Contents

Preface ...... xxvii

Read This First ...... 1 Don’t Believe the Hype ...... 2 The Value of Vista ...... 3 in 15 Minutes ...... 3 The New Start Menu ...... 4 Windows Aero...... 5 Flip 3D ...... 6 Programs Explorer Replaces Add/Remove Programs ...... 8 Putting Some Gadgets in Your Windows Sidebar ...... 8 Instant Search and the Search Pane ...... 9 .0 Catches Up ...... 12 IE Protected Mode, Phishing Filter, and Other Security Features ...... 13 Support for RSS News Feeds ...... 13 Encrypt Entire Drives with BitLocker ...... 15 Use Easy Transfer to Move Data to a New PC ...... 15 Parental Controls ...... 17 New Games: Mahjong and Chess ...... 18 Windows Media Player 11 ...... 19 New Music and Video Services ...... 21 and DVD Maker ...... 22 ...... 23 Windows Media Center ...... 25 But Wait; It Gets Better ...... 26 Windows Vista Service Pack 1 ...... 26 and ’s Online Services ...... 29 Windows Live OneCare and Windows Home Server ...... 29 And More ...... 29 My Promise to You ...... 30

Part I: Surviving SetupCOPYRIGHTED ...... 31 MATERIAL

Chapter 1: Selecting the Right Vista Version ...... 33 An Overview of All the Vista Versions ...... 34 Understanding the Differences and Choosing the Right Version ...... 36 Step 1: Whittling Down the Product Editions List ...... 36 Step 2: Understanding the Differences between the Product Editions ...... 39 Step 3: Making the Right Product-Edition Choice ...... 44 Purchasing Windows Vista ...... 48 With a New PC ...... 48

442001ftoc.indd2001ftoc.indd xiiixiii 99/2/08/2/08 11:02:26:02:26 PMPM xiv Windows Vista Secrets

Retail Boxed Copies ...... 49 OEM Versions ...... 53 Windows Anytime Upgrade ...... 55 Summary ...... 57

Chapter 2: Installing or Upgrading to Windows Vista ...... 59 Taking the Easy Way Out: Acquiring Windows Vista with a New PC ...... 60 Interactive Setup ...... 60 Clean Install ...... 61 Upgrading ...... 79 Dual-Booting with Windows XP ...... 83 Upgrading from One Vista Version to Another: Windows Anywhere Upgrade ...... 90 How It Works ...... 91 Upgrading with an Anytime Upgrade Disk ...... 92 Installing Windows Vista Service Pack 1 ...... 94 Slipstreaming Service Packs and Other Vista Updates ...... 96 Performing a Clean Install with an Upgrade Version of Vista ...... 100 Microsoft’s Documented Method for Clean-Installing Vista with Upgrade Media...... 100 Delaying Product Activation ...... 102 Installing Windows Vista on a Mac ...... 105 Dual Boot: Using Boot Camp ...... 105 Windows on Mac: Virtualization Solutions ...... 108 Summary ...... 110

Chapter 3: Hardware and Software Compatibility ...... 111 Hidden Perils of the Vista Upgrade ...... 112 The Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor ...... 113 Using the Upgrade Advisor ...... 114 Picking through the Results ...... 116 Drivers That Lack a Vista-Compatible Version ...... 119 Understanding Windows Vista Compatibility Issues ...... 119 Hardware Compatibility ...... 119 Software Compatibility ...... 120 x64: Is It Time? ...... 121 Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Offers Better Compatibility ...... 121 Dealing with Software Incompatibility ...... 123 Compatibility Mode...... 124 Virtual PC ...... 126 Summary ...... 132

Part II: The Windows Vista User Experience ...... 133

Chapter 4: What’s New in the Windows Vista User Interface ...... 135 Understanding the Windows Vista User Experience ...... 136 Windows Classic ...... 139

442001ftoc.indd2001ftoc.indd xivxiv 99/2/08/2/08 1:02:261:02:26 PMPM Contents xv

Windows Vista Basic ...... 140 Windows Vista Standard ...... 142 Windows Aero...... 143 Exploring with the Windows Vista Explorer Shell ...... 148 Start Menu ...... 148 Desktop ...... 157 ...... 163 Notifi cation Area and System Clock ...... 167 Windows Vista Explorer ...... 170 Summary ...... 177

