Special efforts have been made address a myriad of concerns, ranging from iron-clad security measures to better usability for the common household PC dabbler. Seven versions comprise the Vista stable, starting with Vista Starter Edition, available exclusively in emerging markets, through three additional Home editions and on up to the Business class, with Vista Enterprise Edition for larger companies.
Check in at the Windows Vista Updates Resource Center for up-to-the-minute news about the ongoing evolution of this exciting new operating system.
Windows Vista includes built-in accessibility settings and programs that make it easier for you to see, hear, and use your computer. The accessibility settings and programs in Windows Vista are particularly helpful to people with visual difficulties, hearing loss, pain in their hands or arms, or reasoning and cognitive issues.
Major accessibility improvements in Windows Vista include:
The new Ease of Access Center to help you find the settings and tools that make it easier for you to see, hear, and use your computer.
Improved magnification capabilities in Microsoft Magnifier.
Improved text-to-speech capabilities in Microsoft Narrator.
The new Speech Recognition experience that lets you interact with your computer by voice.
Ease of Access Center
The new Ease of Access Center in Windows Vista provides a convenient, centralized place to locate accessibility settings and programs to make your computer easier to use. The Ease of Access Center includes quick access to common tools, a questionnaire to get recommendations for accessibility settings and tools, and the ability to explore all accessibility settings in seven categories. The Ease of Access Center can be found in the Control Panel in Windows Vista or by selecting Windows logo key+U. The Ease of Access icon is also available when you are logging into Windows Vista. The Ease of Access Center replaces the Accessibility Wizard and Utilities Manager in previous versions of Windows.
Make your computer easier to use with the Ease of Access Center.
Gain quick access to common tools
Start Narrator, Magnifier, On-Screen Keyboard, and High Contrast quickly from Quick access to common tools in the Ease of Access Center. When you start these tools from the Quick Access section, the tools will turn off after you log off or shut down. If you want these tools to start automatically every time you log on, turn them on under the Explore all settings categories.
Get recommendations for settings
The Ease of Access Center includes a new, optional questionnaire (that replaces the Accessibility Wizard found in previous versions of Windows). Based on your answers, a custom list of recommended accessibility settings is provided so you can choose which options you want to try. You can take this questionnaire and adjust your settings as often as you like. This new questionnaire takes the guesswork out of selecting settings.
The questionnaire includes questions about performing routine tasks, such as whether you have trouble seeing faces or text on TV, hearing normal conversations, or using a pen or pencil. Based on your answers, Windows Vista provides a personalized recommendation of the accessibility settings and programs that are likely to improve your ability to see, hear, and use your computer.
The questionnaire asks questions that relate to:
- Eyesight
- Dexterity
- Hearing
- Speech
- Reasoning Tasks
You can find the questionnaire in the Ease of Access Center (in the Control Panel) by selecting Get recommendations for settings.
Explore all settings by category
Instead of looking for accessibility settings in various places on your computer, Windows Vista brings all those settings together and organizes them into categories that you can explore in the Ease of Access Center.
You can explore seven different categories of accessibility settings and programs:
- Use the computer without a display.
- Make the computer easier to see.
- Use the computer without a mouse or keyboard.
- Make the mouse easier to use.
- Make the keyboard easier to use.
- Use text or visual alternatives for sounds.
- Make it easier to focus on tasks.
Make things on the screen larger with Magnifier
Magnifier is a magnification program in Windows Vista that enables you to enlarge a portion of your computer screen in a separate window to make it easier to see. The magnification quality has improved from previous versions. Now you can choose magnification levels up to 16 times the original size, and you can choose to track the mouse, the keyboard, or text editing.
In Magnifier, you can choose to:
- Invert the colors for better screen legibility.
- Move the Magnifier window anywhere on your screen.
- Choose a docking position which places the magnifier window at the left, top, right, or bottom of your screen.
- Adjust the tracking focus so that it follows the movement of the mouse cursor, keyboard focus, or text editing.
Hear text read aloud with Narrator
Narrator is the text-to-speech program in Windows Vista that reads what is displayed on your screen, including the contents of the active window, menu options, or the text you have typed. Narrator reads menus without leaving the active window and includes a pleasant, natural-sounding voice.
Narrator has a number of options that allow you to customize the way screen elements are read. You can:
- Read Narrator menus without leaving the active window.
- Move around the desktop with the number keys using virtual focus, which allows you to move through the objects on the desktop and read aloud any content they contain.
- Move around the desktop with the arrow keys using virtual menus.
- Use bookmarks to find commonly used programs.
You can choose the type of text Narrator reads aloud, such as keystrokes, system messages, and scroll notifications, and you can choose voice settings. Plus, Narrator is compatible with any SAPI-compliant voice for users who can use a different voice.
Type with On-Screen Keyboard
On-Screen Keyboard in Windows Vista displays a visual keyboard with all of the standard keys on the screen. Instead of relying on the physical keyboard to type, you can select keys using the mouse or another pointing device, a small group of keys, or just one key. Several keyboard layouts are available in On-Screen Keyboard, and views are available to promote faster typing or to give access to the maximum number of keys. You can choose the typing mode that works best for you—clicking mode, hovering mode, or scanning mode. To make the On-Screen Keyboard keys easier to see, you can change the font, font style, and font size from the Settings menu.
Interact with your PC by voice using Speech Recognition
With Speech Recognition, you can dictate documents and e-mail, fill out forms on the web, and command applications and the operating system by saying what you see. Right from the beginning, you are guided through an easy setup process and an interactive training application that will familiarize you with the voice commands. Whether it is starting an application, selecting a word, or correcting a sentence, you are always in control and guided toward a list of smart choices.
Speech Recognition is fully integrated into Windows Vista and is built on top of the latest Microsoft speech technologies. It features state-of-the-art voice recognition accuracy that is designed to improve as people use it, adapting to their speaking style and vocabulary.
Find assistive technology products for Windows Vista
Assistive technology products are innovative technology solutions that empower people with physical and cognitive difficulties to use computers more easily and effectively. Microsoft worked closely with assistive technology companies around the world to ensure specialized products—such as voice recognition software, screen readers, screen magnifiers, and on-screen keyboards—are compatible with Windows. As a result, Windows Vista users have more choice in the types of the technology solutions they can use to meet their particular needs. Many assistive technology products are compatible with Windows. Find more information on assistive technology products for Windows Vista.
