早在 2010 年，我们就回顾了Windows 7 Inside Out(Windows 7 Inside Out)的原始版本，我们认为这是一本适合想要深入了解Windows 7 操作系统(operating system)的人的好书。作者与微软出版社(Microsoft Press)一起，刚刚推出了该书的豪华版(Deluxe Edition)。所以我想知道：是什么让这个新版本值得(edition worthy)被称为豪华版(Deluxe)？我很想知道。
注意：(NOTE:)与我们之前的评论一样，我正在审查电子书版本，因此我无法评论印刷版中的额外材料。
什么是新的和...豪华的？
作者（Ed Bott、Carl Siechert 和 Craig Stinson(Carl Siechert and Craig Stinson)）说，他们添加了几个新章节，并将他们对Windows 7的持续研究纳入本书的其他修订版中。由于原版“仅仅”有 1000 页长，而这个版本有 1360 页长，很明显他们已经竭尽全力为读者提供更多。一些大书的大小来自填充物、插图和社论题外话，但这本书不是其中之一。它充满了由清楚知道自己在说什么的人提供的真实、有用的信息，更重要的是，如何(and—more importantly—how)向需要了解更多信息的其他人解释这一切。
本书的章节和章节大部分都是按逻辑排列的。Windows 7 Inside Out, Deluxe Edition首先介绍了操作系统，然后引导读者了解(operating system)Windows 7与以前版本的Microsoft Windows之间的差异，然后解释如何设置和配置它。事实上，本书的大部分内容都致力于在您的计算机上使用Windows 7完成的事情，而无需连接到Internet或使用其他软件。包含有关Internet Explorer、Windows Live和Windows 帮助(Windows Help)的信息“第 1 部分。入门”("Part 1. Getting Started")，但这是本书中唯一带您走出自己的工作空间的部分。我本来希望看到所有这些信息组合在一个单独的部分中，放在书的末尾，在所有关于如何设置 Windows 7 计算机并根据自己的规格进行管理的章节之后，但这是一个小问题。
关于一切的一切？
尽管这是一本巨大的书，但它的布局很好，各章以合乎逻辑的步骤引导读者了解每个主题。作者清楚地知道他们的主题，他们的写作清晰而切题。我发现直截了当、对话式的风格特别吸引人。当某些版本的Windows 7(Windows 7)具有或不具有他们正在讨论的功能时，作者总是会明确说明。有一个简短的目录(Table of Contents)和一个更详细的目录，以及一个 70 页的索引，因此即使您没有电子搜索工具可供使用，也可以轻松找到任何特定主题。这本书有多种电子书格式，尽管文件对于一些较旧的电子阅读器（比如我的Sony Touch）来说可能太大了。像几乎所有的电脑书籍一样，Windows 7 Inside Out, Deluxe Edition不需要直接通读，尽管整本书有很多有趣的花絮，以至于那些只是查找他们需要知道的东西的人可能会错过很多。当然，并不是每个人都需要这里的丰富信息，而对Windows 7的极其广泛的探索绝对不适合每个人。我特别喜欢处理Windows Explorer的部分。这是我多年来最常用的应用程序之一，我一直在使用各种版本的Microsoft Windows ，而且在(Microsoft Windows)Windows XP和更新版本之间，界面发生了巨大的变化，以至于当我第一次安装Windows 7时(Windows 7)，我很难适应。这部分给了我一些让Windows Explorer按我希望的方式工作的好主意（这本书作为一个整体讨论了很多关于个性化和逻辑快捷方式的内容）并且在阅读它之后，我有了一个对我的方式有意义的界面工作。一个明确的加分项。
调整、调整和修复一切(Tweaking & Fixing Everything)
这本书的第 5 部分，调优、调整和故障排除(Tuning, Tweaking and Troubleshooting)，有六章，每个人都应该阅读其中的两章：执行日常维护(Performing Routine Maintenance)和排除 Windows 错误和崩溃故障(Troubleshooting Windows Errors and Crashes)。由于Windows 7运行良好，我们中的许多人认为我们不需要继续进行维护以保持以前版本的Windows存活。虽然像磁盘碎片整理这样的事情(disk defragmentation)现在比以前少了很多，很高兴看到作者解释了为什么仍然应该这样做。我一直坚决主张不要将硬盘驱动器用于死存储，我很高兴看到作者同意我的观点，并为文件管理(file management)、磁盘清理(disk cleanup)、删除Windows提供了良好的常识性说明7 个(Windows 7)读者不使用的功能，以及节省空间的一般策略。坦率(Quite)地说，我希望更多关于Windows 7的书籍能够包含这样的部分。多年 前 我 在 一个电台(radio station)工作 时, 当 出现 问题 时 , 我们 总是 知道总 工程师(Chief Engineer)的 第 一个 问题 会 是“你做了什么来试图解决这个问题？” ("What have you done to try to fix the problem?"). 计算机有时会让人感到困惑和恐惧，拥有一本像Windows 7 Inside Out这样可靠的(Windows 7 Inside Out, Deluxe Edition)参考书(reference book)，Deluxe Edition可以大大提高读者(reader feel)的信心。Windows 错误和崩溃疑难解答(Troubleshooting Windows Errors and Crashes)一章有助于让读者对(reader confidence)错误报告过程充满信心(process and confidence)，并有信心找出可能出现的问题并加以纠正。仅凭这一点可能就值这本书的价格了。
我喜欢和不喜欢的
