Special Edition Using Microsoft Windows Vista

About the Authors

Robert Cowart has written more than 40 books on computer programming and applications,

with more than a dozen on Windows. His titles include Windows NT Unleashed,

Mastering Windows 98, Windows NT Server Administrator’s Bible, and Windows NT Server

4.0: No Experience Required. Several of his books have been bestsellers in their category

and have been translated into more than 20 languages. He has written on a wide range of

computer-related topics for such magazines as PC Week, PC World, PC Magazine, PC Tech

Journal, Mac World, and Microsoft Systems Journal. In addition to working as a freelance

consultant specializing in small businesses, he has taught programming classes at the

University of California Extension in San Francisco. He has appeared as a special guest on

the PBS TV series Computer Chronicles, CNN’s Headline News, ZD-TV’s The Screen Savers,

and ABC’s World News Tonight with Peter Jennings. Robert lives in Berkeley, California. In

his spare time he is involved in the music world, producing chamber-music concerts and

playing various genres of music. He meditates regularly in hopes of rewiring his inner

computer.

Brian Knittel has been a software developer for more than 20 years. After doing graduate

work in nuclear medicine and magnetic resonance imaging technologies, he began a career

as an independent consultant. An eclectic mix of clients has led to long-term projects in

medical documentation, workflow management, real-time industrial system control, and

most importantly, 20 years of real-world experience with MS-DOS, Windows, and computer

networking in the business world. Previously, he coauthored Special Edition Using

Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional, Special Edition Using Microsoft Windows XP, and contributed

to several of Bob Cowart’s other Windows books. Brian also coauthored

Upgrading and Repairing Windows, with Scott Mueller, and is the sole author of Windows XP

Under the Hood. Brian lives in Oakland, California, and spends his free time restoring

antique computers and trying to perfect his wood-fired pizza recipes.

Everette Beatley is a fourth-year computer engineering major at Christopher Newport

University in Newport News, Virginia. He currently works for Southern Electronics, Inc.

in Kilmarnock, Virginia, as a System Administrator. When not in school, Everette lives in

Lancaster, Virginia, where he enjoys road cycling and waterskiing on the Rappahannock

River.

Eric Butow has authored or coauthored seven books since 2000, including Master Visually

Windows 2000 Server, Teach Yourself Visually Windows 2000 Server, FrontPage 2002 Weekend

Crash Course, C#: Your Visual Blueprint, Creating Web Pages Bible, and Dreamweaver MX

2004 Savvy. His most recent book is The PDF Book for Microsoft Office, an e-book produced

by ExcelUser.com. He is also the CEO of Butow Communications Group (BCG), a technical

writing and web design firm based in Roseville, California. Butow also writes for

Addison-Wesley.

Greg Dickinson lives in Birmingham, Alabama, and has 10 years experience with computer

networking. He works for one of the top 30 banks in the country, packaging and distributing

software packages and updates to the bank’s 6,000 desktops. When not wrestling

with the intricacies of enterprise networks, Greg likes to spend his time recording training

videos and singing in a barbershop chorus.

Diana Huggins is currently the Information Services Technical Communication Specialist

for Great-West Life. She also works as an independent contractor providing both technical

writing and consulting services. Diana has authored/coauthored several certification study

guides, including Windows 2000 Directory Services Design (Exam Cram 70-219) as well as

MCSE Planning and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure

(Exam 70-293). To complement this, she also spends a portion of her time providing

technical-editing services and developing certification practice exams.

Alex G. Morales first managed networked computer systems in the 1980s and has since

managed some of the world’s largest Internet sites. Along with several industry certifications,

he holds a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of Texas, and currently

leads a stalwart team of engineers in the global deployment of Windows Vista at

Dell, Inc. Alex lives in Austin, Texas, with his muse, Gwen, her son Evan, and Molly the

Border Collie.

Will Schmied, MCSE, is a Senior Systems Administrator for a world-renowned children’s

research hospital. As a freelance writer, Will has worked with many publishers, including

Microsoft and Pearson. Will has also worked directly with Microsoft in the MCSE examdevelopment

process and is the founder of the popular Internet certification portal,

www.mcseworld.com. Will currently resides in northern Mississippi with his wife, Chris;

their children, Christopher, Austin, Andrea, and Hannah; their dogs, Charlie and Jack; and

their cats, Smokey, Evin, and Socks.

Mark Edward Soper has worked with computers and related technologies since 1983 and

specializes in technology education through training, writing, and public speaking. He has

taught computer troubleshooting and other subjects to thousands of students, and is the

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author or coauthor of 17 books, most recently Upgrading and Repairing Networks, 5th edition,

published by Que Publishing, and has also written more than 150 magazine articles.

He has CompTIA A+ and Microsoft MCP certifications and provides online self-help content

for Skywire Software, technology screening questions for ReviewNet. He also teaches

applied technology classes for IvyTech Community College of Indiana. Mark lives in

Evansville, Indiana, and blogs at www.markesoper.com.

Steve Suehring is a technology architect and author with a diverse background of computing

experience. In recent years, Steve has worked on several books and magazine articles

and has been an editor for a popular technology magazine. Steve has spoken at conferences

and meetings internationally and currently works with clients to help them optimize and

better utilize technologies, both old and new.

Brent Thal is a Virginian who is a senior at Christopher Newport University in computer

engineering and plans to attend graduate school in computer science and applied physics.

Brent comes from a long line of engineers. His grandfather was a mechanical engineer, and

his father is a registered professional engineer (P.E.) in civil engineering and an adjunct professor

of engineering at the University of Virginia. After graduate school, Brent plans to

work in the computer engineering field for a highly reputable company and continue to

write as a contributing author.

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