Microsoft Windows Vista Unveiled

by McFedries, Paul

• ISBN13: 9780672328930
• ISBN10: 0672328933
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-06-09
• Publisher: Sams Publishing

Summary

Look beyond the hypenew and noteworthy and what Vista really means for tomorrowrs"s desktop. Covers the Beta 2 release of Windowsreg; Vista An unbiased, unvarnished sneak peek at everything thatrs"s new, noteworthy, and ready for prime time in Windows Vista. Microsoft Windows Vista Unveiledis an in-depth exploration of the public release Beta 2 version of Windows Vista, Microsoftrs"s next major operating system and the successor to Windows XP. Whether yours"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 theyrs"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 Vistars"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. Herers"s what yours"ll find insidehellip; 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 Vistars"s file system improvements, including tags, Quick Search, and virtual folders A review of Vistars"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 Vistars"s totally redesigned networking tools In-depth coverage of Vistars"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.

Author Biography

Paul McFedries is the president of Logophilia Limited, a technical writing company. He has been working with computers for over 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. 

Table of Contents

Introduction	1	(1)
What Is a Beta?	1	(2)
Who Should Read This Book	3	(1)
Conventions Used in This Book	4	(1)
Beta Disclaimer	5	(2)
An Overview of Windows Vista	7	(32)
The Development of Longhorn	8	(3)
``Vista'' Unveiled	9	(1)
What's Not in Windows Vista	10	(1)
New Interface Features	11	(3)
What's New Under the Hood	14	(6)
Support for Document Metadata	15	(1)
Performance Improvements	15	(1)
Stability Improvements	16	(2)
Security Enhancements	18	(1)
Windows Presentation Foundation	19	(1)
Desktop Window Manager	19	(1)
Improved Graphics	20	(1)
Transactional NTFS	20	(1)
XML Paper Specification	20	(1)
New and Improved Programs and Tools	20	(12)
Welcome Center	20	(1)
Control Panel	21	(2)
Internet Explorer 7	23	(2)
Windows Mail	25	(1)
Windows Calendar	26	(1)
Media Player	26	(2)
Media Center	28	(1)
Windows Photo Gallery	29	(1)
DVD Burning and Authoring	29	(1)
Per-Application Volume Control	29	(1)
Sound Recorder	29	(1)
Windows Easy Transfer	29	(1)
Windows Backup	30	(1)
The Game Explorer	30	(1)
Mobility Center	31	(1)
Network Center	31	(1)
Network Map	31	(1)
Windows Collaboration	32	(1)
How Windows Vista Affects You	32	(6)
IT Professionals	33	(1)
Developers	33	(2)
Power Users	35	(1)
Digital Media Users	35	(1)
Business Users	35	(1)
Road Warriors	36	(1)
Small Business Owners	37	(1)
Gamers	37	(1)
Parents	38	(1)
From Here	38	(1)
Moving to Windows Vista	39	(26)
Windows Vista System Requirements	40	(6)
Processor Requirements	41	(1)
Memory Requirements	41	(1)
The System Rating	42	(1)
Storage Requirements	43	(1)
Graphics Requirements	44	(1)
Hardware Requirements for Various Vista Features	45	(1)
Vista Versions	46	(2)
Windows Anytime Upgrade	48	(1)
Preparing for Windows Vista	49	(4)
Check Your System Requirements	50	(1)
Upgrade Your Hardware	50	(1)
Back Up Your Files	50	(1)
Clean Up Your Hard Disk	51	(1)
Check and Defragment Your Hard Disk	51	(2)
The Windows Vista Installation Process	53	(3)
The Windows Easy Transfer Tool	56	(2)
Logging On Under the Administrator Account	58	(1)
Windows Vista Deployment	59	(5)
Modularization	59	(1)
Windows Imaging Format	60	(1)
Maintaining WIM Files with XImage	60	(1)
Automating Installations with System Image Manager	61	(1)
Deploying Windows Vista	62	(2)
From Here	64	(1)
The Windows Vista Interface	65	(26)
The Windows Presentation Foundation	66	(2)
General Interface Changes	68	(8)
The Vista Desktop	68	(2)
The Vista Taskbar	70	(1)
The Start Menu	71	(5)
The Aero Glass Theme	76	(2)
Better Cool Switches: Flip and Flip 3D	78	(2)
Taskbar Thumbnails	80	(1)
New Folder Windows	81	(7)
Navigating Folders	81	(2)
Instant Search	83	(1)
The Task Pane	84	(1)
The Preview Pane	85	(1)
The Reading Pane	86	(1)
The Navigation Pane	86	(1)
Live Folder Icons	87	(1)
Gadgets and the Windows Sidebar	88	(2)
From Here	90	(1)
File System Improvements	91	(22)
Metadata and the Windows Explorer Property System	92	(3)
Desktop Searching with Windows Search	95	(7)
As-You-Type Searches with Instant Search	97	(2)
Advanced Searches	99	(2)
Saving Searches	101	(1)
Windows Mail Searches	102	(1)
Grouping, Stacking, and Filtering with Metadata	102	(3)
Grouping Files	102	(1)
Stacking Files	103	(1)
Filtering Files	104	(1)
Search Folders	105	(1)
Selecting Files with Check Boxes	105	(2)
Dragging and Dropping Files	107	(1)
Shadow Copies and Transactional NTFS	107	(3)
Reverting to a Previous Version of a Volume, Folder, or File	108	(2)
