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Archives: Books

Includes links about books I've published and what I'm working on now.

I've been working...

... on a couple of new projects. Exciting stuff. I haven't been on vacation, even though I'm inspired by the example some people set. Oh, and Carl and I have finished every last ever-lovin' bit of Windows XP Networking and Security Inside Out. It should be in your favorite bookstore...

Looking for a copy of Windows XP Inside Out?

I've got a small number of signed copies of Windows XP Inside Out, Deluxe Second Edition that I want to pass along to readers of this site. I can't post the price here, but suffice to say it's the absolute best deal you'll ever see on this title. If you're...

This is how a book review should be written!

I toyed briefly with the idea of picking up New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman's new book, The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century. Until I read Matt Taibbi's review, that is. It is the single most devastating book review I have ever read. Funny, perceptive,...

Woody Leonhard has a new Web site

Woody and I write books together (Special Edition Using Microsoft Office 2003 and Special Edition Using Microsoft Office XP, for instance), but because we live on opposite sides of the earth, we rarely see each other in person. So it was a real surprise and treat when I discovered that...

A few thoughts about e-books

Joe Wikert, a VP and publisher at Wiley and Sons, just started his own blog (Scoble made him do it). In the comments to one of his first posts, I asked Joe what he thought would make electronic publishing take off. His answer was thought-provoking: …until we get past the notion of...

The greatest comic strip ever

Calvin and Hobbes was the greatest comic strip ever. So you better believe I am overjoyed to see that every single strip that ever appeared will be available in The Complete Calvin and Hobbes, a three-volume hardbound set in a handsome slipcase. It’s available for pre-order now at a substantial...

Tell Microsoft Press how you use computer books

Juliana Aldous is a Product Planner for Microsoft Learning – the division that publishes books under the Microsoft Press imprint, including Windows XP Inside Out. She’s looking for a few good reviewers. If you use Office or Windows and you’re not an industry expert or another author, you can help....

Best computer books of 2004? Not!

I was so excited to read that Amazon.com had selected their Best Computer Books of 2004. Surely Ed Bott's Your New PC or Windows XP Inside Out, Second Edition or even the massive Windows XP Inside Out Deluxe, Second Edition would be on the list! Fat chance. I don't know...

The amazing hidden backup program

My brother-in-law is never afraid to ask a question. This week, he's concerned that his copy of Windows XP Home Edition is missing the backup program. Where is it? It’s on your Windows XP CD. From Windows XP Inside Out, Second Edition: If you're running Windows XP Home Edition, you...

New editions of Windows XP Inside Out

Carl Siechert, Craig Stinson, and I spent a year working with beta versions of Windows XP Service Pack 2. Our goal was to produce an updated version of Windows XP Inside Out. So, I am happy to report that the second edition is finally available. A lot of publishers crank...

"Ed Bott's Your New PC" is out

I just checked, and Amazon.com now has Ed Bott's Your New PC available for immediate shipment. Click this link to function popUp(URL,NAME) { amznwin=window.open(URL,NAME,"location=yes,scrollbars=yes,status=yes,toolbar=yes,resizable=yes,width=380,height=450,screenX=10,screenY=10,top=10,left=10"); amznwin.focus();} document.open(); document.write("order your copy."); document.close(); I'm interested in any and all feedback....

Hey, I've got a new book!

For the past few years, I've run a little side business in which I help friends and family replace their old PCs with shiny new ones. I show them how to pick out the right hardware, hook everything up correctly, get the latest security patches for Windows, install their...

Which Windows XP book?

So, you got a new PC for Christmas, with Windows XP installed on it. You know that you'll probably need a little help to get the most out of that new computer. Because you're no fool, you know that those books written for dummies are probably a waste of time...