Windows Vista For Dummies

by Rathbone, Andy

• ISBN13: 9780471754213
• ISBN10: 0471754218
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-12-13
• Publisher: For Dummies

Summary

Create music CDs and photo DVDs or even watch TVMove your files to a new computer, or get your old PC ready for VistaThe thing that's madeWindows For Dummies so successful is that it's packed with the basics you need to make Windows work. This book gets you through all the Windows Vista tasks and tripwires, including starting programs, finding files, navigating the new see-through interface, staying safe while you cruise the Internet, and much more.Discover how to Find files when they're hiding Hook up with another computer Make Vista work like XP Block Internet bad guys Share a PC without sharing your files Fix problems yourself

Author Biography

Andy Rathbone started geeking around with computers in 1985 when he bought a 26-pound portable CP/M Kaypro 2X. Like other nerds of the day, he soon began plying with null-modem adapters, dialing computer bulletin boards, and working part-time at Radio Shack.
He wrote articles for various techie publications before moving to computer books in 1992. He’s written the Windows For Dummies series, Upgrading and Fixing PCs For Dummies, TiVo For Dummies, PCs: The Missing Manual, and many other computer books.
Today, he has more than 15 million copies of his books in print, and they’ve been translated into more than 30 languages. You can reach Andy at his Web site, www.andyrathbone.com.

