Microsoft press introducing microsoft windows vista jul 2006 ISBN 0735622841

IntroducingMicrosoftWindowsVista
byWilliamR.Stanek
MicrosoftPress2006(321pages)
ISBN:0735622841

AguidedpreviewforITprofessionals,business
decisionmakers,earlyadopters,users,and
developers,thisbookoffersacomprehensive
overviewofthepowerfulnewfeaturesofthe
WindowsVistafamilyofoperatingsystems.

TableofContents
IntroducingMicrosoftWindowsVista
Introduction
PartI-GettingtoKnowWindowsVista
Chapter1 - IntroducingWindowsVista
PartII-EssentialFeaturesinWindowsVista
Chapter2 - WorkingwithWindowsVista
Chapter3 - ManagingInformation
Chapter4 - UsingInternetExplorer7
Chapter5 - Collaborating,Connecting,andSharing
Chapter6 - ManagingProgramsandMultimedia
Chapter7 - WorkingwithLaptopsandTabletPCs
Chapter8 - ImprovingAccessibility
PartIII-SecuringWindowsVista
Chapter9 - ProtectingUserAccountsandUsing
ParentalControls
Chapter10 - ProtectingYourComputer
Chapter11 - ProtectingYourData
Chapter12 - NetworkingYourComputer

Chapter13 - SecuringYourNetworkConnection
PartIV-SupportingandDeployingWindows
Vista
Chapter14 - SupportingWindowsVista
Chapter15 - DeployingWindowsVista
Appendix - InstallingWindowsVista
Index
ListofFigures
ListofTables
ListofCodeExamples
ListofSidebars


BackCover
Yourinsider’spreviewofthenextreleaseofMicrosoft
Windows.
What’snewandimprovedinthenewestreleaseofthe
MicrosoftWindowsfamilyofclientoperatingsystems?
WhichversionsofWindowsVistaarerightforyouand
yourorganization?Howwillthenewfeaturesand
capabilitiesinWindowsVistaimprovesecurity,make
usersmoreproductive,andmakeiteasierforIT
professionalstodeploy,manage,andsupportWindows
desktopsandmobileclients?PopularauthorandMVP
WilliamStanekoffersexpertinsightsinthisfirstlook
intothelatestgenerationofWindowsoperating
systems.Discoverthenewfeaturesandtoolsfor
deployingWindowsVista,helpsecurePCsanduser
accounts,migrateusersettingsanddata,manage

applicationcompatibility,improvereliability,reduce
supportcosts,developapplications,andhelpusers
achievenewlevelsofproductivityandsuccessathome
oronthejob.It’stheguidedpreviewforIT
professionals,businessdecisionmakers,early
adopters,users,anddevelopers—andanyoneelsewho
wantstostartplanningandhitthegroundrunning
withWindowsVista.
AbouttheAuthor
WilliamR.Stanekhasover20yearsofhands-on
experiencewithadvancedprogrammingand
development.Heisaleadingtechnologyexpert,an
award-winningauthor,andapretty-darn-good


instructionaltrainer.Overtheyears,hispractical
advicehashelpedmillionsofprogrammers,
developers,andnetworkengineersallovertheworld.
Hehaswrittenover25computerbooks.Currentor
forthcomingbooksincludeMicrosoftWindows
Command-LineAdministrator’sPocketConsultant,
MicrosoftWindowsVistaAdministrator’sPocket
Consultant,MicrosoftWindowsServer2003
Administrator’sPocketConsultant,SecondEdition,and
WindowsServer2003InsideOut.
Mr.Stanekhasbeeninvolvedinthecommercial
Internetcommunitysince1991.Hiscorebusinessand
technologyexperiencecomesfromover11yearsof
militaryservice.Hehassubstantialexperiencein
developingservertechnology,encryption,andInternet

solutions.Hehaswrittenmanytechnicalwhitepapers
andtrainingcoursesonawidevarietyoftopics.He
frequentlyservesasasubjectmatterexpertand
consultant.
Mr.StanekhasanMSwithdistinctionininformation
systemsandaBSmagnacumlaudeincomputer
science.HeisproudtohaveservedinthePersianGulf
Warasacombatcrewmemberonanelectronicwarfare
aircraft.Heflewonnumerouscombatmissionsinto
Iraqandwasawardedninemedalsforhiswartime
service,includingoneoftheUnitedStatesofAmerica’s
highestflyinghonors,theAirForceDistinguished
FlyingCross.Currently.


