Windows XP Hacks (100 Industrial Strength Tips & Tools), by Preston Gralla.

This book is another example of the depth of computing knowledge available through O'Reilly & Associates, Inc. The range is from those for the Novice, through Advanced; this title being from the latter category.

The author, Preston Gralla, has written many computer books, edited several computer magazines and has been a regular columnist for various magazines and newspapers.

I have reviewed other books, software and hardware for the Broward Personal Computer Association, Inc. I now have a computer running Windows XP Home Edition and am currently in the process of setting up the BPCA laptop, also running Windows XP Home Edition, so the information is very timely.

First of all, I need to reiterate that this book is not for the novice user; a lot of the "hacks" involve making adjustments in the Windows XP Registry. Working in the Registry requires a good back up strategy, as well as advanced understanding of how the Registry works.

'Windows XP Hacks' is divided into 12 chapters:

• Startup & Shutdown
• The User Interface
• Windows Explorer
• The Web
• Networking
• Email
• The Registry
• Basic Utilities
• Applications
• Graphics & Multimedia
• System Performance
• Hardware

The order in which the chapters are set up is not necessarily that in which they should be read. Even if you think you are well versed in the different aspects of the Windows Registry, in my opinion, you should start with the Registry chapter, as I did, prior to delving too deeply into the others.

Each "hack" is well marked, as to the degree of experience required, beginner, moderate and expert. I also found the markings for tips and cautions to be helpful, as I was going through the portions that interested me at the time and the items specific to the Home or Pro versions of Windows XP were also differentiated when applicable. I have by no means used even a quarter of the information so far, but I intend to keep this and some of my other O'Reilly publications handy for future reference and use. XP Hacks is very well indexed, making it easy to locate a specific item, as I have found with other O'Reilly material, even with a variety of authors and contributors of information.

For even more "hacks", of all kinds, simply go to hacks.oreilly.com and browse around. The site has "hacks" for Linux, Google, eBay and a lot of other "hackable" operating systems, software and sites. After my first visit, this was quickly added to my Favorites list.

I would personally recommend this title, for those who are serious about getting the most out of their XP system.