Table of Contents

Introduction	1	(1)
About This Book	1	(1)
How to Use This Book	2	(1)
And What about You?	3	(1)
How This Book Is Organized	3	(3)
Part I: Windows Vista Stuff Everybody Thinks You Already Know	4	(1)
Part II: Working with Programs and Files	4	(1)
Part III: Getting Things Done on the Internet	4	(1)
Part IV: Customizing and Upgrading Windows Vista	4	(1)
Part V: Music, Movies, Memories (and Photos, Too)	5	(1)
Part VI: Help!	5	(1)
Part VII: The Part of Tens	5	(1)
Icons Used in This Book	6	(1)
Where to Go from Here	6	(1)
Part I: Windows Vista Stuff Everybody Thinks You Already Know	7	(88)
What Is Windows Vista?	9	(12)
What Is Windows Vista, and Why Are You Using It?	9	(2)
Should I Bother Switching to Windows Vista?	11	(5)
Improved security	11	(1)
New Internet Explorer version	12	(2)
New Media Player and Media Center	14	(1)
DVD burning	14	(1)
Calendar	14	(1)
Easier searching for files	14	(1)
Vista looks prettier	15	(1)
Can My PC Still Run Vista?	16	(1)
Can I Make Windows Vista Look and Feel Like Windows XP?	17	(1)
The Five Flavors of Vista	18	(3)
The Desktop, Start Menu, and Other Windows Vista Mysteries	21	(26)
Being Welcomed to the World of Windows Vista	22	(5)
Fiddling around with user accounts	23	(2)
Keeping your account private with a password	25	(2)
Working on the Desktop	27	(5)
Cleaning up a messy desktop	29	(1)
Jazzing up the desktop's background	29	(2)
Dumpster diving in the Recycle Bin	31	(1)
The Start Button's Reason to Live	32	(6)
The Start menu's prime real estate	34	(1)
Starting a program from the Start menu	35	(1)
Customizing the Start menu	36	(2)
Bellying Up to the Taskbar	38	(6)
Shrinking windows to the taskbar and retrieving them	39	(1)
Clicking the taskbar's sensitive areas	40	(1)
Customizing the taskbar	41	(1)
The taskbar's crazy toolbars	42	(2)
The Sidebar	44	(1)
Logging Off from Windows	45	(2)
Basic Windows Mechanics	47	(22)
Dissecting a Typical Window	48	(5)
Tugging on a window's title bar	49	(2)
Typing in a Window's Address Bar	51	(1)
Finding Vista's hidden menu bar	52	(1)
Choosing the Right Button for the Job	53	(5)
Quick shortcuts with the Windows Vista Navigation Pane	54	(2)
Working with the Details pane	56	(1)
Moving inside a window with its scroll bar	57	(1)
Boring borders	58	(1)
Filling Out Bothersome Dialog Boxes	58	(6)
Poking the correct command button	59	(1)
Choosing between option buttons	60	(1)
Typing into text boxes	60	(1)
Choosing options from list boxes	61	(1)
Drop-down list boxes	62	(1)
Check boxes	63	(1)
Sliding controls	64	(1)
Maneuvering Windows Around the Desktop	64	(5)
Moving a window to the top of the pile	65	(1)
Moving a window from here to there	65	(1)
Making a window fill the whole screen	65	(1)
Closing a window	66	(1)
Making a window bigger or smaller	66	(1)
Placing two windows next to each other	67	(1)
Making windows open to the same darn size	67	(2)
Flipping Through Files, Folders, Floppies, and CDs	69	(26)
Browsing Your Computer's File Cabinets	70	(2)
Getting the Lowdown on Folders	72	(3)
Peering into Your Drives and Folders	75	(3)
Seeing the files on a disk drive	75	(1)
Seeing what's inside folders	76	(2)
Creating a New Folder	78	(2)
Renaming a File or Folder	80	(1)
Selecting Bunches of Files or Folders	81	(1)
Getting Rid of a File or Folder	81	(2)
Copying or Moving Files and Folders	83	(1)
Seeing More Information about Files and Folders	84	(3)
Writing to CDs and DVDs	87	(5)
Buying the right kind of blank CDs and DVDs for burning	88	(1)
Copying files from or to a CD or DVD	89	(3)
Working with Floppy Disks and Memory Cards	92	(3)
Part II: Working with Programs and Files	95	(50)
Playing with Programs and Documents	97	(22)
Starting a Program	97	(2)
Opening a Document	99	(2)
Saving a Document	101	(1)
Choosing Which Program Opens a File	102	(4)
The wrong program loads my file!	102	(3)
No program will open my file!	105	(1)
Taking the Lazy Way with a Shortcut	106	(2)
The Absolutely Essential Guide to Cutting, Copying, and Pasting	108	(5)
The quick `n' dirty guide to cut `n' paste	108	(1)
Selecting things to cut or copy	109	(1)
Cutting or copying your selected goods	110	(1)
Pasting information to another place	111	(2)
Windows Vista's Free Programs!	113	(6)
Writing letters with WordPad	113	(1)
Keeping appointments with Calendar	114	(1)
Finding symbols like © with Character Map	115	(4)
Briefly Lost, but Quickly Found	119	(14)
Finding Lost Windows on the Desktop	119	(2)
Locating a Missing Program, E-mail, Song, Document, or Other File	121	(2)