When selecting assistive technology products, it is critical to find products that are compatible with your existing software programs and that will address your specific needs. This can be challenging, but experts are available to help. A network of Microsoft Accessibility Resource Centers can help you learn more about assistive and accessible technology and determine which solutions are right for you.
These experts can demonstrate both accessibility settings in Windows Vista and specialty assistive technology products. You can try accessibility settings while you're at the center or take home a Microsoft Accessibility CD Set to explore accessibility on your own. Some centers also have lending libraries, so you may be able to try out an assistive technology product before you buy. Locate a center near you.
Accessibility features in Windows Vista
- Ease of Access Center
Provides a centralized location where you can adjust accessibility settings and manage accessibility programs.
- Speech Recognition
Enables you to interact with your computer using only your voice while maintaining, or even increasing, your productivity.
- Magnifier
Enlarges part of the screen while you work, leaving the rest of your desktop in a standard display
- Narrator
A text-to-speech program that reads aloud on-screen text and describes some events (such as error messages) that happen while you're using the computer.
- On-Screen Keyboard
A visual, on-screen keyboard with all the standard keys that you can use instead of a physical keyboard. On-Screen Keyboard also lets you type using an alternative input device.
- Keyboard shortcuts
Use keyboard shortcuts as an alternative to the mouse. Keyboard shortcuts can be found in the menus of programs, or, if a letter is underlined on a menu, it usually means that pressing the ALT key in combination with the underlined key has the same effect as clicking that menu item.
- Mouse Keys
Instead of using the mouse, you can use the arrow keys on the numeric keypad to move the pointer.
- Sticky Keys
Instead of having to press three keys at once (such as when you must press the CTRL, ALT, and DELETE keys simultaneously to log on to Windows), you can press one key at a time when Sticky Keys is turned on.
- Filter Keys
Ignore keystrokes that occur in rapid succession and keystrokes that are held down for several seconds unintentionally.
- Visual Notifications
Replace system sounds with visual cues, such as a flash on the screen, so system alerts are announced with visual notifications instead of sounds.
- Captions
Get information via animations and video that some programs use to indicate that activity is happening on your computer.
Basic File Backup and Restore
The basic file backup and restore features in Windows Vista make it easier for you to keep your data and your computer safe from user error, hardware failure, and other problems. In the Home Premium, Business, Ultimate, and Enterprise editions of Windows Vista, you can automate the entire backup process using a simple wizard so you'll never have to worry about forgetting to back up your work.
Backup and Restore Center
The Backup and Restore Center gives you one place to manage all backup-related features.
File backup and restore
Windows Vista helps you easily back up the files on your PC when and where you choose to back them up, with the convenience of automated scheduling. For ease of use and to prevent confusion, programs and system files are not included in the file backup. They can be separately restored by reinstallation or by using either system restore points or Complete PC Backup and Restore, a feature available in the Business, Ultimate, and Enterprise editions of Windows Vista.
You no longer have to remember to periodically back up your data. You can now use a simple wizard to schedule when and where you want your data to be backed up, and Windows Vista will take care of the rest.
Previously backed-up versions of files use only a bare minimum of disk space. If only a small part of a file changes (such as one slide in a presentation), only that portion gets tracked and saved.
Of course, backup is only as useful as the process you use to recover your work, and Windows Vista makes this a cinch. A recovery wizard helps you select the files or folders to restore and prompts you for the backup storage medium you used. Then it restores your files.
Saying goodbye to your old PC? You can restore all your files right to your new computer. The restore feature can even create your user account on the new PC if it's not already there.
Shadow Copy
Have you ever accidentally saved over a file you were working on? Accidental file deletion or modification is a common cause of data loss. The Business, Ultimate, and Enterprise editions of Windows Vista include a useful innovation to help you protect your data: Shadow Copy. This feature automatically creates point-in-time copies of files as you work, so you can quickly and easily retrieve versions of a document you may have accidentally deleted.
System Restore
System Restore was introduced in Windows XP to enable people to restore their computers to an earlier state without losing data (for example, Microsoft Office Word documents, graphics files, or e-mail messages). You don't have to worry about taking periodic system snapshots—System Restore automatically creates easily identifiable restore points. You can also manually create and name restore points at any time.
BitLocker Drive Encryption is a data protection feature available in Windows Vista Enterprise and Ultimate for client computers and in Windows Server "Longhorn". BitLocker is Microsoft's response to a frequent customer request: address these very real threats of data theft or disclosure from lost, stolen or inappropriately decommissioned PC hardware with a tightly integrated solution in the Windows Operating System.
BitLocker prevents a thief who boots another operating system or runs a software hacking tool from breaking Windows Vista file and system protections or performing offline viewing of the files stored on the protected drive.
The feature ideally uses a Trusted Platform Module (TPM 1.2) to protect user data and to ensure that a PC running Windows Vista has not been tampered with while the system was offline. BitLocker provides both mobile and office enterprise information workers with enhanced data protection should their systems be lost or stolen and secure data deletion when it comes time to decommission those assets.
BitLocker enhances data protection by bringing together two major sub-functions: drive encryption and the integrity checking of early boot components.
Drive encryption protects data by preventing unauthorized users from breaking Windows file and system protection on lost, stolen or inappropriately decommissioned computers. This protection is achieved by encrypting the entire Windows volume; with BitLocker all user and system files are encrypted including the swap and hibernation files.
Integrity checking the early boot components helps to ensure that data decryption is performed only if those components appear unmolested and that the encrypted drive is located in the original computer.
BitLocker is tightly integrated into Windows Vista and provides a seamless, secure, and easily manageable data protection solution for the enterprise.
Windows BitLocker is for both business and personal users who need to help protect sensitive data on their PC.
Built-in Diagnostics
To help keep your system running smoothly without a lot of effort on your part, Windows Vista contains built-in diagnostics—collections of instrumentation, troubleshooting, and resolution logic—to resolve external problems that affect the way Windows Vista behaves. The framework that supports these diagnostics, called Windows Diagnostic Infrastructure, is a new feature in Windows Vista. It provides a number of diagnostic scenarios—including Network Diagnostics and troubleshooting—to address some of the most common and costly problems facing PC users.
