Windows XP for Starters: The Missing Manual -- For anyone interested in zeroing in on just the information they need without all the complicated jargon, this newest release from the Starter Missing Manuals series provides just the solution. With his trademark humor and amiable style, author David Pogue delivers a refreshingly accessible guide to XP, loaded with clear examples, step-by-step instructions, and plenty of illustrations.

What Are Generics -- Generics provide the ability to create type-safe collections in .NET. Jesse Liberty explains why they're important, and how to best make use of them. Jesse is the author of Programming ASP.NET, Third Edition.

Hacking Your Car: Install Windows on a CompactFlash Card -- The car PC community is constantly searching for hardware and software solutions to improve the system's boot speed and reliability, and reduce the physical size of the computer. One of these solutions is to build a system that boots off of a CompactFlash (CF) drive. Learn how to install Windows on a CompactFlash card in this excerpt from Car PC Hacks.

What Is Web 2.0 -- Defining just what Web 2.0 means still engenders much disagreement. Some decry it as a meaningless marketing buzzword, while others have accepted it as the new conventional wisdom. Tim O'Reilly attempts to clarify just what we mean by Web 2.0, digging into the implications of viewing the web as a platform, which applications fall squarely under its purview, and which do not.

Security Myths: 392 Steps to a Hardened Server -- There are plenty of security guides out there to offer advice, but which ones should you trust? Mitch Tulloch tells you about the best, and clues you in to other extras you need to know about security. Mitch is the author of author of Windows Server Hacks.

Jump Start Your Career in Programming with the O'Reilly Learning Lab -- Learn programming, systems, and networking skills through the O'Reilly Learning Lab. All Learning Lab courses are online, self-paced, and provide the technology environments needed to develop and practice new skills. In addition, every student is assigned a personal O'Reilly instructor for coaching and feedback throughout each course. Completion of selected course sequences earns students a Certificate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Enroll and start today!

Hacking Access -- In these three excerpts, author Ken Bluttman shows you how to populate a listbox with values from more than one source, how to put a watermark on your reports, and how to use Word's Compare and Merge Documents feature to identify discrepancies between similar tables. Ken is the author of Access Hacks.

Upgrade Your Domains from Windows 2000 Active Directory to Windows Server 2003 -- Upgrading your domains without proper planning can get you into deep water fast. Mitch Tulloch offers half-a-dozen tips for migrating your domains from Windows 2000 Active Directory to Windows Server 2003. Mitch is the author of Windows Server Hacks.

Defining a Baseline Audit Policy -- It's vital that you create a baseline audit policy to audit for security events on critical systems. Mitch Tulloch helps you define the best audit policies for Windows Server 2003 server roles. Mitch is the author of Windows Server Hacks.

Refactoring in Visual Basic 2005 -- Refactoring is the one-size-fits-all name given to a set of coding shortcuts that help you rework code on the fly. C# developers have such a tool, but Visual Basic developers were not so lucky--till now. Matthew MacDonald reviews Refactor, the free VB 2005 tool, and offers some how-to techniques for using it. Matthew is the author of Visual Basic 2005: A Developer's Notebook.

Internet Security Annoyances -- Spyware, Trojans, worms, viruses, phishing, and now pharming are all security issues that can lead to a disenchanting internet experience. In this excerpt, Preston Gralla helps you prevent these kinds of security breaches with tips on configuring your home router for maximum security, constructing your own personal firewall, and more. Preston is the author of Internet Annoyances.

Hacking Windows XP -- In these three excerpts, Preston Gralla teaches you how to make better use of the XP login screen, how to give Internet Explorer a face lift, and how to build your own Firefox search engine. Preston is the author of Windows XP Hacks, 2nd Edition.

Watching Ports with Port Reporter -- Here's another cool tool from Redmond. It monitors port usage for security reasons and for troubleshooting network connectivity problems. Mitch Tulloch shows you where to get it and how to make the most out of it. Mitch is the author of Windows Server Hacks.

Is This Security Alert Really from Microsoft? -- An excellent way to get information about Windows updates is via email with Microsoft Technical Security Notification Services. But how can you tell if a security bulletin in your inbox is really from Microsoft and not from someone with malicious intent? Mitch Tulloch points you in the right direction with these important tips. Mitch is the author of Windows Server Hacks.

Using Log Parser 2.2 -- Log Parser is one cool tool, and it can help you analyze all kinds of logs with ease. Mitch Tulloch shows you where to get it and how to make the most of it. Mitch is the author of Windows Server Hacks.

PowerPoint Personal Trainer: Drawing and Working with Graphics -- Even if you don't have any artistic ability, PowerPoint makes it easy to add graphics to your slides, making them look as though you hired a professional graphic designer. Chapter 4 of PowerPoint 2003 Personal Trainer explains how to add lines, shapes, and text boxes to your slides, how to add pictures, and how to move, resize, align, group, flip, and rotate graphic objects. If you like this chapter, read the whole book (and up to nine others) on Safari with a free trial subscription.

Easy Scripting -- Windows scripts are far more powerful than mere batch files, and much harder to use as well. Mitch Tulloch gives you hard-won advice on how to more easily create scripts, and offers many helpful resources. Mitch is the author of Windows Server Hacks.

Cooking with Windows Server, Part 1 -- In this book excerpt, Robbie Allen shows you how to activate Windows Server 2003, how to find large folders and files on a volume, and how to hide a file or folder. Robbie is the author of Windows Server Cookbook.

Powering Up Terminal Services with Service Pack 1 -- Terminal Services is a powerful feature of Windows Server 2003 that lets users access Windows-based programs across an enterprise, and Service Pack 1 includes useful enhancements to Terminal Services. Mitch Tulloch offers details and tips on how to make the best use of Service Pack 1. Mitch is the author of Windows Server Hacks.