Windows Vista Resource Kit released

  • Article

Just saw this on the Windows Vista Team Blog.  The Windows Vista Resource Kit is THE definitive guide to all things Vista.  Weighing in at 1,568 pages (and 5.3 lbs), this book weighs more than many notebook computers.  Good Times!

The official MS Press site for the book (linking to resellers) is: https://www.microsoft.com/mspress/books/9536.aspx 

What's Included?

  • Deployment
    From installation basics to corporate-level installation guidance for the Business Desktop Deployment (BDD) 2007 for Windows Vista and the 2007 Microsoft Office system, the Windows Vista Resource Kit covers all areas of Windows Vista deployment including:
    • Deployment automation
    • Application compatibility and deployment
    • Disk imaging
    • User state migration
    • Volume activation
  • Management
    Controlling how Windows Vista functions and how users access its resources is an important part of supporting the operating system. The Windows Vista Resource Kit covers management topics such as:
    • User accounts
    • Disks and storage
    • Device management
    • Printing
    • File sharing and collaboration
    • Internet access and security
  • Maintenance
    The ability to restore a system to efficient operation is an important part of a technician's job. The Windows Vista Resource Kit offers guidance for maintenance tasks including:
    • Health and performance monitoring
    • Remote user assistance
    • Software updates and patches
    • Client protection (hardening Windows)
  • Networking
    Windows Vista is designed to operate in networks from two linked home systems to immense corporate networks with thousands of networked computers. The Windows Vista Resource Kit has everything you need to know about the following topics:
    • Configuring Windows networking
    • Configuring Windows Firewall with Advanced Security
    • Connecting to remote networks
    • Deploying the next generation Internet-TCP/IP version 6 (IPv6)
  • Troubleshooting
    Windows Vista is designed to be the most resilient operating system we've ever released. In spite of this, problems do sometimes happen. When they do, the Windows Vista Resource Kit has information on the following topics:
    • Startup issues
    • Hardware issues
    • Network issues
    • Stop errors
  • Tools and Utilities
    In addition to the guidance listed above, the Windows Vista Resource Kit includes a CD of tools and utilities to help you troubleshoot, manage, and configure Windows Vista. Among these tools are more than 150 timesaving scripts to help automate administrative tasks, additional job aids, and an eBook of the entire resource kit.