Become a more effective tech professional by learning how to provide the most useful IT support for your users. You'll learn how to efficiently and effectively deal with any type of problem, including operating systems, software, and hardware. IT support is often complex, time-consuming, and expensive, but it doesn't have to be with the right processes in place. Whether you're an individual, part of an IT support team, or managing staff supporting PC users in their homes, The IT Support Handbook will help you understand the right way to approach, troubleshoot, and isolate problems so they can be handled efficiently, with least disruption and cost to your business. You'll make yourself popular with your colleagues, and keep your customers and users happy and productive. What You'll Learn Manage reporting, and keep a record of issues that occur Provide effective remote support for users away from home or working in another office Use error and system reporting in Windows to obtain high-quality, relevant information Spot patterns in user behavior that may be causing difficult-to-diagnose problems Be familiar with best practices to make you a better support professional Who This Book Is For IT professionals, IT support (on-site and remote), and system administrators who manage support teams. No prior knowledge is required.

Learn everything you need to know about making Windows 10 easier to use, see, hear, touch, or read, whether you are using it yourself, setting it up for another person, teaching others about ease of use at work or in the home, or working with a variety of people with specific needs in the community. What You'll Learn: Manage accessibility in the Settings app, and make use of the Ease of Access Center Make your keyboard and mouse easier to use Make text and windows easier to read Use text or visual alternatives for sounds Use the narrator, and control it using touch and with the keyboard Use Cortana as a smart PC assistant Make use of Windows 10 shortcut keys, and touch and trackpad gestures Use and train the handwriting recognition feature Dictate or navigate using speech recognition Who This Book Is For:< The audience for this book includes (but is not limited to) Windows users with special visual, auditory, motor, and cognitive needs, at home and in the workplace. It provides guidance for IT and management professionals who work with such users, as well as the community and statutory groups, organizations, colleges, universities, and government agencies that support them. It is also a guide for friends and family supporting elderly or disabled Windows users in the home, and for anyone else looking for advice on how to make their PC simpler, easier, more productive, and ultimately more enjoyable to use.

Learn how to set up and configure networks to create robust connections, and how to quickly diagnose and repair problems should something go wrong. Whatever version of Windows you are using, you will need a stable Internet connection and access to your company network and its shared files and resources. When a network connection fails, it can result in an expensive loss of productivity. What You'll Learn Set up and manage different types of network connections Use and configure Windows TCP/IP stack Determine the common causes of networking problems and how to avoid them Troubleshoot network connection problems Manage networking for Windows virtual machines Keep the mobile or BYOD worker connected to your company network Who This Book Is For IT pros, Windows expert and power users, and system administrators

Use the tricks and hidden features in this guide to become more productive with Windows 10. You will save time, achieve more, and feel in control like never before. Author Mike Halsey is a Microsoft MVP (Most Valuable Professional) awardee and technical expert. As the author of Windows 7, 8, and 10 Troubleshooting and support books and videos, he takes complex subjects and presents them in simple and straightforward ways. In this book, Mike helps solve the problems and issues that you are likely to face when you want to achieve more and get better results on your PCs. What You'll Learn Get up to speed with Windows 10 Use tips and tricks to boost productivity Stay organized using search Manage settings and configuration, and network connections and devices Keep yourself and your data safe and secure Make your PC more pleasurable to use Who This Book Is For Everyone who wants to be more efficient and effective in Windows 10, at work, school, and home

Beginning Windows 10 takes you through the new features of this amazing new operating system, revealing some of its surprising capabilities, and helping you customize it to suit you. Whether you are new to Windows, or you want to get up to speed with the latest features and changes, this book has everything you need to get started. Author Mike Halsey shows you how to create an environment for school, work, and play that puts the important things at your fingertips, while combining them in ways you never thought possible. Learn how to carry your personalized Windows experience with you as part of your Microsoft account instead of having it tied to one device, while also keeping everything safe, secure and backed up, so you can enjoy peace of mind with your new PC. With the right start, your PC can become a tool that works for you, not against you, and leaves more of your time and energy free for the things that matter to you. Beginning Windows 10 shows you how. What You'll Learn About the ins and outs of the Windows 10 interface and its new features How to personalize your Windows experience to give trouble-free performance How to manage your Microsoft account across different devices and services in the home, at work, and on the move How to maximize your productivity with Windows 10 How to secure and configure Windows 10 to guarantee a safe and secure experience How to use, hack and manipulate Windows to enable advanced customization Who This Book Is For Beginning Windows 10 is for people new to Windows or who want to get up to speed with the latest version. This book also can help people who already know how to perform routine tasks learn how to get more out of Windows, their computer and their time. Whether you want to get up and running with Windows 10, or want to go to the next level and learn useful ways to minimize problems, maximize performance, and optimize your overall Windows experience, this book is for you.