Chapter 5: Where’s My Stuff? Finding and Organizing Files ...... 179 Understanding Special Shell Folders...... 180 Visualization and Organization: How the Windows Vista Shell Works...... 183 Sorting the Vista View Styles ...... 186 Where Is It Now? ...... 191 Search Folders, Saved Searches, and Virtual Folders ...... 192 Understanding Search Folders ...... 194 Using Prebuilt Search Folders ...... 194 Creating Your Own Search Folders ...... 197 Summary ...... 204

Chapter 6: Using Windows Sidebar ...... 205 What Is Windows Sidebar? ...... 206 Launching Windows Sidebar ...... 208 Confi guring Sidebar ...... 210 Confi guring the Sidebar Display ...... 210 Adding Gadgets to the Sidebar ...... 214 Looking at the Built-In Gadgets ...... 215 Confi guring Gadgets ...... 217 Moving Gadgets to the Windows Desktop ...... 218 Removing Gadgets ...... 220 Finding New Gadgets ...... 222 Where Have I Seen This Before? ...... 223 Exploring Sidebar Alternatives ...... 225 Google Desktop ...... 225 Yahoo! Widgets...... 226 Summary ...... 228

Chapter 7: Personalizing and Confi guring Windows Vista ...... 229 The Windows Vista User Interface ...... 230 Customizing the Start Menu ...... 230 Cleaning Up the Tray Notifi cation Area ...... 238 Confi guring Folder Options ...... 239 Forcing Explorer to Remember Window Settings ...... 241 Replacing Vista’s Compressed Folders with Something Useful ...... 241

442001ftoc.indd2001ftoc.indd xvxv 99/2/08/2/08 1:02:261:02:26 PMPM xvi Windows Vista Secrets

Replacing the User Interface ...... 242 Branding Windows Vista like a PC Maker ...... 243 Making It Faster: Performance Tweaks ...... 246 Taking Out the Trash ...... 246 Making It Boot Faster ...... 247 Using Vista’s Performance Options ...... 249 Monitoring Performance and Reliability ...... 251 Making Menus Faster ...... 253 Improving Vista’s Memory ...... 254 Summary ...... 257

Part III: Security ...... 259

Chapter 8: Vista Security Features ...... 261 Security and Windows Vista ...... 262 Securing Windows Vista in Just Two Steps ...... 263 Windows Security Center ...... 264 Windows Defender ...... 267 Windows ...... 268 ...... 271 User Account Security Features ...... 273 Internet Explorer 7 Security Features ...... 273 ActiveX Opt-In...... 274 Protected Mode ...... 274 Fix My Settings ...... 276 Phishing Filter ...... 277 Delete Browsing History ...... 277 Other Internet Explorer Security Features ...... 278 BitLocker Drive Encryption ...... 278 Low-Level Security Features ...... 282 Summary ...... 282

Chapter 9: Users, Accounts, and UAC ...... 283 Understanding User Accounts ...... 284 Creating the Initial User Account ...... 285 Understanding Account Types ...... 285 ...... 286 Parental Controls...... 296 Confi guring Parental Controls ...... 296 Running as Standard User with Parental Controls ...... 304 Summary ...... 308

Chapter 10: Windows Vista Networking ...... 309 Windows XP with SP2: First-Generation Vista Networking ...... 310 What’s New in Windows Vista Networking ...... 314 Network Locations ...... 316

442001ftoc.indd2001ftoc.indd xvixvi 99/2/08/2/08 1:02:261:02:26 PMPM Contents xvii

Network and Sharing Center ...... 319 Network Map ...... 320 Connected Networks ...... 321 Sharing and Discovery ...... 323 View Computers and Devices ...... 324 Connect to a Network ...... 326 Set Up a Connection or Network ...... 330 Managing Network Connections ...... 333 Diagnosing and Repairing ...... 335 Sharing Between PCs ...... 336 Sharing Folders ...... 336 Sharing Printers ...... 340 Sharing Media Libraries ...... 343 Summary ...... 343