Built-in diagnostic scenarios in Windows Vista include the following:
Disk Diagnostics: Even in closely managed enterprise environments, you often go weeks or months without a backup. Data loss caused by unexpected disk failure can be disastrous, and you might spend weeks re-creating your work, if it's even possible to do so. The built-in Disk Diagnostics in Windows Vista detects impending disk failures and guides you through data backup, disk replacement, and data restoration procedures. When Windows Vista detects a potential disk failure, it warns you of the problem and guides you through the backup and recovery process to minimize the likelihood of data loss.
Memory Diagnostics: Defective computer memory is difficult to diagnose. It can mimic software or operating system problems, leading to hours of wasted troubleshooting effort. Memory Diagnostics in Windows Vista works with Microsoft Online Crash Analysis to detect crashes that might be caused by failing memory. It provides guided support and prompts you to schedule a memory test the next time you restart the computer.
Network Diagnostics and troubleshooting: The Windows Network Diagnostics tool in Windows Vista helps you identify the top potential issues preventing network connectivity—and it automatically takes appropriate steps toward correcting them. If a computer on the network loses Internet connectivity, you can graphically see which connection is down and then use Network Diagnostics to help determine the cause of the problem and find possible solutions. For more information, see Network Diagnostics and Troubleshooting.
Resource Exhaustion Prevention: Occasionally when you are running a large number of applications, the computer will simply run out of system resources, leading to hangs, crashes, and data loss. Resource Exhaustion Prevention warns you when critical resources are low—before a hang or crash occurs. It also identifies which processes are consuming the largest amount of a given resource and helps you reclaim that resource. And when Windows Vista issues a resource exhaustion warning, it logs events in the event log that include detailed data useful for subsequent analysis.
All built-in diagnostic scenarios record events in the event log. The log provides a record of problems that the built-in diagnostics have automatically repaired and also provides information for IT professionals to help them solve problems that can't be resolved automatically.
DirectX 10, the latest version of the DirectX suite of multimedia application programming interfaces (APIs), puts gamers and multimedia buffs on the leading edge of PC graphics performance.
DirectX 10 features heavily enhanced 3-D graphics-rendering capabilities and helps noticeably improve your computer's performance in games and high-end 3-D applications. DirectX 10 empowers games to present a new generation of visual effects, and deliver more visual detail per frame than ever before.
Providing a standard 3D development platform for Windows-based PCs, it also provides software developers access to powerful hardware features without the need to write hardware-specific code. For gamers and video enthusiasts, this translates to reliable, higher-performance graphics when you're playing games on your PC.
Encrypting File System
A key security feature of the Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate editions of Windows Vista, Encrypting File System is useful for user-level file and folder encryption. For example, if two users are sharing a computer, an administrator can use Encrypting File System to encrypt each user's data to make it unavailable to the other user. For network file and folder encryption, Windows Vista enhances Encrypting File System management by enabling administrators to store Encrypting File System keys on smart cards.
IT administrators can use Group Policy in Windows Vista to block the use of removable storage devices, such as USB flash drives and external hard disks, to help prevent the compromise or theft of corporate intellectual property and sensitive data.
In Windows, the Explorer windows are the main tools for finding, viewing, and managing information and resources: documents, photos, programs, devices, and Internet content. The new Windows Vista Explorers empower you to manage your information with greater ease, speed, and flexibility. They also happen to look super cool.
In the new Explorers, the menus, toolbars, Navigation Pane, Task Pane, and Preview Pane have all merged into a single intuitive interface that's consistent across all of Windows Vista.
- Instant Search which is always available and finds files rapidly.
- Navigation Pane, which contains quick links to the places your documents, pictures, and Search Folders are stored.
- Command Bar, which displays tasks appropriate for the files being displayed.
- Live Icons, which display a thumbnail image of the actual contents of each file.
- Details Pane, which provides rich information (metadata) about files so you can easily add or edit their metadata.
- Preview Pane, which you can use to browse through a preview of a file's contents in programs that have this feature.
- Enhanced title bars, borders, and Address Bar.
In Windows XP, the Explorer menus, toolbars, Navigation Pane, and Task Pane are distinct. In Windows Vista Explorers, all are merged into a single, streamlined interface.
Instant Search
Every Explorer window in Windows Vista contains an integrated Instant Search field in which you can enter part of a word, a word, or a phrase—even a date. Instant Search rapidly searches file names, file properties (metadata), and text within each file and returns results in just moments. For example, as shown in the illustration, entering the name Claudia in the Instant Search field results in a list of files related to Claudia—files for which Claudia is the author and files in which Claudia is mentioned in either the contents or the file name.
Navigation Pane and Search Folders
The Navigation Pane in each Explorer has been redesigned to make it simpler to navigate across your PC and quickly find what you're looking for. The default view is a series of quick links to your documents, pictures, and music. Additionally, clicking a Searches link displays all of the Search Folders on your PC.
A traditional folder and its contents have specific addresses on the hard disk drive. In contrast, a Search Folder is really a saved search that executes the moment you click it. Search Folders can automatically organize your files logically, without moving the files themselves. This makes it easy for you to view your files in many different ways without having to worry about where your files are actually stored. If you prefer the traditional, folder-based or tree-based view in the Navigation Pane, just select the folder control at the bottom of the pane.
Command Bar
In each Explorer, the new Command Bar displays tasks that are appropriate to the files being shown. For example, the Documents Explorer contains Command Bar tasks that you might need for documents, while the Pictures Explorer contains tasks appropriate to digital images. Unlike the Explorers in Windows XP and earlier, the Command Bar and the Navigation Pane in Windows Vista are available simultaneously, so tasks on the Command Bar are always available—you don't need to toggle between the Navigation Pane and the Command Bar to take action on your files.
Live Icons
Scalable "live" icons in Windows Vista greatly improve upon the generic system icons in other operating systems. For applications that have this feature, Live Icons provide thumbnail-sized previews of the actual content of a file, rather than merely a generic image representing the program associated with that file. You can see rich previews of your files—including the first pages of your documents, your digital photos, and even album art for your music—without actually opening the files. This helps you work more efficiently and more productively.
