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Archive: May 2008

System Specifications for Windows Vista

winvista 15/05/2008 @ 11:30

SYSTEM SPECIFICATIONS

The first step in optimizing your PC is to find out precisely what hardware components you have, and what their various capabilities are.

This is known as your System Specifications, and to find out the specific details of your hardware you requ ire an appropriate set of tools. Information about your system specifications is vital both for using this guide, and for general PC usage and maintenance.

For example you must know the model and chipset type of your motherboard before you ca n upgrade your BIOS, or install the correct motherboard drivers; you must know the full capabilities of your graphics card if you want to know if it can run Vista Aero or again to update its drivers; or you may have a complex problem which you wish to resolve yourself or provide details of to a Technical Support person.

This chapter covers the tools you need and the methods you can use to obtain all the relevant system information.

SYSTEM INFORMATION TOOLS
There are several good free system information utilities to choose from, including some comprehensive ones built into Windows Vista. A combination of these programs will tell you everything you need to know about your system specifications and ca pa bilities, and I recommend you download and install as many of these programs as possible:

WINDOWS SYSTEM INFORMATION TOOL
You can access the Windows System Information Tool by going to Start>All Programs>Accessories>System Tools>System Information, or go to Start>Search Box and type "msinfo32" (without quotes) and hit Enter.
The Windows System Information Tool presents a range of basic information about your system.
Unfortunately much of it can be a little difficult to comprehend or may not be quite what you're looking for.
Some of the more useful pieces of information include the IRQ allocations under Hardware Resources>IRQs; the listing of your hardware components by type under the Components section; a listing of all the system
drivers loaded up and their status under Software Environment>System Drivers; or recent Windows errors under Software Environment>Windows Error Reporting. In general the System Information Tool is best used by medium to advanced users who can comprehend the interface and the information much easier than a beginning user. Its major advantage is that it is a free and built-in utility that anyone can easily access.

PERFORMANCE & INFORMATION TOOLS
Windows Vista contains several tools which provide performa nce and diagnostic information about your system. These can be found under Control Panel>Performance Information and Tools>Advanced Tools and include the Task Manager, the Reliability and Performance Monitor, the Windows Memory Diagnostics and the Generate System Health Report items. These tools are very useful in both providing more detailed information about your system, and more importantly for allowing you to undertake troubleshooting/diagnostics. They are covered in detail under the Performance Measurement & Diagnostics chapter.

DEVICE MANAGER
You can access the Windows Device Manager under the Control Panel, or by going to Start>Search Box and typing "device manager" (without quotes) and then pressing Enter. As a built-in Windows utility you can gain a great deal of useful information about your hardware from this tool. Your major devices are displayed under various categories, and you can even choose to update individual device drivers or uninstall a device altogether should you wish. The Device Manager has several important roles and is covered in more detail under the BIOS & Hardware Management chapter.

DIRECTX DIAGNOSTICS
You can access the DirectX Diagnostic Utility (DXDiag) by going to Start>Search Box and typing "dxdiag" (without quotes) and pressing Enter. DXDiag is another built-in Windows Diagnostic/System Information tool that is part of the DirectX 10 API (See the Graphics & Interface chapter). The main tab of DXDiag, called System, displays basic information about your system such as your Processor (CPU) type and speed, amount of Memory (physical RAM) and the Pagefile (Virtual Memory) usage among other things. Under the Display, Sound and Input tabs you can find more information about the particular hardware you are running for each of these functions. In particular you should ensure that all the DirectX Features listed are Enabled. If they are not, they can't be changed here however this indicates that there may be an issue with your hardware or drivers - see the Windows Drivers chapter for more details.

The most useful function for DXDiag is its ability to create a detailed text file with all your major system information, including your main hardware specifications, driver files, and environmental settings. To generate this text file click the 'Save All Information' button found at the bottom of the main DXDiag screen.
You will be prompted to save this report somewhere, and the default of the Windows Desktop is just fine.
This DXDiag.txt file can now be attached to an email you can send to a Technical Support person, or its contents can be posted on an online forum to allow others to help you with any problems you may be experiencing. Don't worry - it doesn't contain any private information such as serial numbers or passwords.

3DMARK
You can download the latest version of 3DMark from the Futuremark Website, and you can read more about its main functionality under the Performance Measurement & Diagnostics chapter. 3DMark is primarily designed as a graphics benchmarking utility, however it has a nice system information section that gives you a brief snapshot of major system information. Start 3DMark and on the main screen click the Details button under the System section. A browser window will open with a range of information about your system.