Part IV: Digital Media and Entertainment ...... 345

Chapter 11: Windows Media Player ...... 347 Media Player Basics ...... 348 Setting Up Windows Media Player 11 ...... 348 Understanding the Windows Media Player 11 User Interface ...... 354 Playing Music and Other Media ...... 363 Finding and Managing Your Music ...... 365 Playing with Photos, Videos, and Recorded TV Shows ...... 368 Ripping CDs to the PC ...... 376 Ripping Music ...... 378 Burning Your Own Music CDs ...... 380 Synchronizing with Portable Devices ...... 383 Using Windows Media–Compatible Devices ...... 383 Sharing Your Music Library ...... 389 Connecting to a Shared Music Library with Windows Vista ...... 391 Connecting to a Shared Music Library with Xbox 360 ...... 393 Accessing Online Music Stores ...... 395 Amazon MP3 ...... 395 Other Windows Media Player 11–Compatible Music Stores ...... 398 Other Online Music Stores ...... 400 Windows Media Player Alternatives ...... 400 Apple iTunes ...... 401 Apple QuickTime Player and QuickTime Pro ...... 401 GOM Player ...... 401 Media Player Classic ...... 401 Microsoft Zune ...... 401 RealNetworks RealPlayer ...... 402 VLC Media Player ...... 402 WinAmp ...... 402 Summary ...... 403

442001ftoc.indd2001ftoc.indd xviixvii 99/2/08/2/08 1:02:261:02:26 PMPM xviii Windows Vista Secrets

Chapter 12: Zune: A Digital Media Alternative...... 405 Why Zune? ...... 406 Zune 1.0 ...... 407 Zune 2.0 ...... 408 Media Player Alternative: A Look at the Zune PC Software ...... 409 Finding and Installing Zune ...... 409 Confi guring the Zune Software ...... 412 Using Zune ...... 414 Sharing Zune ...... 429 World Wide Zune: A Look at the Zune Online Services ...... 431 Zune Marketplace ...... 431 Zune Social ...... 437 Zune to Go: Using Zune Devices ...... 440 Choosing a Zune...... 442 Link Your Zune: Installing and Confi guring the Player ...... 443 To Sync or Not to Sync, That Is the Question...... 448 Updating Zune ...... 452 Summary ...... 453

Chapter 13: Enjoying Digital Photos ...... 455 Using the Pictures Folders ...... 456 Where Is It Now? ...... 457 Where Are the Pictures?...... 458 Organizing Photos with the Windows Vista Shell ...... 460 Viewing Photos in Windows Vista ...... 465 Customizing a Picture Folder ...... 466 Playing Photo Slideshows from the Shell ...... 468 Managing Pictures with Windows Photo Gallery ...... 470 Examining the Photo Gallery User Interface ...... 470 Changing How Your Digital Memories Are Displayed ...... 473 Importing Pictures into Photo Gallery ...... 481 Editing Pictures ...... 486 Sharing Photos with Others ...... 492 Using Photo Gallery to Manage Digital Videos ...... 497 Upgrading to Windows Live Photo Gallery ...... 499 At a Glance: Determining Which Application You’re Using...... 500 Simpler Photo Selection ...... 501 New View Styles ...... 502 Photo Stitching ...... 503 Adjust Detail/Sharpen Photo Fix ...... 504 QuickTime Movie Support ...... 504 Dramatically Improved Photo Acquisition ...... 505 Integration with Windows Live Services and Third-Party Services ...... 510 Summary ...... 511

Chapter 14: Digital Videos and DVD Movies ...... 513 Managing Digital Movies with Windows Vista ...... 514

442001ftoc.indd2001ftoc.indd xviiixviii 99/2/08/2/08 1:02:261:02:26 PMPM Contents xix

Watching and Managing Movies with Windows Photo Gallery and Windows Live Photo Gallery ...... 517 Watching and Managing Movies with Windows Media Player ...... 520 Watching and Managing Movies with Windows Media Center ...... 521 Editing Digital Video with Windows Movie Maker ...... 525 Starting Windows Movie Maker ...... 526 Understanding the Movie Maker User Interface ...... 528 Importing Digital Media into a Project ...... 530 Editing a Recorded TV Show or Movie ...... 533 Sharing Your Movies ...... 546 Saving and Working with Projects ...... 553 Creating DVD Movies with Windows DVD Maker ...... 553 Adding Photos and Videos to Your DVD Project ...... 556 Naming Your DVD Movie ...... 560 Understanding DVD Movie Options ...... 561 Working with DVD Menus ...... 563 Changing Other DVD Options ...... 564 Writing the Movie to Disk ...... 569 The Final Frontier: Duplicating and Copying DVDs ...... 569 Duplicating DVD Movies ...... 571 Ripping DVDs to the PC ...... 573 Summary ...... 578