IntroducingMicrosoftWindowsVista
WilliamR.Stanek
PUBLISHEDBY
MicrosoftPress
ADivisionofMicrosoftCorporation
OneMicrosoftWay
Redmond,Washington98052-6399
Copyright©2006byMicrosoftCorporation
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthecontentsofthisbookmaybe
reproducedortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeanswithoutthe
writtenpermissionofthepublisher.
ISBN-13:978-0-7356-2284-5
ISBN-10:0-7356-2284-1
LibraryofCongressControlNumber2006924470
PrintedandboundintheUnitedStatesofAmerica.

123456789QWE109876
DistributedinCanadabyH.B.FennandCompanyLtd.
ACIPcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary.
MicrosoftPressbooksareavailablethroughbooksellersanddistributors
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www.microsoft.com/mspress.Sendcommentsto

Microsoft,ActiveDirectory,ActiveX,Aero,BitLocker,DirectX,Encarta,
Excel,InternetExplorer,MicrosoftPress,MSDN,MS-DOS,MSN,
Outlook,PowerPoint,SmartScreen,Windows,WindowsMedia,Windows
Server,andWindowsVistaareeitherregisteredtrademarksor


trademarksofMicrosoftCorporationintheUnitedStatesand/orother
countries.Otherproductandcompanynamesmentionedhereinmaybe
thetrademarksoftheirrespectiveowners.
Theexamplecompanies,organizations,products,domainnames,e-mail
addresses,logos,people,places,andeventsdepictedhereinare
fictitious.Noassociationwithanyrealcompany,organization,product,
domainname,e-mailaddress,logo,person,place,oreventisintended
orshouldbeinferred.
Thisbookexpressestheauthor’sviewsandopinions.Theinformation
containedinthisbookisprovidedwithoutanyexpress,statutory,or
impliedwarranties.Neithertheauthors,MicrosoftCorporation,norits
resellers,ordistributorswillbeheldliableforanydamagescausedor
allegedtobecausedeitherdirectlyorindirectlybythisbook.
AcquisitionsEditor
MartinDelRe

ProjectEditor
KarenSzall
TechnicalEditor
L.J.Zacker
CopyEditor
JenniferHarris
Indexer
PatriciaMasserman
BodyPartNo.X12-41775
Acknowledgments
IntroducingMicrosoftWindowsVistaprovidesafirstlookatthelatest
desktopversionofMicrosoftWindows.Writingthisbookbasedonthe
betaproductwaschallengingbecausetherewasn'tanydocumentation
foranything.Ihadtodigdeepintotheoperatingsystemtounderstand
howeverythingworksandthendocumentwhatIfoundinthisbook.I


hopeyoufindtheresultingbookagoodstartforlearningaboutthenew
featuresofWindowsVista.
I'dliketothankeveryonefromMicrosoftwhocontributedtothisproject.
KarenSzall,astheprojecteditorforMicrosoft,didagreatjobandI
couldn'thavecompletedthisprojectwithoutherhelp.I'dalsoliketothank
MartinDelRe,HeatherStafford,andSandraHaynes,whoprovidedhelp
atcriticalpointsoftheproject.JenniferHarrisandLindaZackerprovided
contentandtechnicalreviewoftheproject.Thankyou,Jenniferand
Linda,forallyourhardwork.
Throughoutthisbook,you'llfindanewsidebarfeaturecalled"Fromthe
experts."Thissidebarismeanttoprovideadditionaldetailsandpointers
abouttopicsofdiscussion,andyou'llfindcontributionsfrommyselfand
variousotherMicrosoftexperts,including:JerryHoneycutt,Tony

