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Microsoft Windows Vista Unveiled
Table of Contents

Chapter 1—An Overview of Windows Vista
The Development of Longhorn
"Vista" Unveiled
What's Not in Windows Vista
New Interface Features
What's New Under the Hood
Support for Document Metadata
Performance Improvements
Stability Improvements
Security Enhancements
Windows Presentation Foundation
Desktop Window Manager
Improved Graphics
Transactional NTFS
XML Paper Specification
New and Improved Programs and Tools
Welcome Center
Control Panel
Internet Explorer 7
Windows Mail
Windows Calendar
Media Player
Media Center
Windows Photo Gallery
DVD Burning and Authoring
Windows Movie Maker
Per-Application Volume Control
Sound Recorder
Windows Easy Transfer
Windows Backup
The Game Explorer
Mobility Center
Network Center
Network Map
Windows Collaboration
How Windows Vista Affects You
IT Professionals
Developers
Power Users
Digital Media Users
Business Users
Road Warriors
Small Business Owners
Gamers
Parents

Chapter 2—Moving to Windows Vista
Windows Vista System Requirements
Processor Requirements
Memory Requirements
The System Rating
Storage Requirements
Graphics Requirements
Hardware Requirements for Various Vista Features
Vista Versions
Preparing for Windows Vista
Check Your System Requirements
Upgrade Your Hardware
Back Up Your Files
Clean Up Your Hard Disk
Check and Defragment Your Hard Disk
The Windows Vista Installation Process
The Windows Transfer Tool
Windows Vista Deployment
Modularization
Windows Imaging Format
XImage
Setup Manager
Deploying Windows Vista

Chapter 3—The Windows Vista Interface
The Windows Presentation Foundation
General Interface Changes
The Vista Desktop
The Vista Taskbar
The Start Menu
The Aero Glass Theme
Better Cool Switches: Flip and Flip 3D
Taskbar Thumbnails
New Folder Windows
Navigating Folders
As-You-Type Search
The Task Pane
The Preview Pane
The Reading Pane
The Navigation Pane
Live Folder Icons
Gadgets and the Windows Sidebar

Chapter 4—File System Improvements
Metadata and the Windows Explorer Property System
Desktop Searching with the Windows Search Engine
As-You-Type Searches
Advanced Searches
Saving Searches
Windows Mail Searches
Grouping, Stacking, and Filtering with Metadata
Grouping Files
Stacking Files
Filtering Files
Search Folders
Selecting Files with Check Boxes
Dragging and Dropping Files
Shadow Copies and Transactional NTFS
Reverting to a Previous Version of a Volume, Folder, or File
XML Paper Specification (XPS)

Chapter 5—Vista Performance and Maintenance
Vista's Performance Improvements
Faster Startup
Sleep Mode: The Best of Both Worlds
SuperFetch: The Faster Fetcher
Restart Manager
Windows System Assessment Tool (WinSAT)
Windows System Performance Rating
Vista's Stability Improvements
I/O Cancellation
Reliability Monitor
Service Recovery
Startup Repair Tool
New Diagnostics Tools
Disk Diagnostics
Memory Diagnostics
Resource Exhaustion Detection
Network Diagnostics
Windows Diagnostic Console
Event Viewer
System Configuration Utility Enhancements
Windows Backup

Chapter 6—Security Enhancements in Windows Vista
Control Panel's Security Settings
New Security Center Features
Windows Firewall: Bi-Directional Protection
Thwarting Spyware with Windows Defender
Spyware Scanning
Windows Defender Settings
New Internet Explorer 7 Security Features
Protected Mode: Reducing Internet Explorer's Privileges
Total Security: Internet Explorer without Add-Ons
Thwarting Phishers with the Phishing Filter
Easier Add-On Management
Deleting Browser History
User Account Protection: Smarter User Privileges
Elevating Privileges
File and Registry Virtualization
User Account Protection Policies
Preventing Rogue Services with Windows Service Hardening
System Drive Encryption with Secure Startup
Avoiding Overflows with Support for the NX Bit
Using Parental Controls to Restrict Computer Usage
Network Access Protection
Thwarting Spam with Windows Mail's Junk Filter
Setting the Junk E-mail Protection Level
Fine-Tuning the Spam Filter
Blocking Countries and Languages

Chapter 7—Mobile Computing in Windows Vista
The Mobile PC Control Panel
The Windows Mobility Center
Power Management in Vista
Monitoring Battery Life
Specifying a Power Plan
Creating a Custom Power Plan
Configuring Your Notebook's Power Buttons
Presentation Settings
Windows SideShow
New Vista Tablet PC Features
Changing the Screen Orientation
Tablet PC Settings
Tablet PC Input Panel
Using Pen Flicks
Pointer Options
Personalizing Handwriting Recognition
The Snipping Tool

Chapter 8—New Networking Features
The Network Center
Connecting to a Network
Personalizing the Network
Network Map
Common Network Tasks
Browse the Network
Set Up File and Printer Sharing
Connect to a Workplace
Set Up a Network
Add a Computer or Device
Diagnose Network Problems
Manage Networks
Open Connections
Windows Collaboration
People Near Me
Starting Windows Collaboration
Joining a Collaboration Session
Starting a Collaboration Session
Inviting People to the Session
Share a Handout
Start a Presentation
Controlling the Presentation
The Sync Center

Chapter 9—Digital Media in Windows Vista
Easier AutoPlay Defaults
Windows Photo Gallery
Grouping Images
Image Metadata and Tagging
As-You-Type Search
Image Editing
More Tools
What's New in Windows Media Player 11
Navigating the Library
Album Art and the WMP Interface
Grouping and Stacking Media
Media Metadata and Tagging
As-You-Type Search
Syncing with Media Devices
Easier Ripping
Burning Options
Library Sharing
Playing DVDs
New Media Center Features
Interface Enhancements
New Menu Structure
More Media Center Improvements
Digital Audio in Windows Vista
Per-Application Volume Control
Sound Recorder
Audio Devices and Sound Themes
DVD Burning and Ripping

Chapter 10—Windows Vista and Gaming
The Game Explorer
Getting Games into the Game Explorer
Game-Related Tasks
Support for Games Metadata
ESRB Game Ratings
Parental Controls for Games
Turn Off Game Play
Controlling Games Via Ratings and Descriptors
Blocking and Allowing Specific Games
Gaming and WinSAT
DirectX 10

Copyright © 1995-2008 Paul McFedries and Logophilia Limited