Introduction to Windows Vista

Transcription

1 Intrductin t Windws Vista The speedy evlutin f technlgy can leave even experts scratching their heads. It seems as thugh as sn as yu buy a new frm f tech, a release that fllws instantly makes it bslete. Micrsft, n stranger t changing things, released Vista, the latest versin f their Windws perating system ver ne year ag. Thse that adpted the perating system bth early and late seem fairly displeased with its verall perfrmance. While it des have its quirks, it des several things quite well. The graphics, security, and rganizatin have all been imprved immensely. There is a bit f shck when ne first digs int the perating system; hwever, it is sn alleviated and things start t make sense. This sessin will attempt t explain the differences between Windws Vista and Windws XP frm an everyday user s standpint. We ll als mderately scratch the surface f sme advanced, under-the-hd stuff and make it mre understandable.

2 The Gd, the Bad, and the Ugly Taking a cue frm directr Sergi Lene, let s dissect what wrks and desn t in the prgram. Here is a list f the gd, the bad, and the ugly f Windws Vista. We ll discuss them as we read the list. Feel free t ask any questins yu might have. The gd Tighter security. Aesthetically pleasing appearance. Better rganizatin f file flders. Lightening fast hardware searches Certain aspects f memry management have imprved The bad Slwer bt time than Windws XP. Security Warnings can be a bit excessive. Requires mre RAM. The imprved security smetimes makes ld prgrams wrk incrrectly. Multiple versins f the perating system cnfuses users. The ugly Sme peple will miss the standard graphics f Windws XP. While sme f the new rganizatin f files is nice, thse used t Windws XP might dislike having t adapt t a new way f wrking. Althugh the graphics have dramatically imprved, the new effects (3D Flip, Aer Glass) take a massive amunt f system resurces t run. Mst f what s in the ugly categry culd als be put in the bad, but, t make Vista lk better, I split them in twain. I als really wanted t carry n with my The Gd, The Bad, and The Ugly reference. Wh desn t like Clint Eastwd?

3 Windws welcmes yu The pht yu see befre yu is the new and imprved Windws Welcme Screen. As with previus versins, yu ll see an icn fr each user registered n the cmputer. Here we have accunts fr smene named Daniel, wh is apparently a fan f cats, and Administratr. Nte that n every PC it is a gd idea t keep bth an administratr accunt and ne fr everyday use. Running in administratr full-time gives yu access t every part f a cmputer. S, shuld yu get a virus while running an administratr accunt, the bug will als have full access t yur cmputer.

4 As yu can see, the actual Welcme Screen isn t that different frm past versins f Windws. Yu have an icn fr each user, as I mentined, which yu click t lgin. Shuld the accunt have a passwrd then yu ll be prmpted t enter it. (windws welcmes yu, cnt.) The tw main differences between the Windws XP and Windws Vista Welcme Screens are as fllws: This is the shut ff menu. Shuld yu bt up yur cmputer, then decide yu d rather g utside then simply click the circle with the dash inside t shut dwn immediately. If yu click the up arrw, next t the circle, then yu can tell the pc t g t sleep (Ding this shuts dwn all but the basic elements f the pc. Awakening frm sleep mde is much quicker than bting, but it will drain a laptp battery a slight bit), r yu can restart the system. The abve buttn appears n the lwer left hand side f the welcme screen. It is linked t the Ease f Access features that Micrsft has prvided fr thse wh need them. Here they are, alng with a brief descriptin f each. Narratr: a text t speech utility fr peple wh are blind r have lw visin. Narratr reads what is displayed n the screen the cntents f the active windw, menu ptins, r text that has been typed. This prcedure tells yu hw t turn n and use Narratr. ( fr tutrial) Magnifier: display utility that makes the cmputer screen mre readable by peple wh have lw visin by creating a separate windw that displays a magnified prtin f the

