavom Windows 7^{(Windows 7)} u našu kućnu mrežu. Sad znam kako se to radi. Mislim da bi samo zbog ovog odjeljka vrijedilo kupiti knjigu.

Sigurno i osigurano

Nijedna knjiga o bilo kojoj verziji sustava Windows ne bi mogla biti potpuna bez dobrog odjeljka o sigurnosti. Windows 7: Up and Running pristupa ovom bitnom problemu s prilično dugim poglavljem koje pokriva prilično širok spektar tema, od kojih neke zapravo nisu povezane jedna s drugom, iako još uvijek spadaju u kategoriju "sigurnosti". Ovo nije toliko zbunjujuće kao što bi moglo zvučati, jer je svaki sigurnosni element jasno objašnjen, ali samo poglavlje je pomalo isprekidano i možda se čini da neke teme na prvi pogled nemaju nikakve veze sa sigurnošću. Na primjer, knjiga uključuje Akcijski centar^{(Action Center)} , budući da se Akcijski centar^{(Action Center)} bavi sustavnim i sigurnosnim porukama. Objašnjava kako je Akcijski centar^{(Action Center)}uklonio mnogo vizualnog nereda sustava Windows Vista i kako ga prilagoditi, ili ga čak isključiti ako želite. Sljedeća je tema s kojom će ljudi koji su koristili Windows Vista biti previše upoznati, i to ne nužno na dobar način. Microsoft je poslušao pritužbe korisnika o iznimno dosadnoj kontroli korisničkog računa ^{(User Account Control)}sustava Windows Vista^{(Windows Vista)} i uklonio najgore iritacije, čineći Windows 7 mnogo privlačnijim od svog prethodnika. Windows 7: Up and Running u potpunosti odgovara novom, korisnijem sučelju kontrole korisničkog računa . ^{(User Account Control's)}Svaka moguća razina sigurnosti je jasno objašnjena.

Nastavljajući s drugim ugrađenim aplikacijama koje se odnose na sigurnost, knjiga napominje da je Windows Vista predstavio Credential Manager , sigurno i sigurno mjesto za pohranu vaših prijava, lozinki i certifikata. Windows 7 olakšava korištenje, a Windows 7: Up and Running nudi detaljno objašnjenje kako radi i kako ga prilagoditi svojim potrebama. Windows Vista je također predstavio BitLocker , aplikaciju za šifriranje pogona koja bi mogla učiniti sadržaj vašeg pogona mnogo otpornijim na radoznalost. Windows 7 uvodi BitLocker to Go, koji vam omogućuje šifriranje prijenosnih diskova. (Nije dostupno u svim verzijama sustava Windows 7.) Ako vas zanima sigurnost pogona, ovaj će odjeljak biti vrlo koristan. Windows 7: Up and Running također jasno objašnjava kako šifrirati pojedinačne datoteke i mape pomoću NTFS enkripcije^{(NTFS Encryption)} (također nije dostupno u svim verzijama sustava Windows 7 ). Knjiga sadrži mnogo vrlo korisnih detalja o certifikatima^{(Certificates)} , za koje prije nisam vidio da su tako jasno objašnjeni. Postoji kratko objašnjenje Windows Defendera^{(Windows Defender)} i Windows vatrozida^{(Windows Firewall)} . Dano^(Given)koliko su ovakve obrane potrebne, u današnje vrijeme ovaj dio je mogao biti malo detaljniji. Nema rasprave o zadanim postavkama ili o tome hoće li ih korisnik možda željeti promijeniti, niti objašnjenja što je vatrozid. Doduše, autor pretpostavlja iskustvo s nekom prijašnjom verzijom Windowsa^(Windows) , ali s današnjim naglaskom na sigurnosti, o ovim dvjema ugrađenim aplikacijama trebalo je detaljnije razgovarati.

Jesu li ovi bitni?

