For the most part, I've found The Missing Manual series to be generally well written, informative and useful. This one - "Windows Vista: The Missing Manual" is better than average.

Reluctantly I had to install Vista on at least one computer and learn it, so I needed something that would help me quickly and hopefully painlessly transition from Windows XP Pro.

I tried Windows Vista: The Definitive Guideand found it lacking. Very lacking.

"Windows Vista: The Missing Manual" is well done. It is a very nice blend of material for the novice, the power user and everyone in between. It's really quite an accomplishment, I think.

Pogue has a very light style. I found that just by going through the book quickly page by page, I learned all the significant differences between Vista and XP. Pogue uses sidebars extensively to make the task user. He is also very much into providing useful tips.

Overall, "Windows Vista: The Missing Manual" is very well done and will help the reader to quickly transition from XP to Vista.

Jerry

the book contains over 800 pages and covers just about everything I may wish to do on a computer and very much more. Mr Pogue makes Vista appear to be easy to operate and a pleasure to use well that may be the case for the geeks of the world but it's also a pain in the but.

However the information contained in the pages of David Pogues book will enable me to enjoy a new computer experience.
That's all I have to say for the present. I have 3 more chapters to read
DRB

I bought and read this book while I was waiting for my new Dell XPS to arrive, and I thank my lucky stars every day since that I did. When my computer was installed, I already knew where everything was so I just fell into it with no problem whatsoever. I've told a lot of my friends, if you're thinking of getting Vista, do two things. Get your computer made with a LOT of ram, no less than three gigs, a good sound card, a good video card, big hard drive, and READ THIS BOOK FIRST before you ever open the computer. It'll save you a lot of angst over VISTA. I'm sure most of the problems people report having with it are because they went into it without any real preparation beforehand. Vista is different, but it's not impossible once you've gone through this book. It's very long, but you're not trying to memorize everything in it, you're trying to help yourself make your way around a brand new and very beautiful operating system. As long as you have this book in your house, you'll be fine. HIGHLY recommended.

The Missing Handbook is a great help in navigating the many complexities of Vista. It is written well and has an excellent index.

My review is simply a 5 star rating. It more than did the job. thanks Richard A G.

This is a great reference book. They're right, it should have been in the box. A must have to save time figuring out the little quirks Vista has. Very easy read.

I purchased this book for a friend and he told me that it was very helpful

This book gives you all of the answers you need for all levels of computer users. Excellent inforamtion and easy to read. Also amusing and light, now like a test book.

As a big fan of David Pogue in the NY Times, I was greatly disappointed with this very lengthy book. What I, and most people trying to learn Vista, need to know, is how to accomplish the tasks we used in previous operating systems in Vista...this book did not help at all.
Comparing the "old" methods, with hints for how to do it in the "new" system would have been a good first chapter...particularly how to transfer data files without the use of a hired computer Guru.

An excellent resource for anyone using Windows Vista as their operating system. The book is extremely well-written by an obviously knowledgeable person, but is written in such a way that it is easily understood by a wide range of Vista users, from the novice to the "power user". Of particular value to me was the frequent inclusion of illustrative sample Windows screens to supplement the text. Mr. Pogue's writing skills bridge the gap that can often exist between a text book on a technically based topic and a book that can hold the reader's interest in an entertaining manner.
Since I made the leap from Windows ME to Vista, the Missing Manual has proven to be an invaluable aid that has allowed me to progress at a much faster rate in my understanding of this operating system. It has proven to be far more helpful than the "Help" dialogue provided by Microsoft in Vista!

Very good book. Gives you all the information you need in simple terms. Highly recommend

This manual was very informative as no kind of manual nor any other kind of information came with the newly purchased Vista Windows Computer. This was a very helpful product to have without having to go into the Computer everytime to look up questions that seem to always be coming up. Very happy about this purchase.
Sincerely,
Ron

Vista is a very large and highly detailed operating system and Pogue's "Missing Manual" is a very complete, heavy duty explanation of how to use that system. The writing is clear, accurate, and straight forward. It is aimed at the everyday user, not the technically oriented geek who wants to do things like edit the Registry. The completeness and level of detail covered are impressive. Lots of illustrations help to clarify written descriptions. I have no reservations recommending this book. It deserves a 5 star rating.

This book is very good when coming to looking up snags and problems on a Vista Windows PC. One of my friends is really good at setting upp a PC and she liked it also

I found this manual very useful. It helped enormously my transition from Windows XP to Vista.

This book is a wonderous help in learning how to use the Windows Vista system to its full potential. I could not believe how many people gave so-so ratings to great laptops just because it had the Vista operating system. I admit that even I, so many times, get something high tech and do not truly know how to get into the "true meat" of what the equipment can do. When it comes to Vista, you cannot appreciate it or what this book can do until you start referencing its many chapters and pages (827 pages in all!!!). It is well written so even a "non computer geek" like me can make my way through and grasp what is being conveyed. Vista is a great system once you learn how to use it. If you are new to Vista, this is one reference book that should not leave your computer's side!!!!!

I bought this book for my daughter. Within a couple of hours she had solved several vexing problems with Windows Vista. Well worth the money.

I found this book nearly useless. The sections I read befor giving up seemed to contain less information than is available from the WIN VISTA help files and its written in a breathless gushing style. The author just fawns over Microsoft. Everything about Vista is amazing, wonderful and brilliant (NOT). There is very little trouble shooting information.

