If you are a Windows 7 Administrator, and you already have the Windows 7 RSK (ISBN: 0735627002) you can safely skip this title as it will bring little else to the table, except for a few OEM customizations bizarrely missing from the RSK. If you are looking to become a Win7 Administrator and are looking for a place to start, I highly recommend the RSK over this title.

If, however, you are looking for an introduction to Windows 7 and a way to quickly get up to speed with the new OS and its substantial changes over XP, “Windows 7 Inside Out” (W7IO) provides a solid base, focused on all readers regardless of prior knowledge of the Windows environment. Beyond a tour of the graphical interface for Windows 7, W7IO provides mini-user guides for IE8, Windows Live, all Microsoft’s Media Center components, and even help for those looking to make iTunes their primary media manager. W7IO goes further for Power Users by covering general backup/recovery methods, general security and networking, and even pen, touch and voice inputs.

What you won’t find in W7IO though is how to control/manage the environment using PowerShell (console or scripts), VBScript/JavaScript, the command prompt, or direct registry edits (there are some, not many), although there is information about manipulating the environment using Local Group Policies. The primary focus of this title is manipulation thru the provided graphical interfaces.

In all, this is a great read for those normal users that want to take control of their environment. It can serve as a one-stop reference, or a jumping off point for those that may want to go deeper with script/console control as well.