Windows Vista For Dummies

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Introduction     1About This Book     1How to Use This Book     2And What about You?     3How This Book Is Organized     3Windows Vista Stuff Everybody Thinks You Already Know     4Working with Programs and Files     4Getting Things Done on the Internet     4Customizing and Upgrading Windows Vista     4Music, Movies, Memories (and Photos, Too)     5Help!     5The Part of Tens     5Icons Used in This Book     6Where to Go from Here     6Windows Vista Stuff Everybody Thinks You Already Know     7What Is Windows Vista?     9What Is Windows Vista, and Why Are You Using It?     9Should I Bother Switching to Windows Vista?     11Improved security     11New Internet Explorer version     12New Media Player and Media Center     14DVD burning     14Calendar     14Easier searching for files     14Vista looks prettier     15Can My PC Still Run Vista?     16Can I Make Windows Vista Look and Feel Like Windows XP?     17The FiveFlavors of Vista     18The Desktop, Start Menu, and Other Windows Vista Mysteries     21Being Welcomed to the World of Windows Vista     22Fiddling around with user accounts     23Keeping your account private with a password     25Working on the Desktop     27Cleaning up a messy desktop     29Jazzing up the desktop's background     29Dumpster diving in the Recycle Bin     31The Start Button's Reason to Live     32The Start menu's prime real estate     34Starting a program from the Start menu     35Customizing the Start menu     36Bellying Up to the Taskbar     38Shrinking windows to the taskbar and retrieving them     39Clicking the taskbar's sensitive areas     40Customizing the taskbar     41The taskbar's crazy toolbars     42The Sidebar     44Logging Off from Windows     45Basic Windows Mechanics     47Dissecting a Typical Window     48Tugging on a window's title bar     49Typing in a Window's Address Bar     51Finding Vista's hidden menu bar     52Choosing the Right Button for the Job     53Quick shortcuts with the Windows Vista Navigation Pane     54Working with the Details pane     56Moving inside a window with its scroll bar     57Boring borders     58Filling Out Bothersome Dialog Boxes     58Poking the correct command button     59Choosing between option buttons     60Typing into text boxes     60Choosing options from list boxes     61Drop-down list boxes     62Check boxes     63Sliding controls     64Maneuvering Windows Around the Desktop     64Moving a window to the top of the pile     65Moving a window from here to there     65Making a window fill the whole screen     65Closing a window     66Making a window bigger or smaller     66Placing two windows next to each other     67Making windows open to the same darn size     67Flipping Through Files, Folders, Floppies, and CDs     69Browsing Your Computer's File Cabinets     70Getting the Lowdown on Folders     72Peering into Your Drives and Folders     75Seeing the files on a disk drive      75Seeing what's inside folders     76Creating a New Folder     78Renaming a File or Folder     80Selecting Bunches of Files or Folders     81Getting Rid of a File or Folder     81Copying or Moving Files and Folders     83Seeing More Information about Files and Folders     84Writing to CDs and DVDs     87Buying the right kind of blank CDs and DVDs for burning     88Copying files from or to a CD or DVD     89Working with Floppy Disks and Memory Cards     92Working with Programs and Files     95Playing with Programs and Documents     97Starting a Program     97Opening a Document     99Saving a Document     101Choosing Which Program Opens a File     102The wrong program loads my file!     102No program will open my file!     105Taking the Lazy Way with a Shortcut     106The Absolutely Essential Guide to Cutting, Copying, and Pasting     108The quick 'n' dirty guide to cut 'n' paste     108Selecting things to cut or copy     109Cutting or copying your selected goods     110Pasting information to another place     111Windows Vista's Free Programs!     113Writing letters with WordPad     113Keeping appointments with Calendar     114Finding symbols like ??[Copyright] with Character Map     115Briefly Lost, but Quickly Found     119Finding Lost Windows on the Desktop     119Locating a Missing Program, E-mail, Song, Document, or Other File     121Finding a Missing File in a Folder     123Sorting, Grouping, and Stacking Files     125Finding Lost Photos     127Finding Other Computers on a Network     128Finding Information on the Internet     128Saving Your Searches     129Commanding Vista's Big Search     129Fine-Tuning Vista's Searches     130Adding places to Vista's index     130Rebuilding the index     131Printing Your Work     133Printing Your Masterpiece     133Adjusting how your work fits on the page     135Adjusting your printer's settings     137Canceling a print job     139Printing a Web page     140Installing new fonts     141Troubleshooting your printer      143Getting Things Done on the Internet     145Cruising the Web     147What Is the Internet?     