Use the help files and online tutorials and save your money

Just what the doctor ordered. Detailed enough to figure out anything the regular PC user might want to do, but written so anyone can understand it. I have the Windows XP Missing Manual also and thought it was great. It won't disappoint you.

David Pogue can be counted on to do a thorough and readable handbook of whatever Operating System is new and is in need of comprehensive instruction. His ongoing series title of "The Missing Manual" is accurate. (He has similar books for Mac Operating Systems). Computers now come with precious little in new owner information and most users need more. There will be many new books on the Vista Operating System, but you can count on this author to give you what you need.

Lots of info in this book. I have not yet bought Vista, but am expecting to very shortly. I certainly looking forward to trying some of the things in this book. Well written, and easy to understand.

This is an absolute must have manual for Vista users. It is so well written and so well organized that you can find anything in seconds from the index or appendix. It covered some issues that I couldn't even find on the Web! I wish all tech manuals were written this well and were this easy to use!

While this may not appeal to the expert, any user of pre-Vista Microsoft OSs, particularly XP, will find this a handy reference book.

As the "Missing Manual" series states - this book should have been in the box! New Vista users, beginners and intermediates alike will find this publication extremely helpful. Sysadmins and power users may find some information missing or not covered with enough detail... However, this book talks about a variety of Vista topics and is a valuable learning "manual" and a reference book. It's a must have!

Windows Vista is arguably one of the greatest changes Microsoft made to its operating system since it introduced Windows 95. If you bought Windows 95, you got a decent manual that explained its features, and computer hardware manufacturers frequently included a Windows 95 "start here" CD that explained the new features Windows 95 had to offer. Those were the good old days, weren't they? Gas was under $3.00 a gallon and you didn't take your shoes off at the airport unless your feet were tired. In 2007, we have none of that. Windows Vista comes with many new features, wizards, and a complete change of the start menu, but Microsoft provided no printed guide explaining these features. Even worse, we now have up to seven different varities of Vista, each with different features.

As we know some things in life you can't avoid: death and taxes. I always add one other inevitable facts of life: great books by David Pogue. "Windows Vista, the Missing Manual" doesn't disappoint. Mine is already dog-eared, marked up, and has passed around more times than (insert inappropriate comment here). I'm not running Vista yet, but friends and family constantlyask me about its esoteric features.

"Missing Manuals" tend to always share common traits such as clearly explained examples and great screen shots to illustrate the points. While other books feel compelled to explain every esoteric function of a particular program or operating system, Pogue focuses on those features the average user would need help with. He also doesn't waste time explaining the basics such as how to use the mouse or how to turn off the computer. The reader should have a basic understanding of how to use a computer and simply wants to know how to maximize their use of Vista's features. By far the handiest feature of this book is clearly explaining which features work with which flavor of Windows. For example: which version have faxing and which have the cool Aero feature? Another part of the book I constantly refer to is the "where did it go" section.

I only have two complaints about the book. First, you can tell Mr. Pogue "cuts and pastes" from other versions. In addition, I would have liked to have seen more troubleshooting help in the appendix. Granted, this isn't a repair manual, but people often read manuals when something isn't working the way they want and I would have nominated the book for Sainthood if it had those features. Overall this is an outstanding book and should be purchased by anyone anxious or concerned about making the switch to Vista. Advanced users won't like the book because it doesn't go into enough details...but advanced users rarely read manuals anyway.

Pros: Perfect explanation of the features the average Vista user will need to know
Cons: Not enough troubleshooting advice.

I'm a pretty experienced computer user. I found this book a bit light weight for my needs. If the author had cut out all the, not as funny as he thinks, jokes, a lot of trees could have been saved.

OK for beginner/intermediate user.

The layout of the book is very good. It definitely has eye-appeal. (Seems superficial but I find this really affects whether I like a book or not).

I hate to break up the love fest for this book, but this isn't really such a good book. There are better books for both admins and power users, and Pogue is a MAC GUY to boot. This is the only computer book I've ever returned.

Although not a complete computer novice, Vista is several operating systems newer than the one on my old computer, (which I never really learned to use anyway because I've always had a Resident Techie around, until now.) This is exactly the book I needed! As the subtitle on the cover states, this is The Book That Should Have Been in the Box.

Since I've been out of the loop so long, I started at the beginning and picked up lots of information I needed to know in the "up to speed" sidebars. After five minutes, I felt confident enough with author David Pogue's explanations and instructions to skip to the index, and to the problem that had prompted my purchase of the book: The first day with my new computer, I'd accidentally uninstalled the RSS Feed Gadget while attempting to get it to update news headlines.

The Help menu and the new Vista search feature were so unhelpful, I'd even gone through files individually to see if I could find it. (not a total loss, since I found an old favorite, Minesweeper.) After five minutes with the Missing Manual, I not only found and reinstalled the Gadget, but learned I have to subscribe to a feed to make it display current headlines. (Who knew? It had current headlines on it the first day.)

David Pogue's writing style is so good, and his instructions are so clear, I'm looking forward to sitting down and reading the book cover to cover so I don't miss anything. I'll never need a resident techie again!

I'm so glad I bought this book. It's hard to believe that no manual ships with the new operating system. The other Windows upgrades were not so different that you needed specific information. I'm a person who likes to have a reference book handy. Wading through help menus in the system does not always result in finding answers to your questions. I recommend this manual to both the novice and the expert.