Northrup,andMitchTulloch.ThankyouJerry,Tony,andMitchforyour
contributionstotheexperts’sidebars.Ineedmoregoodfriendslikeyou
guys.
AbouttheAuthor
WilliamR.Stanek(hasover20yearsof
hands-onexperiencewithadvancedprogramminganddevelopment.He
isaleadingtechnologyexpert,anaward-winningauthor,andaprettydarn-goodinstructionaltrainer.Overtheyears,hispracticaladvicehas
helpedmillionsofprogrammers,developers,andnetworkengineersall
overtheworld.Hehaswrittenover25computerbooks.Currentor
forthcomingbooksincludeMicrosoftWindowsCommand-Line
Administrator’sPocketConsultant,MicrosoftWindowsVista
Administrator’sPocketConsultant,MicrosoftWindowsServer2003
Administrator’sPocketConsultant,SecondEdition,andWindowsServer
2003InsideOut.
Mr.StanekhasbeeninvolvedinthecommercialInternetcommunity
since1991.Hiscorebusinessandtechnologyexperiencecomesfrom
over11yearsofmilitaryservice.Hehassubstantialexperiencein
developingservertechnology,encryption,andInternetsolutions.Hehas
writtenmanytechnicalwhitepapersandtrainingcoursesonawide


varietyoftopics.Hefrequentlyservesasasubjectmatterexpertand
consultant.
Mr.StanekhasanMSwithdistinctionininformationsystemsandaBS
magnacumlaudeincomputerscience.Heisproudtohaveservedinthe
PersianGulfWarasacombatcrewmemberonanelectronicwarfare
aircraft.HeflewonnumerouscombatmissionsintoIraqandwas
awardedninemedalsforhiswartimeservice,includingoneoftheUnited
StatesofAmerica’shighestflyinghonors,theAirForceDistinguished
FlyingCross.Currently,heresidesinthePacificNorthwestwithhiswife

andchildren.
AbouttheExperts
Throughoutthisbook,you’llfindsmallchunksofinformation“Fromthe
experts.”Thefollowingauthorsgenerouslyagreedtocontributetothis
book’sefforttoprovideearlyinformationaboutaproductstillin
development—that’snotaneasytask.Thesethreeauthorsarecurrently
coauthoringtheMicrosoftWindowsVistaResourceKit,whichis
scheduledforpublicationin2007.Theircontributionstothisbookare
greatlyappreciated.
MitchTulloch,MostValuableProfessional(MVP),ispresidentofMTIT
Enterprises,anITcontentdevelopmentcompanybasedinWinnipeg,
Canada.Mitchistheauthorofoveradozenbooks,includingthe
MicrosoftEncyclopediaofNetworkingandtheMicrosoftEncyclopediaof
Security.Mitchhaswrittenoverahundredarticles,isaregularcolumnist
andeditorialwriter,andcontributesarticlestoseveralpopularWebsites
andindustrymagazinesincludingNetworkWorld,BizTechMagazine,and
MicrosoftCertifiedProfessionalMagazine.Formoreinformationabout
Mitchandhiswritingactivities,see.
TonyNorthrup,CISSP,MCSE,andMVP,isanetworkingconsultantand
authorlivingintheBostonarea.Asaconsultant,Tonyhasprovided
networkingguidancetoawidevarietyoforganizations,fromFortune100
enterprisestononprofitorganizationsandsmallbusinesses.Tonyhas
authoredandcoauthoredadozenbooksonWindowsandnetworking.
Formoreinformation,see.


JerryHoneycutthaswrittenmorethanthirtybooks,includingMicrosoft
WindowsDesktopDeploymentResourceKitandMicrosoftWindows
RegistryGuide,SecondEdition.JerryisacolumnistforMicrosoft
TechNet,andheisthedocumentationleadfortheSolutionAccelerator

forBusinessDesktopDeployment.Formoreinformation,see
.


