Big book of Windows hacks - Preston Gralla

Bigger, better, and broader in scope, 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 focuses on Vista, the new bad boy on Microsoft's block, with hacks and workarounds that also work for Windows XP. You can read each hack in just a few minutes, saving countless hours of searching for the right answer. The step-by-step instructions let you apply the solutions in no time. This book takes you beyond the operating system with hacks for applications like Internet Explorer 7 and Office 2007, and hardware such as the Zune, your wireless router, and the PC itself.

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 emulate 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 omnipotent Vista and XP operating systems.