To my mind, the concept of a an Operating System as complex as Vista NOT coming with a manual is absurd. David Pogue's work here is essental -- at 800+ pages, thicker than the Minneapolis phone book, you're pretty much guaranteed an answer to any Vista-related question which might cross your mind. Good work, here. Truly, the book that should have been in the box. Well done.

I previously bought the Missing Manual for Windows XP and found it to be a font of knowledge. So far the Vista version hasn't disappointed me. You really need this book to make sense out of Vista [Do not rely on the Windows Help!] Profusely illustrated with many examples and a good index to find subjects. And there is a website where you can check for corrections, updates etc. A must-have book, and the Amazon price is pretty good.

I previously bought the Missing Manual for Windows XP and found it to be a font of knowledge. So far the Vista version hasn't disappointed me. You really need this book to make sense out of Vista [Do not rely on the Windows Help!] Profusely illustrated with many examples and a good index to find subjects. And there is a website where you can check for corrections, updates etc. A must-have book, and the Amazon price is pretty good.

The title sends the message of my review. Every Windows Vista User should purchase this book at the same time Windows Vista is purchased, or, immediately after the purchase of Windows Vista. The book covers everything that most users want to know and should know about Windows Vista. Significantly this book is written for easy reader understanding and for plesant reading.

Read it a learn things technical you should know without plowing through unnecessary technical language. If you really want to get technical, then, after you read this book to become a competent and comfortable Windows Vista user, purchase Windows Vista Inside Out by Ed Bott, Carl Siechert, and Craig Stinson. Windows Vista Inside Out is great book if you really wish to get technical and look at Windows Vista in-depth.

Windows Vista: The Missing Manual An excellent book.
Clear and to-the-point, this book provides a comprehensive coverage of Windows Vista. It covers all five versions of Vista.All the many utilities, Media Center features, new security features, and the Internet Explorer 7 are covered; also how to make your own audio CDs and DVD movies. There is an extensive discussion on installation in the Appendix. At a hefty 826 pages it makes a thoroughly detailed reference.

Generally, I am not a fan of manuals...they
can be boring, vague and for the most part
you even wonder if the writer has actually
seen the product being discussed.

Enter: "Windows Vista: The Missing Manual"
Written by: David Pogue
Published by: Pogue Press - O'Reilly.

Vista truly is a new experience and all aspects
of the various features are explained in detail
in this comprehensive, easy to read manual.
If you are a first time computer owner or a
veteran from the days of DOS this is a book
you will find yourself referring to over and over.

Everything from the graphically appealing
Windows Aero interface to tips on how to
install Vista is covered. 32-bit vs. 64-bit,
organizing your files, Gadgets, hooking up
to the net, Internet Explorer 7, Windows Mail,
Photo Gallery, Movie Maker, transferring your
files, tweaking the Registry, making backups,
maintenance...it's all in there and much more.

Finally, I must say the RepKover binding of this
more than 800 page treatise is excellent. You
can actually open it flat on the desk and it won't
slam shut like many books will. This can be
quite useful when you are trying to read and
implement the instructions while sitting at your
keyboard.

Wow! This really is the book that should have
been in the box.

Windows Vista: The Missing Manual is 800 plus pages of tips, tricks and knowledge concerning all 5 (or is it 8? Or 16?) versions of Microsoft's latest offering, Windows Vista. It exhaustively covers every edition, from Home Basic to Ultimate and does so with wit and style.

With 27 chapters, divided into 8 sections and 4 appendices this book delivers in it's promise of being "The book that should have been in the box."

Starting with Part One: The Vista Desktop, Pogue and his compatriots examine every aspect of the Desktop, from how to find your way around Vista's new look and feel, customizing and an examination of just about every menu item in the Start Menu.

Part Two: Vista Software brings us through all of the software offerings that are bundled with Vista from the mundane to the absurd.

Part Three: Vista Online walks users through the basics of getting their new Vista install online and using Internet Explorer 7 and the newly renamed Windows Mail (Outlook Express as most of us know it).

Part Four: Pictures, Movies, and Media Center tells us all about just that. Vista comes loaded with ways to store, organize, view or listen too and perform some basic manipulation of photos, media files, even television.

Part Five: Hardware and Peripherals brings us through printing and faxing and the basics of installing new hardware or attaching gadgets.

Part Six: PC Health is a look at the various tools Microsoft packages into Vista to keep your computer healthy and happy, from your hard disk's health to Windows Update.

Part Seven: The Visa Network briefly covers some more advanced topics in networking such as local accounts versus domain accounts, workgroups, networks, sharing and collaboration.

Part Eight: Appendixes contains some useful information about the actual install process, a few registry hacks, a comparison of older built in programs (from XP or 2000) and their new and newly named counterparts in Vista and an extremely thorough keyboard shortcut list.

Overall the book reads well. It's designed as a technical reference that will be useful to both the computer illiterate and the longtime support guru. It's impossible for a single book to be all things to all people who span these categories and Pogue realizes this. His book is concise if a bit brief on some subjects and a bit wordy on others, perhaps showing a bias towards some features. Yet he still manages to write a book that will be useful to a huge range of readers.

The approach of writing a technical manual that is funny and appealing to the average reader has worked well with other series (most notably the For Dummies books) and it works well here. If your a veteran Microsoft support person you may find yourself skipping whole paragraphs to get to the nitty gritty but you'll still find the book as a whole very useful.

