Contents
An Introduction to Windows Vista
What’s New in Windows Vista?
How to Use the Vista Desktop
How to Use the Vista Start Menu
How to Navigate Files and Folders in Vista
How to Use Vista’s Search
How to Use Vista’s Security Center
How to Browse the Web with Vista
How to Manage Email with Vista
Learn more with these titles from Barnes & Noble
 |
- A rundown of the various versions of Vista and which one suits you best
- A guide to the new Vista desktop, including Windows Aero and Flip 3-D
- Ways to use Vista to search your PC, get online, and manage email
|
 |
|
 |
|
An Introduction to Windows Vista
Windows Vista is the latest version of Microsoft Windows, the operating system that runs on 95% of PCs worldwide. The successor to Windows XP, Vista is by far the most powerful version of Windows yet. In addition to Vista’s dozens of new features and improvements, the most obvious change is Windows Aero, a suite of visual enhancements, including translucent and 3-D windows, that makes Vista look and feel unlike any previous version of Windows.
The Four Main Versions of Vista
Before you start using Vista, you need to know which version to buy. There are four versions on the market, and your choice will affect how Vista looks and works on your PC.
- Ultimate: As the name implies, Vista Ultimate ($399.95) includes all of Vista’s new features and is the most expensive and powerful version of Vista.
- Home Premium: Vista Home Premium ($239.95) is the version that most everyday PC users run. It includes Aero and most—though not all—of Vista Ultimate’s other core features.
- Home Basic: Vista Home Basic ($199.95) is the cheapest and most stripped-down version of Vista. It’s the only version of Vista that doesn’t include Aero. Though Home Basic has some of Vista’s new features, such as better security and search, most users won’t find enough of a difference between it and Windows XP to justify the cost of buying or upgrading to Vista.
- Business: Vista Business ($299.95) is designed for business users running Vista on a network. It offers a variety of enhanced network security features that few home-based users need.
Which Version Should You Buy?
For most everyday users, Vista Home Premium is the best version to buy. It includes almost all of the features of Vista Ultimate for much less money. And you probably won’t miss the few Ultimate features that Home Premium lacks, such as advanced data encryption and networking options.
Though the low price of the Home Basic version might be tempting, it’s definitely worth spending the extra money for Home Premium, which has Aero plus many more essential features that Home Basic lacks. All of the features and
instructions in this guide apply to the Home Premium edition of Windows Vista, unless otherwise noted.
The Full Version vs. The Upgrade Version
Each version of Vista comes in both a full version and an upgrade version.
- Full version: Allows you to install Vista on any PC, with or without a prior version of Windows. The prices listed earlier refer to the full versions of Vista.
- Upgrade version: Allows you to install Vista only on a PC that has a prior version of Windows (such as Windows 2000 or XP) already installed. The upgrade version contains all of the features of the full version but costs 20–30% less.
If you already have a previous version of Windows installed, it’s generally best to buy the upgrade version of Vista.
Which Version of Windows Vista Do You Have?
If Vista came preinstalled on your PC, you most likely have Vista Home Basic or Home Premium. To check which version you have:
- Click on the Start Button (located at the bottom left corner of the screen). The Start Menu will pop up.
- In the Start Menu, click on Welcome Center.
- The version of Windows you have is displayed to the right of the computer graphic
near the top of the Welcome Center window.
System Requirements for Windows Vista
System requirements are the minimum specs, such as memory and processor speed, that your PC needs in order to run certain software programs. Microsoft has split the system requirements for Vista into two tiers: Vista Capable and Vista Premium Ready.
- Vista Capable PCs: Can run all of Vista’s most crucial new features, such as the improved search and security options, but can’t run many of Vista’s premium features, including Aero. Vista Capable PCs will not be able to run premium features even if you’re running a version of Vista that includes these features, such as Home Premium.
- Vista Premium Ready PCs: Can run all of Vista’s features, including Aero and all other premium features.
Windows Vista’s Minimum System Requirements
The following table shows the minimum specs your PC needs to qualify as Vista Capable or Premium Ready.
Capable |
Premium Ready |
|||
CPU type |
Pentium or later |
Pentium or later |
||
CPU speed |
800 MHz |
1 GHz |
||
Memory |
512 MB RAM |
1 GB RAM |
||
Graphics card |
DirectX 9 capable |
DirectX 9 capable with 128 MB RAM |
||
Hard drive size |
20 GB |
40 GB |
||
Hard drive free space |
15 GB |
15 GB |
||
Drives |
DVD-ROM |
DVD-RW |
If you don’t know your system’s specs, you can get a quick overview of most of them by clicking on the Start Button and selecting Welcome Center. A snapshot of specs, including CPU type, CPU speed, and memory, will appear near the top of the Welcome Center window. For a complete rundown of your specs, contact your PC’s manufacturer.
Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor
To get a quick assessment of your PC’s Vista readiness, you can download the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor, a software application that Microsoft offers for free at www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/upgradeadvisor. The program checks your PC’s specs and provides you with a summary of the following info:
- Whether your PC can run Vista, and if so, whether it’s Vista Capable or Vista Premium Ready
- Which version of Vista will run best on your PC
- Which Vista features, such as Aero, will run on your PC
System Requirements You’ll Want Your PC to Have
Though you can run Vista with a PC that has only the minimum specs, to take full advantage of Vista’s many new features, you’ll want a PC with Vista Premium Ready specs, at the least. If you can afford to buy a PC with even better than Premium Ready specs, the following specs will give you the best experience with Vista:
- CPU type: Core 2 Duo or better
- Processor: 2 GHz or faster
- Memory: 2 GB RAM or more
- Hard drive size: 100 GB or more
| Acknowledgments & Disclaimer |
