Windows Vista Introduction

A Brief Windows Vista Introduction

Windows Vista Introduction

Windows Vista, Microsoft’s newest operating system was finally released worldwide to the general public on January 30, 2007 after a more than a five year development cycle filled with delays and promised features that never actually made it into the final release.

And even now after its release, many including myself question whether or not Vista was really ready for primetime. 

Windows Vista contains hundreds of new and reworked features including a significantly updated graphical user interface and visual look called Windows Aero, improved searching features, new multimedia tools, and the way you configure networking with other computers has been completely redesigned among other things. 

Microsoft's primary objectives however with Windows Vista has been to improve security drastically over previous versions of windows.  Windows XP and previous versions have always had commonly exploited security vulnerabilities to hackers, viruses, and malware (malicious software such as spyware and adware). 

These security issues that plaguing Windows operating systems has led to much criticism from the computing industry and because of this Bill Gates announced in early 2002 a company-wide statement, stating that every aspect of software development at Microsoft will incorporate security work going forward.   Great idea Bill.

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Windows Vista Introduction - New Features At A Glance

Windows Aero: 

Windows Aero is the new graphical user interface (way in which you manipulate text and images on screen) which is cleaner and more aesthetically pleasing compared to previous versions of Windows.  It includes features such as new transparency elements (Glass), support for 3D graphics (Windows Flip 3D), live thumbnails which show content snippets of what is in a folder, live icons, new animations, and other eye candy elements. 

Windows Vista Introduction Tip:  Look for a graphics card with at the minimum 128 MB of videocard graphics memory..

Windows Shell:

The new Windows Vista shell is significantly different from previous Windows versions and it offers new organization, navigation, and search capabilities.  The Windows Explorer task panel which used to reside on the left side of current window has been removed from there and now these relevant task options have been integrated into the toolbar at the top of the window instead.  A "Favorite links" panel has been added, enabling one-click access to common directories. The address bar has been replaced with a breadcrumb navigation system. The preview panel allows users to see thumbnails of various files and view the contents of documents. The details panel shows information such as file size and type, and allows viewing and editing of embedded tags in supported file formats. The Start menu has changed as well; it no longer uses ever-expanding boxes when navigating through Programs.

Instant Search:

Instant Search is a new way of searching in which searching is significantly faster and more in-depth than the search features found in any of the previous versions of Windows.  Instant search in a nutshell works by indexing files on your computer similar to a way an index works in a book.  The index is like a library that stores information about files, including the file name, the date it was modified and properties such as author, tags or rating.  Instead of looking through your entire hard disk for a file name, Instant Search scans the index, which allows most results to appear in a small fraction of the time that a search without the index would have taken.  An instant search box now appears in the start menu and Windows Explorer. 

Windows Sidebar:

A transparent panel anchored to the side of the screen where a user can place Desktop Gadgets, which are small applets designed for a specialized purpose such as displaying the weather or sports scores among other things.  If you prefer you can also drag and drop Gadgets out of the sidebar and place them on other parts of the desktop.  I personally do not like this feature and think it is a waste of system memory though I have friends that love the extra capability and have customized their sidebar with Gadgets galore.

Internet Explorer 7:

New Internet browser software designed for Windows Vista but actually released first for Windows XP.  It includes a new user interface (hate it personally), tabbed browsing like what Firefox has had for a long time, a search box, improved printing, Page Zoom, Quick Tabs which show thumbnails of all open tabs, an Anti-Phishing filter, and many new security protection features among other things.  Finally in Windows Vista Internet Explorer runs in isolation from other applications in the operating system where in previous Windows versions it was tightly integrated into the operating system.  Exploits and malicious software are restricted from writing to any location beyond Temporary Internet Files without user consent.

Windows Media Player 11:

New media player also introduced first for Windows XP.  Media Player 11 is a major overhaul of Microsoft's program for playing and organizing music and video.  New features include a search as you type feature, a new graphics interface for the media library, photo viewing and organization, the ability to share music libraries over a network with other Vista computers, Xbox 360 integration, and support for other Media Center Extenders.

Parental Controls:

Allows administrators to control which websites, programs, and games each standard user (aka your kids) can use and install. This feature is not included in the Business or Enterprise editions of Vista.

Backup and Restore Center:

Includes a backup and restore application that gives users the ability to schedule periodic backups of files on their computer, as well as recovery from previous backups. Backups are incremental, storing only the changes each time, minimizing the disk usage. It also features Complete PC Backup (available only in Ultimate, Business, and Enterprise versions) which backs up an entire computer as an image onto a hard disk or DVD. Complete PC Backup can automatically recreate a machine setup onto new hardware or hard disk in case of any hardware failures. Complete PC Restore can be initiated from within Windows Vista, or from the Windows Vista installation CD in the event the PC is so corrupt that it cannot start up normally from the hard disk.

Windows Vista Introduction Tip:  Backups should be routine preventative maintenance to protect your precious data.

Windows Mail:

The replacement email program for Outlook Express that includes a new mail store that improves stability, integrated Instant Search, and it also includes the Phishing Filter like Internet Explorer and Junk mail filtering that is regularly updated via Windows Update.

Windows Media Center:

Media player like application for viewing movies, videos, and photos, among other things.  Previously bundled only with a separate version of Windows XP known as Windows XP Media Center Edition.  

Windows Vista Introduction Info:  Windows Media Center comes bundled with Home Premium and Ultimate versions of Vista only.

Windows Calendar:

Includes a calendar and task application.

Windows Photo Gallery:

A photo and movie library management application that can import from digital cameras, tag and rate individual items, adjust colors and exposure, create and display slideshows (with pan and fade effects) , and burn slideshows to DVD.

Windows DVD Maker:

A companion program to Windows Movie Maker that provides the ability to create video DVDs based on a user's content.  Users can design a DVD with title, menu, video, soundtrack, pan and zoom motion effects on pictures or slides.

Windows Vista Introduction Info:  Windows DVD Maker comes bundled with Home Premium and Ultimate versions of Vista only.

Games and Games Explorer:

Games included with Windows have been improved to showcase Vista's graphics capabilities. New games are Chess Titans, Mahjong Titans and Purble Place. A new Games Explorer special folder holds shortcuts and information to all games on the computer.

Conclusion - Windows Vista Introduction

We Hope you find this brief Windows Vista introduction useful.  If you feel there is anything you want me to add to this introduction or you have specific questions, remember don't hesitate to contact us anytime for assistance.  Thanks again.

• Windows Vista Edition Features Comparison