Sljedeći odjeljak posvećen je "osnovnim aplikacijama". Nažalost, ovaj naslov se odnosi na komponente sustava Windows Live Essentials , koje mogu, ali i ne moraju biti bitne. Windows Live Essentials nije, iz nekog nepoznatog razloga, uključen u sustav Windows 7^{(Windows 7)} , ali je dostupan za besplatno preuzimanje s Microsoftove^(Microsoft) web stranice. Uključuje Messenger , Mail , Photo Gallery , Writer , Family Safety i Movie Maker. Svaka komponenta je ukratko opisana i ilustrirana. Da ne omalovažavam ove vrlo korisne aplikacije, ali mislim da niti jedna od njih zapravo ne daje ocjenu "bitnom", a očito se i Microsoft osjeća isto, budući da nisu ugrađene u Windows 7 .

Ugrađeni elementi

Windows 7 uključuje nekoliko zaista korisnih aplikacija koje su bliže tome da budu "osnovne". Tu je alat za izrezivanje^{(Snipping Tool)} (snimanje zaslona), snimač zvuka^{(Sound Recorder)} , Windows PowerShell (jezik za skriptiranje i aplikacija naredbenog retka za stručne korisnike), preglednik fotografija^{(Photo Viewer)} , snimač slika na disku^{(Disc Image Burner)} , medijski centar^{(Media Center)} (nije dostupan u svim verzijama), ploča za matematički unos^{(Math Input Panel)} ( koji vam omogućuje da "pišete" matematičke probleme), XPS Viewer (za kreiranje i potpisivanje vaših dokumenata digitalnim potpisima - još jedna aplikacija za stručnjake), Sticky Notes , Kalkulator^(Calculator) , WordPad , Painti Media Player . Windows 7: Up and Running nudi kratke, ilustrirane upute za ove aplikacije, ali svatko tko ih želi u potpunosti iskoristiti, poželjet će knjigu koja ide u puno više detalja. Ipak, vrlo je korisno vidjeti što vam je pri ruci, a da ne morate tražiti softver treće strane.

Istraživanje Internet Explorera

Poglavlje o Internet Exploreru 8^{(Internet Explorer 8)} detaljno govori o mnogim značajkama tog preglednika i sve ih jasno ilustrira. Microsoft je slušao svoje korisnike (i pozorno pazio što rade drugi programeri preglednika) i učinio Internet Explorer 8 mnogo svestranijim od prethodnih izdanja. Ovdje možete saznati više o pametnoj ^(Find)adresnoj^{(Smart Address)} traci, poboljšanom^(Enhanced) pregledavanju i grupiranju s karticama, prikazu kompatibilnosti^{(Compatibility View)} , traženju na stranici^(Page) , poboljšanom^(Improved) pretraživanju, web-isječcima^{(Web Slices)} , akceleratorima^{(Accelerators)} , pregledavanju InPrivate^{(InPrivate Browsing)} , filtriranju InPrivate^{(InPrivate Filtering)} ,Predložene stranice^{(Suggested Sites)} , isticanje domene i ^(Domain)SmartScreen filtar^{(SmartScreen Filter)} . Budući da su mnoge od tih značajki nove za Internet Explorer 8 ili su veliko poboljšanje u odnosu na svoje prethodnike, Windows 7: Up and Running je vrlo korisna referenca za svakoga tko koristi Internet Explorer .

