Guide to glide through Vista

Microsoft’s advertising slogan for its new operating system is: “The wow starts now”.

And many users really will be astonished when they use Windows Vista for the first time – although it’s unlikely to be because of the whizzy new features.

They’re more likely to discover that making the switch to Vista is far from easy.

Getting to grips with the bright new world of Aero can actually be hard work if you’re not prepared.

It’s not just that migration from one operating system to another is always slightly fraught; at first, everything’s more difficult and you’re unsure whether or not you’re going the right way. Changing the way you work can often make you feel like a jogger who’s neglected their training routine.

If you’re just using Vista as a secondary system, the difference will bother you less. You can take your time and get used to Vista’s way of doing things at a gentle pace. But if you bought a new computer with Vista pre-installed, then you won’t have that luxury. And in the business world, time spent learning instead of working can be expensive.

To help make using Vista easier, we’re going to take you on an extended training tour of the new operating system. We’ll tell you about Vista’s main advantages, the weak points and the things it left out. We’re confident that our workout will get you fit for Vista.

Start without stress
With each new operating system, Microsoft has made switching easier. After the change from Windows 3.1 to 95, it felt as if you were on a different planet, but the differences between 95, 98 and ME were fairly limited. Windows XP was the next to introduce radical changes to the user interface. At first glance, Windows Vista doesn’t appear to be very different from Windows XP. However, the devil is in the detail.

Some familiar Windows components such as Outlook Express, the Windows Address book and Task Planner have been replaced with new applications – Windows Mail, Windows Contacts and the Task Scheduler. Some tools, including Net Meeting, Windows Image and Fax viewer and Hyper Terminal, have vanished completely.

Windows Vista contains several new tools, such as a partitioning tool, an anti-spyware utility and a Desktop search engine. Microsoft has also updated system components such as the Microsoft Management Console (MMC), event display and group policies. If all this is starting to make your head spin, don’t worry. Later on we’ll also explain how you can profit from Vista’s automation functions.

Getting there, but…
With common elements such as the Start menu, the Quick Launch bar and the system tray, XP and Vista look very much the same; the biggest visible changes are probably the new Windows Sidebar and the revamped colour schemes.

You only notice the real differences after a while – and in some cases, they’re quite significant. The Start menu now lists all entries on one layer, while Desktop Search is available in almost every window and User Account Control frequently reminds you of the new system of reduced privileges for standard users.

Much of this is well meant, but in practice can be a stumbling block to quick adaptation. Throughout this article, we have plenty of tips in the boxes to help you overcome any hurdles Vista places in your way.

As well as the much-vaunted usability improvements, Vista includes some commands that just don’t make sense. For example, if you want to add frequently used applications to the Quick Launch toolbar, right-click on the corresponding entry in the Start menu and choose ‘Add to Quick Launch.’ Oddly, if you right-click the Quick Launch icon, the command appears there as well.

Plug the gaps with add-on software
Vista is a lot better for accessories than previous versions of Windows. In spite of this, you’ll probably need to make use of some extra utility programs – fax, for example, is one area that’s missing from home editions. At present, however, the range of utilities that work smoothly under Vista is still fairly small.