SANDRA
You can download Sandra from the SiSoftware Website. Once installed, run Sandra and you will see a wide selection of information and benchmarking modules to choose from. Under the free version of Sandra, many of these modules are inactive, however the main ones we need ha ve sufficient functionality for our purposes.
For example, if you want to know more about your system, go to the Hardware ta b and open the Computer Overview module. It will display a range of basic but important information about your system, such as the CPU speed and type, and your graphics card model. If you want to know more about your motherboard in particular for example, open the Mainboard module, and it will display the motherboard chipset type, and information related to your motherboard and the types of devices on its various ports. Sandra has several very useful benchmarking and stress testing features that are covered in more detail in the Performance Measurement & Diagnostics chapter. Note that Sandra installs two new Services for itself, called the
'SiSoftware Sandra Agent Service' - which you can set to Manual; and the 'SiSoftware Database Agent Service' - which you can Disable.

CPU- Z
You can download CPU-Z from the CPU-Z Website. Run CPU-Z.exe and it will provide you with everything you need to know about your CPU, such as its precise speed, voltage, packaging type, cache sizes etc. It will also tell you about your system's current Bus speed under the CPU tab, your full motherboard details under the Motherboard tab, and your RAM's complete details under the Memory and SPD tabs. Note that for information to appear under the SPD tab you will have to first select the slot(s) on the motherboard that your RAM stick(s) occupy, otherwise the box will be empty.

There are many other system information tools which are available, some of which are not free. However a combination of the tools above can give you all the details you need to see precisely what hardware is in your PC. I strongly encourage you to make sure that you are fully aware of your hardware specifications and capabilities, as incorrect knowledge can cause major problems when you try to install drivers or make system or BIOS changes for example. Make a list of your relevant system specifications now using the above tools and keep them handy - see the format below for further help.

PROVIDING SYSTEM SPECIFICATIONS
At some point while you are seeking help for a computer-related problem you will have to provide your system specifications. Whether a qualified Technical Support person or simply a computer enthusiast on an online forum asks, you should provide your specifications in an appropriate format. Simply copying the entire contents of a DXDiag dump for example is far too large for most people to have the patience to wade through, so I recommend that you use the format shown below.

Use the system information tools covered above to fill in the appropriate details. The more detail you can provide, the better - the bare minimum is the brand and model number of your major components. Add in details like whether any of the components are overclocked, whether there is any additional or modified cooling, and indeed whether any other modifications have been made to the system since purchased. I have filled in some sample information in italics to demonstrate how it should look:

CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ Dual-core CPU, stock speed, XP-90 cooling
Motherboard: DFI NForce4 SLI-DR
Graphics card: Nvidia GeForce 7800GTX at Stock speed
Sound Card: Creative SoundBlaster Audigy 2ZS
RAM: 2 x 1GB OCZ PC3200 at 400MHz, 2-3-2-5 (CAS 2)
Hard Drive(s): 2 x 74GB Western Digital Raptor SATA RAID 0
CD/DVD Drive(s): Pioneer DVR-109 DVD-R
Power Supply: Silverstone 650W
Operating System: Windows Vista Ultimate including all updates
Driver Versions, Other Details: 2.08.0002 Audigy 2 drivers, 100.65 Forceware, 6.70 NForce drivers

You can also provide details of your monitor, keyboard, mouse,speakers/headphones, however these are usually not critical to solving a PC problem, unless of course your problem is with mouse input, display output, or audio output for example.

If you are still at a total loss as to how to provide full details of your system, use DirectX Diagnostics (see above) to generate a report and attach it to an email or post its contents on a forum, but bear in mind that noone can magically solve a problem simply by looking at your system specifications, no matter how detailed they are, so despite the length of a DXDiag text dump, it is not a substitute for you becoming familiar with your own system and therefore troubleshooting your own problems, or actively being able to contribute and assist someone else who is trying to do so. You should also become familiar with the Performance Measurement & Diagnostics chapter of this guide, as it provides important details on how you
can go about resolving many problems on your own PC.

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Windows Vista: Basic PC Terminology

winvista 14/05/2008 @ 08:44

BASIC PC TERMINOLOGY

If you're not totally familiar with the various components of a modern PC, then this chapter will help you understand some of the common terminology used throughout the guide and what each hardware component does in layman's terms.

