Free e-books for Windows administrators (updated)
This is a list of free e-books that are useful for Windows administrators. It will be regularly updated.
By Michael Pietroforte - Wed, December 26, 2012 - 13 comments 
Michael Pietroforte is a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) with more than 28 years of experience in system administration.
I first published this of free ebooks for system administrators about a year ago. Since then I added quite a few new books. If you know of another good free e-book that could be of interest for Windows administrators, please post the link as a comment below or send me an email.
I will update this page regularly, so you might want to bookmark it. If you spot a book that is no longer available as a free e-book, please let me know.
The books are ordered chronologically. Books without a publishing date are at the end of the list.
Introducing Windows 8: An Overview for IT Professionals
Jerry Honeycutt, Microsoft Press, November 21, 2012
Get a headstart evaluating Window 8—guided by a Windows expert who’s worked extensively with the software since the preview releases. Based on final, release-to-manufacturing (RTM) software, this book introduces new features and capabilities, with scenario-based insights demonstrating how to plan for, implement, and maintain Windows 8 in an enterprise environment. Get the high-level information you need to begin preparing your deployment now.
Secrets of PowerShell Remoting
Don Jones, August 2012
Step-by-step, screenshot-based instructions for configuring PowerShell Remoting for any imaginable scenario
Introducing Windows Server 2012
Mitch Tulloch, Microsoft Press, June 8, 2012
Introducing Windows Server 2012 is 256 pages and includes 5 chapters loaded with insider information from the Windows Server Team.
Introducing Microsoft SQL Server 2012
Ross Mistry, Stacia Misner, Microsoft Press, March 28, 2012
We are releasing this title to help you learn about the new features and capabilities in SQL Server 2012, which Microsoft released to manufacturing (RTM) on March 6, 2012. You can expect general availability of the product to begin on April 1, 2012.
Security and Privacy for Microsoft Office Users
Mitch Tulloch, Microsoft Press April 30, 2012
Take control—and put the built-in security and privacy features in Microsoft Office to work!
Microsoft Office 365: Connect and Collaborate Virtually Anywhere, Anytime
Katherine Murray, Microsoft Press, 2011
This book shows you how you can use cloud computing—and specifically, Office 365—to get more done, collaborate more easily, and work more flexibly than you ever have before.
Windows 7 Power Users Guide
Mike Halsey, The long climb, May 2011
The Windows 7 Power Users Guide contains helpful how-to’s, full colour pictures and quick tips to guide you through everything from using the Start Menu and Taskbar to backing up your documents and identifying and fixing problems.
Introducing Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2
Ross Mistry and Stacia Misner, Microsoft Press, April 2010
Our purpose in Introducing Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 is to point out both
the new and the improved in the latest version of SQL Server.
Administrator’s Guide to Windows PowerShell Remoting
March 2010
This guide helps users understand the concepts of remoting and provides essential and practical advice on setup, deployment and security.
The SysAdmin Handbook
Red Gate Software, March, 2010
A collection of articles about Exchange, Virtualization, Windows Server, Powershell, and Unified Messaging
Understanding Microsoft Virtualization Solutions (Second Edition)
Mitch Tulloch, Microsoft Press, February 2010
Hyper-V and Remote Desktop Services in Windows Server 2008 R2, Microsoft Virtual Desktop Infrastructure, Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.5, Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization, Windows Virtual PC and Windows XP Mode, System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008, and Microsoft’s private and public cloud computing platforms including Windows Azure
The Complete Windows 7 Shortcuts eBook
Nitgin Agarwal, The Windows Club, February 2010
More than 200 keyboard shortcuts containing almost all the keyboard shortcuts that are available in Windows 7 and its default programs like Paint, WordPad, MS Office, Calculator, Help, Media Player, Media Center, Windows Journal, Internet Explorer
Introducing Windows Server 2008 R2
Charlie Russel and Craig Zacker, Microsoft Press, 2010
Focuses on what is new and important, while giving you the context from Windows Server 2008 Chapters: What’s New, Installation and Configuration, Hyper-V, Remote Desktop Services and VDI, Active Directory, The File Services Role, IIS 7.5, DirectAccess and Network Policy Server, Other Features and Enhancements
Windows Server 2008 R2 Essentials
Neil Smyth, Techtopia, 2010
Installing, configuring and administering Windows Server 2008 R2 systems including installation and upgrades, networking configuration, remote desktop services, disk and partition management, RAID configuration, security, BitLocker encryption, remote desktop access, print services, resource sharing, clustering, load balancing and user permission management
Hyper-V Essentials
Neil Smyth, Virtuatopia, 2010
Overview of the Hyper-V architecture and components, Hyper-V role installation, the creation, management and migration of virtual machines, virtual networking architecture and remote access to virtual machines.
First Look Microsoft Office 2010
Katherine Murray, Microsoft Press, 2010
Introduces you to the changes in Office 2010, how-to guide for many of the top features, provides examples for integrating the applications and explores Office 2010 security and training opportunities
Deploying Windows 7 Essential Guidance
Mitch Tulloch, Tony Northrup, Jerry Honeycutt, Ed Wilson, and the Windows 7 Team at Microsoft, Microsoft Press, October 2009
Download the New eBook: Deploying Windows® 7 Essential Guidance from the Windows 7 Resource Kit and Microsoft® TechNet Magazine. Looking for guidance specific to Windows 7 deployment? Check out what the industry’s leading experts have to say in this free Microsoft Press eBook with selected chapters from the Windows 7 Resource Kit on Deployment Platforms, Planning, Testing Application Compatibility.
