Microsoft Windows Vista Unveiled

Description

Look beyond the hype–new and noteworthy and what Vista really means for tomorrow’s desktop.

 

Covers the Beta 2 release of Windows® Vista

 

An unbiased, unvarnished sneak peek at everything that’s new, noteworthy, and ready for prime time in Windows Vista.

 

Microsoft Windows Vista Unveiled is an in-depth exploration of the public release Beta 2 version of Windows Vista, Microsoft’s next major operating system and the successor to Windows XP. Whether you’re just planning ahead for a future upgrade or running Beta 2 already, Microsoft Windows Vista Unveiled takes you on a detailed tour of all the new and improved technologies, features, tools, and programs that Microsoft programmers have stitched into the Vista fabric. You will learn not only what features are new in Vista, but also why they’re important (or not), who they were designed for, and how they will affect your computing life. The goal of this book is to give you an exhaustive sneak preview of Vista’s innovations and changes so that by the end of the book you should know whether Vista is for you and what you can expect when you sit down in front of this new operating system.

 

Here’s what you’ll find inside… 

• In-depth coverage of all the new and improved Windows Vista tools and technologies 
• A tour of the new Windows Vista interface, including Aero Glass 
• What hardware you need to get the most out of Windows Vista 
• Vista’s file system improvements, including tags, Quick Search, and virtual folders 
• A review of Vista’s new performance and stability features 
• A critical look at the beefed-up security features, including Windows Defender, the new Firewall, and User Account Control 
• A complete look at Vista’s totally redesigned networking tools 
• In-depth coverage of Vista’s new and improved tools for notebooks and Tablet PCs, digital media, and gaming

Paul McFedries is the president of Logophilia Limited, a technical writing company. He has been working with computers for more than 30 years, has been using Microsoft Windows since version 1, and is widely viewed as an expert in explaining Windows and Windows technology. Paul has written more than 40 books that have sold nearly three million copies worldwide, including Microsoft Windows Vista Unleashed, available January 2007.

 

 

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Introduction

What Is a Beta?

Who Should Read This Book

Conventions Used in This Book

Beta Disclaimer

1 An Overview of Windows Vista

The Development of Longhorn

“Vista” Unveiled

What’s Not in Windows Vista

New Interface Features

What’s New Under the Hood

Support for Document Metadata

Performance Improvements

Stability Improvements

Security Enhancements

Windows Presentation Foundation

Desktop Window Manager

Improved Graphics

Transactional NTFS

XML Paper Specification

New and Improved Programs and Tools

Welcome Center

Control Panel

Internet Explorer 7

Windows Mail

Windows Calendar

Media Player

Media Center

Windows Photo Gallery

DVD Burning and Authoring

Per-Application Volume Control

Sound Recorder

Windows Easy Transfer

Windows Backup

The Game Explorer

Mobility Center

Network Center

Network Map

Windows Collaboration

How Windows Vista Affects You

IT Professionals

Developers

Power Users

Digital Media Users

Business Users

Road Warriors

Small Business Owners

Gamers

Parents

From Here

2 Moving to Windows Vista

Windows Vista System Requirements

Processor Requirements

Memory Requirements

The System Rating

Storage Requirements

Graphics Requirements

Hardware Requirements for Various Vista Features

Vista Versions

Windows Anytime Upgrade

Preparing for Windows Vista

Check Your System Requirements

Upgrade Your Hardware

Back Up Your Files

Clean Up Your Hard Disk

Check and Defragment Your Hard Disk

The Windows Vista Installation Process

The Windows Easy Transfer Tool

Logging On Under the Administrator Account

Windows Vista Deployment

Modularization

Windows Imaging Format

Maintaining WIM Files with XImage

Automating Installations with System Image Manager

Deploying Windows Vista

From Here

3 The Windows Vista Interface

The Windows Presentation Foundation

General Interface Changes

The Vista Desktop

The Vista Taskbar

The Start Menu

The Aero Glass Theme

Better Cool Switches: Flip and Flip 3D

Taskbar Thumbnails

New Folder Windows

Navigating Folders

Instant Search

The Task Pane

The Preview Pane

The Reading Pane

The Navigation Pane

Live Folder Icons

Gadgets and the Windows Sidebar

From Here

4 File System Improvements

Metadata and the Windows Explorer Property System

Desktop Searching with Windows Search

As-You-Type Searches with Instant Search

Advanced Searches

Saving Searches

Windows Mail Searches

Grouping, Stacking, and Filtering with Metadata

Grouping Files

Stacking Files

Filtering Files

Search Folders

Selecting Files with Check Boxes

Dragging and Dropping Files

Shadow Copies and Transactional NTFS

Reverting to a Previous Version of a Volume, Folder, or File

XML Paper Specification (XPS)