5 screen. ( fr tutrial) High Cntrast: a clr scheme can make the screen easier t view fr sme users by heightening screen cntrast with alternative clr cmbinatins and fnt sizes. Use this accessibility tutrial t adjust High Cntrast settings. ( fr tutrial) (windws wuld like t welcme yu, cnt.) Onscreen Keybard: a utility that displays a virtual keybard n the cmputer screen that allws peple with mbility impairments t type data by using a pinting device r jystick. ( fr tutrial) StickyKeys: an accessibility feature designed fr peple wh have difficulty hlding dwn tw r mre keys at a time. ( fr tutrial) FilterKeys: an accessibility ptin that adjusts the keybard respnse s that inadvertently repeated keystrkes are ignred. Using FilterKeys, yu can als slw the rate at which a key repeats when yu hld it dwn. ( training/windwsxp/filterkeys.aspx fr tutrial) All these features can be accessed under the Cntrl Panel as well. But, in my pinin, setting these up prir t lgging int Windws makes mre sense. Since Micrsft is really pushing a warm, friendly, and welcming experience they want t cntinue t assist yu in making the jump t Windws Vista. Shuld yu be bting up a brand new cmputer fr the first time, yu ll be presented with the Windws Welcme Center sn after pushing the pwer buttn. We will discuss this in the fllwing sectin. G ahead and click the icn that says CC LX (the x will be replaced with the number n the back f the laptp yu have) t sign int Vista. I ve enabled all the laptps t display the Windws Welcme Screen after bting up. We ll take a lk at it next.

6 The Welcme Center The abve screensht is the afrementined Windws Welcme Center. It gives users everything they need t set their new machine up and give an verview f the new perating system. When yu first see the center, yu are given a truncated versin f what is available... t view them all at nce (as they are shwn abve) click shw all 13 items. There are many things available here that will assist yu in making the transitin frm Windws XP t Windws Vista. Nte the Windws Vista Dems, What s New in Windws Vista, and Windws Basics. Thse might be things yu d like t g thrugh in yur wn time.

7 As nted at the bttm f the screen, yu may access yur Windws Welcme Center after yur initial cmputer set up by visiting the Cntrl Panel, System and Maintenance Sectin. Useful Parts f the Welcme Center View cmputer details: By default, the View cmputer details ptin is selected. This causes the specs f yur cmputer t be displayed in the tp bar. If yu click View Mre Details n the right side then yu ll be able t gauge yur Windws Experience Index. The Windws Experience Index is a new feature in Vista that scans yur cmputer s hardware t see hw well it ll run the perating system. 5.0 is a perfect scre (the laptp yu re using nw is a 4.6). After ding the scan, Vista will shut dwn sme f the special effects and unsteady ptins t make things run smthly. Shuld yu be cnsidering a new pc purchase, I d recmmend using this n sme dem mdels befre making up yur mind. Transfer files and settings: This will guide yu in pulling ld files and settings frm previus cmputers t yur new ne. Add new users: This, much like Windws XP, is where yu ll set up user accunts n the system. Remember, as I said earlier in the guide, it is NOT a gd idea t allw everyne t run as administratr. This is a surefire way t have a virus mess up yur lvely new machine. I advise creating ne administratr accunt t use when installing prgrams, then, fr day-t-day use, create a regular accunt fr everyne wh ll be using the pc. Cntrl Panel: Like an ld friend, Cntrl Panel is always there fr yu. This is anther area that is similar t past versins f Windws. The new layut is a bit cnfusing (we ll talk abut it later). Shuld it prve t difficult fr yu t navigate yu are given the ptin f switching t Classic view which resembles XP s lk. This ptin is als given in ther parts f Windws Vista. Ease f Access: This gives yu access t the features I described earlier in the study guide. S, if yu ve already set up things frm the Welcme Screen then dds are yu wn t need t g here. Cnnect t the internet, Add a printer: These tw ptins are self explanatry. They allw yu t set up yur internet cnnectin and add a printer. Ding bth f these actins is n mre difficult than it was in Windws XP.

8 Nw that that s ut f the way, click the X in the upper right hand crner f the Welcme Center t reveal the Windws Desktp. The Desktp and Start Menu Pictured abve is the Windws Vista Desktp. As yu can see, despite a majr verhaul in the graphical presentatin, the layut is quite similar t past versins f Windws. The system tray and clck are still in the lwer right hand crner, the prgram icns are still n the desktp, and minimized prgrams still g t the start bar. Anther change is the remval f the classic My Dcuments, My Cmputer, etc. flders frm the desktp. These are still n yur hard drive, and, if yu want, yu can create shrtcuts t them n yur desktp. The my has been drpped, thugh, and they are simply called Cmputer, Dcuments, and s n. The thing that freaks peple ut the mst is the missing Start Buttn. Fear nt, thugh, as the Start Buttn has merely mrphed int a rund Windws lg. Clicking it brings up

9 the Start Menu, which has changed pretty drastically. In the next area we ll give yu the basics f the new design.