Steknite nove prijatelje, zadržite stare

Jedan od razloga zašto su mnogi pojedinci i tvrtke oklijevali s nadogradnjom na Windows Vista bio je nedostatak kompatibilnosti s njihovim osnovnim softverom. Neke verzije sustava Windows 7 ( Profesionalni^{(Professional)} , Ultimate i Enterprise ) uključuju Windows XP način rada^{(Windows XP Mode)} , što je Microsoftovo^(Microsoft) priznanje da si ne može svatko priuštiti sav novi softver uz potpuno novi operativni sustav. Windows XP način^{(Windows XP Mode)} može zahtijevati preuzimanje i instaliranje Windows Virtual PC , što bi moglo biti kompliciranije nego što je prosječan korisnik spreman pokušati. Uz ilustrirane upute u sustavu Windows 7: Up and Running^{(Windows 7: Up and Running)}, ovo nije baš tako zastrašujuće kao što se na prvi pogled moglo činiti. Knjiga vodi čitatelja korak po korak kroz preuzimanje, instalaciju i korištenje načina rada Windows XP^{(Windows XP Mode)} . Autor također govori o mogućim pogreškama s kojima bi se netko mogao susresti tijekom korištenja virtualnog stroja te što se može učiniti da ih se prevaziđe. I još jedna upotreba Windows Virtual PC -a je instalacija drugih operacijskih sustava. Ubuntu Linux se koristi kao demonstracija. Svatko tko je zainteresiran za istraživanje korištenja Windows Virtual PC -a želit će mnogo detaljniju knjigu od ove, ali Windows 7: Up and Running čitatelju će pružiti dobar početak.

Savjeti i trikovi

Knjiga završava izborom korisnih savjeta i trikova koji se usredotočuju na prilagodbu sučelja sustava Windows 7^{(Windows 7)} , rješavanje problema, korištenje tipkovničkih prečaca, snimanje slika diska i instalaciju sustava Windows 7^{(Windows 7)} na prijenosne medije kao što su fleš diskovi. Tu je i kratak, ali koristan odjeljak koji objašnjava kako postaviti svoje računalo za dvostruko pokretanje sustava Windows 7 i Windows XP . Neki od savjeta sadržanih u ovom odjeljku definitivno nisu za nove korisnike sustava Windows 7^{(Windows 7)} i nisam siguran zašto su uključeni. Nakon fokusiranja na osnove, čini se čudnim vidjeti odjeljak koji uključuje puno rada naredbenog retka.

Presuda

Kao što sam rekao na početku, ova knjiga mi je bila izuzetno korisna, jer objašnjava stvari na način na koji ja najbolje učim: otvoren razgovor i puno slika. Mislim da je raspored nekih odjeljaka, posebno instalacijskog, mogao biti bolji, a neće sva poglavlja biti korisna svima. Ali to su sitne prepirke, a za mene je knjiga čuvar. Windows 7: Up and Running izvrstan je resurs za nekoga tko je već upoznat sa sustavom Windows^(Windows) i ne treba ga držati u ruci. Objašnjava Windows 7sažeto i s obiljem ilustracija. Iako je doista osmišljen kako bi čitatelja "pokrenuo i pokrenuo", sigurno bi mogao pronaći svoje mjesto na polici za knjige za referencu, jer korisnik stječe više iskustva i želi istražiti sve sjajne nove značajke u sustavu Windows 7^{(Windows 7)} .

Book Review - Windows 7 Up and Running

Are you just starting out with Windows 7, after having used another version of Windows? Would you like a compact book that's bigger on the inside than on the outѕide, and explains just about everything someone encounterіng Wіndows 7 for the first time needs to know, without tаlking down to you? Do you like books that go into just enough detail about all the basics and illustrate eνerything they're showing you? If the answer is yes to аll those questіons, than this book is for you.

Up, Up and Away

Disclosure: I didn't think I was going to like this book. I prefer computer books that explain things to me in detail with plenty of illustrations so I know what I'm going to see before I take a whack at it myself, and I didn't think a book this compact would be able to do the job. I'm happy to report that my first assumption was dead wrong. Windows 7: Up and Running focuses on the essentials and provides clear illustrations for every step

.

The author assumes that the reader has experience with previous versions of Windows, primarily Windows XP or Windows Vista, and doesn't spend time explaining things like "this is your mouse, this is your keyboard," and the like. The book starts by detailing the differences between the versions of Windows 7, and the system requirements for successful installation. It provides a clear and useful guide for people upgrading from Windows XP using Microsoft's Easy Transfer utility. Although Easy Transfer definitely lives up to its name, I would have been happy to have such clearly illustrated instructions in front of me while I was installing Windows 7 on my computer that ran Windows XP. Unfortunately I did not have this book when I was doing the installation.