Details Pane
With the Details Pane, you no longer have to right-click a file to open the Properties dialog box. Instead, a rich set of file properties (or metadata) is always visible in the Preview Pane. You can add and edit properties easily—for one file at a time or for many files simultaneously—right in the Details Pane.
Preview Pane
For an even richer way to preview the contents of documents and media without opening individual files, Explorers such as the Documents Explorer, Music Explorer, and Pictures Explorer provide an optional Preview Pane. In programs that have this feature you can browse readable views of various documents or, with media files, preview a few seconds of content. (This is similar to previewing messages in the Preview Pane of Microsoft Office Outlook.)
Address Bar, title bars, and borders
The enhanced Address Bar features drop-down menus along the current navigation path, enabling you to easily backtrack or navigate forward anywhere along an address location. The enhanced Address Bar is particularly useful on Tablet PCs, which now offer precise navigation with just a few taps of the stylus. Window title bars and borders are wider in Windows Vista, making it easier to grab a border to resize or move a window.
Fast Sleep and Resume
In the past, if you turned your computer off to save power or extend your mobile PC's battery life, it took a long time for it to start back up when you wanted to use it again. With Windows Vista, you can easily and quickly use your PC whenever you want, while still preserving battery life. The default "off" state is now the new Sleep power state. Just press the power button on the Start menu or on your PC, and your PC will automatically save your current session to memory, and then quickly enter into a very low power state. It will also save your session to the hard drive, so you can access it even if the memory loses power. Then, when you want to resume your computer use, just press the power button on your PC. Your PC will turn on in seconds, and be just how you left it last time.
Unlike Windows XP, which offered the different Standby and Hibernate modes, Windows Vista combines the benefits of both modes into Sleep to simplify the entire process for users. For optimal speed and performance when putting the PC to sleep, and when resuming it, purchase a new PC with Windows Vista preinstalled, rather than upgrading an existing PC.
Windows Flip and Flip 3D
Using the new Windows Aero technology, available in Windows Vista Home Premium, Business, and Ultimate editions, Windows Flip and Windows Flip 3D render live thumbnail images of the exact contents of your open windows, making it easier to identify the one you want. Windows Flip improves on the ALT+TAB method for flipping between windows, while Windows Flip 3D dynamically displays all open windows in a graceful three-dimensional view.
Windows Flip 3D
Windows Flip 3D uses the dimension of visual depth to give you a more comprehensive view of your open windows, helping you sidestep chaos even as you juggle myriad open files and programs.
Windows Flip 3D can even render images of live processes such as currently playing video. Use the START+TAB keys to initiate the 3-D view, then flip through open windows by using arrow keys or the scroll wheel on your mouse to quickly identify and select the one you want. Navigating your desktop has never been this fun.
Windows Flip
In Windows Aero, live taskbar thumbnail images display the actual contents of both windows that are currently open and those that are minimized in the taskbar. When you rest your mouse pointer on a tile on the taskbar, you'll see the "live" contents of that window without having to bring it to the foreground.
By arranging your open windows in a way that's visually striking yet convenient, Windows Flip makes it easier to identify the window or windows you're looking for. And, since one of the displayed windows in the Flip view will always be your desktop itself, you'll have an intuitive way to minimize all open windows at once.
The Games Explorer
Anyone who plays games on their PC loves the seemingly limitless choices of games compatible with Windows. But finding and starting those games hasn't been that easy. Some games install into the Start menu. Other games put icons on the desktop. With Windows Vista, finding and playing the games you want is easier than ever before.
The Games Explorer, which is listed on the Start menu, provides a convenient list of all games currently installed on your PC.
Icons for each game provide easy access to the games and offer detailed information about each, such as a game's publisher and developer, which version of the game you own, when you last played, box cover art, and the release date, genre, and rating for each game. You can use this information to sort and organize your games in meaningful ways.
Right-click a game's icon for easy access to a menu of play tasks (which can be customized by the game developer for each game) and any online options, such as linking to the game's website.
Using the Games Explorer command bar, you can easily access any game-related settings for your software or hardware. Settings include accessing the player community for each game; getting help, support, and important publisher updates; or easily adding or removing games.
Of course, you shouldn't forget about the games that are included with Windows. Windows Vista includes updated 3-D versions of several classic games, including Solitaire and Minesweeper. Also included is a new game designed just for kids called Purble Place.
Premium games
In addition, Windows Vista Home Premium and Windows Vista Ultimate include two brand-new premium games, Mahjong Titans and Chess Titans.
Instant Search
Windows Vista introduces Instant Search: enhanced desktop search and organization that helps you locate files and e-mail messages on your PC. If you remember anything about a file—the type of file, when it was created, or even what it contains—Windows Vista can quickly find it for you.
With Instant Search, you are never more than a few keystrokes away from whatever you're looking for. This feature, which is available almost anywhere you are in Windows Vista, enables you to search for a file name, a property, or even text contained within a file, and it returns pinpointed results. It's fast and easy. Instant Search is also contextual, optimizing its results based on your current activity—whether it's searching Control Panel applets, looking for music files in Windows Media Player, or looking over all your files and applications on the Start menu.
From the Start menu
From the more efficient and comprehensive Start menu in Windows Vista, you can find virtually anything on your PC with fast-as-you-can-type performance. To find a specific file, application, or Internet Favorite, you simply open the Start menu—or press the Windows key on the keyboard—and begin typing in the embedded Instant Search box. As you type, Windows Vista instantly searches file and application names, metadata, and the full text of all files, and it displays the search results organized by the type of asset—Programs; Favorites/Internet History; Files, including documents and media; and Communications, including e-mail, events, tasks, and contacts.
Explorers, Control Panel, and experiences
Explorer in Windows Vista showcases Instant Search in the top right corner. It's always with you when you're using any explorer, including the Documents Explorer, Music Explorer, Pictures Explorer, and new Search Explorer. Just like using Instant Search from the Start menu, you only have to type a few letters to quickly display the most relevant results. If the results aren't what you're looking for, Instant Search provides easy access to tools that can help you design more specific searches or search across the Internet using your search engine of choice.