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11 (the desktp and start menu, cnt.) The Start Menu Click the new Start Buttn (r as I like t call it, Big Rund Shiny Windws Lg Thing) t reveal the new and imprved start menu. While the imprved part may be cnsidered debatable by sme, I actually like the way this wrks.

12 (the desktp and start menu, cnt.) The differences yu shuld be aware f are as fllws: Windws Search Windws Search is ne thing Micrsft really gt right in Vista. They ve sped it up a great deal and eliminated the animated dg that attempted t help yu find files in Windws XP. Lk at the bttm f the Start Menu. See the bx that says Start Search? Click in it and type Internet Explrer. Within millisecnds the search prduces the mst relevant results n yur cmputer. Yu can hit enter right after typing yur search and it ll pen the tp result. Dcuments, Cmputer, etc As I mentined, all the My has been eliminated frm the Windws platfrm. These can all be accessed frm the start menu. And, if yu re a fan f the way it used t be, yu can right click the items n yur start menu with yur muse, select Send T frm the menu yu get, and tell it t put a shrtcut n yur desktp. After that, yu may rename the shrtcut My Dcuments. Persnal File Structure- Micrsft s attempt t make Vista a mre rganized perating system was successful. See the cmputer name n the upper right hand side f the start menu? Take yur muse and click it. This brings up the persnal files fr whatever accunt yu are lgged in as. Dcuments, Cntacts, Music, Dwnlads, Favrites, Save Games and mre are all saved here fr easy access. Sme f these areas are als linked directly frm the start menu. Shutting Dwn, Hibernating, Sleeping- T get the Shut Dwn, Restart, etc. ptins click the tiny arrw pinting t the right in the lwer right hand side f the start menu. This gives yu ptins similar t thse yu gt with the red buttn n the welcme screen. We ll g ver them again fr gd measure. Switch User Allws yu t switch t a different user accunt n the cmputer quickly. Lg Off Signs ut f yur accunt and takes yu back t the Welcme Screen.

13 Lck This lcks the machine and desn t allw anyne t use it until yu return and enter in yur passwrd. (the desktp and start menu, cnt.) Restart This will lg yu ut, turn ff yur machine, and restart it. This is handy if yur cmputer gets slw and bgged dwn. Smetimes a restart can wrk wnders. Sleep, Hibernate The ptin given fr putting yur cmputer in sleep mde varies depending upn the versin f Vista (we ll g ver thse befre the end f class) yu purchased. Ours is Windws Vista Business, s we re given the sleep ptin, which puts yur cmputer int a lw pwered mde. Awaking frm sleep mde is much quicker than bting up. This is handy, hwever, ging a mnth ding this in lieu f an actual shut dwn culd cause yur cmputer t slw dwn. Shut Dwn Lgs ut f yur cmputer and turns it ff. Run Bx The Run Bx is a semi-advanced part f Windws that shuld nly be used when needed. Yu can access certain under-the-hd aspects f Windws and prgrams this way. It was a part f the Start Menu in XP, but, nw, it can nly be accessed by pressing the Windws Key (lwer part f yur keybard, in between ALT and Fn) and R at the same time. Althugh this is mainly used t access advanced stuff, yu can als use it t quickly pen certain prgrams. Fr instance, if yu bring up the run bx and type CALC, the Windws Calculatr will pen. This wrks with several prgrams and is handy and can speed things up if yu dn t like hunting fr things. That was quite a bit f infrmatin withut many visual aids. S, if yu have any questins r cmments, please share them nw.

14 Wireless Internet and Netwrk Access Accessing a wireless netwrk has been made incredibly easy in Windws Vista. I ll walk yu thrugh the basic steps in the sectin. Let s start ut by lking at yur system tray, which, as I pinted ut in an early screen sht, is the area in the lwer right hand side f yur screen. It lks like this: See the tw cmputers shaded blue with the glbe between them? Since they lk like that, instead f what is pictured in the right hand phtgraph, that means we are lgged n t the internet. Shuld we nt be cnnected, yu d get the blank cmputers with the red X. T cnnect, simply duble click the blank cmputers with the X. Windws will ntify yu if any wireless netwrks are available immediately. If it says there are sme in yur area, click cnnect and yu ll be given the wireless netwrking menu. Dn t wrry, it sunds mre advanced that it actually is. The menu is pictured at the tp f the next page.