The next section explains how to install Windows 7 if you've got a brand new computer, or if you're upgrading from Windows Vista, since the procedure is much the same. However, I think it might be a bit too easy to miss the instructions for upgrading from Windows Vista - that you have to run the Windows 7 installer from within Windows Vista if you want your current data to be preserved. That information should have come first. The author gives the instructions for a clean install, with just one sentence noting the different procedure for Windows Vista, and then comes back to the Windows Vista installation process at the end of the section. I think it's more likely that the reader would be upgrading from Windows Vista rather than installing Windows 7 on a new hard drive, so the warning to run the installer from within Windows Vista and not boot from the disk should have been front and center instead of two pages later.

Oh look, it's new!

Next up is a description of all the new features in Windows 7, designed to show people who've been using Windows XP or Windows Vista the kinds of things they'll find most useful after the upgrade, starting with the taskbar and moving on to a well-illustrated explanation of Aero and all its variations. (A fuller explanation of the taskbar and Aero comes in the next chapter.) Then the book talks briefly about Desktop Gadgets (much improved from the ones in Windows Vista) and the newly revised editions of such venerable Windows built-in applications as Paint, WordPad, and the Calculator. The author assumes people already know how to use those applications.

Navigation and more

Windows 7's taskbar has been substantially upgraded from that of its predecessors, and the new features deserve a full explanation - which they get. I definitely appreciated the illustrations of Aero Peek, since my computer is too old to take full advantage of Aero. And the explanation of how to pin applications to the taskbar was very useful as well. Years ago, I used a program called Geoworks that let you pin any menu, and I always thought Windows shortchanged people by not letting them do something like that. Well, now Windows development has caught up, and it makes the interface much more user friendly. The explanation of Jump Lists was equally valuable.

A trip to the Library

Windows 7: Up and Running explains the concept of Libraries clearly, with plenty of illustrations. This is another new feature that Microsoft created to help Windows 7 users keep track of their information more efficiently. According to the book, most people didn't use the "My Documents" type folders but created their own. I found this rather surprising. I thought it was just vintage computer users like me who created their own folders instead of using the ones Microsoft built in (I am still using pretty much the same directory structure I had on my very first PC back in the late 1980s). The Library lets people have the best of both worlds - their own preferred folders plus a structure that makes it easy to keep track of what you've put where. I really appreciated the clear illustrations and the explanation of how the Library system works. I will be creating my own Library structure right away.

Go Go Gadget

I must say that I am not a fan of desktop "stuff." I keep only a few icons on mine, preferring to use sub-menus off the Start Menu to get where I want to go. The Sidebar on my Windows Vista computer drove me nuts and I turned it off pretty quickly after I first encountered it. Windows 7: Up and Running lists the available Windows 7 Desktop Gadgets, and explains that they're not confined to the Sidebar any more. This gave me an indication that they might be useful after all. For people who are not as picky about desktop contents as I am, the Gadgets would definitely be useful and the explanation makes using them easy. I'm going to try out a few myself, now that I can place them where I want.

Share and Share Alike

The next section of the book is dedicated to file sharing and the HomeGroup. Starting with a clear explanation of what a HomeGroup is and how to create one that works for you and the others on your network, Windows 7: Up and Running goes into the specifics of sharing files, protecting your data, and controlling who has access to what. Each step comes with a clear illustration of what you'll see on your screen. For the first time, sharing a USB-connected printer is simple, and sharing music between computers in the same HomeGroup is easy as well. As I read through this section, I was only too aware that our household so far contains only one Windows 7 computer - the rest use Windows XP or Mac OS X - so I would not be able to take advantage of all the Windows 7 improvements in networking and file sharing. Then I spotted the sections that deal specifically with sharing files with those other operating systems and I was a happy camper. I like to move files back and forth between computers and had not been entirely successful in integrating the Windows 7 computer into our home network. Now I know how it's done. I think this section alone would have been worth buying the book for.

