Hindsight is 20-20
Category: forensics
Positive Feedback
So far, we’ve had a lot of positive feedback on the XWF Guide, so much so, that the second edition (should that happen) will have a few added things. Like…a companion CD with sample data and slidedecks for classroom use.
However, before a second edition is started, this edition has to first be outdated by updates in XWF.
The bad news on a second edition is that we wrote the book to cover XWF for some time to come even with the expected updates that occur every month or so. That means a second edition isn’t likely until we see a major change in XWF.
The good news on a second edition is that we wrote the book to cover XWF for some time to come even with the expected updates that occur every month or so. That means this book will last you well into your expertise is solid with XWF.
For the college and university profs and instructors, we’d be glad to help review your slidedecks if you will be using the book in your course. Potentially, we may be able to create a set of slidedecks (with help from those teaching) to make available to any schools using XWF).
The X-Ways Forensics Practitioners Guide is available in Kindle!
It certainly feels like a long time has passed, but the time is finally here, at least for the Kindle. Order through Amazon and you can have the book on your Kindle in less than a minute.
Although it feels like it took a long time (at least for me), Eric and I finished the book 6 months ahead of schedule. If you don’t have a Kindle, you can at least read the Introduction through the link below. We hope (and know) this guide will be your best friend to your XWF dongle.
Order from Amazon.com at “X-Ways Forensics Practitioner’s Guide“
Last day for the 40% discount on the XWF Guide!
This is one of those times that procrastinating will cost you money….
What will you tell yourself when you have to spend twice as much for the XWF Guide after tomorrow?
http://store.elsevier.com/product.jsp?isbn=9780124116054&_requestid=665676
And shipping is free? Wow. Doesn’t get much better than that.
40% Discount off the X-Ways Forensics Practitioner’s Guide
The 30% has been updated to 40%!
From Syngress:
“Now through August 15th, Elsevier is offering 40% off all their books, including X-Ways Forensics Practitioners Guide (use this link: http://store.elsevier.com/product.jsp?isbn=9780124116054&_requestid=665676). No promo code needed. Just follow the link, add to your cart and save big”
https://xwaysforensics.wordpress.com/2013/08/05/some-bad-news-and-some-good-news-on-the-xwf-guide/
Another free tool for X-Ways, from Magnet Forensics
Magnet Forensics provides a FREE tool at http://info.magnetforensics.com/tsv-to-tln-converter, which converts the X-Ways generated TSV file into the TLN format. From the tutorial, this looks to be pretty neat and you can’t beat the price either.
The tutorial on how to use the TSV to TLN Converter can be found at: http://www.magnetforensics.com/convert-x-ways-tsv-data-into-tln-data-for-ief-timeline/
A few more days…
Word from the publisher:
book is going to print in a few days.
One of the benefits of this book is that it shows you how to use X-Ways in your cases, by practically showing which buttons to push to get what you need quickly,
The other aspects of the book show how X-Ways works. We show you how you can tweak it do exactly what you want and only what you want at the fastest speed possible.
To everyone who pre-ordered, you helped place the X-Ways Guide at the #7 spot of best sellers on Amazon (under Books > Law > Criminal Law > Forensic Science).
Order from Amazon.com
“This book is going to be great!”
“This book is going to be great! The essential, accessible answer to the impenetrable density of XWF’s help file”. – Craig Ball
There’s been more than few tweets about having to wait until October, but don’t worry, we are ahead of that schedule. The most current target date for printing is September 3.
The book is now in the hands of trusted reviewers and so far, the comments have been really positive. So much so, that even those who have used XWF for years learned tips and tricks from even the first chapters of the book.
There are a number of XWF users who started from the first versions of XWF and even went to the first XWF courses (back in ’05…). For these XWF users, the learning curve was short. New tool, new training by the developer, no problem. For everyone else purchasing a dongle and trying to maneuver around a program that doesn’t look like any other they use is a different story. I’m sure ‘different’ could be replaced with ‘frustrating’.
But with this book, new and not-so-new XWF users will have everything needed to use XWF as their primary tool (or even as the secondary tool that always works when the others fail).
Here are some benefits from the book, maybe you fit in one or more of these.
–Non XWF user: Haven’t tried it, like what I’m using already (even if I complain about it), and don’t have the time to learn a new tool. I don’t even want to learn another tool. However, since there is so much talk about X-Ways, I’ll try it and check it out.
–New to forensics: I haven’t got a clue which tool to start with, but XWF sounds like it works and fits my budget!
–Current XWF user: I have used XWF for years and think I got it down. Then again, I still don’t use it as a primary tool and wonder how anyone does that. I can use some tips on how XWF does more because I’m not totally confident in using XWF.
–Forensics instructor: I spend more time teaching the tool than forensics. A student guide would save time in the class better spent teaching forensics instead of software use.
–Expert forensics analyst: I want the most indepth, powerful, fastest, and configurable forensic tool available!
If you have concern that the book will be outdated soon, don’t worry. The material covers the vast majority of XWF features in detail. Any new item that is added as an update doesn’t change the information in the book, it only adds a new capability. Once you know the tool, the updates that are put out almost monthly are awesome.
The bar is now closed…
As in, the book is done, no more to add, it’s all done. It’s now in the hands of the publisher to proof, print, and distribute. Accuracy checked by Stefan Fleischmann (developer of X-Ways Forensics), Tech Edited by Jimmy Weg (an expert X-Ways user and superb tech editor), and written by Eric Zimmerman (who I have found to be a great writer and even better X-Ways master) and myself, this is the book to have. Refresh what you learned in an X-Ways course or learn by reading. Having used X-Ways since the first release, this is a book I whole-hardheartedly recommend.
Order the guide now by clicking the book image.
Case Studies with X-Ways
We are WAY ahead of our planned writing schedule, mostly because of the XWF Guide writing and editing team are getting things done, fast.
With that, we are reaching the Case Studies chapter, where we will give specific case flow and XWF usage by the type of case. That means, we have a section on “How to Use XWF on a Child Pornography Case” and “How to Use XWF in an Electronic Discovery Case”, and more.
For this chapter to be of most use to the most number of readers, please give us what type of cases you want us to cover. PLUS, if you have used XWF in a case that worked well, send us your (sanitized) case study and we will add it to the chapter. Depending on how you’d like credit, we can credit you with the specific case (“case study submitted by ….”), or generically (“so and so” contributed to the case studies chapter), or not at all if you want to remain in the background with a case study.
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter to keep up with the book’s progress. It’s going fast and you don’t want to miss out.
I can also say that although I felt I was competent XWF user (since 2004!), the research, testing, and delving in XWF for this book opened my eyes to more capabilities of XWF that I never imagined. You won’t be disappointed and after reading this book, you will be using that green XWF dongle a lot!
The X-Ways Forensics Practitioner's Guide/2E 