Instant Search also appears in the top right corner of the redesigned Control Panel. Here, you need only type in a word or a phrase associated with the task you want to accomplish, and Control Panel filters down to the most appropriate choice.
You can also find Instant Search in Windows programs such as Windows Internet Explorer 7, Windows Photo Gallery, and even Windows Media Player. Anywhere you see it, just start typing, and you'll soon find what you're looking for
Internet Explorer 7 in Windows Vista
Windows Internet Explorer 7 in Windows Vista, the new version of the popular web browser, represents a major step forward in making everyday web tasks easier.
Making everyday tasks easier
To help you perform tasks more productively and efficiently, Internet Explorer 7 has been redesigned with new and enhanced capabilities for searching and making use of myriad sources of information.
Everyday tasks are easier with improved navigation through tabbed browsing and web search right from the toolbar. Improved printing and the ability to easily discover, read, and subscribe to Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds enable you to access only the information you want, any time it's convenient.
Dynamic security protection
Through a robust new architecture, Internet Explorer 7 offers dynamic security protection to help defend against malicious software (also known as malware), as well as new ways to protect users from unintentionally providing personal data to fraudulent websites that use deceptive practices such as phishing. And, Internet Explorer 7 in Windows Vista provides Parental Controls and a Protected Mode setting to keep families safer online and to help protect your PC from web-based attacks.
Cleaner, sleeker user interface
Internet Explorer 7 offers a new look to minimize the number of toolbars you need while maximizing the amount of screen space devoted to the webpages you care about. Internet Explorer 7 is noticeably simpler, more streamlined, and less cluttered. It reduces the toolbar "creep"—consecutive rows of buttons and tools—that can sometimes take up as much as a third of the screen.
The Back and Forward buttons are now smaller and have been moved next to the Address Bar. The Windows flag icon in the upper right corner of Internet Explorer 6 has been replaced with the powerful Instant Search field.
Microsoft has invested heavily in the improvements in Internet Explorer 7; you'll experience the difference the moment you start the new browser.
Improved platform for web development and manageability
Internet Explorer 7 offers better support for cascading style sheets (CSS), a rich RSS feeds platform, and robust tools for deploying and managing Internet Explorer 7 in enterprise environments.
Internet Explorer 7 Printing
Internet Explorer 7 includes enhanced functionality that makes it easier to print a webpage. By default, Internet Explorer 7 shrinks a webpage's text just enough to ensure that the entire page prints properly—you no longer need to cut and paste the page into a text-editing program. You can also adjust webpage margins, change the page layout, remove headers and footers, and increase or decrease the print space.
Print Preview also enables you to print the whole webpage or just part of a page. If you want to print the webpage without graphics or ads, you can do that. Use the mouse to select the text and graphics you want to print, and then click Print Preview. Print Preview shows only the area you selected and prints it accordingly.
Internet Explorer 7 tabbed browsing
Internet Explorer 7 helps you manage multiple tabs with a trio of convenient features: Quick Tabs, tabbed browsing, and Tab Groups.
Quick Tabs
By clicking the Quick Tab icon just to the right of the Favorites icon, you can view all open tabs. From the Quick Tabs View, you can open any tab by clicking anywhere on the tab image, and you can close any tab by clicking the X in the far right corner of the image. The Quick Tabs page scales to the number of tabs that you have open. If you have nine tabs open, for example, Quick Tabs shows thumbnail images of all nine tabs; if you have more than 20 tabs open, you see smaller thumbnail images of each tab, but you can still see all tabs in a single view.
Tabbed browsing
Tabbed browsing is the most requested browser navigation feature among customers who want to manage multiple websites within one browsing window.
To create or open tabs in Internet Explorer 7, you click the empty tab on the Toolbar or right-click any hyperlink in a webpage and choose New Tab. You can also right-click a tab to refresh each page as an individual tab, refresh all of them as a group, close individual tabs or the entire group, and reorder tabs on the tab bar by dragging.
Tab Groups
Internet Explorer simplifies the organization of multiple tabs with Tab Groups. You can organize multiple tabs as a single Tab Group, which you can then save as a Favorite.
Create Tab Groups for a variety of subjects.
You can create Tab Groups for a mix of subjects or categories, such as shopping, finance, or news. For example, you can save travel sites such as Orbitz, Travelocity, and Expedia as a travel Tab Group in Favorites. The Tab Group appears as a folder on the Favorites menu. You can click on the folder to expand the Tab Group to show the sites within that folder. You can open all the sites in a Tab Group with a single click on the arrow to the right of the folder. A Tab Group can contain an unlimited number of tabs or sites, and you can create an unlimited number of Tab Groups within Favorites.
Internet Explorer Dynamic Security Protection
Web browsers perform many functions. They must be open and flexible enough to handle a mix of website activity while maintaining sufficiently high security to prevent unwanted data access or application behaviors. Managing this balance is a top priority for Microsoft.
Together with Windows Defender, the security built into Internet Explorer 7 provides more levels of defense than ever before.
Microsoft has two primary security objectives with Internet Explorer 7:
- Protection against malware
- Personal data safeguards
Protection against malware
Malware, short for malicious software, refers to software applications designed to damage or disrupt a user’s system. The proliferation of malware and its impact on security were some of the key driving forces behind the design features of Internet Explorer 7. The new version has been improved to reduce the potential for hackers to harm a system by limiting the amount of damage that can be done if malware is able to find its way onto a user's system. In addition, Internet Explorer 7 includes several technical features designed to thwart hackers' efforts to trick you into entering personal data when you should not. Core parts of the browser's architecture have also been fortified to better defend against exploitation and improve the way the browser handles data.
Protected Mode
Available only to people running Internet Explorer 7 in Windows Vista, Protected Mode provides new levels of security and data protection for Windows users. Designed to defend against "elevation of privilege" attacks, Protected Mode provides the safety of a robust Internet browsing experience while helping prevent hackers from taking over the system and installing programs or deleting your information.