Even some of the non-technical talk may catch your eye - the book is full of little gems like "The Control Panel continues to be an object of bafflement for Microsoft, not to mention it's customers; from version to version of Windows, this window undergoes more reorganizations than a bankrupt airline." This in reference to what Pogue classifies as "Control Panel Terminology Hell".

Vista isn't perfect and while the gems are highlited, the rough spots and blunders are also noted with useful tips on how to work with or around them.

Windows Vista: The Missing Manual contains a ton of tips and tricks within its pages that will be very useful for power users and administrators. From keyboard shortcuts to a registry hack that hides all the icons on the Desktop, I found lots of useful information.

I thought it a bit odd at first that the installation of Vista section is contained in the Appendix at the rear of the book but after a little thought it makes more sense. Any veteran of windows installs or (dare I say it?) upgrades will be able to handle a Vista install without problems. Folks newer to windows or computers will most likely not be attempting this at first, if at all.

Pros: Easy to read and chock full of great tips. I'm eager to get into my Vista installs and try out a bunch of new features and tricks that aren't immediately obvious on install. If you're not terribly technical then this book is going to be a godsend for you. If you are technical, you'll still pick up a lot of information. Both the good and the bad in Vista are presented

Cons: Some of the humor is a bit much and probably not necessary. Is it good to laugh while reading about an operating system? Sure but I would have liked to see more effort put into including more neat tricks and less off the cuff humor. I found myself skipping whole paragraphs to get to the meat of the book.

If your going to be working with Vista or using it at home, this book will be very helpful too you. I've had it in my hands for just under 5 days now and I've already completed reading it and implemented several suggestions. Plus I got to play with a neat voice recognition system that comes with Vista. I'd heard about it but this book convinced me to try it.

If your a novice, you'll find this book an easy read. You'll soon be much more productive on your computer. If you're a veteran, you'll find plenty of tidbits that will make this book worthwhile and increase your productivity as well.

Windows has never been the most usable Operating System. From day one, it's been playing a catching up game with Apple Operating Systems and Vista is no exception. The thing is, this time, Vista takes a quantum leap comparable to the one that Microsoft took with Windows 95 vs. the previous incarnations of their OS, which spells a lot of trouble and confusion for new users and users who take the leap.

David Pogue in "Windows Vista (Missing Manual)" acknowledges the learning curve Vista will entail and the confusion resulting from things that changed places, got renamed or simply dissapeared, leaving both, new and experienced Windows users at a loss. At the same time, his voice and tone keep you engaged in spite of the length of the book (827 pages), resulting in a book that serves as a general go-to reference for specific things and doubts, as well as a guide to take you through the thick and thin of Windows Vista until you become as experienced as you want to get and you are enjoying all the cool features Vista brings to the screen for PC users.

Although I have not got yet the computing juice Vista demands nor the guts to take the leap away from XP, having read it, I recommend the book to anyone considering to upgrade to Vista or anybody getting a computer with Vista pre-installed.

This is the second book in the Missing Manual series I've gotten my mitts on (the iPod one being the first) and I'm extremely impressed with the series so far.

This book does a great job of covering topics that everyone from novice through experienced mid-level folks can use. The format, writing style, and layout make the book easy to browse through, and the great table of contents and nicely done index make it fine as a reference.

The content ranges from basics such as how to tweak your system's appearance to more technical topics like delving in to the search infrastructure in Vista. There's also an entire section of five chapters guiding you on details surrounding networking in Vista, plus there's a separate appendix dedicated to details on installing Vista. If you're feeling very frisky there's yet another appendix on "Fun with the Registry." The section on Vista's multi-media capabilities is particularly well done and has given me some very interesting ideas for ways to better use my Vista-based home systems.

I think the book does a great job of filling in gaps for newbies to mid-level users. Advanced users probably won't get much out of the book, but the depth of content is sufficient enough to keep everyone else happy.

Put another way: I've got access to scads of Vista-related material through Microsoft courtesy of my MVP status and my company's Gold Partner relationship. I'm keeping the book around as a handy guide. It's that useful!

There are two aspects of this book to review -- its content and organization, and the software it describes. Vista contains kernels of every type of software you could possibly want. If you want to really do sophisticated operations whether in video editing, music, digital photo editing, multi-platform file utilization, file indexing, security, or any number of those other "gee whiz" things we're now using computers for, you'll still need dedicated third-party software. But to find what Vista has to offer and make the most of its features this book is an invaluable assistant.

The content and organization of the book is really nice. It's readable, it's skimmable, it's browsable. You can approach this book from whatever angle you wish, as a chair-side reference, as a thorough discussion of whatever topic you choose, as an instruction manual, or for tips and tricks that are not intuitively obvious. It serves well, regardless of how you want to use the book. You can read it like a child reads "The National Geographic Magazine" by just looking at the pictures and reading the captions, but the writing doesn't talk down to the reader like the "Idiot's Guide to..." series.

Highly recommended.

Reviewed by Larry Goss
SW Indiana PC Users Group

Even though David Pogue's "Missing Manual" series isn't necessarily marketed toward programmers or system administrators, I still found the text very useful and a great addition to my O-Reilly library. For me, this book represents a condensation of the bits an pieces of "vista info" that are floating around the new OS release.

