You抳e probably heard about it, seen it in your neighborhood electronic shop, or read about it in recent headlines. Lately, everyone抯 abuzz on the subject of Windows Vista. After five and a half years in the making, Microsoft finally released its latest operating system to the public early last year.
But let抯 face the facts. Anytime you migrate to a completely new operating system, there抯 going to be a learning curve. Vista is powerful, but it can also be a little intimidating. That抯 where we come in. In this article, we抣l show you:
?The top ten tweaks and shortcuts
?Five Vista-ready laptops under $100
?How to adjust power settings
Tweaks and Shortcuts
These tips will help you do everything from making the most of Vista抯 cool Flip 3D effect to expanding the number of options when you抮e right-clicking on a file. All in all, we want to give you quicker access to the features that make Vista better than XP.
1. Turn off User Account Control
Microsoft recommends you keep this new security feature on, but some of us just can't stand being asked to confirm every little command. Be aware that you are removing a level of protection by disabling UAC (User Account Control) alerts, and you will also be disabling Internet Explorer's super-secure "protected mode." Those warnings aside, you can turn the pest off by opening User Accounts in the Control Panel and using the last item in the main window.
2. Bring back the File Menu
Vista's sleek new interface is cool and all, but sometimes the classic File/Edit/View is the shortest distance to what you want to do. In Windows Explorer windows and in Internet Explorer you can bring up the old menu ribbon by tapping the ALT key. In Windows Office applications, tapping ALT will superimpose shortcut keys over the existing menu structure so that you can access any of these functions from the keyboard.
3. Customize the Start Menu and Taskbars
The Start menu and taskbar are a lot more flexible in Vista than in XP. Right-click on the icon and bring up its Properties window. Use the Start tab and its Customize button to find the options for populating and tweaking this main menu. Here you can revive the Run command to Start, select which browser and e-mail clients that links default to, and remove unnecessary elements from the menu. Use the Taskbar tab in the Properties window and click the text link at bottom to get instructions for customizing the taskbar and direct links to those options.
4. Create a Flip 3D Shortcut
With the right graphics hardware and version of Vista, you can take advantage of the Flip 3D windows-switching effect. Simply press the Windows + Tab combo to activate the effect. For easier mouse-only or Tablet use, you can make a desktop shortcut. Right-click on the desktop and use the New and shortcut commands. Type 揜unDII32 DwmApi#105?in the location box; then click Next to name the shortcut and Finish.
5. Activate Multi-file Tagging
Vista has a cool and easier new way to tag multiple files in a directory so that you apply an action to all of them at once. In any Windows Explorer window tap the ALT key to bring up the classic File menu. In the Tools menu, open Folder Options. In the View tab, check the box for "Use check boxes to select items" and use the Apply to Folder button to apply this setting to all of your Explorer folders. Whenever you mouse over a file, you can check it and others to delete, copy, or move them as a group.
6. Automate Your Defragmentation Routine
Vista has automated some of its maintenance tasks like defragmenting your hard drive and backing up key system files and documents. To keep your hard drive defragged regularly, use the Start menu to click on Computer, and then right-click on the hard drive you want to schedule. Open its Properties menu, and under the Tools tab click Defragment Now. Check the "Run on a schedule box." Use the Modify Schedule button and drop-down menus in the next screen to set your schedule.
7. Expanded Right-Click Options
Vista抯 context menus hold a little surprise. They have two modes: standard and expanded. If you hold the Shift key down as you right-click on most files in Windows Explorer, the context menu gains several new options that let you pin the file to the Start menu, add the file to the Quick Launch bar, or copy the file's path to the clipboard.
8. Activate Parental Controls
One of the most powerful but under-reported Vista features gives parents tremendous control and monitoring capabilities over any accounts on the system. Just type "parental" in the Start search box to bring that program to the top, and click into it. Choose the account you want to control, and the next window lets you turn on parental controls and set limits on Web traveling, program access, and even the games played and time spent on the system.
9. Make Mobility Center Ever-Ready
Notebook users get their own console in Vista. The Mobility Center pulls together settings for network/wireless management, audio controls, presentation settings, and more. Bring the tool to the surface by typing "mobility" into the Start search box and right-click on the Mobility Center to program in the results. Use the context menu to "pin" the program into your Start menu or add it to the Quick Launch bar. Or, you can remember the Vista shortcut key for the window (Windows + X).
10. Activate Three Clocks
Why settle for one time zone when Vista lets you track three? Click on the digital clock in the System Tray and click through to change time settings. In the Additional Clocks tab, you can check one or both boxes and show two more additional clocks set to other time zones.
Vista-ready Laptops Under $1000
Any new desktop or laptop for sale today has the capacity to handle the basic core functions of Windows Vista. However, if you want to take advantage of all the great features included with Vista, it抯 going to take quite a bit more horsepower.