In Protected Mode, Internet Explorer 7 in Windows Vista cannot modify user or system files and settings without user consent. Protected Mode requires the user to confirm any activity that tries to put something on your machine or start another program. By ensuring the user consents to these kinds of actions, the likelihood of automated and/or unwanted software installation is reduced. This feature also makes you aware of what a website is trying to do, giving you a chance to stop it and take time to double check the trustworthiness of the website.
ActiveX Opt-In
Internet Explorer offers web developers the ActiveX platform as a mechanism to greatly extend browser capabilities and enhance online experiences. Some malicious developers have co-opted the platform to write harmful applications that steal information and damage computers. Internet Explorer 7 offers a powerful new security mechanism for the ActiveX platform.
ActiveX Opt-In automatically disables all but a small set of well known, pre-approved controls which helps to greatly reduce the potential for abuse or attack. Now, if a website tries to use an ActiveX control you haven’t used before, Internet Explorer 7 will display an notice in the Information Bar. This notification mechanism enables you to permit or deny access when viewing unfamiliar websites. For websites that attempt automated attacks, ActiveX Opt-In protects you by preventing unwanted access and giving the user total control. If you want to enable an ActiveX control for loading, you just click the Information Bar.
Fix My Settings
Because most users install and use applications with their default settings, Internet Explorer 7 ships with security settings that provide the maximum level of usability while maintaining strict security control. There may be times where you need to adjust those default settings for a legitimate reason. In such cases, it's critical that you reverse those changes when you no longer need those custom settings.
Internet Explorer 7 introduces Fix My Settings, a feature to alert you when you might be browsing with unsafe settings. The new feature reminds you about the unsafe settings with a warning displayed in an the Information Bar as long as your settings remain unsafe. You can quickly reset the security settings to the Medium-High default level by clicking the Fix My Settings option in the Information Bar. If you close your browser and it reopens with unsafe settings, you will see a notification page reminding you to correct the setting before you can visit any websites.
Advanced Protection against spyware with Windows Defender
Personal data safeguards
Most web surfers are unaware of how much personal, traceable data is transmitted with every click of the mouse while they browse the Web. The extent of this information continues to grow as browser developers and website operators develop their technologies to enable more powerful and convenient features. With only basic website development tools, malicious website operators can build near replicas of well-known and trusted websites. Most online users are likely to have trouble discerning a valid website from a bogus copy.
Internet Explorer 7 offers a range of enhancements and solutions to better protect you from malicious websites and confusing URLs. The new Security Status Bar, located next to the Address Bar, helps you quickly differentiate authentic websites from suspicious or malicious ones. One way it does this is by enhancing your access to digital certificate information that helps validate the trustworthiness of e-commerce websites. Internet Explorer 7 also provides a simple file cleanup utility that deletes the browsing history for better protection of privacy and passwords.
Phishing Filter
Phishing is the technique of convincing a user to send personal information to a bogus (or potentially malicious) website that is designed to appear legitimate Phishing attacks continue to be reported in record numbers, and identity theft is emerging as a major threat to personal financial security. Internet Explorer 7 includes the Phishing Filter to help users browse with confidence. The Phishing Filter combines a local (client side) system scanning for suspicious website characteristics with an online service. For more information see Microsoft Phishing Filter in Internet Explorer.
Delete Browsing History
Removing all personally identifiable and tracking information from the browser is crucial to maintaining online privacy, especially in shared computing environments.
Internet Explorer 7 provides a Delete Browsing History option for one-click cleanup so you can easily and quickly erase all personal information stored in the browser. Accessing online resources using a friend's computer seems harmless enough, but you must rely on the security of your friend's system to protect your data. Likewise, in public environments such as libraries, schools, and conference centers, computers might be used by hundreds of people and potentially expose personal data and history information to every one of those users. Delete Browsing History provides a simple mechanism to quickly erase information and eliminate any concern about data privacy on other systems.
Parental Controls
Internet Explorer 7 in Windows Vista works with the Parental Controls that enable parents to establish filter controls for a range of settings, including controls for objectionable content or for defining a specific set of acceptable websites to browse.
Internet Explorer 7 in Windows Vista works directly with the Parental Controls service to provide easy access to logging information and a single interface for managing settings. The Parental Controls service can also be set to block file downloads, offering another way to prevent malware from getting on a system. For more information see Parental Controls.
Security Status Bar
In recent years, encrypted communications and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technologies have been introduced to better protect user information. Still, many Internet users remain overly trusting when websites ask for their confidential information. With the explosion of home-based and small business websites selling goods online, you're even more likely to encounter unknown entities asking for your financial information. The combination of these factors creates a situation ripe for abuse. Internet Explorer 7 addresses this issue by giving you clear, prominent, color-coded visual cues indicating the safety and trustworthiness of a website.
Earlier versions of Internet Explorer placed a gold padlock icon in the lower right corner of the browser window to designate the trust and security level of the connected website. Given the importance and inherent trust value associated with the gold padlock, the Security Status Bar in Internet Explorer 7 displays the padlock icon more prominently.
You can also view a website's digital certificate information with a single click on the icon. Digital certificates, issued by recognized entities known as certification authorities, serve two functions: 1) they provide third-party validation of the authenticity or trustworthiness of a business or website, and 2) they provide cryptographic encryption of data communications to keep information safer and more secure as it is passed between the website and browser. To give you a visual cue to recognize questionable websites, the padlock icon appears on a red background if Internet Explorer 7 detects any irregularities in the site's certificate information.
The Security Status Bar also supports new Extended Validation (EV) certificates that offer stronger identification of secure sites such as banking sites. Sites using EV SSL certificates have undergone a comprehensive verification to ensure their identity is that of the real business entity. When viewing a site secured with an EV SSL, you will now be able to view that identity information and verify the information is what you expect to see. Internet Explorer 7 highlights these validated sites with a green-shaded address bar and prominently displays the associated business or entity name.
URL-display protections
Hackers commonly attempt to mislead users into thinking they are looking at information from a known and trusted source. The ability to hide true Address Bar information and domain names from users has long been a valuable hacking tool. Internet Explorer 7 contains two powerful visual tools to help keep you from being duped: an Address Bar in every window and Internationalized Domain Name (IDN) support.