I have to admit that I was on the fence about Vista when I received this book. I ran into trouble finding a good reliable source of raw information, so I decided to research for myself instead of reading more pro/con columns. To that end I used this as more of a reference book in order to find out how much Vista had changed from XP. To my surprise I found everything I wanted to know, and even some things I had forgot long ago.

This is a book I would recommend to my Mom as well as any of my friends or co-workers looking to discover more about Vista. Pogue writes in such a way that any beginner can understand, and any power-user can appreciate.

It's been over five years in the making and it's nearly perfect. No, I'm not referring to Microsoft's vast new operating system named Windows Vista, but to the reference book "Windows Vista: the Missing Manual," by author David Pogue. The Missing Manual series is the benchmark of quality for computer manuals. Unless you're a system administrator, programmer, or uber-geek, this is probably the only reference source you'll need to learn Microsoft's Vista.

Vista is the long-awaited successor to Windows XP and it is a major overhaul and upgrade of that operating system. It was designed primarily to address long-standing security issues with XP and its predecessors, but it also has a vastly new look and feel graphically and in operating features. It comes with a large number of new programs and features.

This Missing Manual uses every bit of 827 pages (including index) to provide similar descriptive and informational material as the built-in Vista sources, but provides much, much more:

One. Beyond mere description of features and functions, the book explains and evaluates all of the major (and many of the minor) changes from Windows XP to the new Vista. The introductory chapter itemizes all of the most important changes providing perspective on what Microsoft has done with the new operating system. It also highlights some of the more significant interface changes - the new search tool, the revised Start Menu, and the new "ribbon" bar.

Two. The author notes the options a user has in either using a new Vista feature, or in reconfiguring the operating experience to return to pre-existing features and the aesthetic elements of Windows XP and earlier versions of the operating system.

Three. Pogue provides an expert user's perspective on the value of the changes and new features in Vista. Some things are improvements and upgrades; others are rated as inferior to what was before. If you don't like the new or changed feature, Pogue guides you how to revert to previous iterations of the featuress, or otherwise provides workarounds.

Four. Pogue is great at providing an expert user's perspective on working with the operating system efficiently and pragmatically. The Manual is written so that one almost feels that one is getting a one-on-one, hands-on lesson, in using Windows Vista. There is good reason that Pogue has been described as one of the "world's best explainers."

Five. Beyond all of the information, guidance and perspectives, Pogue has a great writing style. The writing is sprinkled with wit, sarcasm, and good-natured humor, extremely rare for a computer related book.

Six. The author writes for multiple levels of need and understanding. He details the basics of Windows Vista for beginners, provides richer material in breadth and depth for intermediate users, and a good amount of material useful for power users. There are many sidebars sprinkled throughout called "Power Users Clinic" which offer more technical tips, shortcuts, and information to PC veterans.

There is a lot new to Vista. The most important, if not the most noticeable, are the security enhancements. Microsoft now has a user account control which limits installation of new applications to a "user" who has administrative permissions. There is a full page of FAQs just regarding the user account control.

A major security upgrade is "service hardening" which prevents access to the all-important system files by outsiders or unauthorized users. Other new security elements are the Windows Defender program designed to prevent spyware installs, a phishing filter in Internet Explorer, parental controls, drive encryption, address space randomization, and much more.

What is most noticeable is the appearance of the desktop, windows, icons, system font , and interface features. These are all redesigned to take advantage the vastly enhanced graphic capabilities of Vista referred to as "Aero". The Start Menu has been redesigned to be easier to use. The conventional menu bar for the desktop and most application windows has been replaced with a content-based ribbon bar.

There is a lengthy list of new applications, most significantly Window's response to Apple Macintosh's iLife suite of media applications. In Vista, these are the Photo Gallery, Calendar, DVD Maker, Media Player 11, and DVD Maker.

Mr. Pogue is an accomplished writer and computer expert having authored over 40 books, including 17 of the Missing Manual series. The writing is clear, concise, and jargon free. The book provides a fair evaluation of Microsoft's latest operating system and gives it good grades overall.

The book is organized into eight parts including a set of appendices. These include the Desktop (or user workspace), the Vista software, Internet connection matters, the new Pictures, Movie, and Media applications, hardware and peripherals, PC maintenance, and networking with Vista. The page layout is clean. The book is filled with hundreds of screenshots and numerous step-by-step instructions on nearly all of Vista's elements.

Part One explains the Desktop and what's new, including the Welcome Center, Start Menu, and the greatly enhanced search tool which graces every window and the desktop itself. It now offers natural language searching for the first time. A full 10 pages is devoted to Microsoft's improved speech recognition system, including a large handful of insights from an experienced user of such software.

Part Two contains most of the material on the new programs and the improved programs - Internet Explorer and its new RSS capability, tabs, and search bar, Mail (the Outlook replacement), and the Control Panel, which now contains at least 50 icons for mini-applications, wizards, links, and folders. Chapter 8 provides an applet by applet description. Dealing with the Internet with Internet Explorer and Mail comprises most of Part Three. There is a comprehensive section on connecting to the Internet with the growing number of methods-cable, DSL, dial-up, WiFi, cell, etc.

The media applications are covered in detail in Part Four including comparisons of Microsoft's media applications to iTunes and Zune. Part Five deals with the fax, print, and scan functions and hardware related matters. Especially interesting are the printer tricks and the section on laptops, tablets, palm tops and hand-recognition software.

For maintenance, troubleshooting, and problem solving, there is a trio of chapters in Part Six covering disk maintenance and repair, the new "dynamic discs" feature, compression and encryption, and backups. Geeks may be interested in knowing how to uncover the hidden controls for the new improved firewall.

