Windows Vista contains so many quirks, unaccountable behaviors, and confounding features that it almost seems to have been designed to vex its users. Unfortunately, as most Vista users are already dealing with job demands, impending deadlines, and assorted miscellaneous interruptions, they have little patience left for operating system foibles. The situation tends to make them annoyed.

However, author David Karp has a different take. "Why suffer when you can take matters into your own hands?" he asks. Karp has a rare talent for helping cranky computer users become serene. His books have been alleviating the annoyances of computer users for many years, and his latest, Windows Vista Annoyances, published by O'Reilly, may be the timeliest of his works to date.

The book offers a wide-ranging collection of solutions, hacks, and time-saving tips for working around the most irritating features and getting Vista to do much more than Microsoft intended. The book helps you to:

• Customize Windows Explorer, the desktop, Start menu, and Search tool to be less annoying and more useful
  
• Explore, hack, and manage Vista's Registry
  
• Enhance your experience with videos, photos, and music
  
• Speed up your PC and improve performance, including the hard disk and Vista's Glass interface
  
• Troubleshoot Vista when it won't start, won't add new hardware, or when it crashes applications
  
• Get your local network running, make your wireless work, and improve your web and email experience
  
• Protect your privacy and data with permissions, encryptions, and user account management
  
• Automate Vista with scripts, Command Prompt batch files, Task Scheduler, and the Windows PowerShell

"To use Windows Vista is to be annoyed - and this book is the best way to solve any annoyances you come across," says Preston Gralla, author of Windows Vista in a Nutshell and Big Book of Windows Hacks. "Whether you want to speed up how long it takes Vista to load, power up Vista Search, or customize the supremely annoying User Account Control, you'll find something in here to help. It's the most comprehensive and entertaining guide you can get for turning Vista into an operating system that's a pleasure to use."

David A. Karp is the author of the Windows Annoyances series of books and the founder of Annoyances.org. He writes for PC Magazine and his latest books include eBay Hacks and the upcoming eBay: The Missing Manual.

Related links: (Open in a new window.)
www.oreilly.com/catalog/9780596527624

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