Safe and Secure

No book about any version of Windows could be complete without a good section on security. Windows 7: Up and Running approaches this essential issue with a fairly long chapter that covers quite a broad spectrum of topics, some of which aren't really related to each other, although they still fall under the category of "security." This isn't as confusing as it might sound, because each security element is clearly explained, but the chapter itself is somewhat choppy and some topics might not seem to have anything to do with security at first glance. For example, the book includes the Action Center, since Action Center deals with system and security messages. It explains how the Action Center did away with a lot of Windows Vista's visual clutter and how to customize it, or even shut it off if you wish. The next topic is one that people who have been using Windows Vista will be all too familiar with, and not necessarily in a good way. Microsoft listened to users' complaints about Windows Vista's supremely annoying User Account Control and did away with the worst of the irritations, making Windows 7 much more inviting than its predecessor. Windows 7: Up and Running does full justice to the User Account Control's new, more user-friendly interface. Each possible level of security is clearly explained.

Continuing with other security-related built-in applications, the book notes that Windows Vista introduced the Credential Manager, a safe and secure place to store your logins, passwords, and certificates. Windows 7 makes it easier to use, and Windows 7: Up and Running offers a detailed explanation of how it works and how to customize it to suit your needs. Windows Vista also introduced BitLocker, a drive encryption application that could make the contents of your drive much more resistant to prying. Windows 7 introduces BitLocker to Go, which allows you to encrypt removable drives. (It's not available in all versions of Windows 7.) If you're interested in drive security, this section will be very useful. Windows 7: Up and Running also clearly explains how to encrypt individual files and folders with NTFS Encryption (also not available in all versions of Windows 7). The book goes into a lot of very useful detail about Certificates, which I had not seen explained so clearly before. There is a brief explanation of Windows Defender and Windows Firewall. Given how necessary these kinds of defenses are, nowadays, this section could have been a bit more detailed. There is no discussion about the default settings or whether the user might wish to change them, nor an explanation of what a firewall is. Granted, the author assumes experience with some previous version of Windows, but with today's emphasis on security, these two built-in applications should have been discussed in more detail.

Are These Essential?

The next section is devoted to "essential applications." Unfortunately, this title refers to the components of Windows Live Essentials, which may or may not really be essential. Windows Live Essentials is not, for some unknown reason, included with Windows 7, but it's available for free download from the Microsoft web site. It includes Messenger, Mail, Photo Gallery, Writer, Family Safety, and Movie Maker. Each component is briefly described and illustrated. Not to disparage these very useful applications, but I don't think any of them really makes the grade as "essential," and apparently Microsoft feels the same, since they're not built into Windows 7.

The Built-Ins

Windows 7 does include several really useful applications that come closer to being "essentials." There is the Snipping Tool (screen capture), Sound Recorder, Windows PowerShell (a scripting language and command-line application for expert users), Photo Viewer, Disc Image Burner, Media Center (not available in all versions), Math Input Panel (which lets you "write" math problems), XPS Viewer (for creating and signing your documents with digital signatures--another application for experts), Sticky Notes, Calculator, WordPad, Paint, and Media Player. Windows 7: Up and Running offers brief, illustrated instructions for these applications, but anyone who wants to make full use of them will want a book that goes into a lot more detail. Still, it's very useful to see what you've got on hand, without having to look for third-party software.

