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He begins at the beginning, explaining what scripting is and how command lines come to exist under Windows NT. The reader gets full information on virtual DOS machines and how programs started by scripts are instantiated. There's also some useful information on redirecting script output--handy when using batch files to create HTML documents, for example.

If you think the way batch files handle subroutines, variables, and pretty much everything else involves some weird syntax, you're right. Hill decrypts it all, explaining the mechanics of the Windows NT batch-scripting language very clearly. After he explains how to script academically, he provides some examples. There's a script that automates the creation of user accounts, another script that monitors print activity, another that keeps an eye on disk usage, and one that does backups. A few more scripts round out the selection. Many of the scripts refer to a library of functions that's also listed and explained. Unfortunately, there's no companion disk, so readers have to get the samples from the Macmillan Web site.

It would be nice if this book contained some coverage of the new Windows Scripting Host, which you can use to write scripts in VBScript, JavaScript, and (in the future) other languages like Perl and Python. But that's cutting-edge stuff that hasn't yet been fully figured out, and what this book contains is great. All harried sysadmins, particularly those who came on line after the age of DOS had begun to wane, will be grateful for the guidance Hill provides. --David Wall

Only one minor caveat: in the section detailing the SLEEP command, there is a :WAITLOOP technique that can be more elegantly effected by the use of a /WAIT switch during the START command (which the book also documents).

I recommend this book highly.

At first I tried to use my old DOS manuals but the scripts I wrote didn't work since things have changed. This book gave me the updated information I needed to accomplish my tasks.

It is clearly written and extremely well organized. The book serves as both tutorial and reference.

This book gave me insight into the aditional abilities of the NT command shell. Since I use Windows 2000, which was released after the publication of this book, I also make frequent reference to online help. I have found that Windows 2000 has command shell enhancements not found in Windows NT 4.

This book's strength is that it shows you how to create libraries of routines for use in batch files and that it gathers in one place a wealth of information about command-line scripting with batch files. It revealed to me that batch files can do much more than I thought previously.

I was a bit dismayed, however, when the author stated that there was no way to echo a blank line to the console. A feature introduced in DOS 5.0, and well documented, is the use of the echo. command (echo followed by a dot with no space). This works just as well with cmd.exe as with command.com.

Other than that this is a great book.

If you want a complete reference for scripting in Windows NT and Windows 2000, get this book and "Windows Scripting Secrets". Together with the online reference they provide all the information you could want about scripting using the command line and Windows Script Host.

The book can be used both as a tutorial and a reference for Windows NT scripting and gives good examples of the commands, tools and concepts covered. For Windows NT, this book does the job as your Shell Scripting Bible in less than 400 pages.

Since Windows NT 4.0, a lot has happened in the Windows scripting field though. With the release of Windows 2000 and the subsequent Windows XP and .NET Server, shell scripting has become much more powerful. A second edition of this book covering the new commands and tools would be most welcome. Until one exists, you might also want to look at newer books covering shell scripting for operating systems based on the Windows NT kernel.

You might also want to look at other, often more powerful ways to script your Windows NT-based environment. For that matter I recommend looking at other books covering WSH (Windows Script Host), ADSI and WMI (Windows Management Instrumentation).

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