Part Seven covers the basics of accounts and networks. There is a lot new in Vista, especially in regard to its "separate users" architecture. The difference between workgroup and domain networks is explained clearly. Sharing and collaboration functions are explained and there is a comprehensive and deep section on remote control using a multitude of methods.

The appendices are great. Appendix A. discusses the installation of Vista in a comprehensive, systematic manner, from pre-purchase and installation considerations, to making decisions about upgrades or clean installs, to dual booting.

Appendix B. is cheekily titled "Fun with the Registry" and is an introduction, with examples, to the notorious registry which is carried over from XP and predecessors. Most authors writing for this level of reader tend to avoid discussion of the registry, but Pogue provides just enough material to intrigue the intermediate user.

Appendix C. is a short itemization of what's missing in Vista from previous Windows operating systems.

Appendix D. is a master list of keyboard shortcuts for both the operating system and its major applications, like Internet Explorer 7, and the new Windows Mail.

There is no wasted space or text in this book. It's worth every cent of its $34.95 price.

It's been over five years in the making and it's nearly perfect. No, I'm not referring to Microsoft's vast new operating system named Windows Vista, but to the reference book "Windows Vista: the Missing Manual," by author David Pogue. The book is the latest, and perhaps best, in the Missing Manual series published by Pogue Press/ O'Reilly Media, Inc. The Missing Manual series is the benchmark of quality for computer manuals. Unless you're a system administrator, programmer, or uber-geek, this is probably the only reference source you'll need to learn Microsoft's Vista.

Vista is the long-awaited successor to Windows XP and it is a major overhaul and upgrade of that operating system. It was designed primarily to address long-standing security issues with XP and its predecessors, but it also has a vastly new look and feel graphically and in operating features. It comes with a large number of new programs and features and its innards have been significantly beefed up, as it is a 64 bit operating system, focused on the intermediate future of computing hardware and software.

There are so many changes in Vista that it would take perhaps a dozen pages just to provide a bare-bones description of everything. You don't get any written material from Microsoft when you buy Vista. There are digital support and help resources built in and available elsewhere for Vista, but they are not convenient to use and they are relatively limited in scope and depth. Vista, the Missing Manual, provides the information Microsoft doesn't. It covers all five North American versions of Vista. Page 6 has a handy comparison chart of each version. The beginning of every content section refers to which version of Vista the discussion applies.

This Missing Manual uses every bit of 827 pages (including index) to provide similar descriptive and informational material as the built-in Vista sources, but provides much, much more:

One. Beyond mere description of features and functions, the book explains and evaluates all of the major (and many of the minor) changes from Windows XP to the new Vista. The introductory chapter itemizes all of the most important changes providing perspective on what Microsoft has done with the new operating system. It also highlights some of the more significant interface changes - the new search tool, the revised Start Menu, and the new "ribbon" bar.

Two. The author notes, at every point relevant, the options a user has in either using a new Vista feature, or in reconfiguring the operating experience to return to pre-existing features and the aesthetic elements of Windows XP and earlier versions of the operating system.

Three. Pogue provides an expert user's perspective on the value of the changes and new features in Vista. Some things are improvements and upgrades; others are rated as inferior to what was before. If you don't like the new or changed feature, Pogue guides you how to revert to previous iterations of the featuress, or otherwise provides workarounds.

Four. Pogue is great at providing an expert user's perspective on working with the operating system efficiently and pragmatically. He doesn't just describe a feature or function but includes tips and guides on how to be more efficient and practical with it and provides reference to other resources available for additional information or guidance. The Manual is written so that one almost feels that one is getting a one-on-one, hands-on lesson, in using Windows Vista.

He represents the Alpha-geek relative you might have to help you out when you can't figure out how to do or fix something. You feel like expressing, "Oh, now I understand!" over and over. There is good reason that Pogue has been described as one of the "world's best explainers."

Five. Beyond all of the information, guidance and perspectives, Pogue has a great writing style. The writing is sprinkled with wit, sarcasm, and good-natured humor, extremely rare for a computer related book. Microsoft gets more than a few slams for its many foibles, all well earned. WordPad, for example, no longer opens Word files!

Six. The author writes for multiple levels of need and understanding. He details the basics of Windows Vista for beginners, provides richer material in breadth and depth for intermediate users, and a good amount of material useful for power users, both informationally and in advanced tips. There are many sidebars sprinkled throughout called "Power Users Clinic" which offer more technical tips, shortcuts, and information to PC veterans.

There is are a lot new to Vista. The most important, if not the most noticeable, are the security enhancements. Microsoft now has a user account control which limits installation of new applications to a "user" who has administrative permissions. By default, the operating system generates accounts for simple users, without the ability to allow installation of new programs. There is a full page of FAQs just regarding the user account control.

A major security upgrade is "service hardening" which prevents access to the all-important system files by outsiders or unauthorized users. Other new security elements are the Windows Defender program designed to prevent spyware installs, a phishing filter in Internet Explorer, parental controls, protected mode, drive encryption, address space randomization, and much more. That list doesn't even include a new backup program to help protect users from nonfeasance in basic computer operations (although the author recommends third-party software.)