As companies keep their existing hardware and operating systems for more years than ever before, the need to diagnose and repair problems is becoming ever more important for IT Pros and system administrators. Whatever version of Windows you're using (including Windows 10) you'll likely need to maintain compatibility with older software that the company must use for mission-critical operations, or older hardware that's required for specific purposes, but you don't want to sacrifice security for the sake of compatibility. In this briefbook you'll learn how to maintain optimal compatibility with the older software and devices that you need to use. The authors are well-versed in training in classrooms and video, with Andrew Bettany running the IT Academy at the University of York, and IT Masterclasses and Mike Halsey being a teacher, tech-book author, and having produced many tutorial videos under the brand PC Support.tv.

With Windows 10 arriving later in 2015, many questions remain to be answered, both for businesses and home users. Will it provide the compatibility of Windows XP, and the usability of Windows 7? Will it banish forever the problems associated with Windows 8? In this book, Windows expert, author and MVP Mike Halsey answers the questions you have and details hidden and improved features that can revolutionize your security, productivity and user experience. Whether you're an IT professional considering or planning an upgrade to your company's PCs or a Windows enthusiast eager to find out if Microsoft has finally built a truly modern Windows experience, Windows 10 Primer has the answers to all your most important questions.

The Windows file system is large and complex, featuring not only a huge number of essential files and folders for the Windows OS, your software and hardware, but also several different underlying file systems that manage and maintain file integrity on your disks. In this book you'll learn how to navigate around the Windows file structure (up to Windows 8.1), with what does what and how essential everything is. Additionally we'll show you how to effectively manage file, folder and security permissions to ensure users get what the access they need, and no more. We'll also show you how to repair the underlying disk file system should something go horribly wrong.

Whatever version of Windows you're using--from Vista up to Windows 8.1--the registry is at the heart of your desktop experience. Software installs and compatibility, hardware operation and more are managed by a complex database of codes and numbers. When something goes wrong it can seem impossible to diagnose and repair the problem, and harder still to prevent a recurrence or make the subtle changes and tweaks required to fix the problem. In this book we'll take you inside the workings of the Registry, and teach you how to repair, modify and clean it to keep your PCs running smoothly.

Diagnose, troubleshoot and repair any type of problems on your PC from startup and file access to cloud services and the issues caused by hybrid-work. This book contains everything you need to know to keep PC systems running optimally, and to repair problems quickly and efficiently. This book provides a deep dive into the Windows OS, detailing what everything is, and how it works. You will learn about the in-built, additional, and third-party tools and utilities you can use to create reliable, robust and secure PC systems. Further, you will learn how to configure Windows 11 so as to avoid problems occurring, and how to support every type of end user, working from home, or in any part of the world, speaking any language, and taking into account other factors such as ability or personal barriers. You will discover the support tools and support ecosystem you can use to create and manage effective support tracking and remote access. You will discover how to get detailed events and reliability information, and how to manage update channels. You will deep dive into Windows 11 operating system and folder structure and learn app and software troubleshooting, process and service troubleshooting, network and internet troubleshooting and hardware and peripherals troubleshooting. Finally, you will learn more advanced troubleshooting techniques like security and encryption troubleshooting and using PowerShell scripting to repair problems. Further, you will also learn how to manually remove malware and ransomware, registry troubleshooting and startup and repair troubleshooting. By the end, you will know how to troubleshoot complex problems and diagnose hardware problems in a PC. You will be able to troubleshoot and repair any type of problem on a Windows 11 PC. What Will You Learn How to support home and hybrid-workers using their own PCs Using scripting and PowerShell to troubleshoot and repair systems Managing networking and internet access to minimize downtime Managing installation and troubleshoot for updates and patches Who Is This Book For IT Pros and system administrators who have to maintain small or large networks of connected PCs locally at their organization, or with hybrid workers.