Note that I use a human body analogy to describe the function of C hardware components to hopefully clarify their functionality. Experienced PC users can skip this chapter.

BITS & BYTES
You will often see the terms Bits, Bytes, Kilobytes, Megabytes and Gigabytes (or their abbreviations) being thrown around in guides such as this one. A Bit is the lowest form of computer information and can take the value 0 or 1 (i.e. Off or On). All computer functionality is derived from the behavior of Bits. For our purposes, the main conversion factors you need to know are:

8 bits (b) = 1 Byte (B)
1,024 Bytes = 1 Kilobyte (KB)
1,024 Kilobytes (KB) = 1 Megabyte (MB)
1,024 Mega bytes (MB) = 1 Gigabyte (GB)

Note in particular that the general convention is that bits are shown as a small 'b', and Bytes are shown as a
capital B. E.g.: 512kbps is 512 kilobits per second, which translates to 64KB/s (KiloBytes per second).

PC
A PC (Personal Computer), often referred to as a System, Machine, Rig or Box, is a collection of hardware (electronic components) which function as a unified system through the use of software (programmed instructions). This is similar to the way a human body has a range of organs, connective tissue and structures designed to work together to achieve an outcome.

CPU
The CPU (Central Processing Unit) is the single most important component of a PC. It is typically a thin square chip which is seated firmly on your Motherboard, usually covered by a large meta l heatsink and fan to cool it. The CPU controls and co-ordinates the actions of the entire PC under instruction from software. It has the role of determining which hardware component does what, assigning tasks and undertaking complex calculations which are then fed through the various relevant components and back. In human body terms, the CPU is the brain.

MOTHERBOARD
The Motherboard, also called the Mainboard, or Mobo for short, is the large rectangular plastic Printed Circuit Board (PCB) into which a large range of electronic components are connected in a PC. The motherboard provides a network of pathways (or Buses) for the CPU to communicate to the various hardware components, and a range of ports for standard peripherals and devices to plug into the PC. The major pathway for information flow in the motherboard is the main Bus (Front Side Bus or HyperTransport).
In human body terms, the motherboard is the nervous system and arterial system combined.

MEMORY
RAM (Random Access Memory), also called System RAM or just Memory, is the most common form of computer memory hardware used by a PC. RAM usually comes in long thin 'sticks' of set sizes that plug into the motherboard and through it provide a place for the CPU and other components to temporarily store information. RAM only holds information while the PC is on; if a PC is rebooted or switched off, any information in RAM is instantly cleared. Aside from System RAM, the graphics ca rd usually has its own RAM called Video RAM, and the CPU and other hardware often have small memory chips called Caches to
hold information temporarily. In all cases, memory is used to speed up data transfers because information can be written to and read from memory much faster than any other form of storage (such as the Hard Drive
or CD ROM). This is primarily because such memory chips have no moving parts.

ROM (Read Only Memory) is a permanent form of memory, and works similar to RAM, however unlike RAM it can only be read from and not written to under normal circumstances, and it will not clear when the system is rebooted or switched off. ROM is primarily used to hold small amounts of important information, such as the BIOS (Basic Input Output System) - the program which tells the computer how to function when it is first switched on - stored on the ROM chip in the motherboard. Certain ROMs can be written to by use of a process called Flashing, such as when the BIOS is flashed with a new version. In human body terms, Memory is like our own memory with RAM being short term memory and ROM being long term memory.

HARD DRIVE
The Hard Drive is a semi-permanent storage area that acts like Memory, except it is slower and far larger.
The hard drive is a rectangular metallic box inside which is a stack of round platters and a read/write head.
The hard drive plugs into the motherboard's IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) Controller, SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment) Controller or SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) Controller
depending on the drive type and the motherboard type. Whenever the PC requires information, it must first be read from the hard drive, usually into RAM, from where it is then accessed by the CPU and other devices.
Data such as installed software will remain on the hard drive regardless of whether the system is rebooted or switched off. Because the hard drive involves moving physical components, such as the read/write head and a spinning disk, it can never be as fast as RAM/ROM - which have no moving parts - in providing information. Often a system may slow down or stutter while waiting for more information to be loaded up or written to the hard drive. The amount of information on the hard drive itself usually has no significant impact on its performance. In human body terms, the hard drive and the information it holds is like a library of books, or a notepad that can be read from and written to.