15 (wireless internet and netwrk access, cnt.) This menu shws yu available netwrks near yur cmputer. Thse that say unsecured netwrk are nes that are pen and d nt need a passwrd. Beware f cnnecting t these, thugh, as sme nefarius flks might leave pen access t the internet in hpes f getting persnal data ff yur PC. Using smene else s netwrk culd als make their internet access slwer if yu dwnlad big files s that culd anger them. Make sure yu have permissin frm whever wns the netwrk befre yu use. Select whichever netwrk yu decide t cnnect t, then click cnnect, and in a few secnds yu ll be able t have internet access. It will tell yu when the cnnectin was successfully made. It s that simple.

16 Many malls, restaurants, and libraries nw ffer free wireless internet arund the clck. S, if yu re at Starbucks, McDnalds, Panera Bread, r the Muhlenberg Cunty Public Libraries, yu may surf the web free frm fear. Sadly, Starbucks and McDnalds bth charge fr their access. Randm bits n Windws Vista Yu nw have a gd wrking knwledge f Windws Vista basics. But, befre we re dne, let me give a few brief ntes abut the prduct. Imprved Security- Security is being stressed nw mre than ever in Micrsft prducts. One big difference in this area reveals itself when yu attempt t install a prgram. If yu re lgged in under an administratr accunt (which shuld nly happen if yu re installing smething), yu ll receive several prmpts asking if yu re sure yu want t install the prgram. If yu re nt an administratr, and try t install smething, yu ll be asked fr the administratr passwrd. This is a gd thing in certain situatins. If multiple peple are using yur cmputer then this keeps them frm junking up yur system. It als prevents malicius sftware frm installing itself n yur pc. That said, it can grw annying as the prmpts are smetimes excessive. Yu d think Windws Vista wuld knw that installing a prduct made by Micrsft is kay and that yu want t install it. SuperFetch This functin was built int XP but received little mentin. SuperFetch attempts t speed up yur cmputer by memrizing what yu d at specific parts f the day. If yu pen up a web brwser at 8:00 AM every mrning t lk at CNN fr news, Vista memrizes this and makes sure that the web brwser is laded in t yur cmputer s memry (RAM) at that time every day. This helps things mve a bit faster. Readybst Hw many peple have seen a flash drive? These devices are essentially miniature hard drives that yu can stre infrmatin n and take with yu t ther PCs. If yu wn a flash drive, and it has ReadyBst built in (it will say n the packaging f the drive if it des), yu can help Windws Vista bt up faster. This feature als wrks in Windws XP, hwever, few seem t knw f it.

17 If yu bt up a Vista machine with a Readybst drive plugged in, yur cmputer will be tricked in t thinking that this is extra memry and bt up faster. Since Windws Vista is ntriusly slw at starting up, this is a welcme feature. Windws Update Windws Update functins a little easier than it did befre. It can be accessed via the System and Maintenance sectin in the Cntrl Panel. It ll tell yu autmatically if yu have any updates available and let yu select which nes yu want. It walks yu thrugh the steps in a fairly easy fashin. Windws Defender Windws Vista cmes with a built-in spyware scanner called Windws Defender. It ll warn yu if yu g t lng withut scanning r updating. As with Windws Update, it was made extremely easy t use. When yu re prmpted t scan r update yu simply click the buttn with that cmmand n it. Althugh I m partial t ther spyware scanners, this ne actually wrks quite well, t.

18 In clsing... I culd prbably talk abut Windws Vista fr hurs and still nt cver everything. There are many new functins and features built in that have yet t be discvered by the everyday user. Hwever, I believe with what we ve talked abut tday that yu ll be able t have a great experience with the perating system. Fr the remainder f class I ll take any questins yu might have. And, if yu d like fr me t g ver anything in the Randm Bits sectin in mre detail, I can d that as well. Thanks fr attending!