老实说，我在这本书中发现很少有不喜欢的地方。它易于阅读并加载了实用和有趣的信息。作者了解他们的主题，并且显然比大多数人更喜欢深入研究Windows 7 。他们喜欢解释事情并提供有用的提示，以使一切工作(everything work)更有效。书中的信息很容易找到，而且由于文字和解释(writing and explanations)都很清楚，一旦找到信息就很容易理解该怎么做。也就是说，这是一本非常大的书，它并不适合只需要简单说明来获得Windows 7的初学者(Windows 7)启动并运行并保持其正常工作。它涉及很多细节，这可能比某些人想要处理的要多。重点是在您自己的工作空间中使用Windows 7(Windows 7)做事，而不是在连接到外部世界时可以做的事情。名为“一些有用的附件程序(Some Useful Accessory Programs)”的部分是关于内置于Windows 7中的应用程序，而不是来自其他来源的容易获得的软件。
判决
Windows 7 Inside Out, Deluxe Edition是一个极好的参考和真正的教育资源。这是一本巨大的书，包含了读者以前可能不知道的各种信息（但可以立即投入使用）。如果您只想购买一本 Windows 7参考书(reference book)，这绝对应该是一本。是守门员！如果您购买了本书的第一版，请查看新版的目录(table of contents)。我很确定您会找到新的章节和内容，让您考虑这个新版本。如果您没有购买本书的第一版，则直接购买豪华版(Deluxe Edition)。没有比这更完整的关于Windows 7的书籍了。
Book Review - Windows 7 Inside Out, Deluxe Edition
We reviewed the original edition оf Windows 7 Inside Out back in 2010 and we considered it a great book for people who want to go in depth with their understanding of the Windows 7 operating system. The authors together with Microsoft Press, just launched a Deluxe Edition of the book. So I wondered: what makes this new edition worthy of being called Deluxe? I was very interested to find out.
NOTE: As with our previous review, I am reviewing the e-book version, so I can't comment on the extra materials in the printed edition.
What's New and... Deluxe?
The authors (Ed Bott, Carl Siechert and Craig Stinson) say that they added several new chapters and put their continuing research into Windows 7 into other revisions throughout the book. Since the original version was a "mere" 1000 pages long, and this edition is 1360 pages long, it's clear they've gone all out to give the reader even more. Some large books get their size from filler, illustrations and editorial digressions, but this book is not one of them. It's full of genuine, useful information delivered by people who clearly know what they're talking about and—more importantly—how to explain it all to other people who need to know more.
The book's chapters and sections are logically laid out, for the most part. Windows 7 Inside Out, Deluxe Edition starts with an introduction to the operating system, then leads the reader through the differences between Windows 7 and previous versions of Microsoft Windows, and then explains how to set it up and configure it. In fact, most of the book is devoted to things that one can do with Windows 7 on your computer, without connecting to the Internet or using additional software. There's information about Internet Explorer, Windows Live, and Windows Help included in "Part 1. Getting Started", but that's the only part of the book that takes you outside your own workspace. I would have liked to see all that information combined in a section of its own, placed at the end of the book after all the chapters about getting your Windows 7 computer set up and managed to your own specifications, but that's a minor quibble.