147What's an ISP, and Why Do I Need One?     149Setting Up Internet Explorer the First Time     150Navigating the Web with Microsoft Internet Explorer     155Moving from Web page to Web page     155Making Internet Explorer open to your favorite site     158Revisit favorite places     159Finding things on the Internet     160The Web Page Says It Needs a Weird Plug-In Thing!     162Saving Information from the Internet     163Saving a Web page     164Saving text     165Saving a picture     165Downloading a program or file     166It Doesn't Work!     168Removing Unneeded Plug-ins     168The Pages Won't All Fit on My Screen     170Internet Explorer Now Fills My Entire Screen!     170Sending and Receiving E-mail     171Using Windows Mail     171Setting Up Your E-Mail Account     174Composing and Sending an E-Mail     177Reading a Received E-Mail     179Sending and Receiving an Attachment      182Finding Lost Mail     183Managing Your Contacts     185Reducing Your Spam     187Safe Computing     189Understanding Those Annoying Permission Messages     189Assessing Your Safety in Security Center     191Changing the firewall settings     193Changing Windows Update settings     195Avoiding viruses     196Staying Safe on the Internet     197Avoiding evil add-ons and hijackers     198Avoiding phishing scams     200Avoiding and removing spyware and parasites with Windows Defender     202Using parental controls     203Customizing and Upgrading Windows Vista     207Customizing Windows Vista with the Control Panel     209Finding the Right Switch in the Control Panel     210System and Maintenance     212User Accounts and Family Safety     212Security     212Changing Windows' Appearance (Appearance and Personalization)     213Changing the desktop background     213Choosing a screen saver     215Changing the computer's theme     216Changing the screen resolution      217Changing Network and Internet Connections     219Setting the Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options     220Hardware and Sound     220Adjusting Vista's volume and sounds     221Installing or setting up speakers     222Adding a printer     224Installing or adjusting other items     226Adding new hardware     228Adding or Removing Programs     229Removing or changing programs     229Adding new programs     231Add/remove parts of Windows Vista     231Modifying Vista for the Physically Challenged     232Options for Laptops (Mobile PC)     234Additional Options     234Keeping Windows from Breaking     235Creating a Restore Point     236Tuning Up Windows Vista with Built-in Maintenance Tools     236Backing up your computer     237Finding technical information about your computer     242Freeing up space on your hard drive     243Empowering your power button     244Setting up devices that don't work (fiddling with drivers)     245Cleaning Your Computer     247Cleaning your mouse      247Cleaning your monitor     248Cleaning your keyboard     248Sharing One Computer with Several People     249Understanding User Accounts     250Setting Up or Changing User Accounts     252Switching Quickly between Users     253Changing a User Account's Picture     255Setting Up Passwords and Security     256Connecting Two or More Computers with a Network     259Understanding a Network's Parts     260Setting Up a Small Network     262Buying parts for a network     262Installing a wired network     264Connecting Wirelessly     267Setting up a wireless router or access point     267Setting up Windows Vista to connect to a wireless network     268Connecting to and Sharing Files with Other PCs on Your Network     272Sharing a Printer on the Network     274Troubleshooting a Network     276Music, Movies, Memories (and Photos, Too)     277Playing and Copying Music in Media Player     279Stocking Media Player's Library     279Browsing Media Player's Libraries     283Understanding Media Player's Controls     284Playing CDs     285Playing DVDs     287Playing Videos and TV Shows     288Playing Music Files (MP3s and WMAs)     290Playing Internet Radio Stations     290Creating, Saving, and Editing Playlists     291Copying CDs to Your PC     292Burning Music CDs     294Copying Songs to Your Portable Player     295Buying Music and Movies from Online Stores     297Working with Media Center     299Browsing Media Center's menus     300Getting the most out of Media Center     301Fiddling with Photos and Movies     303Using Your Computer as a Digital Shoebox     303Dumping the camera's photos into your computer     304Browsing your photos with Windows Photo Gallery     307Viewing a slide show     310Fixing photos     311E-mailing photos     317Printing pictures     318Creating, Editing, and Viewing Digital Movies and Slide Shows     320Import video, pictures, and music     322Edit your movie     325Save your edited movie or slide show     328Saving a Movie or Slide Show to a DVD with Windows DVD Maker      329Help!     331The Case of the Broken Window     333Vista Keeps Asking Me for Permission!     