Additional Reading
Although the following are not required, those who want to learn more about Windows may want to consider some of these books. Where it's not obvious from the title, I have indicated the versions of Windows supported.
Books for advanced Users
 | Windows 95 for Dummies |
| Windows 98 for Dummies |
| Windows NT 4 Workstation for Dummies |
Good introductions to how to use each version of Windows. If you don't mind being seen carrying them, I recommend all of the Dummies books as introductory or intermediate texts. Several Windows 2000 books are scheduled for release in the Dummies series as well.
| Windows 95 Secrets |
| Windows 98 Secrets |
| Microsoft Windows NT Secrets |
| Microsoft Windows 2000 Secrets |
I consider the "Secrets" books as among the best of the "Power User" type. There is quite a bit of repetition from one book to another, so I'd only buy one of them for whichever operating system is most important to you. The Windows 2000 book is scheduled for publication in January 2000.
| Windows Annoyances (95 and NT) |
| Windows 98 Annoyances |
These books grew out of a well-known web site you should definitely visit. Although the Windows 98 version of the book is quite good, I especially recommend the original version because it covers both Windows 95 and NT. The emphasis in this book is on tailoring and configuring Windows - sometimes in ways Microsoft never intended - so that it works the way you want it to. By the way, this is published by O'Reilly which made its name in the Unix field but has now moved into Windows in a big way. The quality of their books is very high and the name is enough to make me look twice at a new title.
Professional References
| Microsoft Windows 95 Resource Kit |
| Microsoft Windows 98 Resource Kit |
| Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0 Resource Kit |
| Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional Resource Kit |
This is the book for technicians working on Windows 95. It's pretty big and rather dry for reading through but an indispensible reference if you are doing installs and setups. It's expensive, so get the version you'll really use a lot. The Windows 2000 kit is not yet available.
| MCSE Windows 95 for Dummies |
| MCSE Windows NT Workstation 4 for Dummies |
These are the more advanced Dummies books used by people preparing to be MCSEs. However, since Microsoft has announced the retirement of these particular exams, you should only use them for reference.
| MCSE Windows 95 Exam Guide |
| MCSE Windows NT Workstation 4 Exam Guide |
These books, published by QUE are a couple of the best for those preparing for taking the Windows 95 or NT 4 Certification exams. See the note above regarding retirement of exams, however.