CD/DVD DRIVE
Much like the Hard Drive, a CD, DVD, CDRW or DVD-R drive (broadly called an Optical Drive) is a storage device tha t reads from and sometimes writes information onto CDs or DVDs that permanently hold this information until overwritten or deleted.

Such drives usually come in plastic rectangular boxes with a loading slot or extendable tray in the front. They usually plug into the motherboard's IDE Controller or SATA Controller depending on the drive and motherboard type. Specifically, CD and DVD ROM drives can read information from CDs or CDs & DVDs respectively, but cannot write anything onto them. CDRW and DVD-R drives can both read from and write information to writeable CDs and DVDs respectively. All these drives are slower than a hard drive in reading and writing information due to physical limitations once again and also the way in which they are connected to the main system Bus. In human body terms, these drives are again much like an external library and the CDs and DVDs themselves are like books or notepads.

FLOPPY DRIVE
Much like a Hard Drive or CD/DVD Drive, a Floppy Drive stores information on a recording medium, usually a thin plastic 3.5" Floppy Disk. The floppy drive comes in a rectangular plastic box with a loading slot at the front and a large ejection button, and plugs into the floppy controller on the motherboard. Floppy drives can read from and write information to floppy disks, but are incredibly slow compared to any other
form of drive, and also hold very little information (1.44MB) and hence are not commonly used anymore.

Most PCs retain a floppy drive for emergency use when Windows won't load up for example, or to flash the BIOS, though even this is no longer necessary under Vista. Again, in human body terms a floppy drive is like a library, with the floppy disks a document or notepad for reading from and writing to.

GRAPHICS CARD
The Graphics Card, also called the Video Card, Graphics Adapter or VGA Adapter, is a miniature computer of its own dedicated solely to graphics-rela ted functions on the PC. It is a thin rectangular plastic PCB with a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit, or 'Core') - similar to a CPU - and Video RAM (or VRAM) - similar to System RAM - as well as Pipelines for transferring information internally, similar to the Buses on a
motherboard. It plugs into the motherboard through the AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) Port, a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) slot, or a PCI-E (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) slot.
Most graphics cards have one or more heatsinks on the GPU and the VRAM, and often have a fan on the GPU or covering the entire card. The graphics card undertakes the majority of 2D and 3D graphics calculations and also sends information directly to the Display Device, which is usually a monitor. Some
motherboards have built-in graphics functionality that works in much the same way as a graphics card, but is referred to as Onboard Graphics or Integra ted Graphics. PCs with such graphics functionality typically process graphics-related information far less quickly than those with plug-in graphics cards. In human body terms, the graphics card is like the portion of the Brain that relates to visual or artistic expression.

DISPLAY DEVICE
A Display Device, information is displayed graphically. This graphical information comes from the graphics card, and a display device must usually be plugged directly into the graphics card through the back of a PC to facilitate this. While many computers still have a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) monitor as their primary display device, modern Cs can utilize LCD displays, Plasma Televisions and sometimes multiple types of displays at once to output the graphics information. Display devices have the ability to displa y graphics at various resolutions, typically expressed in number of Pixels wide by number of Pixels high (e.g. a resolution of 1024 x 768). A Pixel is the smallest component of graphics, and the higher the resolution, the more pixels are displayed on the display device and hence the clearer the image. At each resolution a display device can also redraw the ima ge a number of times per second, referred to as the Refresh Rate. The higher the refresh rate the smoother your graphics will appear and the less flickering you will notice. In human body terms the
display device is like a piece of paper or a canvas used by a person to convey thoughts as images and text.

SOUND CARD
The Sound Card, also called the Audio Card or Audio Device, is a thin plastic PCB or sometimes an external attachment that acts as a dedicated CPU for calculation of audio informa tion. A sound card typically plugs into the motherboard through a PCI slot, or in some cases as an external peripheral, and usually has no heatsink or fan, as it does not require the same level of cooling as other ma jor components. Some motherboards have built-in audio functionality that works in much the same way as a sou nd card, but is referred to as Onboard Au dio or Integrated Sound. PCs with such audio functionality typically process audio-related information less quickly or less faithfully than those using proper sound cards. In human body terms,the sound card is much like the portion of the Brain that relates to audio interpretation.

SPEAKERS OR HEADPHONES
A PC speaker system (or headphones) is designed to output the audio signals of the PC, which usually come from the sound card, and hence they typically plugged directly into the sound card. Even if a PC has no attached speakers/headphones, all PCs have a small built-in speaker that provides important system status information usually as beeps. In human body terms the speakers or headphones are like the voice of the PC.

