Includes index.

Part 1. Installation and startup

What's new in Windows XP?

Stand-alone installations

Reaping the rewards of network, automated, and unattended installations

Gaining control of Windows XP startup and shutdown

Part 2. Customizing and automating Windows XP

Controlling printing

Scripting Windows XP

Part 3. Managing the system and applications

Controlling application compatibility

Adding and removing OS components

Using and customizing MMC consoles

It's all about control : tools and techniques for managing services

Monitoring events

Monitoring performance

Auditing the system

Using disk quotas

Part 4. Hardware

Understanding and managing the registry

Working with device manager

Configuring hardware

Managing file system

Part 5. Communication and networking

Modem and dial-up networking configuration

Configuring LAN connections

Configuring and optimizing TCP/IP

Troubleshooting and monitoring TCP/IP connections

Remote access : using, monitoring, and managing

Configuring and sharing internet connections

Supporting wired or dial-up incoming connections

Optional networking and management components

Creating and managing database connections

Part 6. Internet applications and services

Optimizing internet explorer

Outlook express

Hosting websites

Using the SMTP service

Hosting FTP sites

Setting up a Telnet server

Part 7. Managing users

Managing users and groups

Understanding group and local policies

Reining in users with policy restrictions

Managing user data and settings

Part 8. Backup and disaster recovery

Backup

System recovery tools

Recovery console

Part 9. Security

Authentication and data protection

Encrypting file system

IPSec

VPN connections

Security configuration tools