Exploring Internet Explorer

The chapter on Internet Explorer 8 goes into detail about that browser's many features, and illustrates them all clearly. Microsoft listened to its users (and paid close attention to what the other browser programmers were doing) and made Internet Explorer 8 much more versatile than previous editions. Here you can learn about the Smart Address bar, Enhanced tabbed browsing and grouping, Compatibility View, Find on Page, Improved search, Web Slices, Accelerators, InPrivate Browsing, InPrivate Filtering, Suggested Sites, Domain highlighting and SmartScreen Filter. Since many of those features are new to Internet Explorer 8, or are a vast improvement over their predecessors, Windows 7: Up and Running is a very useful reference for anyone who uses Internet Explorer.

Make New Friends, Keep the Old

One reason many individuals and businesses were reluctant to upgrade to Windows Vista was its lack of compatibility with their essential software. Some versions of Windows 7 (Professional, Ultimate, and Enterprise) include Windows XP Mode, which is Microsoft's acknowledgement that not everyone can afford all new software to go with an all new operating system. Windows XP Mode may require downloading and installing Windows Virtual PC, which could be more complicated than the average user is willing to attempt. With the illustrated instructions in Windows 7: Up and Running, this is not quite as daunting as it might appear at first. The book takes the reader step by step through the download, installation and use of Windows XP Mode. The author also talks about possible errors one might encounter while using a virtual machine, and what can be done to get past them. And one other use of the Windows Virtual PC is to install other operating systems. Ubuntu Linux is used as a demonstration. Anyone interested in exploring the uses of Windows Virtual PC will want a much more detailed book than this, but Windows 7: Up and Running will give the reader a good beginning.

Tips and Tricks

The book concludes with a selection of useful tips and tricks that focus on customizing the Windows 7 interface, troubleshooting, using keyboard shortcuts, burning disk images and installing Windows 7 on removable media such as thumb drives. There's also a brief but useful section that explains how to set up your computer to dual-boot Windows 7 and Windows XP. Some of the tips contained in this section are definitely not for the new Windows 7 user and I'm not sure why they were included. After focusing on the basics, it seems odd to see a section that includes a lot of command-line work.

Verdict

As I said in the beginning, I found this book extremely useful, since it explains things the way I learn best: straightforward talk and lots of pictures. I do think that the arrangement of some sections, especially the installation section, could have been better, and not all chapters will be useful to all people. But those are minor quibbles, and for me, the book's a keeper. Windows 7: Up and Running is an excellent resource for someone who is already familiar with Windows and doesn't need "this is your mouse" hand-holding. It explains Windows 7 concisely and with plenty of illustrations. While it is indeed designed to get the reader "up and running," it could certainly find its place on a bookshelf for reference, as the user gains more experience and wants to explore all the great new features in Windows 7.

Related posts

• Recenzija knjige - Windows 8.1 The Missing Manual, Davida Poguea

• Recenzija knjige - Windows 8 Inside Out, Tony Northrup

• Recenzija knjige - Windows 8 Out of the Box, Mike Halsey

• Recenzija knjige - Windows 8 Korak po korak, Ciprian Rusen & Joli Ballew

• Recenzija knjige - Umrežite svoja računala i uređaje, korak po korak

• Recenzija knjige - Smetnje u sustavu Windows 7

• Recenzija knjige - Microsoft Office 2010 za lutke

• Recenzija knjige - Pojednostavljena prijenosna računala

• Recenzija knjige - Microsoft Excel 2010 korak po korak

• Recenzija knjige - Windows 8 Secrets

• Recenzija knjige - Windows 7 Inside Out

• Recenzija knjige - Microsoft Office Professional 2010 korak po korak

• Recenzija knjige - Knjiga odvažnosti, Carla Schroder

• Recenzija knjige - Vodič za štreberke za Windows 8

• Recenzija knjige - Evernote za lutke

• Recenzija knjige - Microsoft Office 2010 Inside Out

• Recenzija knjige - Windows 8 za lutke, Andyja Rathbonea

• Recenzija knjige - Windows 7 Korak po korak

• Recenzija knjige - Microsoft Office 365 za lutke

• Recenzija knjige - Računanje sa sustavom Windows 7 za starije i mudrije