Chapter 15: Vista in the Living Room: Windows Media Center ...... 579 A Short History of Media Center ...... 580 Media Center in Windows Vista ...... 582 Confi guring Media Center ...... 584 Running the Setup Wizard ...... 585 Confi guring Media Center Features after Setup ...... 593 A Somewhat New User Interface...... 596 Exploring the Media Center Experiences ...... 601 TV and Movies...... 601 Pictures and Videos ...... 607 Music ...... 609 Accessing Windows Media Center Away from the PC ...... 612 Using an Xbox 360 or Media Center Extender ...... 613 Synchronizing with Portable Devices ...... 619 Burning a DVD Movie or Music CD ...... 622 Summary ...... 626

Chapter 16: Having Fun: Games and Vista ...... 627 Games Included with Windows Vista ...... 628 Chess Titans ...... 628 FreeCell ...... 629 Hearts ...... 629 Hold ’Em...... 629 InkBall ...... 631

442001ftoc.indd2001ftoc.indd xixxix 99/2/08/2/08 1:02:261:02:26 PMPM xx Windows Vista Secrets

Mahjong Titans ...... 631 Minesweeper ...... 632 Purble Place ...... 633 Solitaire ...... 633 Spider Solitaire ...... 633 Using the Games Folder ...... 635 Game Updates and Options ...... 637 Rating Your System’s Performance ...... 638 Managing Your Game Controllers and Other Game-Related Hardware ...... 639 Installing and Playing Third-Party Games ...... 642 Using Legacy Games with Windows Vista ...... 642 Downloading More Games for Windows Vista ...... 645 Games for Windows Live ...... 646 Xbox Live on Windows: What Needs to Happen ...... 647 The Games for Windows Live Experience ...... 647 Summary ...... 652

Part V: Mobility ...... 653

Chapter 17: Vista to Go: Windows Vista Mobility Features ...... 655 Windows Vista on the Road ...... 656 Working with the Vista User Interface ...... 656 Power Management ...... 660 Updated Battery Meter ...... 661 Power Plans ...... 663 Power Options Control Panel ...... 665 Deleting a Power Plan ...... 674 Windows Mobility Center ...... 675 Presentations A-Go-Go ...... 677 Presentation Settings ...... 677 Using a Network Projector ...... 678 Other Mobile Features ...... 678 Offl ine Files and Folders ...... 678 Windows Meeting Space ...... 680 Windows SideShow ...... 683 Improved Support for Tablet PC Hardware ...... 683 Summary ...... 684

Chapter 18: Using Tablet PCs and Ultra-Mobile PCs ...... 685 A Short History of the Tablet PC ...... 686 Tablet PC Capabilities in Windows Vista ...... 690 Using a Tablet PC ...... 690 Confi guring Tablet PC Features ...... 691 Tablet PC Input Panel ...... 697 Flicks and Gestures ...... 702 Password Hiding on Logon with Pen ...... 707

442001ftoc.indd2001ftoc.indd xxxx 99/2/08/2/08 1:02:261:02:26 PMPM Contents xxi

Shell Changes for Tablet PC Users ...... 708 Revisiting Some Old Friends ...... 710 Working with Ultra-Mobile PCs ...... 714 Origami 1.0 ...... 714 A Vista Origami ...... 715 A Tour of the UMPC Software ...... 716 Summary ...... 724