Finding a Missing File in a Folder	123	(2)
Sorting, Grouping, and Stacking Files	125	(2)
Finding Lost Photos	127	(1)
Finding Other Computers on a Network	128	(1)
Finding Information on the Internet	128	(1)
Saving Your Searches	129	(1)
Commanding Vista's Big Search	129	(1)
Fine-Tuning Vista's Searches	130	(3)
Adding places to Vista's index	130	(1)
Rebuilding the index	131	(2)
Printing Your Work	133	(12)
Printing Your Masterpiece	133	(12)
Adjusting how your work fits on the page	135	(2)
Adjusting your printer's settings	137	(2)
Canceling a print job	139	(1)
Printing a Web page	140	(1)
Installing new fonts	141	(2)
Troubleshooting your printer	143	(2)
Part III: Getting Things Done on the Internet	145	(62)
Cruising the Web	147	(24)
What Is the Internet?	147	(2)
What's an ISP, and Why Do I Need One?	149	(1)
Setting Up Internet Explorer the First Time	150	(5)
Navigating the Web with Microsoft Internet Explorer	155	(7)
Moving from Web page to Web page	155	(3)
Making Internet Explorer open to your favorite site	158	(1)
Revisit favorite places	159	(1)
Finding things on the Internet	160	(2)
The Web Page Says It Needs a Weird Plug-In Thing!	162	(1)
Saving Information from the Internet	163	(5)
Saving a Web page	164	(1)
Saving text	165	(1)
Saving a picture	165	(1)
Downloading a program or file	166	(2)
It Doesn't Work!	168	(1)
Removing Unneeded Plug-Ins	168	(2)
The Pages Won't All Fit on My Screen	170	(1)
Internet Explorer Now Fills My Entire Screen!	170	(1)
Sending and Receiving E-mail	171	(18)
Using Windows Mail	171	(3)
Setting Up Your E-Mail Account	174	(3)
Composing and Sending an E-Mail	177	(2)
Reading a Received E-Mail	179	(3)
Sending and Receiving an Attachment	182	(1)
Finding Lost Mail	183	(2)
Managing Your Contacts	185	(2)
Reducing Your Spam	187	(2)
Safe Computing	189	(18)
Understanding Those Annoying Permission Messages	189	(2)
Assessing Your Safety in Security Center	191	(6)
Changing the firewall settings	193	(2)
Changing Windows Update settings	195	(1)
Avoiding viruses	196	(1)
Staying Safe on the Internet	197	(10)
Avoiding evil add-ons and hijackers	198	(2)
Avoiding phishing scams	200	(2)
Avoiding and removing spyware and parasites with Windows Defender	202	(1)
Using parental controls	203	(4)
Part IV: Customizing and Upgrading Windows Vista	207	(70)
Customizing Windows Vista with the Control Panel	209	(26)
Finding the Right Switch in the Control Panel	210	(2)
System and Maintenance	212	(1)
User Accounts and Family Safety	212	(1)
Security	212	(1)
Changing Windows' Appearance (Appearance and Personalization)	213	(6)
Changing the desktop background	213	(2)
Choosing a screen saver	215	(1)
Changing the computer's theme	216	(1)
Changing the screen resolution	217	(2)
Changing Network and Internet Connections	219	(1)
Setting the Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options	220	(1)
Hardware and Sound	220	(9)
Adjusting Vista's volume and sounds	221	(1)
Installing or setting up speakers	222	(2)
Adding a printer	224	(2)
Installing or adjusting other items	226	(2)
Adding new hardware	228	(1)
Adding or Removing Programs	229	(3)
Removing or changing programs	229	(2)
Adding new programs	231	(1)
Add/remove parts of Windows Vista	231	(1)
Modifying Vista for the Physically Challenged	232	(2)
Options for Laptops (Mobile PC)	234	(1)
Additional Options	234	(1)
Keeping Windows from Breaking	235	(14)
Creating a Restore Point	236	(1)
Tuning Up Windows Vista with Built-In Maintenance Tools	236	(11)
Backing up your computer	237	(5)
Finding technical information about your computer	242	(1)
Freeing up space on your hard drive	243	(1)
Empowering your power button	244	(1)
Setting up devices that don't work (fiddling with drivers)	245	(2)
Cleaning Your Computer	247	(2)
Cleaning your mouse	247	(1)
Cleaning your monitor	248	(1)
Cleaning your keyboard	248	(1)
Sharing One Computer with Several People	249	(10)
Understanding User Accounts	250	(2)
Setting Up or Changing User Accounts	252	(1)
Switching Quickly between Users	253	(2)
Changing a User Account's Picture	255	(1)
Setting Up Passwords and Security	256	(3)
Connecting Two or More Computers with a Network	259	(18)
Understanding a Network's Parts	260	(2)
Setting Up a Small Network	262	(5)
Buying parts for a network	262	(2)
Installing a wired network	264	(3)
Connecting Wirelessly	267	(5)
Setting up a wireless router or access point	267	(1)
Setting up Windows Vista to connect to a wireless network	268	(4)