XML Paper Specification (XPS)	110	(2)
From Here	112	(1)
Vista Performance and Maintenance	113	(28)
Vista's Performance Improvements	114	(9)
Faster Startup	114	(1)
Sleep Mode the Best of Both Worlds	115	(1)
SuperFetch with ReadyBoost: The Faster Fetcher	116	(2)
Restart Manager	118	(2)
Windows System Assessment Tool (WinSAT)	120	(1)
Windows System Performance Rating	121	(1)
Handling Performance Problems	121	(2)
Vista's Stability Improvements	123	(4)
I/O Cancellation	123	(1)
Reliability Monitor	124	(1)
Service Recovery	125	(1)
Startup Repair Tool	126	(1)
New Diagnostics Tools	127	(12)
Disk Diagnostics	127	(1)
Memory Diagnostics	128	(1)
Resource Exhaustion Detection	128	(1)
Network Diagnostics	129	(1)
Windows Performance Diagnostic Console	129	(6)
Event Viewer	135	(3)
System Configuration Utility Enhancements	138	(1)
Windows Backup	139	(1)
From Here	140	(1)
Security Enhancements in Windows Vista	141	(36)
Control Panel's Security Settings	142	(1)
New Security Center Features	143	(1)
Windows Firewall: Bidirectional Protection	144	(4)
Thwarting Spyware with Windows Defender	148	(4)
Spyware Scanning	149	(2)
Windows Defender Settings	151	(1)
New Internet Explorer 7 Security Features	152	(8)
Protected Mode: Reducing Internet Explorer's Privileges	153	(1)
Total Security: Internet Explorer Without Add-Ons	153	(1)
Thwarting Phishers with the Phishing Filter	153	(5)
Easier Add-On Management	158	(1)
Deleting Browser History	158	(2)
User Account Control: Smarter User Privileges	160	(4)
Elevating Privileges	161	(2)
File and Registry Virtualization	163	(1)
User Account Control Policies	163	(1)
More New Security Features	164	(7)
Preventing Rogue Services with Windows Service Hardening	164	(1)
System Drive Encryption with BitLocker	165	(2)
Avoiding Overflows with Support for the NX Bit	167	(1)
Using Parental Controls to Restrict Computer Usage	168	(3)
Network Access Protection	171	(1)
Thwarting Spam with Windows Mail's Junk Filter	171	(5)
Setting the Junk Email Protection Level	172	(1)
Fine-Tuning the Spam Filter	173	(2)
Blocking Countries and Languages	175	(1)
From Here	176	(1)
Mobile Computing in Windows Vista	177	(24)
The Mobile PC Control Panel	178	(1)
The Windows Mobility Center	178	(2)
Power Management in Vista	180	(4)
Monitoring Battery Life	180	(1)
Specifying a Power Plan	181	(1)
Creating a Custom Power Plan	182	(1)
Configuring Your Notebook's Power Buttons	183	(1)
Presentation Settings	184	(2)
Windows SideShow	186	(2)
New Vista Tablet PC Features	188	(11)
Changing the Screen Orientation	189	(1)
Tablet PC Settings	189	(1)
Tablet PC Input Panel	190	(2)
Using Pen Flicks	192	(3)
Pointer Options	195	(1)
Personalizing Handwriting Recognition	195	(3)
The Snipping Tool	198	(1)
From Here	199	(2)
New Networking Features	201	(26)
The Network Center	201	(7)
Connecting to a Network	203	(4)
Personalizing the Network	207	(1)
Network Map	208	(1)
Common Network Tasks	209	(9)
View Network Computers and Devices	209	(1)
Set Up File and Printer Sharing	210	(2)
Connect to a Workplace	212	(1)
Set Up a Network	213	(1)
Add a Computer or Device	214	(1)
Diagnose Network Problems	215	(1)
Manage Networks	215	(2)
Manage Network Connections	217	(1)
Windows Meeting Space	218	(6)
People Near Me	218	(1)
Starting Windows Meeting Space	219	(1)
Joining a Meeting Space Session	219	(1)
Starting a Meeting Space Session	220	(1)
Inviting People to the Session	220	(1)
Share a Handout	221	(1)
Start a Presentation	222	(1)
Controlling the Presentation	223	(1)
The Sync Center	224	(2)
From Here	226	(1)
Digital Media in Windows Vista	227	(30)
Easier AutoPlay Defaults	228	(2)
Windows Photo Gallery	230	(4)
Grouping Images	230	(1)
Image Metadata and Tagging	231	(1)
Instant Search	231	(2)
Image Editing	233	(1)
More Tools	233	(1)
What's New in Windows Media Player 11	234	(10)
Navigating the Library	234	(1)
Album Art and the WMP Interface	235	(1)
Grouping and Stacking Media	236	(1)
Media Metadata and Tagging	237	(1)
Instant Search	238	(1)
Syncing with Media Devices	238	(3)
Easier Ripping	241	(1)
Burning Options	242	(1)
Library Sharing	242	(1)
Playing DVDs	243	(1)
New Media Center Features	244	(4)
Interface Enhancements	244	(2)
New Menu Structure	246	(1)
More Media Center Improvements	247	(1)
Digital Audio in Windows Vista	248	(5)
Per-Application Volume Control	249	(2)
Sound Recorder	251	(1)
Audio Devices and Sound Themes	251	(2)
DVD Authoring	253	(3)
From Here	256	(1)
Windows Vista and Gaming	257	(14)
The Game Explorer	258	(4)
Getting Games into the Game Explorer	259	(1)
Game-Related Tasks	260	(1)
Support for Games Metadata	261	(1)
ESRB Game Ratings	262	(2)
Parental Controls for Games	264	(4)
Turn Off Game Play	266	(1)
Controlling Games via Ratings and Descriptors	266	(2)
Blocking and Allowing Specific Games	268	(1)
Gaming and WinSAT	268	(1)
DirectX 10	269	(1)
From Here	270	(1)
Index	271