Address Bar in every window: With Internet Explorer 7, all browser windows require an Address Bar. Because hackers often use pop-up windows to display misleading graphics and data to convince users to download or install malware, the requirement of a read-only Address Bar in each window helps ensure that you’ll be able to learn more about the true source of the information you’re seeing.
IDN display protections: The Internet encompasses a global community, and browsers must be able to handle non-English characters and domain names. Another technique used by malicious websites has been to include international characters in the Address Bar for phishing attacks and as a way to hide the true website domain name. The problem is based in similarities among many international alphabets: characters in certain languages (for example, the letter a in English) can resemble entirely different characters in other languages (for example, the letter รค in Cyrillic). As a result, an individual with malicious intent might register a domain name similar to a legitimate one to fool users into submitting their content to a false site.
Internet Explorer Parental Controls
Parental Controls can also block all file downloads, offering another way to keep malware (including viruses, spyware, and other threats) from infiltrating your PC. Internet Explorer 7 works directly with Windows Vista Parental Controls to provide a single interface to help you manage all settings and reports.
Internet Explorer Protected Mode
Internet browsers have become a common avenue for hackers to deliver malware or to try to damage other people's computers. Internet Explorer Protected Mode, available when running Internet Explorer 7 in Windows Vista, provides new levels of security and data protection for Windows users.
Protected Mode provides the safety of a robust Internet browsing experience while helping to keep hackers from taking over your browser, damaging your system and installing software. Internet Explorer Protected Mode helps protect users and their systems from malicious downloads by restricting where files can be saved without the users consent.
In Protected Mode, Internet Explorer 7 in Windows Vista cannot modify user or system files and settings without user consent. Protected Mode requires the user to confirm any activity that tries to put something on your machine or start another program. By ensuring the user consents to these kinds of actions, the likelihood of automated and/or unwanted software installation is reduced. This feature also makes you aware of what a website is trying to do, giving you a chance to stop it and take time to double check the trustworthiness of the website.
Live Icons
Key components of the new Windows Vista Explorers, Live Icons display a thumbnail image of the actual contents of every file, making it easier to select a given item.
Scalable "live" icons in premium versions of Windows Vista greatly improve on generic system icons. Programs that have this feature show thumbnail previews of the actual content of a file, rather than a simple, generic representation of the application associated with that file. You can see rich previews of your files—including the first pages of your documents, your photos, or even album art for your songs—without opening them. This helps you work more efficiently and productively.
Microsoft Phishing Filter in Internet Explorer
The new Microsoft Phishing Filter in Windows Internet Explorer 7 uses an online service that is updated several times an hour with the latest industry information about fraudulent websites. This service warns you about both known and suspected fraudulent sites.
The Phishing Filter combines a local (client side) system scanning for suspicious website characteristics with an online service. This opt-in feature uses two “checks” to help protect users from phishing scams:
- It analyzes websites users want to visit by checking those sites for characteristics common to phishing sites.
- It sends the website address to an online service run by Microsoft to be checked immediately against a frequently updated list of reported and known phishing sites.
If the website you are trying visit is a known phishing site, Internet Explorer 7 signifies a threat level (in red) and automatically navigates you to a neutral warning page. If a site has not been confirmed as a phishing site but is behaving like many phishing sites do, you'll be warned and shown a yellow flag in the Address Bar. You can report any phishing sites or false positives to the Phishing Filter right from your browser.
The Phishing Filter is not enabled by default—you must actively enable the feature the first time you use the browser after installation. You can enable and disable the Phishing Filter with just a single click at any time using the browser menus.
Network and Sharing Center
The Network and Sharing Center puts you in control of your network connectivity. It's a place where you can check your connection status, view your network visually, and troubleshoot connection problems.N
The Network and Sharing Center informs you about your network and verifies whether your PC can successfully access the Internet—then summarizes this info in the form of a Network Map.
If any computer connected to your network loses Internet connectivity, the Network and Sharing Center provides a graphical representation of which connection is down. Then you can use Network Diagnostics and Troubleshooting to determine both the cause of the problem and possible ways to correct it.
Performance:
New technology in Windows Vista makes your PC significantly more responsive while you are performing everyday tasks. Improved startup and sleep behavior helps both desktop and mobile PCs get up and running more quickly. Greater efficiency in managing both memory devices and input/output (I/O) devices helps your programs run more smoothly and consistently. And as your computer ages, a number of features in Windows Vista work together to help keep it as responsive as the day it arrived.
Windows Vista also takes a new approach to performance problems. The Performance Information and Tools Control Panel helps you understand your PC's performance characteristics so you can manage and troubleshoot performance-related problems.
State-of-the-art self-tuning and diagnostics make it much easier for you to manage performance effectively. It provides instrumentation and services that support user-driven and tool-driven diagnoses of performance problems, such as media glitching, slow application startup, slow system startup, and network-related delays.
Startup, sleep, and shutdown performance
In Windows Vista you'll experience better handling of all your PC's transitions between On and Off states. You can quickly put your PC in Sleep mode using the power button on the Windows Start menu or, if configured, using the computer's external power button. Sleep is a new power state that combines the quick-resume benefits of Standby with the data protection benefits of Hibernation.
Inconsistency in PC performance is one of the top issues for computer users. Consider this common problem: One morning, applications start quickly and everything seems to be working well. Then you go out for lunch, during which the computer's performance slows. Another day, applications seem to take longer to start in the morning.
Windows SuperFetch
A new memory management technology in Windows Vista, Windows SuperFetch, helps keep the computer consistently responsive to your programs by making better use of the computer's RAM. Windows SuperFetch prioritizes the programs you're currently using over background tasks and adapts to the way you work by tracking the programs you use most often and preloading these into memory. With SuperFetch, background tasks still run when the computer is idle. However, when the background task is finished, SuperFetch repopulates system memory with the data you were working with before the background task ran. Now, when you return to your desk, your programs will continue to run as efficiently as they did before you left.
Low-priority I/O
Memory is not the only resource needed to help ensure responsiveness. One of the benefits of Windows is that multiple programs can run simultaneously. However, if multiple applications are simultaneously trying to use the same system resource—such as the hard disk drive—performance can suffer.