What is most noticeable is the appearance of the desktop, windows, icons, system font (Sergoe UI), and interface features. These are all redesigned to take advantage the vastly enhanced graphic capabilities of Vista referred to as "Aero". The Start Menu has been redesigned to be easier to use. The conventional menu bar for the desktop and most application windows has been replaced with a content-based ribbon bar.

There is a lengthy list of new applications, most significantly Window's response to Apple Macintosh's iLife suite of media applications. In Vista, these are the Photo Gallery, Calendar, DVD Maker, Media Player 11, and DVD Maker. It adds to that group, Meeting Space, which is a collaboration program for local network users.

The Window's Sidebar is modeled after Apple's Dashboard, which allows customized applets to be displayed and used. A useful cautionary note mentions that the Sidebar gadgets don't save data or configurations when closed. You must start all over again.

Mr. Pogue is an accomplished writer and computer expert having authored over 40 books, including 17 of the Missing Manual series. He's well regarded as the weekly technology columnist for the New York Times and a correspondent for CBS's News Sunday Morning. He's been assisted here by four other experts who contributed chapters or parts of chapters to this manual. The writing is clear, concise, and jargon free. The book provides a fair evaluation of Microsoft's latest operating system and gives it good grades overall. Pogue routinely points out the areas that Microsoft has unashamedly copied from Apple Macintosh, and notes it as a good thing.

The book is organized into eight parts including a set of appendices. These include the Desktop (or user workspace), the Vista software, Online and Internet connection matters, the new Pictures, Movie, and Media applications, hardware and peripherals, PC health and maintenance, and networking with Vista. The page layout is clean. The book is filled with hundreds of screenshots and numerous step-by-step instructions on nearly all of Vista's elements. The discussion is comprehensive and deep.

Part One explains the Desktop and what's new, including the Welcome Center, Start Menu, and the greatly enhanced search tool which graces every window and the desktop itself. It now offers natural language searching for the first time. For those using older hardware which may not be up to par for Aero's graphic demands, Pogue provides a handful of suggested speed tweaks. A full 10 pages is devoted to Microsoft's improved speech recognition system, including a large handful of insights from an experienced user of such software. The author is a fan of Dragon' s Naturally Speaking program, but gives good reviews to Vista's capabilities.

Part Two contains most of the material on the new programs and the improved programs - Internet Explorer and its new RSS capability, tabs, and search bar, Mail (the Outlook replacement), and the Control Panel, which now contains at least 50 icons for mini-applications, wizards, links, and folders. Chapter 8 provides an applet by applet description. Dealing with the Internet with Internet Explorer and Mail comprises most of Part Three. There is a comprehensive section on connecting to the Internet with the growing number of methods-cable, DSL, dial-up, WiFi, cell, etc.

The media applications are covered in detail in Part Four including comparisons of Microsoft's media applications to iTunes and Zune. The discussion of Media Center includes tips on managing recorded TV and setting up media hardware. Part Five deals with the fax, print, and scan functions and hardware related matters. Especially interesting are the printer tricks and the section on laptops, tablets, palm tops and hand-recognition software.

For maintenance, troubleshooting, and problem solving, there is a trio of chapters in Part Six covering disk maintenance and repair, the new "dynamic discs" feature, compression and encryption, and backups. Geeks may be interested in knowing how to uncover the hidden controls for the new improved firewall. Pogue even provides material on energy conservation and how to configure Vista to work most efficiently for the user.

Part Seven covers the basics of accounts and networks. There is a lot new in Vista, especially in regard to its "separate users" architecture. The difference between workgroup and domain networks is explained clearly. Sharing and collaboration functions are explained and there is a comprehensive and deep section on remote control using a multitude of methods.

The appendices are great. Appendix A. discusses the installation of Vista in a comprehensive, systematic manner, from pre-purchase and installation considerations, to making decisions about upgrades or clean installs, to dual booting. He describes the new Welcome Center which aggregates many of the initial configurations for a user, or for multiple users.

Appendix B. is cheekily titled "Fun with the Registry" and is an introduction, with examples, to the notorious registry which is carried over from XP and predecessors. Most authors writing for this level of reader tend to avoid discussion of the registry, but Pogue provides just enough material to intrigue the intermediate user.

Appendix C. is a short itemization of what's missing in Vista from previous Windows operating systems. It makes it easy to figure out why something you've used before can't be located and used.

Appendix D. is a master list of keyboard shortcuts for both the operating system and its major applications, like Internet Explorer 7, and the new Windows Mail.

There is no wasted space or text in this book. It's worth every cent of its $34.95 price. As a small bonus, copies of shareware programs mentioned in the book are conveniently available for download at www.missingmanual.com.

Windows Vista is a complete overhaul to the Windows operating system that took over five years to complete. It includes an all new user interface and major improvements to security. With the all new look, new programs, new explorers five different versions it is a lot to fathom. But you get on screen help but no manual. I personally still want and need a book to sit down and study. I found Windows Vista - The Missing Manual the solution for me. I don't have Vista but worked with the beta product and found that the manual walked me through the changes that impacted me. It has also given me the incite necessary to determine which version of Windows Vista I eventually will use.

The book published by O'Reilly is written for advanced beginners or intermediate computer users. For beginners it includes "Up to Speed" articles and for advanced users there are the "Power Users' Clinic" highlights. The Missing Manual's over 800 pages comprise eight parts and four appendixes.

I found the "Where'd It Go" appendix an excellent reference. It shows you where the old features you were used to using are hidden in Vista. Part One covers the "Vista Desktop" showcasing several new features. It prepares you for what you might see when first starting Vista.

