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Are the first few chapters designed for the beginner? Yes. Does he say that up front? Yes. So the beginner has an excellent starting point (I really thought the graphic shortcuts in the front of the book were a nice touch for those people), while the "nuts and bolts" stuff in later chapters were more suited towards people who do this for a living.

But then if I find even a few tidbits that make my life easier when supporting MS products (which can be a royal pain), I consider the book to be well worth it.

If you are looking at supporting XP, don't assume that its the same as 2000. Get this book, read it over, and find out what new goodies they put into this release.

Over 900 pages of information designed to advance an intermediate Windows XP Professional user to the limits of advanced use. By the time you close the cover on this title, there won't be any unfamiliar areas to you. The author has done a great job of extensively covering the majority of the OS without crossing the line from advanced user to IT Administrator.

Ninety six pages of full color screenshots marks the beginning of the book - all before you even start Chapter one. The full basics of the OS are covered, along with most of the standard Windows XP bundled software, such as Media Player, Internet Explorer 6, Outlook Express, CD Burning and more. So much more than just the how-to of the interface is detailed - providing just enough technical information to make it interesting and to let you "get it", without turning into a dry textbook. Hardware installations and troubleshooting, Internet connections and ICS/NAT, LAN/WAN connectivity with TCP/IP and IPX/SPX, performance monitoring and MMC/System Policies are just a few of the area that this title covers that many others gloss over or miss altogether.

A well mapped out Table of Contents and a 54 page index assist in making this not only a start-to finish read, but an easy find what you need reference. Although I can't recommend this title for anyone looking for a study guide towards certification, this is certainly a great choice for user who want to know Windows XP Pro inside and out as well as for desktop administrators who want a reference for their user's interface.

Mark Minasi is a great writer, with the ability to take a complex subject, like Windows XP, and make it fairly readable. This book is typical of the "Mastering" series, however, and is not intended for light weights. If you are a home or private user, you may be better served with something akin to the "Windows for Dummies" variety. I'm not trying to be condescending, just realistic. This book is highly detailed and goes well beyond the average users needs. However, the first 89 pages of this book present a color plated introduction to using XP, which I found very helpful and better than most related products on the market. The first 89 pages alone are worth the price of this book for most of us. As an administrator, this book will also serve you well with its detailed explanations, extensive graphics and screen shots, and Mark's interpretation of Microsoft's technical manuals.

Compare this book to Microsoft's publication of "Windows XP" (ISBN: 0735618054).