Get a real feel for Windows 8.1 with a wealth of tips in this step-by-step guide. After using Windows 7 or XP, learning Microsoft's latest operating system takes some adjustment. Never fear. Windows expert Mike Halsey starts with the basics and then takes you through the trickier parts of Microsoft's latest operating system. You'll quickly learn how to make the most of Windows 8 for work and entertainment, whether you use a touchscreen tablet, a laptop, or a PC with a keyboard and mouse. Easily navigate the intuitive Windows 8.1 interface Use email and the Internet - and keep your family safe Share files online or with other devices in your home Download and use all kinds of of apps and programs Watch movies and listen to music Import, view, and edit your own photos and videos Learn how to use extra hardware and older software Use expert tips to keep your computer running smoothly Discover cool stuff that makes computer use really easy

Make your PCs as secure as possible and limit the routes of attack and safely and completely remove all traces of malware and viruses should an infection take place. Whatever version of Windows you're using, the threat of virus and malware infection is always a common danger. From key loggers and Trojans, intent on stealing passwords and data, to malware that can disable individual PCs or even a company network, the cost to business in downtime and loss of productivity can be enormous. What You'll Learn: Recognize malware and the problems it can cause Defend a PC against malware and viruses Configure advanced Windows features to prevent attack Identify types of malware and virus attack Discover third-party tools and resources available to help remove malware Manually remove malware and viruses from a PC Who This Book Is For IT pros, Windows expert and power users and system administrators

Become part of the solution to climate change and learn how you can reduce the carbon footprint and increase the sustainability of your IT systems. Learn how to ensure new equipment is as power efficient, sustainable, and repairable as possible. Uncover the sustainability policies of your cloud and IT service providers so you can make thoughtful, cost-sensitive, and environmentally sound decisions when purchasing cloud-based SaaS and other services. Also learn to reduce e-waste in a way that inspires your employees, your stakeholders, and your customers. This book looks at our understanding of climate change and the impact that IT systems have through their constant demand for electrical power from increasingly over-stressed electrical grids and ever-rising energy costs. You will learn what you can do in your own business or organization to lower the electrical and carbon footprints of your IT systems. You will learn to discover the environmental policies of your cloud providers so you can make cloud-based computing choices with reduced carbon footprints in mind. Author Mike Halsey provides guidance for desktops, with a discussion of settings and practices that can reduce power usage of Windows systems, including home workers using their own equipment, and covering smartphones and tablets with all operating system types. The book will help you examine the broader world and how IT companies and business leaders are pressing ahead toward ambitious climate goals, and you will look at new technologies you can expect to see developed in support of those goals. What You Will Learn Manage the power requirements of your existing IT equipment and systems more efficiently Ensure high levels of power efficiency of any new IT equipment that you purchase Know where to look for the sustainability policies of cloud and IT service Ask the right questions of suppliers and stakeholders Inspire employees and stakeholders to want to do more to reduce their own carbon footprint Work within charitable, business, and governmental structures to reduce e-waste and help communities Who This Book Is For For business leaders and system administrators who have been tasked by their company to find cost-efficient and effective ways to reduce the local, national, and global carbon-footprint of their business or organization. For IT professionals looking to bring the company into line with existing and forthcoming national and international environmental standards and regulations. Also for individuals and power users who are keen to reduce the carbon-footprint of their own computer and IT systems.

Get started with Windows 11. This book shows you how to set up and personalize your PC in order to get the best experience from your documents, photos, and your time online. The book introduces you to the new desktop, start menu, and settings panel. It covers everything that's been changed, added, or removed. Next, you will learn how to personalize and customize your PC, laptop, and tablet and how to make Windows 11 safer to use for your children and family. The book takes you through how to keep your personal information safe and secure, and how to make sure your precious documents and photos are backed-up with OneDrive. The book shows you how to use accessibility tools to make Windows 11 easier to use, see, hear, and touch, and how to have fun with Android apps and Xbox gaming. You will also learn how to become more productive, how to connect to your college or workplace, and how you can use multiple desktops and snap layouts to get stuff done. After reading this book, you will be able to install, manage, secure, and make the best of Windows 11 for your PC. What Will You Learn Install and use the Android apps on your PC Safely back up and safeguard your documents and photos Maximize battery life on your laptop or tablet Make Windows 11 easier to see, hear, touch, and use Who This Book Is For Anyone planning to install Windows 11 and customize their PC with the new updates

