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I have bought too many 'helper' books, manuals etc. over the years - and mostly found them cumbersome and hard-to digest. NOT so with the David Pogue & Zacker "Missing Manual". I can relate to several questions that needed explanations - and every time I check them out in this publication - I get the answers that serve my curiosity - and by that, tremendously improve my XP experiences and work. This Manual is for us, who are 'non-geeks' and like to improve our skills. Thank you, guys!

This is by far the most understandable XP Pro book I've found. It takes the position that there's nothing wrong with witty, polished prose in technical writing. In fact, the excellence of the writing makes learning far less of a chore than you find in geekier books.

As for the gripes by previous reviewers: Good grief! It says right on the cover that the book "isn't for system administrators or OS theory geeks; it's for the novice or budding power user." It's clearly intended for people new to XP Pro, or even intermediate users who'd like a crystal-clear explanation of, say, understanding how file encryption is different in XP Pro and XP Home, or how to dial into your PC from the road using a laptop, or how to set up a home network, step by step.

(And to whoever wrote that you can find the same information in the online help--get real!! Microsoft's online help for XP Pro is opaque, humorless, loaded with jargon, and free of illustrations. And above all, it NEVER mentions bugs and problems and workarounds, as this book does.)

Bottom line: If you're a network administrator, it's true that you'll be much happier with a much thicker, more technical (and dry-as-dust) book.

But if you're a home user, or maybe you've been issued an XP Pro box at work and you want to get the most out of it, this book presents a complete, entertaining, and easily understood a picture of the beast they call Windows XP Professional. HIGHLY recommended.

Fortunately I had the "Windows XP Annoyances" manual to thoroughly explain how to use Windows XP's Chkdsk utility. "Chkdsk", or any spelling of it, does not appear in "The Missing Manual" or index as far as I know, but it does in "Windows XP Annoyances". Something as basic and important as "Chkdsk" should not be missing. I wonder how many other entries are non-existent? Having read both manuals, I prefer "Windows XP Annoyances". Pogue's content reads like a rehashed Microsoft Windows XP "Help" tutorial. There's more substance in the other manual.