Acknowledgments

The book you hold in your hands represents the end result of a project that started back before the initial beta of Windows 2000. I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have worked with a great team during that time.Many thanks to Al Valvano, the Executive Editor, and David Dwyer, the Publisher, who supported this effort over the long months and never doubted that it would produce the right book at the right time.

Thanks to Katie Pendergast, the Development Editor, whose experience, professionalism, and devotion to craftsmanship made all the difference. Katie, you're a star.

Thanks to Elise Walter, the Project Editor, for her cheerfulness when finding goofs. Thanks, too, to Keith Cline, the Copy Editor, and Brad Herriman, the Indexer, who pored over every single solitary word. I appreciate their patience.

I want to give a special thanks to my technical reviewers, David Shackelford, Jim Kelly, and Desmond Banks. Their diligent pursuit of quality and their first-rate systems knowledge set a high standard. I hope the book measures up. These poor guys also suffered through some really appalling puns. Be grateful they made me take most of them out.

A big, big thank you to the good people at ASA Solutions who gave me the time and equipment I needed to do this project. Without their help, the book never would have been finished successfully.

Finally, thanks to everyone on the Microsoft beta team who went out of their way to help me with questions. I consider it an honor and a privilege to have worked with professionals of such high caliber.