Troubleshoot Windows 10 the way the experts do, whatever device or form factor you are using. Focus on the problems that most commonly plague PC users and fix each one with a step-by-step approach that helps you understand the cause, solution, and tools required. Windows 10 is constantly evolving and changing and a great many aspects of the operating system, including many associated with troubleshooting and repair, have been changed, removed, replaced, or expanded since the first edition of this book was published. This new edition is updated with a dedicated chapter on using scripting tools for troubleshooting along with numerous updates on Windows device and update installation, Microsoft Sysinternals Suite, and Troubleshooting malware attacks. Additionally, there is extensive coverage of the technical diagnosis and troubleshooting tools you need from Event Viewer to Recovery Console. This book will help you discover the connections between different hardware and software in your devices, and how their bonds with external hardware, networks, and the Internet are more inter-dependent than you think. You will also learn how to support the increasing volume of home workers, and make sure they can stay online and active on PCs from your own organization or their own devices. If you are fed up with those nagging, day-to-day issues, want to avoid costly repairs, or just want to learn more about how PCs work, Windows 10 Troubleshooting is your ideal one-stop guide to the Windows 10 operating system. What You Will Learn Understand your PC's ecosystem and how to connect the dots, so you can successfully track problems to their source Support home workers using PCs from your organization and family devices, and keep workers productive and online Make your PC safe and secure for family and everyone in your workplace, and ensure that data is kept secure from loss or attack Understand the threat from malware and viruses and a range of approaches to dealing with them, depending on the situation Know tips and tricks for researching difficult problems, including third-party tools and useful web resources Who This Book Is For Anyone using Windows 10 on a desktop, laptop, or hybrid device

Windows 8 has been described by Microsoft as its 'boldest' Windows release ever and the 8.1 update enhances the paradigm further. Beginning Windows 8.1 takes you through the new features and helps you get more out of the familiar to reveal the fullest possibilities for this amazing new operating system. You will learn, with non-technical language used throughout, how to get up and running in the new Windows interface, minimize downtime, maximize productivity, and harness the features you never knew existed to take control of your computer and enjoy the peace of mind and excitement that comes with it. From tips and tweaks to easy-to-follow guides and detailed descriptions, this book takes you inside Windows 8.1 to discover the true power and flexibility that lies within, and guides you at your own pace through getting the very best from it.What you'll learn * About the ins and outs of the Windows 8 interface and its new features * How to personalize your Windows experience to give trouble-free performance * How to use your computer to connect to devices and services in the home, at work, and on the move * How to maximize your productivity with Windows 8 * How to secure and configure Windows 8 to guarantee a safe and secure experience * How to use hack and manipulate Windows to enable advanced customization Who this book is for Beginning Windows 8.1 is for people new to Windows or who just want toget up to speed with Windows 8. This book also can help people who already know how to perform routine tasks learn how to get more out of Windows, their computer and their time. Whether you want to get up and running with Windows 8, or want to go to the next level and learn useful ways to minimize problems, maximize performance, and optimize your overall Windows experience, this book is for you.

Windows 8 has been described by Microsoft as its 'boldest' Windows release ever. Beginning Windows 8 takes you through the new features and helps you get more out of the familiar to reveal the possibilities for this amazing new operating system. You will learn, with non-technical language used throughout, how to get up and running in the new Windows interface, minimize downtime, maximize productivity, and harness the features you never knew existed to take control of your computer and enjoy the peace of mind and excitement that comes with it. From tips and tweaks to easy-to-follow guides and detailed descriptions, this book takes you inside Windows 8 to discover the true power and flexibility that lies within, and guides you at your own pace through getting the very best from it.What you'll learn *About the ins and outs of the Windows 8 interface and its new features *How to install and configure Windows 8 to give trouble-free performance *How to personalize your Windows experience *How to use your computer to connect to devices and services in the home, at work, and on the move *How to maximize your productivity with Windows 8 *How to secure and configure Windows 8 to guarantee a safe and secure experience Who this book is for Beginning Windows 8 is for people new to Windows or who just want to get up to speed with Windows 8. This book also can help people who already know how to perform routine tasks learn how to get more out of Windows, their computer and their time. Whether you want to get up and running with Windows 8, or want to go to the next level and learn useful ways to minimize problems, maximize performance, and optimize your overall Windows expereince, this book is for you.