It’s been a heck of a long time since I’ve purchased a proper computer book, but I decided to break this long hiatus because of my growing respect for Mr Paul Thurrott, the Majordomo of the SuperSite for Windows. While I wouldn’t call myself a Microsoft fanboi at all, I have made a commitment in recent years to utilise their ecosystem of products, as opposed to say Apple or Google. While they have a lot of things that are great (XBox and Bing, for example) there are some things that they do that could be so much better (Zune is a good example, why that sucker isn’t global I don’t know!). But it is the Windows operating system that they are best known for, and with the recent release of Windows 7 we have what is arguably the best version of Windows that Microsoft has ever produced. So a chance to learn more about the intricacies of this great OS was a chance not to pass up.
For this latest book, Thurrott is joined by another well-known name around the Microsoft blogosphere - Rafael Rivera. The two of them have managed to put together here something that is more than just a collection of hints and tips about how to get the most out of Windows 7. At just over 1000 pages long, Windows 7 Secrets is essentially your complete go-to Bible for anything and everything to do with Windows 7. From the initial stages of installing a fresh copy onto your computer, through to thorough documentation of pretty much every single feature available, Windows 7 Secrets is definitely detailed. And yes, while a lot of what is contained inside the book is almost certainly well-known to anyone already familiar with modern versions of Windows, having it all contained inside one lengthy tome is certainly of great benefit to beginners and power users alike.
What is even more interesting is that the “secrets”, as such, are actually quite valuable tips for any new users of Windows 7. They cover some great little areas of Windows 7-specific functionality that a lot of new Windows users (if such a thing exists), or the more likely scenario of someone who has upgraded from Windows XP and is looking to find some interesting power-user features of their new operating system. The writing style of both Thurrott and Rivera is consistently easy to follow and relaxed, and I doubt that even the most novice user would struggle to follow what is being put forward here by two such talented authors. Heck, the fact that the screenshots of Windows 7 used in the book itself are accurate and clearly from the final shipping version of the OS is so unlike a lot of computer books from the 1990s that I am familiar with, it helps lend a lot of credibility to the content,
Overall, Windows 7 Secrets is the only book worth purchasing if you are a user of Windows 7, and want to ensure you get the most from what is easily the best operating system Microsoft has ever released. Paul Thurrott is a big figure in the Microsoft world, and this book proves such a point.