From Here

5 Vista Performance and Maintenance

Vista’s Performance Improvements

Faster Startup

Sleep Mode: The Best of Both Worlds

SuperFetch with ReadyBoost: The Faster Fetcher

Restart Manager

Windows System Assessment Tool (WinSAT)

Windows System Performance Rating

Handling Performance Problems

Vista’s Stability Improvements

I/O Cancellation

Reliability Monitor

Service Recovery

Startup Repair Tool

New Diagnostics Tools

Disk Diagnostics

Memory Diagnostics

Resource Exhaustion Detection

Network Diagnostics

Windows Performance Diagnostic Console

Event Viewer

System Configuration Utility Enhancements

Windows Backup

From Here

6 Security Enhancements in Windows Vista

Control Panel’s Security Settings

New Security Center Features

Windows Firewall: Bidirectional Protection

Thwarting Spyware with Windows Defender

Spyware Scanning

Windows Defender Settings

New Internet Explorer 7 Security Features

Protected Mode: Reducing Internet Explorer’s Privileges

Total Security: Internet Explorer Without Add-Ons

Thwarting Phishers with the Phishing Filter

Easier Add-On Management

Deleting Browser History

User Account Control: Smarter User Privileges

Elevating Privileges

File and Registry Virtualization

User Account Control Policies

More New Security Features

Preventing Rogue Services with Windows Service Hardening

System Drive Encryption with BitLocker

Avoiding Overflows with Support for the NX Bit

Using Parental Controls to Restrict Computer Usage

Network Access Protection

Thwarting Spam with Windows Mail’s Junk Filter

Setting the Junk Email Protection Level

Fine-Tuning the Spam Filter

Blocking Countries and Languages

From Here

7 Mobile Computing in Windows Vista

The Mobile PC Control Panel

The Windows Mobility Center

Power Management in Vista

Monitoring Battery Life

Specifying a Power Plan

Creating a Custom Power Plan

Configuring Your Notebook’s Power Buttons

Presentation Settings

Windows SideShow

New Vista Tablet PC Features

Changing the Screen Orientation

Tablet PC Settings

Tablet PC Input Panel

Using Pen Flicks

Pointer Options

Personalizing Handwriting Recognition

The Snipping Tool

From Here

8 New Networking Features

The Network Center

Connecting to a Network

Personalizing the Network

Network Map

Common Network Tasks

View Network Computers and Devices

Set Up File and Printer Sharing

Connect to a Workplace

Set Up a Network

Add a Computer or Device

Diagnose Network Problems

Manage Networks

Manage Network Connections

Windows Meeting Space

People Near Me

Starting Windows Meeting Space

Joining a Meeting Space Session

Starting a Meeting Space Session

Inviting People to the Session

Share a Handout

Start a Presentation

Controlling the Presentation

The Sync Center

From Here

9 Digital Media in Windows Vista

Easier AutoPlay Defaults

Windows Photo Gallery

Grouping Images

Image Metadata and Tagging

Instant Search

Image Editing

More Tools

What’s New in Windows Media Player 11

Navigating the Library

Album Art and the WMP Interface

Grouping and Stacking Media

Media Metadata and Tagging

Instant Search

Syncing with Media Devices

Easier Ripping

Burning Options

Library Sharing

Playing DVDs

New Media Center Features

Interface Enhancements

New Menu Structure

More Media Center Improvements

Digital Audio in Windows Vista

Per-Application Volume Control

Sound Recorder

Audio Devices and Sound Themes

DVD Authoring

From Here

10 Windows Vista and Gaming

The Game Explorer

Getting Games into the Game Explorer

Game-Related Tasks

Support for Games Metadata

ESRB Game Ratings

Parental Controls for Games

Turn Off Game Play

Controlling Games via Ratings and Descriptors

Blocking and Allowing Specific Games

Gaming and WinSAT

DirectX 10

From Here

Index