POWER SUPPLY UNIT
The Power Supply Unit (PSU) is a square metal box, usually with a fan at the back, which is cabled to all the major components of a PC, particularly the motherboard, and provides the power for the PC to function. The power cord from the wall usually plugs straight into the back of the PSU directly, as it draws the appropriate
power and regulates the precise voltages that certain devices need to function correctly. The PSU usually has a wattage rating which indicates the maximum power output of the PSU under load, with the more devices connected to a PC the higher the wattage required to maintain ample smooth power to each and hence keep the system stable under stress. In human body terms, the PSU is like the heart which pumps blood through the arteries and organs.

HEATSINKS AND FANS
A Heatsink is a square or rectangular solid metal object typically with a perfectly flat surface on one side, and many long square 'spines' on the opposite surface. The role of a heatsink is to sit on top of chip like the CPU or GPU, or even RAM - any component which gets quite hot - and draw out the heat these components are producing through conduction. This heat then travels along the length of the heatsink to the top of the individual metal spines where cooler air and a large surface area help in accelerating the dissipation of the heat. Typically a fan is bolted on top of the heatsink to aid in blowing more cool air over the heatsink's spines and hence dissipate the heat more quickly. In some cases where just a heatsink is sufficient for the job, no fan is used - such as the heatsinks on the motherboard or heatsinks placed onto VRAM.

Often Fans are placed inside and around a PC case by themselves to draw in cool air and blow out hot air from the enclosed space around the hardware components on the motherboard. Given the way heatsinks work, the air around components will heat up quickly as heatsink(s) radiate the heat drawn from hardware components. Fans of varying sizes and speeds aid in cooling the air in the entire case.

Other forms of PC Cooling such as refrigerator-like Peltiers, Heatpipes and Watercooling blocks can assist or replace heatsinks and fans in the role of cooling system components, but are less common due to their cost and complexity. In human body terms all these devices are like the respiratory and perspiration functions.

CASE
The PC case is a hardened structure, usually made of thin but strong metal and/or plastic, which encloses all the PC components and onto which the motherboard is firmly attached. The case usually

provides the basic framework required for affixing additional components such as hard drives, floppy drives and the PSU.
Often the case will also have a range of openings small and large to allow fans to draw and expel air for better circulation. In hu man body terms the case is like the skeleton combined with the skin.

PERIPHERAL
A Peripheral generally refers to any external device attached to a PC, such as a mouse, keyboard, printer or digital camera for example. The term 'peripheral' is used specifically to indicate that the device lies outside the periphery of the PC case. The only thing peripherals have in common with each other is that they provide additional input to the PC, and often capture some of the PC's output too. In human body terms peripherals are like the eyes, ears, nose, hands and feet of the PC.

OPERATING SYSTEM AND SOFTWARE

The Operating System (or OS) such as Windows Vista, is a vital piece of software - a compilation of instructions tha t tell all the hardware components in a PC how to function to achieve particular outcomes.
This information is interpreted and coordinated by the CPU, but is not confined to CPU functionality. An OS is a necessity on all modern PCs since without an overarching program to provide core functionality, all the computer components would not be able to function as a single machine. Additional installed software is like modular functionality which slots under the OS to perform specific functions or tasks, such as word processing or gaming. In human body terms the Operating System/software is like a combination of our basic education, instincts and emotions - the driving force behind our behavior that tells us how to act.

Hopefully this information has helped you understand the roles of the various hardware components a little better.Ultimately a PC is an incredibly complex machine and as such the simplifications in this chapter don't do justice to the intricate and multi-faceted ways in which hardware and software components interact.

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Windows Vista:Usage Notes

winvista 10/05/2008 @ 06:23

Window Vista is a relatively new Operating System, but for the most part its usage is similar to that of previous Windows versions.

However there are a range of changes which impact on the way you will goabout using Vista and this guide. This section briefly highlights the most important of these changes.

Do not skip this chapter - read through it quickly now, then refer back here as you go through the guide.

SEARCH BOX
Throughout this guide you will see me refer to Start>Search Box as a place to input particular text, often to launch a program or Windows feature.

This Search Box is actually an Instant Search box which appears (among other places) at the bottom of the Start Menu when you click the Start button. Strictly speaking it is not a command line interface like the Windows Run box - which you can access by pressing WINDOWS+R or using the Run item on the Start Menu (when configured appropriately). However it is much quicker to use tha n going through menus to find a shortcut, or typing an exact executable or command name in the Run box, so I refer to it constantly in the guide.