We have all heard about the Aero interface and the book clearly explains the features. I was interested in the new Sleep feature. This is a two step energy conservation feature. For the first 15 minutes all of your open programs and settings are saved in Ram. So restarting only takes a matter of seconds. After 15 minutes the full Sleep mode starts. At that point like Hibernation the image is saved on the hard drive and it takes longer to restart, but is still much faster than a full start up.

The new Lock feature also has a potential for excellent benefits in the workplace or a home with children. When you leave the computer just turn the lock on and it will require log on to reactivate. In addition, I found the description of the new fast system wide Search interesting. Some of the new features in the Start Menu Search should become evident through use, but things like using Vista's criteria search are not self evident and I was glad to learn about them from the book. The book even suggested that with the new folder search features maybe deeply nesting folders isn't necessary. However, I doubt I could give that up.

Part One - "Vista Desktop" of the Missing Manual walks you through using the Vista desktop and fully customizing all of its features to suit your needs. It even shows you how Vista will let you go back to the old classic Windows XP look and feel. Windows Explorer is covered here. Since I personally use Windows Explorer for managing, organizing and opening my myriad of files I studied this chapter closely. I found the detailed descriptions of the windows panes enlightening. The information available in the details pane is incredible. I like the idea of using tags. And with my tendency to create a very detailed folder hierarchy, I found the books descriptions of Vista's Windows Explorer sorting, grouping, stacking and filtering options valuable.

Since there are a lot of improvements and changes in Vista, it is important to be able to get help. And the Missing Manual contains an entire chapter to help understand the new Vista Help system. I use Help features in Windows and application programs often and found the descriptions of the help screens and various methods of gaining help and assistance very useful.

These topics were all included in the Basics and Desktop section of the manual's first 186 pages. Just this information on how to set up and get along with Vista and the Appendix on "Where Did it Go" are well worth the cost of the manual. But he manual also includes much more.

Part Two - "Vista Software" explains the programs, gadgets and freebie software included with Vista. Here you read about installing, opening, managing and uninstalling application programs. Although the book addresses Windows Vista, it provides information you use while using an application. Like using dialog boxes to open and save files. You also see how to use cut, copy and paste commands to move information between programs. Drag and drop and export/import are also covered.

The applications provided with Windows Vista are each discussed. I remember when I got my current desktop computer and was shocked when it started adding strange things to my documents. If I had read about Speech Recognition, (It was turned on in my version of Office.) I might have figured out what was happening with less concern. I was intrigued with the text to speech capabilities of Vista. The new Sidebar and each gadget are explained. For people who don't use Outlook's calendar, the new Windows Calendar may be valuable, and you find all you need to take advantage of the tool in the manual. Another new tool worth noting is the Snipping tool. Each of the freebee goodies even the games is described in the manual. But for you game enthusiasts, you don't get instructions on playing the games.

Vista's presentation of the Control panel is new. An entire chapter is devoted to the applets included in the Control panel. It explains each and even shows how to get back to the classic view.

Part Three - "Vista Online" explains using Vista online. Here you learn how to configure network connections, use Windows Mail and surf the web with Internet Explorer 7. The Internet Security Center, Windows Firewall, Windows Defender and the Phishing Filter are all covered. You read how to configure and use Vista's features to protect your data and computer. Since my new laptop is wireless, I closely read the information on hotspot security and home wireless networking. But I then skipped the parental controls discussion.

Part Four - the "Media Center" has over 100 pages are devoted to Pictures, Movies and Media center. Since many of us are into digital photography, the chapter on the Windows Photo Gallery is interesting. Photo gallery imports your photos from your camera or computer. Lets you organize, tag and rate them. After completing any required editing, you can then share the pictures as prints, slideshows or on CDs/DVDs. I already have applications that do these functions so did not try the Windows Photo Gallery. Nevertheless, the descriptions and instructions in the manual are clear and straightforward. There are also chapters on Windows, Media Player, Movie Maker and DVD Maker, Media Center rounding out this part of the manual.

Part Five - "Hardware and Peripherals" covers faxing, printing and scanning as well as working with other peripherals. Installing printers and using them to print from programs and the desktop is discussed. If you think this is too basic skip that part and take a look at controlling printouts and fancy printer tips. For the more adventurous the manual discusses ports, jacks and installing cards in expansion slots. Troubleshooting tips and using the Device Manager are explained.

Part Six - "PC Health" discusses Windows Vista tools that can be a great benefit to the knowledgeable computer user or a potential door to Pandora's Box. Computer maintenance and tweaks are described. I have used third party software to partition my computer's hard disks for years. So read with interest the disk management chapter on partitioning, compression and encryption.

Part Seven - "Vista Network" covers setting up user accounts and networks, domains and network sharing. These 100 pages cover using user accounts so multiple people can safely use the same computer without impacting each other's settings and data. You also learn how to set up a working network to share files and peripherals as well as a network connection. There is even a chapter on remote control of your computer.

Part Eight includes the appendixes. I already mentioned the appendix on "Where'd It Go?". But there are also appendixes on Installing Windows Vista, Fun with the Registry (That is a scary thought.), and a Keyboard Shortcut List.

So Windows Vista - The Missing Manual does contain something for everyone. It is a great book to read and excellent reference. If you are planning to upgrade to Windows Vista, the book can help you make the right choice and ease the transition.