Introduction


Overview
IntroducingMicrosoftWindowsVistapresentsMicrosoftWindowsVista,
thelatestversionoftheWindowsoperatingsystem,andprovidesa
comprehensiveoverviewofthenewWindowsfeaturesforpowerusers,
administrators,anddevelopers.Thisbookhasbeenwrittenusingthe
WindowsVistaBetatoprovideanearlyintroductiontothispowerful
operatingsystem.
Writingabooktoabetaproducthasmanybenefitsbutalsosome
drawbacks.Microsoftisabletopublishthefirsteditionofthisbookprior
totheofficialreleasedateofWindowsVista,whichallowsyoutoget
advanceinformationabouttheoperatingsystem.Thiswillnotonlyhelp
yougetaheadstartonlearningthenewWindowsfeatures,butitshould
alsohelpyouinstall,workwith,andmanageWindowsVistainthefuture.
BecauseIamwritingthisbookbasedonabetaproduct,featuresare
subjecttochange,especiallywithregardtotheuserinterfaceand
screens.Forexample,ImightdiscusstheNetworkCenter,NetworkList,
andNetworkMaptoolsasseparatefeatures,whileinthefinalproduct
thesefeaturesmightbecombinedintoasingletoolwithmultipleviews
namedNetworkCenter,NetworkList,andNetworkMap.OrImightshow
ascreenthathasaMakeFontsLargeOrSmalleroption,andinthefinal
productthisoptionmightberenamedAdjustFontSize.

WhoIsThisBookFor?
IntroducingMicrosoftWindowsVistadiscussesboththehomeand
businessversionsofWindowsVista,andwherepossible,pointsoutthe
differencesbetweenthetwoversions.Theprimaryfocusofthisbookis
onproductivityandbusiness,includingtherelatedreliability,security,
usability,andmobilityfeatures.Thebookdoesn’tgointodepthonhome
entertainmentfeatures,suchasMediaCenter,WindowsMediaPlayer,
WindowsMovieMaker,orWindowsPhotoGallery.Thisbookisdesigned
for
CurrentusersofWindowsoperatingsystems.
CurrentadministratorsofWindowsoperatingsystems.
CurrentdevelopersofWindowsoperatingsystems.
Thefocusofthebookisonnewfeatures.Asaresult,Idiscusspreviously
implementedWindowsfeaturesprimarilywithregardtohowtheyrelateto
newfeatures.Afterreadingthisbook,youshouldbereadytogetstarted
withWindowsVista.FordetailedinformationaboutWindowsVista
administration,IrecommendMicrosoftWindowsVistaAdministrator’s
PocketConsultant(MicrosoftPress,2006).


HowIsThisBookOrganized?
IntroducingMicrosoftWindowsVistaisdesignedtohelpyoulearnabout
andgetstartedwithWindowsVistabyprovidinganearlyintroduction.
Thebookconsistsof15chapters,dividedintofourparts.Eachpart
providesanopeningparagraphortwoaboutthechapterscontainedin
thatpart.
Part1,“GettingtoKnowWindowsVista,”providesanoverviewof
WindowsVista.Chapter1,“IntroducingWindowsVista,”presentsthe
featuresyou’llneedtoknowabouttogetstartedusingWindowsVista
andtonavigatetheinterface.Thechapteralsoprovidesanoverviewof

howWindowsVistaworksfromstartuptopowerdown.
Part2,“EssentialFeaturesinWindowsVista,”discussesthefundamental
featuresofWindowsVista.Chapter2,“WorkingwithWindowsVista,”
introducessomeofthenewmenuandinterfacefeatures.Thechapter
startswithalookattaskbarchangesandenhancements,includinglive
thumbnails,WindowsFlip,andWindowsFlip3D.Thendiscusses
changestotheStartmenu,AllProgramsmenu,andControlPanel.
Chapter3,“ManagingInformation,”examinesfeaturesyoucanuseto
manageinformationstoredonacomputer.You’lllearnaboutnewwaysof
usingWindowsExplorertoworkwithfilesandfolders;howtoadd
keywordstofilesandtagstopictures;andhowtousevirtualfoldersto
savesearchresults.You’llalsolearnaboutnewdesktopfeatures,such
astheWindowsSidebar.Chapter4,“UsingInternetExplorer7,”explores
InternetExplorer7,thenewestversionofInternetExplorer.You’lllearn
aboutimprovementsfornavigationaswellasnewsafetyandsecurity
features.Chapter5,“Collaborating,Connecting,andSharing,”looksat
thenewtoolsandfeaturesyoucanuseforcollaboratingwithothers,
connectingtonetworks,andsharingdata.Chapter6,“Managing
ProgramsandMultimedia,”discussesnewfeaturestohelpyoubetter
manageinstalledprograms,fileassociations,andAutoPlayoptions.The
chapteralsodiscussesenhancedtoolsformanagingyourmultimedia,
includingWindowsMediaPlayerforplayingdigitalmediaincludingmusic
andvideos;WindowsMovieMakerforcreatingmoviesusingpictures,
videos,andmusic;andWindowsPhotoGalleryforviewing,editing,


