Redefining what "Never doing that again" means... Troubleshooting with the Windows Sysinternals Tools, Second Edition

When people asked me what it was like writing a book, I'd invariably answer, "It was a once in a lifetime experience.  I hope."  When they asked, "Are you going to write another one?" my answer was always, "No."  (Actually, my answer was more emphatic than that, but this professional blog site's policies don't permit me to publish the quote verbatim.)  Because of the amount of material covered in the Windows Sysinternals Administrator's Reference and Mark Russinovich's and my insistence on absolute accuracy and completeness, working on the book consumed all my nights, weekends and vacation time for two full years.  It was fun to work with Mark and to publish a book with him, but not enough to want to do it again.

So, yeah... Mark and I just signed a contract with Microsoft Press to write the book's Second Edition, with a small title change, "Troubleshooting with the Windows Sysinternals Tools".  Mark has continued to release new tools and to add major features to the existing ones, so while everything in the first book is still accurate, it's no longer complete, to the point that a new edition is worth publishing.  The new book will also have other improvements including an expanded "Case of the Unexplained" section that describes real-world troubleshooting cases solved with the Sysinternals utilities.

Parents of more than one child talk about the amnesia that makes you forget what pregnancy and life with an infant is like so that you're willing to have another.  Tequila has also inspired many solemn vows of future sobriety that were later forgotten.  Perhaps "It's just a second edition, it's not like writing a whole new book from scratch" induces a similar effect.  I'll tell you in a year or so.

Comments

  • Anonymous
    August 30, 2013
    Awesome to hear Aaron!  I can't wait to get my hands on a copy!  Thanks to both you and Mark for taking the time to do this!

  • Anonymous
    August 30, 2013
    Very nice.

  • Anonymous
    August 31, 2013
    Great! Looking forward to it.  Loved your talks at the last TechEd by the way!

  • Anonymous
    September 02, 2013
    Excellent! Thanks for the follow up to both Aaron & Mark.

  • Anonymous
    April 14, 2014
    Great! Can't wait to read it. Those tools are so needed in today's computing enviroment. Really enjoyed reading Sysinternals Administrators Reference. Glad you guys are still adding new features and teaching us how to use them.

  • Anonymous
    August 04, 2014
    Aaron, It's going to be an year after you posted this? How is the new book coming along? Any update on when it would be available?

  • Anonymous
    September 04, 2014
    Anxiously waiting, any update on release date.....?? [Aaron Margosis]  Thanks for your interest!  We're making good progress, but a long ways to go.

  • Anonymous
    March 06, 2016
    Any update in 2016? :)[Aaron Margosis] Getting close! Honestly!