Part VI: Internet and Networking ...... 725

Chapter 19: Browsing the Web ...... 727 What Happened ...... 728 Basic Internet Explorer Usage ...... 729 Starting Internet Explorer ...... 729 New Link, New Window…or New Tab ...... 730 Managing Downloads from the Internet ...... 730 Edit on the Internet Explorer Toolbar ...... 731 The Complete AutoComplete ...... 731 Finding Web Sites ...... 732 Autosearch for a Web Address ...... 733 Copy and Paste Links ...... 733 Toggling Internet Explorer between Full-Screen Mode and Restore ...... 733 Favorites and Offl ine Web Pages ...... 734 URL Shortcuts ...... 735 Saving Graphics from the Web to Your PC ...... 736 Saving Complete Web Pages ...... 736 Turning Your Favorites into a Web Page ...... 737 Internet Explorer 7 Is Not Your Father’s Web Browser ...... 738 The Command Bar ...... 739 Where Is It Now? ...... 741 New Internet Explorer 7 Features and Functionality ...... 742 Managing Your Favorite Web Sites with Favorites Center ...... 742 Navigating the Web with Tabbed Browsing ...... 745 Integrated Web Search ...... 749 Working with the Internet Explorer 7 Display ...... 752 Printing ...... 755 Covering Your Tracks ...... 759 Understanding and Using RSS ...... 760 Viewing an RSS Feed ...... 761 Subscribing to an RSS Feed ...... 763 Managing RSS Feeds ...... 763 RSS Is a Platform...... 765 Internet Explorer 7 Keyboard Shortcuts ...... 766 To the Future with ...... 768 Activities ...... 768 WebSlices ...... 770

442001ftoc.indd2001ftoc.indd xxixxi 99/2/08/2/08 1:02:261:02:26 PMPM xxii Windows Vista Secrets

Other New Features in Internet Explorer 8 ...... 772 Developer-Oriented Changes ...... 773 Web Browser Alternatives: Mozilla Firefox and Apple Safari ...... 774 Mozilla Firefox ...... 774 Apple Safari ...... 777 Summary ...... 780

Chapter 20: Managing E-mail and Contacts ...... 781 Windows Mail Basics ...... 782 Confi guring Windows Mail: A Few Quick Tips for Getting Started ...... 783 Changing Windows Mail Options Right Away ...... 784 More Windows Mail Features ...... 785 Working Online or Offl ine ...... 787 Using a Nondefault Mail or News Account ...... 787 Using Windows Mail with E-mail ...... 788 Handling Multiple E-mail Accounts ...... 788 Choosing Which Account to Send Your Messages Through ...... 788 New Mail Notifi cations ...... 789 Leaving Mail on the Server ...... 789 Converting Mail ...... 789 Reading and Managing Messages ...... 789 Did You Receive the Message? ...... 790 Choosing Your Columns ...... 790 Composing and Sending Messages ...... 790 Using the Drafts Folder ...... 791 Quoting in Replies and Forwards ...... 791 Messages Formatted in HTML ...... 792 Attachments...... 792 New Features in Windows Mail ...... 793 Slightly Updated User Interface ...... 793 No More Support for Web Mail ...... 793 Web Instant Search ...... 795 Contacts Integration ...... 796 Automatic Spell Checking ...... 796 No More Identities ...... 798 New Mail Storage ...... 799 Security Features ...... 800 : The Next Generation ...... 801 Installing Windows Live Mail ...... 803 Understanding the Windows Live User Interface ...... 805 Accessing RSS Feeds ...... 810 Using Photo Mail ...... 813 Managing Contacts ...... 819 Contacts in Windows Vista ...... 820 Windows Live Contacts: Your Contacts in the Clouds ...... 825 Importing and Exporting: Moving Contacts between Windows Live and Windows Contacts ... 828 Summary ...... 829

442001ftoc.indd2001ftoc.indd xxiixxii 99/2/08/2/08 1:02:261:02:26 PMPM Contents xxiii

Chapter 21: Turning It Up a Notch with Microsoft’s Live Services ...... 831 Windows Live and Windows Vista ...... 833 Going Online and Learning about Windows Live...... 836 Windows Live Services That Make Windows Vista Better ...... 836 Tying It All Together: Windows Live ID ...... 836 Windows Live Hotmail (Hotmail) and Windows Live Contacts ...... 837 ...... 843 Windows Live Events ...... 844 Windows Live SkyDrive ...... 845 Windows Live Suite ...... 846 Windows Live OneCare ...... 851 A Few Other Windows Live Services ...... 853 Live.com ...... 853 Windows Live OneCare Safety Scanner and Windows Live OneCare Family Safety ...... 855 Beyond Windows Live ...... 856 Live Mesh ...... 856 MSN ...... 861 Summary ...... 862