Planning and architecture for Office SharePoint Server 2007
Microsoft Technet, March 2009
The audiences for this book are business application specialists, line-of-business specialists, information architects, IT generalists, program managers, and infrastructure specialists who are planning a solution based on Office SharePoint Server 2007
Effective Windows PowerShell: The Free eBook
Keith Hill
I’ve gotten some requests to turn my Effective PowerShell blog posts into booklet form which I have done.
TCP/IP Fundamentals for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft, 2008
Introductory approach to the basic concepts and principles of the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) protocol suite, how the most important protocols function, and their basic configuration in the Microsoft Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 families of operating systems
TCP/IP Tutorial and Technical Overview
Lydia Parziale, David T. Britt, Chuck Davis, Jason Forrester, Wei Liu, Carolyn Matthews, Nicolas Rosselot, IBM Redbooks, December 2006
Chapters: Core TCP/IP protocols (including IPv6), TCP/IP application protocols, Advanced concepts and new technologies
Introduction to Storage Area Networks
Jon Tate, Fabiano Lucchese, Richard Moore, IBM Rebooks, July 2006
Illustrates where SANs are today, who are the main industry organizations and standard bodies active in the SAN world, and it positions IBM’s comprehensive, best-of-breed approach of enabling SANs with its products and services.
Microsoft Windows Server System Deployment Guide for Midsize Businesses eBook
Microsoft, 2005
Step-by-step deployment instructions for the Microsoft server products that are most relevant to a midsize business (50-250 PCs), in one easy-to-read format
Layman’s Guide to PowerShell 2.0 remoting
Ravikanth Chaganti
WMI query language (WQL) via PowerShell
Ravikanth Chaganti
Table of contents: Introduction, Tools for the job, WMI Data queries, WMI Event Queries: Introduction, Intrinsic Event Queries, Extrinsic Event Queries, Timer Events, WMI Schema Queries, WMI Event consumers.
The Administrator Crash Course: Windows PowerShell v2
Don Jones
Microsoft MVP Don Jones offers a new book entitled The Administrator Crash Course: Windows PowerShell v2. Covering the most crucial elements of PowerShell v2, Don has constructed a set of practical tips and practice.
VMM 2008 Essentials
Virtuatopia
Chapters: VMM 2008 Components, VMM 2008 Architecture and Port Usage, VMM 2008 System Requirements, Installing VMM 2008 Components, A Guided Tour of the VMM Administrator Console, Managing Hosts with the VMM Administrator Console, Creating and Managing VMM 2008 Virtual Machine Templates, Managing Virtual Machines with the VMM Administrator Console, Managing VMM 2008 Library Servers, Performing Physical to Virtual (P2V) Conversions using VMM 2008, Converting VMware Virtual Machines to Hyper-V using VMM 2008 V2V, Understanding and Configuring VMM 2008 User Roles, Deploying a VMM 2008 Self-Service Portal
Xen Virtualization Essentials
Virtuatopia
Understanding of the basic approaches to virtualization together with detailed information on deploying virtualization using Xen technology; emphasizes the practical aspects of working with Xen, including detailed step by step tutorials designed to show exactly how to create and manage Xen based guest domains.
Security Concepts Book
Theodore Parker
Examines the typical problems in computer security and related areas, and attempt to extract from them principles for defending systems; attempt to synthesize various fields of knowledge, including computer security, network security, cryptology, and intelligence
Security+ Essentials
Techotopia
Provide the knowledge needed by IT professionals to pass the CompTIA Security+ exam; largely platform agnostic book
Windows Server 2008 Essentials
Techotopia
Cover all aspects of installing, configuring and administering Windows Server 2008: installation and upgrades, networking configuration, terminal services, disk and partition management, RAID configuration, security, BitLocker encryption, remote desktop access, print services, resource sharing, clustering, load balancing and user permission management.
Great overview!
And here is a german W2K8S R2 admin book:
http://openbook.galileocomputing.de/windows_server_2008/
There are some other free IT related e-books…
Alexej, thanks! I added the book to the list.
Great list, when you say you will be updating this list will you be updating this page, or providing links from this page to the new versions?
Thanks, it keep up.
Ron, thanks. I will update this page and I will also post links to new books on Twitter, Facebook and through the news service.
Fantastic list of books.
Unfortunately the “Techtopia” books aren’t available in PDF.
If anyone have this books in PDF, please let me know.
I will try to get also more books to the list.
Keep the good work Michael.
The following books were not free, but were pretty cheap to purchase:
Windows Server 2008 R2 Essentials
Security + Essentials
Hyper-V Essentials
Thanks so much Michael. Great list, so helpful esp server books.
Francisco,
the Techtopia books are available as PDF, but then you have to pay.
Jim,
only the PDF and ePub versions are not free. The HMTL versions of the Virtuatopia books are free.
Lisa, you are welcome.
With a little effort you can convert different formats to PDF if really necessary. Although, depending on the size it may not be practical.
this collection is truly awesome. http://www.myfree-ebooks.org also has great ebooks like this
Deploying Windows 7: Essential Guidance from the Windows 7 Resource Kit and TechNet Magazine
http://download.microsoft.com/download/6/E/8/6E879EE6-F02A-40E4-99E5-8DCC7C49D28A/DeployingWindows7EssentialGuidance.pdf
Alexej, thanks! Added it to the list.
Thanks Micheal. Keep the good going. Bless you.