Connecting to and Sharing Files with Other PCs on Your Network	272	(2)
Sharing a Printer on the Network	274	(2)
Troubleshooting a Network	276	(1)
Part V: Music, Movies, Memories (and Photos, Too)	277	(54)
Playing and Copying Music in Media Player	279	(24)
Stocking Media Player's Library	279	(4)
Browsing Media Player's Libraries	283	(1)
Understanding Media Player's Controls	284	(1)
Playing CDs	285	(2)
Playing DVDs	287	(1)
Playing Videos and TV Shows	288	(2)
Playing Music Files (MP3s and WMAs)	290	(1)
Playing Internet Radio Stations	290	(1)
Creating, Saving, and Editing Playlists	291	(1)
Copying CDs to Your PC	292	(2)
Burning Music CDs	294	(1)
Copying Songs to Your Portable Player	295	(2)
Buying Music and Movies from Online Stores	297	(2)
Working with Media Center	299	(4)
Browsing Media Center's menus	300	(1)
Getting the most out of Media Center	301	(2)
Fiddling with Photos and Movies	303	(28)
Using Your Computer as a Digital Shoebox	303	(17)
Dumping the camera's photos into your computer	304	(3)
Browsing your photos with Windows Photo Gallery	307	(3)
Viewing a slide show	310	(1)
Fixing photos	311	(6)
E-mailing photos	317	(1)
Printing pictures	318	(2)
Creating, Editing, and Viewing Digital Movies and Slide Shows	320	(9)
Step 1: Import video, pictures, and music	322	(3)
Step 2: Edit your movie	325	(3)
Step 3: Save your edited movie or slide show	328	(1)
Saving a Movie or Slide Show to a DVD with Windows DVD Maker	329	(2)
Part VI: Help!	331	(40)
The Case of the Broken Window	333	(12)
Vista Keeps Asking Me for Permission!	333	(1)
Restoring Calm with System Restore	334	(2)
Reviving Messed Up or Deleted Files	336	(2)
Undeleting accidentally deleted files	336	(1)
Retrieving previous versions of files and folders	337	(1)
Retrieving a Forgotten Password	338	(1)
My Folder (Or Desktop) Doesn't Show All My Files!	339	(1)
My Mouse Doesn't Work Right	339	(1)
My Double-Clicks Are Now Single Clicks!	340	(1)
Making Older Programs Run under Windows Vista	341	(1)
I Can't Find the Menus!	342	(1)
My Computer Is Frozen Up Solid	342	(1)
The Printer Isn't Working Right	343	(2)
Strange Messages: What You Did Does Not Compute	345	(8)
Activate Windows Now	345	(1)
Check Your Computer Security	346	(1)
Do You Want to Get the Latest Online Content When You Search Help?	346	(1)
Do You Want to Install (Or Run) This File?	347	(1)
Do You Want to Save Changes	348	(1)
Do You Want to Turn AutoComplete On?	348	(1)
Installing Device Driver Software	349	(1)
The Publisher Could Not Be Verified	349	(1)
Video Card Does Not Meet Minimum Requirements	350	(1)
Windows Cannot Open This File	350	(1)
Windows Needs Your Permission to Continue	351	(1)
You Don't Currently Have Permission to Access This Folder	352	(1)
Moving from an Old Computer to a New One	353	(12)
Preparing to Move into Your New PC	354	(2)
Choosing how to transfer your old information	354	(1)
Installing your old PC's programs onto your new PC	355	(1)
Transferring Information Between Two PCs with Windows Easy Transfer	356	(7)
Disposing of the Old Computer	363	(2)
Help on the Windows Vista Help System	365	(6)
Consulting a Program's Built-In Computer Guru	365	(2)
Finding the Information You Need in Windows' Help and Support Center	367	(2)
Summoning Windows Vista's Troubleshooters	369	(2)
Part VII: The Part of Tens	371	(16)
Ten or So Things You'll Hate about Windows Vista (and How to Fix Them)	373	(8)
I Can't Stand Those Nagging Permission Screens	373	(1)
I Can't Copy Ripped CDs and Purchased Music to My iPod	374	(1)
The Menus All Disappeared	375	(1)
Parental Controls Are Too Complicated	375	(1)
The ``Glass'' Effects Slow Down My Laptop	376	(1)
I Can't Figure Out How to Turn Off My PC	376	(1)
Windows Makes Me Log On All the Time	377	(1)
The Taskbar Keeps Disappearing	378	(1)
I Can't Keep Track of Open Windows	378	(1)
I Can't Line Up Two Windows on the Screen	379	(1)
It Won't Let Me Do Something Unless I'm an Administrator!	379	(1)
I Don't Know What Version of Windows I Have	380	(1)
My Print Screen Key Doesn't Work	380	(1)
Ten or So Tips for Laptop Owners	381	(6)
Adjusting Your Laptop's Settings Quickly	381	(2)
Choosing What Happens When You Close Your Laptop's Lid	383	(1)
Adjusting to Different Locations	384	(2)
Changing your time zone	384	(1)
Dialing a modem from a new location	385	(1)
Connecting to a wireless Internet hotspot	386	(1)
Backing Up Your Laptop Before Traveling	386	(1)
Appendix: Upgrading to Windows Vista	387	(4)
Index	391