The best way to get a digital copy of Windows 7 Inside Out, Deluxe Edition

7 Tutorials reviews Windows 7 Inside Out, Deluxe Edition

Windows 7 Inside Out, Deluxe Edition is an excellent reference and a genuine educational resource. It’s a huge book and has all kinds of information that the reader may not have known before (but can be put to good use immediately). If you buy only one Windows 7 reference book, this definitely should be the one. It’s a keeper!

My co-authors and I are grateful for the many reviews we’ve received like this one.

Just a reminder that this book, like all of my Microsoft Press titles, is available in digital editions without any DRM. You are free to use the content in any program and on any device you own. We (my fellow authors and publishing partners) trust our readers.

Ironically, the best way to get the electronic edition of this book might be to buy the print edition first.

The print edition of Windows 7 Inside Out, Deluxe Edition is currently available at Amazon for $37.79. The Kindle edition is available for $34.01. You might be able to find it for a lower price elsewhere. At Barnes & Noble, the print edition is $41.30, whereas the digital edition for the Nook is $40.31. Those are pretty paltry discounts.

O’Reilly, which distributes Microsoft press titles, offers the book as well, but not at competitive prices. The print edition is $59.99, the ebook is $47.99, and a package of the two is (gulp) $65.99. If you paid those prices, thank you very much for your generous support. (If you own a previous edition, you can qualify for a 40-50% discount, as I explain later.)

So what’s the most cost-effective way to add this book to your library?

The print edition includes a full PDF copy on the disc bound into the back of the book. If all you want is the ability to read the book on your PC and search for specific words or phrases, get the print edition and copy the unprotected PDF copy to your PC, Mac, or other device.

Want the book on an e-reader? You can get a DRM-free copy suitable for use on any e-reader for a mere five bucks.

Here are the details:

• Start by signing up for a free membership at oreilly.com, which distributes Microsoft Press titles. After you create your oreilly.com account and sign in, you can see all of the options available to you (including the option to purchase updated editions for a 40-50% discount) at this page: Exclusive Membership Offers.
• Buy a print edition of the book from any source you like, online or at a brick-and-mortar store. If you already own the book, skip to the next step.
• Register your new book using its title or ISBN number. Sorry, English-language editions only. And no, they don’t care where you bought it.
• Click Your Products and then click the Print Books tab. Order the digital edition of the book you just registered and pay $4.99 for the full e-book package. Here’s what the transaction looks like:
  

That $4.99 upgrade applies to any Microsoft Press or O’Reilly title on your bookshelf, making it a great deal if you want a copy for your Kindle, Nook, iPad, iPhone, or Android device. After you complete the purchase, go to the Ebooks tab to see the download links. Here’s what it looks like for another of my titles:

The digital package you download from oreilly.com contains DRM-free copies in multiple formats. You can download any or all of them. For Android devices, choose ePub. For Kindles (including the Kindle Fire), choose Mobi. If you lost the disk and want a replacement for the PDF file, choose PDF.

If you’re confused by those acronyms, I’ve put together an explainer here: On digital book file formats.

Questions? Please ask away in the comments below.