Part VII: Home Offi ce/Power User ...... 863

Chapter 22: Managing Your Schedule with Windows Calendar ...... 865 Understanding PC Calendaring ...... 866 Exploring Windows Calendar...... 868 Understanding the Windows Calendar Interface ...... 869 Understanding Windows Calendar Lingo ...... 870 Working with Calendars and Groups ...... 870 Understanding Calendar Views and Navigation ...... 872 Hiding and Viewing Calendars ...... 875 Confi guring Windows Calendar ...... 875 Working with Appointments ...... 876 Examining Appointment Details ...... 877 Confi guring Appointments ...... 880 Taking Calendar to Task…with Tasks ...... 880 Creating Tasks ...... 880 Confi guring Tasks ...... 882 Sharing Calendars ...... 882 Importing and Exporting Calendars ...... 883 Publishing and Subscribing to Calendars ...... 883 Searching Calendars ...... 887 Printing Calendars ...... 888 Integrating with Other Windows Vista Applications ...... 889 A Quick Look at Windows Live Calendar ...... 890 Summary ...... 891

442001ftoc.indd2001ftoc.indd xxiiixxiii 99/2/08/2/08 1:02:261:02:26 PMPM xxiv Windows Vista Secrets

Chapter 23: Keeping Your Data Safe ...... 893 Different Backups, Different Goals ...... 894 Data Backup ...... 894 Complete PC Backup ...... 895 File Recovery ...... 895 Available Tools in Various Vista Versions ...... 895 One Tool to Rule Them All: Using the Backup and Restore Center ...... 896 Backing Up Documents, Pictures, and Other Data ...... 897 Managing Backups ...... 904 Restoring Files ...... 905 Backing Up the Entire PC ...... 908 Restoring the Entire PC ...... 911 Recovering Old Versions of Data Files ...... 912 Using System Restore to Repair Windows ...... 914 Summary ...... 916

Chapter 24: Automating Windows Vista with Windows PowerShell ...... 917 Getting PowerShell ...... 918 Understanding PowerShell ...... 919 Constructing a PowerShell Command ...... 921 Seeing All the Commands ...... 923 Getting Help with Commands ...... 924 Why a New Language? ...... 924 Windows PowerShell Quick Reference ...... 926 Add ...... 926 Clear ...... 926 Compare ...... 927 Convert ...... 927 Copy ...... 927 Export ...... 928 ForEach ...... 928 Format ...... 928 Get ...... 929 Import ...... 930 Invoke ...... 931 Join ...... 931 Measure ...... 931 Move ...... 931 New ...... 932 Out ...... 932 Pop ...... 933 Push ...... 933 Read ...... 933 Remove ...... 934 Rename ...... 934 Resolve ...... 934 Restart ...... 935

442001ftoc.indd2001ftoc.indd xxivxxiv 99/2/08/2/08 1:02:261:02:26 PMPM Contents xxv

Resume ...... 935 Select ...... 935 Set ...... 935 Sort ...... 936 Split ...... 936 Start ...... 937 Stop ...... 937 Suspend ...... 937 Tee ...... 937 Test ...... 938 Trace ...... 938 Update ...... 938 Where ...... 938 Write ...... 939 Taking It to the Next Level ...... 939 Useful Windows PowerShell Web Sites ...... 939 Recommended Windows PowerShell Books ...... 940 Summary ...... 940

Chapter 25: Beyond Vista: Managing Multiple PCs ...... 941 Windows Live OneCare ...... 942 Windows Live OneCare Management Concepts ...... 943 Installing and Confi guring Windows Live OneCare ...... 945 Windows Live OneCare Features ...... 947 Windows Home Server ...... 954 Windows Home Server Installation and Confi guration ...... 955 Admin Console Drive-By ...... 958 Deep Dive: Windows Home Server Features ...... 965 Windows Live OneCare/Windows Home Server Integration ...... 971 Summary ...... 971

Index ...... 973

442001ftoc.indd2001ftoc.indd xxvxxv 99/2/08/2/08 1:02:271:02:27 PMPM