Everything about everything?
Even though this is a huge book, it's well laid out and the chapters walk the reader through each topic in logical steps. The authors clearly know their subject and their writing is clear and to the point. I found the straightforward, conversational style especially appealing. The authors always make it clear when some versions of Windows 7 have, or don't have, the features they're discussing. There's an abbreviated Table of Contents and a more detailed one, and a 70-page index, so finding any particular topic is easy, even if you don't have electronic search tools at your disposal. The book is available in multiple e-book formats, although the file may be too large for some older e-readers (like my Sony Touch). Like almost all computer books, Windows 7 Inside Out, Deluxe Edition need not be read straight through, although there are so many interesting tidbits available throughout the book that someone who just looks up what they need to know may miss out on a lot. Of course, not everyone needs the wealth of information that's here, and the extremely extensive exploration of Windows 7 is definitely not for everyone. I especially liked the section that deals with Windows Explorer. That's been one of my most-used applications for all the years I've been using various versions of Microsoft Windows, and the interface changed so radically between Windows XP and newer versions that, when I first installed Windows 7, I had a difficult time adapting. This section gave me some great ideas for making Windows Explorerwork the way I want it to (the book as a whole talks a lot about personalization and logical shortcuts) and after reading it I've got an interface that makes sense for the way I work. A definite plus.
Tuning, Tweaking & Fixing Everything
Part 5 of the book, Tuning, Tweaking and Troubleshooting, has six chapters, two of which should be required reading for everyone: Performing Routine Maintenance and Troubleshooting Windows Errors and Crashes. Since Windows 7 works so well, many of us figure we don't need to keep up the maintenance that we had to do to keep previous versions of Windows alive. While things like disk defragmentation are a lot less necessary now than they once were, it's good to see the authors explain why it still should be done. I've always been a firm advocate of not using hard drives for dead storage, and I was happy to see the authors agreed with me on that, and gave good, common-sense instructions for file management, disk cleanup, removal of the Windows 7 features the reader does not use, and general strategies for conserving space. Quite frankly, I wish more books about Windows 7 would include a section like that. Years ago when I worked at a radio station, when things went wrong, we always knew the Chief Engineer's first question would be "What have you done to try to fix the problem?". Computers can be confusing and scary at times, and being armed with a good solid reference book like Windows 7 Inside Out, Deluxe Edition can go a long way toward making the reader feel confident. The Troubleshooting Windows Errors and Crashes chapter helps give the reader confidence in the error-reporting process and confidence in finding out what might have gone wrong and putting it right. That alone might be well worth the price of the book.
What I Liked and Did Not Like
Honestly, I found very little not to like in this book. It's easy to read and loaded with practical and interesting information. The authors know their subject and clearly have enjoyed digging deeper into Windows 7 than most people would. They like explaining things and offering helpful tips to make everything work more efficiently. It is easy to find information in the book, and since the writing and explanations are so clear, it's easy to understand what to do once one finds the information. That said, this is a very large book and it's not really for the beginner who just wants simple instructions to get Windows 7 up and running and to keep it working right. It goes into a lot of detail, which may be more than some people want to deal with. The focus is on doing things with Windows 7 in your own workspace rather than the things one can do when connected to the outside world. The section called Some Useful Accessory Programs is about applications built into Windows 7, rather than easily available software from other sources.
Verdict
Windows 7 Inside Out, Deluxe Edition is an excellent reference and a genuine educational resource. It's a huge book and has all kinds of information that the reader may not have known before (but can be put to good use immediately). If you want buy only one Windows 7 reference book, this definitely should be the one. It's a keeper! If you purchased the first edition of the book, look through the table of contents of this new edition. I'm pretty sure you will find new chapters & content which will make you consider this new edition. If you did not purchase the first edition of the book, then go directly for the Deluxe Edition. You don't get more complete books about Windows 7 than this.
