The Unofficial Guide to Windows Vista

Derek Torres is a technical communicator and author. He is the coauthor of The Unofficial Guide to Windows XP and is the author of ASP.NET 2.0: Your visual blueprint for developing Web applications. He is also a contributor to Microsoft's Work Essentials Web site and Windows Vista Expert Zone. When he's not writing, he enjoys traveling, gastronomy, and doing nothing. He is currently based in Washington DC and tracks his activities at www.derektorres.net. Stuart Mudie is a Scot living in Paris, France. A professional communicator since 1995, he has worked with numerous companies in the IT and Telecommunications sectors in such fields as mobile applications and services, Web content management systems, and business intelligence. He has been blogging regularly about all of this (and also about food, wine, languages and music, just a few of his other loves) since 2001 at www.blethers.com.

Introduction. I Installation, Configuration, and Customization. 1 The Road to Windows Vista. A brief history of Windows Vista. What's new in Windows Vista? The many editions of Windows Vista. Should I make the jump to Windows Vista? What Microsoft did right. What Microsoft got wrong. Other members of the Vista family. Pricing Windows Vista. Just the facts. 2 Preparing for Installation. Installation options. Buy a new computer, get Vista free. Upgrade your existing computer. Use your existing hardware. The Windows Vista hardware compatibility list. Collecting information about your computer. The Upgrade Advisor. About activation and registration. Upgrading your current version of Windows. If you learned anything in this chapter. Just the facts. 3 Installing Windows Vista. Hard drives and partitioning. Shedding the fat: Viva NTFS. Installing Windows Vista: Custom installation. Installing Windows Vista: Upgrade installation. Installing Windows Vista: Network installation. Installing Windows Vista: Dual booting with Windows. Installing Windows Vista: Dual booting with Linux. Uninstalling or removing Windows Vista. Just the facts. 4 Managing the Windows Desktop. Meet the Welcome Center. Introducing the Aero experience. Back to the desktop basics. Clock. Volume Control. Network. Windows Security Alerts. Windows Sidebar. Desktop resolution. Video cards, drivers, and management applications. Desktop backgrounds and screen savers. Working with themes. Icons. Relearning the Start menu. Introducing the Windows Sidebar. Using taskbars and toolbars. Using the Windows Help system. Working with Ease of Access. Working with gadgets. Tweaking your Vista experience. Using Windows Update. Add, move, or change Windows components. Manage applications with Task Manager. Backwards compatibility. A few more words about the Control Panel. Judgment day. Just the facts. II Manage the Vista Enviroment. 5 Managing Users. The case for users. Add an account. Modify User Accounts. Start to take control! Windows Vista Web Filter. Time limits. Games. Block specific programs. Create a password reset disk. Manage your network passwords. Manage your file encryption certificates. Configure advanced user profile properties. Change my environment variables. Change group membership. Configure fast user switching. Use the Run as administrator command to switch users. Create custom management consoles. Create Taskpad views. Create group policies. Determine Group Policy settings. Just the facts. 6 Managing Files and Folders. Change folder views. The anatomy of the folder. Redirecting the Documents folder. Create compressed files and folders. Encrypt files and folders. Enable file sharing. Managing the Recycle Bin. A (very) few words about Indexing Service. Just the facts. 7 Managing Security. Making Windows safe. Working with the Security Center. Windows Vista Firewall. Exceptions tab. Advanced tab. Windows Firewall properties. Connection Security Rules. Getting ready for Windows Live OneCare. Windows Vista Defender. User account protection. Adding antivirus protection. Other Vista security features. Analyze Windows security. Apply security templates. Install and manage digital certificates. Change Data Execution Prevention settings. Audit computer and security events. Determine effective group policies. The truth about Windows Mail. Secure Internet Explorer. Just the facts. 8 Mastering Multimedia with Windows Vista. Introducing Windows Media Player 11. Getting started with Windows Media Player. Now playing. Manage your digital library. Create playlists. Rip CDs. Burn CDs. Sync with other devices. Using the Windows Media Center. Sharing media. Using URGE. Work with cameras. Photo Gallery. Work with scanners. Create DVDs with DVD Maker. Work with video cameras. Edit video using Movie Maker 6. Just the facts. III Networking with Windows Vista. 9 Networking and the Internet. Home networking 101. Getting physical. Vista Network and Sharing Center. View computers and devices. Connect to a network. Set up a connection or network. Add a wireless device. Windows Network Diagnostics. Configuring broadband connections. Configuring cable or DSL connections. Working with wireless. Configuring Internet Connection Sharing. Working with Windows Mail. Junk E-mail. Safe Senders. Blocked Senders. International. Phishing. Create distribution lists. E-mail paranoia: Return receipts and bcc. Viewing e-mail headers. Using Windows Meeting Space. Goodbye Windows Messenger, hello Live Messenger. Just the facts. 10 Working with Windows Internet Explorer 7. What's new in Windows Internet Explorer 7. Surfing in Protected Mode. The Phishing Filter. Additional security enhancements. Tabbed browsing. Using Web feed tools. Searching in Windows Internet Explorer. Just the facts. 11 Working with Network Services. Share and manage printers. Manage print jobs. Advanced printer management techniques. Send and receive faxes. Install and configure a Web server. Using Remote Desktop. Using Remote Assistance. Sync Center. Just the facts. 12 Integrating with Active Directory. Set up a Windows domain. About Active Directory Objects. Active Directory permissions and rights. Find the name of your domain. Create and deploy logon scripts. Install programs using IntelliMirror. Search for users or printers. Configure the Global Catalog. Just the facts. IV Manage the Hardware Environment. 13 Working with Windows Internals. Display system information. Working with Device Manager. Use Task Manager. Work with Event Viewer. Improve your performance. Windows SuperFetch. Automatic disk defragmentation. Editing the Registry. Configure and control services. Work with Task Scheduler. Work with the command prompt. Understand Windows PowerShell. Just the facts. 14 Working with Hard Drives. Monitoring system performance. Character Map. Disk Cleanup. Disk Defragmenter. Backup Status and Configuration. Making the case for backups. Using System Restore. Creating new partitions. Creating dynamic disks. Create a simple or spanned volume. Extend a simple or spanned volume. Using RAID disks with Windows Vista. Understanding disk quotas. Work with dual monitors. Configure a UPS. Just the facts. 15 Managing Portable Computers. Goodbye hardware profiles, hello Mobility Center. Exploring power management options. Picking the right settings. Understanding power states. Work with Tablet PCs. Understanding ClearType. Work with Windows SideShow. Setting up VPN. Configure offline files. Just the facts. 16 Troubleshooting Windows Vista. Using the User Assistance platform. General Windows troubleshooting techniques. Using the Startup Repair Tool. Launch and use Safe Mode. Troubleshoot network problems. Just the facts. V Appendixes. Appendix A: Supported Video Cards. Appendix B: Upgrade Checklist. Appendix C: Differences between Windows Vista and Windows XP. Appendix D: Keyboard Shortcuts. Appendix E: Online Resources. Index.