WINDOWS VISTA
No matter what you do with a PC, Windows Vista can make a big difference. Now updated with Service Pack 1, your choices keep getting better and better.
- Fast On and Off: A Windows Vista computer starts and shuts down as quickly and reliably as a television, typically within 2 to 3 seconds. Windows Vista processes login scripts and startup programs and services in the background so you can start working right away. Youll also shut down and restart your computer less often by using the New Sleep state, a simple one-click on and off experience which not only reduces power consumption, but also delivers and protects user dat.
- Diagnostics: Built in diagnostics will help you detect, analyze, and fix problems such as failing hard drives, networking and performance issues more quickly and easily and help keep your computer running smoothly.
- User Account Protection: Windows Vista User Account Protection bridges the gap between user and administrative privileges by running programs with limited permissions. When you need to perform an administrative task, such as installing software or drivers, Windows Vista prompts you to confirm your intentions or to provide the proper administrator credentials.
- New look and feel: When you start using Windows Vista, you will recognize familiar elements such as the Start menu and task bar. Beyond the familiar, however, the overall Windows experience is redesigned and streamlined so that it is more intuitive, more attractive, and easier for you to use so you can accomplish tasks more efficiently.
- Familiarity: Because Windows Vista is built on technology that you are already familiar with, you can get up to speed quickly with minimal training and support.
Easier ways to organize and see your information
- Rich Organization: New information management tools make it easy for you to view and organize your files in any way that you want. With just a click, you can instantly see all the files that are stored on your computer in ways that make sense to you.
- Virtual Folders: Saved searches that run instantly when you open a Virtual Folder, displaying up-to-date results instantly. For example, in the new Search Explorer, you could design a search for all documents that are authored by John and that contain the word project. This search, titled Author John/Keyword Project, is saved as a Virtual Folder. Subsequently, any time that you click this Virtual Folder in the Document Explorer, the search runs, and you see the results immediately. As you add more files to your computer that match your search criteria, the files are automatically added to the Virtual Folder, regardless of where the files are physically located on the hard disk.
- Desktop Search: Powerful, integrated search capabilities help you find just about anything on your computer quickly without having to search for it by browsing through folders. Instead, you can type a keyword or any part of a file name in a Quick Search box to instantly find the file that you are looking for. You can add or edit file properties or data associated with a file, like the author of a document, the artist of a song, or the event where a picture was taken. After you add or edit file properties, you can find and organize content that is stored on your computer more easily.
- With Windows Vista, you no longer have to remember where you store every file. Instead, you need only remember something about a file, such as a keyword, to find it. Windows Vista manages keywords and uses them to help you find files. For example, you could add a graduation keyword to photos taken at a graduation ceremony when you save them to your computer. If you then search for graduation in a Quick Search box in any Explorer window, all the graduation pictures are displayed.
- Visualization: With new live icons, you can see live previews of programs, documents, photos, and videos. You can clearly see the first page of a document or the details of an image to ensure that it is the file that you are looking for before you open it.
New ways to help you manage and use your information
- XPS: With Windows Vista, you can share and distribute information more securely, with the ability to create unalterable versions of documents on which you can list specific access rights for your readers. You will even be able to apply digital signatures and rights management to ensure the authenticity of your information as it travels from you to your readers.
- Photos: Plug your digital camera into your computer and Windows Vista instantly transfers your photos to a central location on your computer, making it easy and fast for you to view, edit, organize, print, and share your photos with others.
- RSS feeds: With the new RSS Reader feature in Internet Explorer, you can stay up to date on the latest information from your favorite Web sites. Subscribe to, view, and manage your RSS feeds from one central location on your Windows Vista computer.
Easily connect to what you need
- Device synchronization: Windows Vista provides one place for you to quickly and easily set up and synchronize the devices that you depend on like cell phones and PDAs. You can easily manage the information that you share with your devices and insure that they are up to date and in sync with your computer.
- Mobility: Realize the full potential of mobile computing when you take your laptop computer wherever you go. Windows Vista works with your laptop to create longer battery life and includes built-in support for advanced wireless standards. Ink and touch input support makes mobile computers more useful in more places today than ever before.
- Digital Media: Your computer can become a hub for sharing entertainment throughout your home, which makes it easy to enjoy your favorite recorded TV, movies, photos, or music on any television or other media device in your house.