A Windows Vista Premium ready laptop requires:
?1GHz 32-bit or 64-bit processor
?1GB of system memory (RAM)
?128MB of graphics memory
?40GB of hard drive capacity with at least 15GB of free space
?A DVD-ROM Drive
?Audio output capability
?Internet access capability
We set out to find leading-edge laptops in a $1000 budget that meet these requirements and we came up with five choices. Each is Vista-ready and has a dual-core processor, which translates into real-world productivity gains. Plus, a dual-core processor helps future-proof your investment, as many mainstream apps and games are in development that will take advantage of two processing cores.
Coupled with 1GB of memory, these systems provide more than enough horsepower to run Windows Vista Home Premium, which contains the slick new Aero interface, parental controls, better security than Windows XP, and a ton of usability improvements. The following five options differ in size and features, but each delivers the dual-core Vista experience at a good price. Pick the one that best matches your mobile lifestyle.
?Averatec 2300 Series
Price: $889.00
Averatec抯 new 2300 series of laptops are extremely thin (only 1-inch think) and feature 12-inch widescreen. These are capable of handling many applications, as well as online entertainment. So you can enjoy work, music, photos, television, games, or Internet all at one sleek source.
?HP Pavilion dv2000t
Price: $998.00
For good looks and great multimedia features in a five-pound, low-priced bundle, the dv2000t is tough to beat. This thin-and-light laptop comes with 60GB of hard disk drive, 8x DVD+/-RW burner, a 14-inch LCD display, and a 5-in-1 memory card reader.
?Lenovo 3000 C200
Price: $999.00
As a refreshing update to the C Series budget line, Lenovo has released the C200 model to replace the older C100. The majority of the changed have been much needed improvements including stronger hinges, a newer SATA hard drive interface, processor series upgrade, and chipset upgrade.
?Sony VAIO VGN-N130G
Price: $999.00
The15. 4?Sony VAIO N series laptop computer with Blu-ray Disc technology exemplifies contemporary style in an easy-to-handle mobile PC. With an integrated webcam and 4GB of RAM, it抯 the perfect solution for all your day-to-day computing and entertainment needs.
?Toshiba Satellite A105-S4284
Price: $889.00
Toshiba抯 Satellite A105 platform is feature-packed and priced to please. This light computer comes with a 15.4?diagonal display that adds incredible realism to movies and games. Plus, Toshiba抯 Express Media Player lets you watch DVDs or listen to CDs instantly, at the push of a button.
How to Adjust Power Settings
In addition to those hardware requirements, there抯 another downside to running Windows Vista on a laptop: it drains the battery. To make up for this, laptop owners can now choose and even make power plans to their preference. Depending on whether you have to make the most of the laptop or you want a short session to watch videos, choosing a power plan for your laptop is a useful tool to know.
Default Power Plans
1. Decide what you are going to be using your laptop for. If you抮e always in reach of a plug-in unit for the AC cable, then maybe this isn抰 for you. But for notebook users with so much to do on a limited battery life, power options are recommended.
2. Select Start>Control Panel.
3. Click Mobile PC, or Change battery settings.
4. Select Power Options.
5. Review the range of available plans displayed in the window with their corresponding stats judged on Battery Life and Performance.
6. Decide which option is best for you:
?For people on the go, Power Saver would be the best plan for you, as it saves energy by reducing your computer抯 performance where possible.
?For people who are not worried about setting a power plan, or who have convenient access to an AC cable in most situations, choose a Balanced plan which balanced performance with energy consumption on available hardware.
?Or, if you抮e going to be running applications which use high-end graphics or speed, choose the High performance power option. This favors performance where necessary, but may use more energy.
7. Choose your preferred power plan by simply clicking on the bullet point corresponding to a plan.
Custom Power Plans
1. Start from Step 5 in the Default Power Plans section of this article. Select Create a power plan from the left pane window.
2. Choose out of Balanced, Power saver, or High performance which is the closest to what you would life, and then name the plan you are about to create. Now you can adjust the settings judged by On battery and Plugged in order to suit your preferences:
?How long it will take for the display to turn off
?How long it will take for the computer to sleep
?How bright the screen will be
3. Click Create to make the power plan.
Tips
*If you抳e opted to display your battery info in the system tray, you can edit your power options from there. See which power plan you抳e got running by quickly floating your mouse pointer over the power icon.
*Clicking on the actual icon will bring up a quick menu with a set of radio buttons, and you can hover over each one to see the ToolTip describing what they entail. Change your power options on the fly if you抮e frequently docking and undocking your laptop.
The Bottom Line
Hopefully, this article provided some detail and relieved some angst about Windows Vista. Remember, there are multiple versions of Vista and not all versions come with the same features. All in all, it抯 a worthy successor to its siblings, moving Windows closer to 揗ac-like?proportions.
