Windows Vista
Don't You Mean
Hasta La Vista?
Since we won't be saying goodbye to Vista anytime soon, checkout
my quick to the point Windows Vista intro and detailed list of
new features below.
Have you already
upgraded or do you plan on upgrading to Vista anytime soon?
Ask Mark anytime if you'd like Windows Vista advice or other
questions answered.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Introduction to Windows Vista
Windows Vista, Microsoft’s newest operating system was finally
released worldwide to the general public on January 30, 2007
after a more than a five year development cycle filled with
delays and promised features that never actually made it into
the final release. And even now after its release, many
including myself question whether or not Vista was really ready
for primetime.
Windows Vista contains hundreds of new and reworked features
including a significantly updated graphical user interface and
visual look called Windows Aero, improved searching features,
new multimedia tools, and the way you configure networking with
other computers has been completely redesigned among other
things.
Microsoft's primary objectives however with Windows Vista has
been to improve security drastically over previous versions of
windows. Windows XP and previous versions have always had
commonly exploited security vulnerabilities to hackers, viruses,
and malware (malicious software such as spyware and adware).
This has led to much criticism from the computing industry and
because of this Bill Gates announced in early 2002 a
company-wide statement, stating that every aspect of software
development at Microsoft will incorporate security work going
forward. Great idea Bill.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
New Features At A Glance
Windows
Aero:
Windows Aero is the new graphical user interface (way in which
you manipulate text and images on screen) which is cleaner and
more aesthetically pleasing compared to previous versions of
Windows. It includes features such as new transparency
elements (Glass), support for 3D graphics (Windows Flip 3D),
live thumbnails which show content snippets of what is in a
folder, live icons, new animations, and other eye candy
elements.
Tip:
128 MB of
videocard graphics memory should be a minimum requirement to run
the Aero interface. See my Recommended Hardware Page.
_________________________________________________________
Windows Shell:
The new
Windows Vista shell is significantly different from previous
Windows versions and it offers new organization, navigation, and
search capabilities. The Windows Explorer task panel which
used to reside on the left side of current window has been
removed from there and now these relevant task options have been integrated
into the toolbar at the top of the window instead. A "Favorite
links" panel has been added, enabling one-click access to common
directories. The address bar has been replaced with a breadcrumb
navigation system. The preview panel allows users to see
thumbnails of various files and view the contents of documents.
The details panel shows information such as file size and type,
and allows viewing and editing of embedded tags in supported
file formats. The Start menu has changed as well; it no longer
uses ever-expanding boxes when navigating through Programs.
_________________________________________________________
Instant Search:
Instant Search is a
new way of searching in which searching is significantly faster
and more in-depth than the search features found in any of the
previous versions of Windows. Instant search in a nutshell
works by indexing files on your computer similar to a way an
index works in a book. The index is
like a library that stores information about files, including
the file name, the date it was modified and properties such as
author, tags or rating. Instead of looking through your
entire hard disk for a file name, Instant Search scans the
index, which allows most results to appear in a small fraction
of the time that a search without the index would have taken.
An instant search box now appears in the start menu and Windows
Explorer.
_________________________________________________________
Windows Sidebar:
A
transparent panel anchored to the side of the screen where a
user can place Desktop Gadgets, which are small applets designed
for a specialized purpose such as displaying the weather or
sports scores among other things. If you prefer you can
also drag and drop Gadgets out of the sidebar and place them on
other parts of the desktop. I personally do not like this
feature and think it is a waste of system memory though I have
friends that love the extra capability and have customized their
sidebar with Gadgets galore.
_________________________________________________________
Internet Explorer
7:
New
Internet browser software designed for Windows Vista but
actually released first for Windows XP. It includes a new
user interface (hate
it personally),
tabbed browsing like what Firefox has had for a long time, a
search box, improved printing, Page Zoom, Quick Tabs which show
thumbnails of all open tabs, an Anti-Phishing filter, and many
new security protection features among other things.
Finally in Windows Vista Internet Explorer runs in isolation
from other applications in the operating system where in
previous Windows versions it was tightly integrated into the
operating system. Exploits and malicious software are
restricted from writing to any location beyond Temporary
Internet Files without user consent.
_________________________________________________________
Windows Media
Player 11:
New
media player also introduced first for Windows XP. Media
Player 11 is a major overhaul of Microsoft's program for playing
and organizing music and video. New features include a
search as you type feature, a new graphics interface for the
media library, photo viewing and organization, the ability to
share music libraries over a network with other Vista computers,
Xbox 360 integration, and support for other Media Center
Extenders.
_________________________________________________________
Parental
Controls:
Allows administrators to control which websites, programs, and
games each standard user (aka your kids) can use and install.
This feature is not included in the Business or Enterprise
editions of Vista.
_________________________________________________________
Backup and
Restore Center:
Includes a backup and restore application that gives users the
ability to schedule periodic backups of files on their computer,
as well as recovery from previous backups. Backups are
incremental, storing only the changes each time, minimizing the
disk usage. It also features Complete PC Backup (available only
in Ultimate, Business, and Enterprise versions) which backs up
an entire computer as an image onto a hard disk or DVD. Complete
PC Backup can automatically recreate a machine setup onto new
hardware or hard disk in case of any hardware failures. Complete
PC Restore can be initiated from within Windows Vista, or from
the Windows Vista installation CD in the event the PC is so
corrupt that it cannot start up normally from the hard disk.
_________________________________________________________
Windows Mail:
The
replacement email program for Outlook Express that includes a
new mail store that improves stability, integrated Instant
Search, and it also includes the Phishing Filter like Internet
Explorer and Junk mail filtering that is regularly updated via
Windows Update.
_________________________________________________________
Windows Media
Center:
Media
player like application for viewing movies, videos, and photos,
among other things. Previously bundled only with a
separate version of Windows XP known as Windows XP Media Center
Edition. Now it is incorporated into the Home
Premium and Ultimate editions of Windows Vista.
_________________________________________________________
Windows Calendar:
Includes a calendar and task application.
_________________________________________________________
Windows Photo
Gallery:
A
photo and movie library management application that can import
from digital cameras, tag and rate individual items, adjust
colors and exposure, create and display slideshows (with pan and
fade effects) , and burn slideshows to DVD.
_________________________________________________________
Windows DVD Maker:
A
companion program to Windows Movie Maker that provides the
ability to create video DVDs based on a user's content.
Users can design a DVD with title, menu, video, soundtrack, pan
and zoom motion effects on pictures or slides.
_________________________________________________________
Games and Games
Explorer:
Games
included with Windows have been improved to showcase Vista's
graphics capabilities. New games are Chess Titans, Mahjong
Titans and Purble Place. A new Games Explorer special folder
holds shortcuts and information to all games on the computer.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I
hope you find this information useful. If you feel there is anything
you want me to add to this page or you have specific questions,
remember don't hesitate to click the red Ask Mark button at the
top of this or any page to contact me. Thanks again.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Windows Vista Videos
Info:
To browse
through videos move mouse cursor over image and use left and
right arrows.
Videos are unaffiliated with AskTheComputerTech.com
|
