Windows guru Woody Leonhard gives people the power to fight back against unwanted shortcuts, system slowdowns, spyware infestations, and other perennial PC problems and annoyances in this much-needed book. Step-by-step instructions help even novice users go "under the hood" to modify their systems, whether they want to overhaul XP's look and feel, boost speed, beef up security, perform maintenance and updates, or enhance multimedia performance.

• The book covers simple and complex changes including tweaking the taskbar, adding desktop search, making a PC game-friendly, turbocharging browser performance, eradicating viruses and spyware, updating drivers, and augmenting music and video capabilities
• Includes special directions on dealing with software, shortcuts, and other unwanted "features" installed on new PCs that slow down computing time