Book of Tips for Vista Rollouts Ships

A popular resource kit that is released with each new version of the Microsoft Windows operating system is available for Vista.

The official Windows Vista Resource Kit walks corporate users through the deployment, configuration and management of the operating system. The book dedicates more than 1,500 pages to in-depth technical guidance on automating deployment, implementing security enhancements, and troubleshooting for Vista, which was released to corporate users in November.

Also included are tips for administering group policy, files and folders, and programs; a networking section that covers such topics as configuration of Windows networking, connecting to remote networks and IPv6 deployment; a management section covering disks and storage, and device management; and maintenance tips for health and performance monitoring, assisting remote users, updating and patching, and client protection.

There are sections on Internet Explorer 7, Windows Firewall, and Windows Defender. The book includes more than 150 scripts to help automate administrative tasks and tools; and utilities to help troubleshoot, manage, and configure Vista.

The book is a collaboration among Microsoft's Windows Vista team and authors Mitch Tulloch, Tony Northrup, Jerry Honeycutt.

The retail price of Windows Vista Resource Kit is US$60, but a number of online retailers are selling it for $38.