organizing,andsharingpicturesandvideos.Chapter7,“Workingwith
LaptopsandTabletPCs,”examinessupportedfeaturesand
enhancementsforlaptopsandtabletPCs.Chapter8,“Improving
Accessibility,”examinestheaccessibilityenhancementsincludedin

WindowsVista.You’lllearnaboutimprovementstostandardfeaturesand
thenewspeechrecognitiontechnology.
InPart3,“SecuringWindowsVista,”you’lllearnaboutthesecurity
featuresofWindowsVista.Chapter9,“ProtectingUserAccountsand
UsingParentalControls,”discussesnewfeaturesforprotectinguser
accounts,includingparentalcontrolsanduseraccountcontrols.Chapter
10,“ProtectingYourComputer,”discussesarchitecturechangesin
WindowsVistathataredesignedtoprovidemultiplelayersofprotection
forcomputers.Thechapterintroducesthenewbootenvironmentand
newsecurityfeatures,suchasWindowsServiceHardeningandNetwork
AccessProtection.Chapter11,“ProtectingYourData,”introducesdata
protectionandencryption.Thechapterdiscussestrustedplatforms,
TrustedPlatformModules(TPMs)andBitLockerDriveEncryption.
Chapter12,“NetworkingYourComputer,”examinesenhancementsfor
networkingandrestrictingaccesstoWindowsVistasystems.Chapter13,
“SecuringYourNetworkConnection,”discussessecuritytools,including
WindowsSecurityCenter,WindowsFirewall,andWindowsDefender.
Part4,“SupportingandDeployingWindowsVista,”detailsthesupport
anddeploymentfeaturesofWindowsVista.Chapter14,“Supporting
WindowsVista,”introducestoolsandtechniquesforsupportingWindows
Vista.Chapter15,“DeployingWindowsVista,”examinesfeaturesand
techniquesfordeployingWindowsVistainanenterprise.


ConventionsUsedinThisBook
I’veusedavarietyofelementstohelpkeepthetextclearandeasyto
follow.You’llfindcodetermsandlistingsinmonospacetype,butwhenI
tellyoutoactuallytypesomething,thetexttobetypedappearsinbold.
WhenIintroduceanddefineanewterm,thetermappearsinitalic.
Otherelementsinclude

Note Toprovidedetailsonapointthatneedsemphasis
Caution Towarnyouwhentherearepotentialproblemsyoushould
lookoutfor
Tip Toofferhelpfulhintsoradditionalinformation
ItrulyhopeyoufindthatIntroducingMicrosoftWindowsVistaprovides
everythingyouneedtogetanearlystartwithWindowsVista.You’re
welcometosendyourthoughtstomeatThank
you.


Support
ThisbookiswrittentotheWindowsVistaBetaandismeanttoprovide
anearlyintroduction.Theinterfaceandfeaturesdiscussedaresubjectto
changeinthefinalproduct.Ifyouhavecomments,questions,orideas
aboutthisbook,pleasesendthemtoMicrosoftPressusingeitherofthe
followingmethods:
Postalmail:
MicrosoftPress
Attn:Editor,IntroducingMicrosoftWindowsVista
OneMicrosoftWayRedmond,WA98052-6399
E-mail:

Pleasenotethatproductsupportisn’tofferedthroughthemailaddresses
above.Forsupportinformation,visitMicrosoft’sWebsiteat
/>

PartI:GettingtoKnowWindowsVista


ChapterList

Chapter1:IntroducingWindowsVista


Inthispart:
IntroducingMicrosoftWindowsVistaintroducesWindowsVistaand
providesacomprehensiveoverviewofthenewfeaturesinWindows.This
bookiswrittenusingtheWindowsVistabetatoprovideanearly
introductiontothispowerfulandversatileoperatingsystem.Theinterface
andfeaturesdiscussedthroughoutthisbookaresubjecttochangeinthe
finalproduct.Chapter1,“IntroducingWindowsVista,”describesthe
differentversionsofWindowsVistaandtheirfeatures.Thischapteris
designedtohelpyougetstartedwithWindowsVista.


