Looking for a little help when it comes down to Windows 7 deployments? Then look no further than a resource recently made available by Microsoft, designed for IT professionals that need Windows 7 deployment related guidance. Deploying Windows 7 Essential Guidance from the Windows 7 Resource Kit and TechNet Magazine is now available from the Microsoft Download Center. Offered as a PDF file, the Deploying Windows 7 Essential Guidance book is essentially an excerpt out of the Windows 7 Resource Kit offered completely free of charge. But don’t for a minute think that the ebook is your average free book excerpt, because you’d be wrong. At over 300 pages, Deploying Windows 7 Essential Guidance from the Windows 7 Resource Kit and TechNet Magazine is a resource designed to deliver a comprehensive insight into various scenarios involving the adoption of Microsoft’s latest iteration of the Windows client.

“Going all the way back to Windows for Workgroups in the early 90’s I’ve thought that (a) the resource kits are some of the best books to come out of Microsoft Press (b) If there is a res kit for a product you work with you should have it on your shelf. The Windows 7 one runs to over 1700 pages – thick enough, as someone said, to stun an Ox. I was one of the small army of people made a small contributions it, so the only thing that keeps me from buying a copy is the complimentary copy which (I’m told) is on its way to me,” noted Microsoft’s James O'Neill.

IT pros looking to deploy Windows 7 in their IT environment will certainly want to own the entire Windows 7 Resource Kit. And in this regard, the deployment-focused excerpt is an excellent example of the guidance offered in the rest of the book. Microsoft has touched a variety of topics in resource available for download including Deployment Platform, Planning Deployment, Testing Application Compatability, and 8 Common Issues in Windows 7 Migrations.

“This is no mere sample chapter . It runs to 330 pages - I haven’t read every word: what strikes me about having skimmed it is its completeness,” O'Neill added. According to Microsoft, contributors to the book include not only industry experts but also members of the Windows 7 Team, as well as TechNet writers.