333Restoring Calm with System Restore     334Reviving Messed Up or Deleted Files     336Undeleting accidentally deleted files     336Retrieving previous versions of files and folders     337Retrieving a Forgotten Password     338My Folder (Or Desktop) Doesn't Show All My Files!     339My Mouse Doesn't Work Right     339My Double-Clicks Are Now Single Clicks!     340Making Older Programs Run under Windows Vista     341I Can't Find the Menus!     342My Computer Is Frozen Up Solid     342The Printer Isn't Working Right     343Strange Messages: What You Did Does Not Compute     345Activate Windows Now     345Check Your Computer Security     346Do You Want to Get the Latest Online Content When You Search Help?     346Do You Want to Install (Or Run) This File?     347Do You Want to Save Changes     348Do You Want to Turn AutoComplete On?     348Installing Device Driver Software     349The Publisher Could Not Be Verified      349Video Card Does Not Meet Minimum Requirements     350Windows Cannot Open This File     350Windows Needs Your Permission to Continue     351You Don't Currently Have Permission to Access This Folder     352Moving from an Old Computer to a New One     353Preparing to Move into Your New PC     354Choosing how to transfer your old information     354Installing your old PC's programs onto your new PC     355Transferring Information Between Two PCs with Windows Easy Transfer     356Disposing of the Old Computer     363Help on the Windows Vista Help System     365Consulting a Program's Built-in Computer Guru     365Finding the Information You Need in Windows' Help and Support Center     367Summoning Windows Vista's Troubleshooters     369The Part of Tens     371Ten or So Things You'll Hate about Windows Vista (and How to Fix Them)     373I Can't Stand Those Nagging Permission Screens     373I Can't Copy Ripped CDs and Purchased Music to My iPod     374The Menus All Disappeared     375Parental Controls Are Too Complicated     375The "Glass" Effects Slow Down My Laptop     376I Can't Figure Out How to Turn Off My PC     376Windows Makes Me Log On All the Time     377The Taskbar Keeps Disappearing     378I Can't Keep Track of Open Windows     378I Can't Line Up Two Windows on the Screen     379It Won't Let Me Do Something Unless I'm an Administrator!     379I Don't Know What Version of Windows I Have     380My Print Screen Key Doesn't Work     380Ten or So Tips for Laptop Owners     381Adjusting Your Laptop's Settings Quickly     381Choosing What Happens When You Close Your Laptop's Lid     383Adjusting to Different Locations     384Changing your time zone     384Dialing a modem from a new location     385Connecting to a wireless Internet hotspot     386Backing Up Your Laptop Before Traveling     386Upgrading to Windows Vista     387Index     391

\ From Barnes & NobleThe Barnes & Noble Review\ So you're not exactly a geek. But you've heard Windows Vista's coming, you've heard it's different, you've heard it's pretty interesting. Maybe your company's planning to upgrade. Maybe you'll be buying a new PC soon, and you want to know what you're in for. Maybe you're just plain curious. Whatever the case, we have the easiest, quickest (and cheapest) Windows Vista preview you can find: Windows Vista for Dummies Special Preview Edition. \ Check out the price. But also check out the author, Andy Rathbone. He's been writing For Dummies guides on Windows since the Pleistocene era (well, actually, 1992). So he's got the formula down perfectly: fun, easy, real. In just 192 pages, Rathbone's captured the stuff about Windows Vista that'll be important to normal people -- not techies.\ Rathbone shows how to download a free beta test copy of Vista, then sorts through its five versions (there will be two home versions, believe it or not). You'll glide through Vista's new interface, getting comfy with goodies like the Sidebar and Windows Flip (2D and 3D versions). There's a full chapter on personalizing Vista -- including controlling security features such as Windows Firewall, Automatic Updates, malware protection, and user account controls.\ There's a chapter on Vista's improved search features (maybe, just maybe, you'll finally be able to find that old file you're looking for). And, of course, Rathbone covers Windows' improved Internet tools, including Internet Explorer 7. He even previews the new Microsoft Office that's due around the same time as Vista, also with a revamped interface. Hard to believe Rathbone could do all this in such a short, easy-to-read book. But he has. Bill Camarda, from the September 2006 Read Only\ \ \