Chapter1:IntroducingWindowsVista


Overview
MicrosoftWindowsVistaisthelatestworkstationversionoftheWindows
operatingsystemandisdesignedforbothhomeandbusinessusers.
MSNEncartadescribesavistaasascenicorpanoramicview,andthat’s
exactlywhatWindowsVistaprovides.NotonlydoesWindowsVistahave
anall-newlook,completewithstylishgraphicalvisualizations,easier-tonavigatemenus,andenhancedpersonalizationcapabilities,butthe
operatingsystemisalsothefirstversionofWindowsinwhichtheuser
experiencescalestothehardwarecapabilitiesofthecomputeronwhich
WindowsVistaisinstalled.Althoughthegraphicalbellsandwhistlesare
excellent,manyofthemostpowerfulfeaturesinWindowsVistaarethose
thatyouwon’tseeatfirstglance,includingthemanyenhancementsfor
reliability,security,usability,andmobility.
Inthischapter,we’lllookattheissuesandfeaturesyou’llneedtoknow

abouttostartusingWindowsVistaeffectively.Thechapterbeginswitha
lookattheversionsofWindowsVistathatareavailableandthen
continueswithadiscussionofgettingstartedusingWindowsVista.Next,
thechapterdiscussesusingWindowsVistainworkgroupanddomain
configurations,focusingonthedifferencesbetweentheseenvironments
andhowpermissionsforuseraccountshavechangedbetweenthisand
previousversionsofWindows.Last,thechapterdiscussestheimportant
procedurechangesforturningoffandshuttingdowncomputersrunning
WindowsVista.
Note ThisbookwaswrittenusingtheWindowsVistaBetatoprovide
anearlyintroductiontotheoperatingsystem.Moresothanany
otherareaofWindowsVista,thesecurityfeaturesdiscussedin
thisbookaresubjecttochange.Someofthefeaturesmightnot
beincludedinthefinalproduct,andsomeofthefeaturesmight
bechangedsubstantially.


IntroducingtheWindowsVistaVersions
MicrosoftprovidesmultipleversionsofWindowsVista.Therearetwo
versionsforhomeusersandtwoversionsforbusinessusersaswellas
anall-encompassingversionforuserswhowantallavailablefeatures.
Unlikeitspredecessors,WindowsVistaallowsyoutoupgradebetween
versions.
Note RegardlessofwhichWindowsVistaversionyouareusing,the
corefeaturesandthewayyouworkwiththeoperatingsystem
arethesame.Becauseofthisconsistency,thisbookpointsout
thedifferencesbetweenWindowsVistaversionsonlywhere
necessary.

OverviewoftheWindowsVistaVersions

ThefiveversionsofMicrosoftWindowsVistaare:
WindowsVistaHomeBasic
WindowsVistaHomePremium
WindowsVistaBusiness
WindowsVistaEnterprise
WindowsVistaUltimate
ThehomeversionsofWindowsVistaincludeentertainmentfeaturesthat
aren’tfoundinthebusinessversions.Thebusinessversionsinclude
managementfeaturesthataren’tfoundinthehomeversions.
WindowsVistaUltimatecombinesthebestofalltheavailablefeatures,
givingyouacompletepackageforhomeandbusinessuse.Whenyou
useWindowsVistaUltimate,youcangetadditionalprogramsand
servicesaswellastipsandtricksdocumentationfromtheWindows
DownloadCenterbyusingtheWindowsUltimateExtrasutilityinControl
Panel.