Windows Vista introduces the concept of low-priority I/O, which enables background processes to run with lower-priority access to the hard disk drive than other programs. If an application is written to use low-priority I/O, it can run at the same time as one of your high-priority programs, such as Microsoft Office Outlook, without slowing down the high-priority program. In Windows Vista, a number of services use low-priority I/O, including search indexing, automatic disk defragmentation, and the daily system scan in Windows Defender.
Infrequent disk defragmentation leads to an inefficient layout of files on the hard disk, which can slow PC performance. Windows Vista includes a new disk defragmenter that runs in the background and automatically defragments the hard disk as need arises. The new disk defragmenter no longer needs to complete its work in a single session—it can defragment incrementally, whenever the computer is idle.
Faster access to DVDs and music
Windows Vista includes a new feature called Windows HotStart, which is ideal for use with media and entertainment on mobile PCs. Mobile PC manufacturers can now include a separate button for media playback that starts up right to Windows Media Player 11 or Windows Media Center. So when you use your mobile PC on a long flight, HotStart zips you right to DVDs or music, saving both time and battery life.
Diagnosing performance issues
Built-in performance diagnostics can detect and self-correct many performance issues. Performance diagnostics provide instrumentation and services for both user-driven and tool-driven diagnoses of common problems, including glitchy media playback, slow system or program starts, and network-related delays. Built-in performance diagnostic tools track how long it takes to execute common activities, analyze performance declines, and display results in the Performance Center, where users can then take action to remedy the problem.
Performance gains from Windows Vista and new hardware
Today's PC marketplace has an extraordinarily wide range of PC hardware. To take advantage of the varied landscape, Windows Vista scales its features in a way that makes the best use of available hardware. For example, if a Windows Driver Display Model graphics card is present, Windows Vista shows the Windows Aero interface. If a compliant graphics card is not present, Windows Vista will run but will not show the Aero interface.
The same is true of other performance features in Windows Vista, too. Having the right hardware unlocks some of the most innovative performance features in Windows Vista: Windows ReadyBoost and Windows ReadyDrive.
Windows ReadyBoost
Impromptu memory expansion.
Windows ReadyBoost introduces a new concept in add-on system memory. You can use nonvolatile flash memory devices, such as universal serial bus (USB) flash drives, to improve performance without having to add memory "under the hood." The flash memory device serves as an additional memory cache—that is, memory that the computer can access much more quickly than it can access data on the hard disk drive.
Windows ReadyDrive
Windows ReadyDrive is a new feature in Windows Vista that enables PCs equipped with a hybrid hard disk—a new kind of hard disk that adds flash memory to a standard mobile PC hard disk drive—to enjoy better performance, greater reliability, and longer battery life.
Windows Calendar
Windows Calendar is a flexible, easy-to-use tool for planning and managing all of your activities and coordinating your schedule with other people's. As the pace of life accelerates at work and at home, many people find it helpful to use a PC-based calendar to manage their time and coordinate their schedule with family, friends, and colleagues. Windows Calendar also includes a feature you can use to create a personal task list and to receive automatic notifications and reminders about specific tasks or upcoming appointments.
Personal time management
Creating appointments
With Windows Calendar you can easily create appointments. After an appointment is on your calendar, you can set up an alert to remind you when the appointment is approaching. You can set Windows Calendar to alert you minutes, hours, or even days ahead of time, depending on how much advance notice you want.
You can also set up recurring appointments. Perhaps you attend a weekly book club meeting, have a standing haircut appointment every six weeks, or pay your mortgage on the same day each month. With Windows Calendar, you can create one appointment and then instruct the calendar to set up a series of similar appointments at the intervals you choose.
Managing tasks
Windows Calendar includes a personal task list, which makes it easy to organize and manage the things you need to do. For each task on your list, you can describe what you need to do, set a deadline for completion, choose a priority ranking so you tackle the most important tasks first, and keep track of your progress. You can also set reminders to let you know when a task is nearly due. And as you complete each task, you can simply check it off your list and have the satisfaction of watching it disappear.
Shared calendars
Windows Calendar enables you to set up individual calendars for multiple people. This is especially helpful for families or other groups who share a single PC. Windows Calendar makes it easy for people who use the same computer to coordinate their personal schedules by letting them compare information from any or all personal calendars, side-by-side in a single view.
Imagine a busy family with two parents and three children ages 10, 12, and 15. Because everyone in the family has access to a shared PC running Windows Vista, each person can use Windows Calendar to set up and manage his or her own personal schedule. Windows Calendar enables each family member to view the others' calendars, either selectively or all at once.
As the parents plan for the week ahead, they can overlay their children's calendars and spouse's calendar onto their own to see what everyone in the family has planned and to make sure no one overlooks any important activities. After reviewing all of the schedules together, they might notice that they need to schedule time to attend one child's soccer game, another's school play, and a parent-teacher conference for the third child. Or they might choose to compare their schedule only with their spouse's calendar to make sure at least one parent will be home by a certain time each evening. Appointments from each calendar are displayed in a different color, making it easy to tell whose schedule each item belongs to.
Calendar subscriptions and publishing
Windows Calendar is fully compatible with the popular iCalendar format, so you can import and export calendar information to and from other applications and websites.
Using Windows Calendar, you can subscribe to calendars hosted on websites in the iCalendar format and then view those calendars alongside your own. For example, you can subscribe to the season schedule of your favorite professional baseball team, the activities calendar for your child's middle school, or the annual schedule of a civic organization whose meetings you attend-and automatically stay up to date with any changes in those events.
The iCalendar compatibility of Windows Calendar also makes it easy to publish your own calendar on the Internet through a web host. If, for example, you chair a committee, organize a carpool, or coach your child's basketball team, you can use one of the calendar views in Windows Calendar to create a schedule and then publish it to the Web so others can see and share that information. If you want, you can publish your personal schedule with password protection, so only designated friends and family members can access and view your calendar.
Learn more about how to publish your calendar.
Find more Internet calendars for Windows Vista.
E-mail invitations
With Windows Calendar, you can use e-mail to send and receive appointments and invitations. This makes it even easier to keep your family or other groups in sync.
3 comments:
i want more information about windows vista.
Whats the different between windows vista and windows xp? i want to use windows vista but is it user friendly or not?
hmm thats good information i found here
plz write more
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