UpgradingtheWindowsVistaVersions
Unlikeitspredecessors,youcaneasilyupgradeWindowsVistaversions
byusingtheWindowsAnytimeUpgradeutilityoraWindowsAnytime
Upgradedisc.Youcan:
UpgradefromWindowsVistaHomeBasictoWindowsVista
HomePremiumor
WindowsVistaUltimate.
UpgradefromWindowsVistaHomePremiumtoWindowsVista
Ultimate.
UpgradefromWindowsVistaBusinesstoWindowsVista
EnterpriseorWindowsVista
Ultimate.
UpgradefromWindowsVistaEnterprisetoWindowsVista

Ultimate.
WindowsAnytimeUpgrade(WindowsAnytimeUpgrade.exe)isstoredin
the%SystemRoot%\System32folder.Youcanstartanupgradeby
selectingWindowsAnytimeUpgradeontheStartmenuandthen
followingtheprompts.Whentheupgradeiscomplete,youcansearchfor
“What’sNew”inWindowsHelpAndSupporttolearnaboutadditional
featuresandenhancementsthathavebeeninstalled.Youcanaccess
WindowsHelpAndSupportbyclickingStartandthenclickingHelpAnd
Support.


GettingStartedwithWindowsVista
FromthemomentyoustartWindowsVista,you’llknowit’sadifferent
kindofoperatingsystemfromitspredecessors.Duringtheinstallationof
WindowsVista(describedintheappendix),Setuppromptsyoutocreate
alocalmachineaccount.Thisaccountiscreatedasacomputer
administratoraccount.Whentheoperatingsystemstarts,youcanlogon
usingtheaccountandpasswordyouspecifiedduringsetup.

WorkingwiththeWelcomeCenter
Bydefault,theoperatingsystemdisplaystheWelcomeCenteratstartup.
YoucanaccesstheWelcomeCenterconsole,showninFigure1-1,from
ControlPanel.


Figure1-1:TheWelcomeCenter
TheWelcomeCenterprovidesanoverviewofthesystemandquick
accesstoperformtasksthathelpyougetstartedusingWindowsVista.
Todisplayalltheavailableoptions,clickShowAll12Items.Theavailable
optionsincludethefollowingtasks:

AddNewUsersConfigureuseraccountsforeachpersonwho
willlogonlocallytothecomputer.Youcanmanageaccount
settingsandparentalcontrolsforaccounts,asdiscussedin
Chapter9,“ProtectingUserAccountsandUsingParental
Controls.”Thisoptionisn’tavailablewhenyoulogontoa


domain.
PersonalizeWindowsControltheappearanceandsound
effectsusedbyWindowsVista.Youcanmanagesettingsforthe
display,visualappearance,desktopbackground,screensaver,
soundeffects,mousepointers,andthemes.
SetUpDevicesCheckfordevicesthatSetupdidnotinstallas
partoftheupgradeorinstallation.Ifyouelecttosetupdevices
andnewhardwareisfound,you’llbeguidedthroughtheprocess
ofinstallingthedevice.
WindowsEasyTransferRuntheWindowsEasyTransfer
Wizard,whichcanbeusedtotransferuseraccounts,filesand
folders,programsettings,Internetsettings(includingfavorites),
ande-mailsettings(includingcontactsandmessages)fromyour
oldcomputer.Forthetransfer,youcanuseCDs,DVDs,a
universalserialbus(USB)flashdrive,orexternalharddrives,as
wellasnetworkfoldersandaUSBcablethatconnectstoboth
computers.Totransfersettings,theoldcomputermustbe
runningWindows2000,WindowsXP,orWindowsVista.
ViewYourComputerDetailsDisplaythedefaultviewforthe
WelcomeCenter,whichprovidesanoverviewofthesystem
configuration.UsetheMoreDetailslinktoaccesstheSystem
consoleandviewadditionalinformationaboutthecomputer.
Bydefault,theWelcomeCenterdisplayseachtimeyoustartthe

computer.Ifyoudon’twanttheWelcomeCentertobedisplayedthenext
timeyoustartthecomputer,cleartheRunAtStartupcheckbox.

GettingBasicSystemInformation
IntheWelcomeCenter,youcanclickMoreDetailstoaccesstheSystem
consoleandviewadditionalinformationaboutthecomputer,asshownin
Figure1-2.