More details of this Search Box and how the search functionality works in Vista are under the Windows Search chapter.

USER ACCOUNT CONTROL
Vista has changed the way users are allowed to make major changes to the system. To start with you will need to be using (or have access to) an Administrator-level user account if you want to implement most of
the changes in this guide. The default account that you create when first installing Vista is one such
Administrator-level account, so start by logging into that account when using this guide.

When User Account Control (UAC) is enabled, you will be prompted to Continue prior to making any system-level changes; this is normal. Click the Details button on the UAC prompt to ensure you will be running the program you expect to be running. In some cases progra ms not designed specifically for Vista may not launch properly or have full functionality when UAC is enabled, because they don't ask for Administrative access to the system even when it is required. So to start with, launch any programs by right- clicking on their executable or launch icon and select 'Run as Administrator' to ensure they have full functionality.

Importantly: Do not disable UAC to start with because aside from security issues, if you choose to enable it again in the future, due to file and registry virtualization your settings for any currently-installed programs may be lost. The reason for this is explained more clearly in the PC Security chapter. Keep UAC enabled initially both for security and consistency purposes, and once you've finished using this guide you will have enough information to properly consider whether to keep it enabled or not and the impact that this choice will have.

These changes are all detailed under the User Account Control section of the PC Security chapter, and the User Accounts section of the Control Panel chapter.

ADMINISTRATOR COMMAND PROMPT
Related to UAC is the fact that if using an MS-DOS Command Prompt to make command-line based changes, you will often require what is known as an 'Administrator Command Prompt' to successfully use certain system commands. There are several ways to access an Administrator Command Prompt.

Go to Start>Search Box and type "cmd" (without quotes), then right-click on the 'cmd.exe' option which appears at the top of the Start Menu and select 'Run as Administrator'.

Go to Start>Search Box and type " cmd" (without quotes), then press CTRL+SHIFT+ENTER.
Go to Start>Search Box and type "cmd" (without quotes), then right-click on the 'cmd.exe' option, select 'Pin to Start Menu' or 'Send To>Desktop' to create a shortcut. Right-click on this shortcut, select Properties, click the Advanced button and tick 'Run as Administrator'. You can now use this shortcut to always launch an Administrator Command Prompt as required.

If ever a particular command line option is not executing properly or appears to have no impact, it is most likely because you need to use it in an Administrator Command Prompt. Note that you can also run any program or Vista feature from an Administrator Command Prompt without requiring a re-confirmation through UAC, because it already has elevated privileges.

WINDOWS EXPLORER
Most users will need to start using the Windows Explorer and Explorer-based windows and features relatively early in their experience with Vista, typically to manipulate files, so the Windows Explorer chapter has been moved closer to the start of this guide. I encourage you to refer to tha t chapter as early as possible (even directly after reading this if you wish), and as often as necessary to understand how the new Vista Explorer interface works since it is a key tool for all users.

The Windows Explorer chapter also contains a list of keyboard shortcuts which may come in handy as you use this guide, so again it may be worth perhaps skipping to early on to see the changes and new features.

NOTIFICATION AREA
This is a relatively insignificant change, but it should be noted that Microsoft now refers to the area at the bottom right of the screen in the Taskbar (next to the clock) as the Notification Area, not the System Trayarea. All references in this guide to the Notification Area refer to that location.

WINDOWS AERO INTERFACE
An obvious feature new to Vista is the Windows Aero glass-like interface. The Windows Desktop is no longer simply a 2D environment, under Vista the Desktop now always runs in Direct3D mode, so it can have both 2D and 3D elements at the same time. To see if you are running Aero, and to demonstrate its 3D capabilities, press WINDOWS+TAB to trigger Vista's 'Windows Flip 3D' task switching interface.

For details of how to enable and use the new interface features see the Graphics & Interface chapter.

PROGRAM COMPATIBILITY
Like any newly released operating system, Vista faces a range of potential compatibility issues from some programs which were not designed with Vista in mind. While Vista is not the same as Windows XP or Windows 2000, for the most part any 32-bit Windows-based program which ran under those pla tforms will run on Vista without problems. However this does not include extremely system-intrusive programs such as
virus scanners or firewalls not designed for Vista. I have made sure the software listed throughout this guide is compatible with Vista.

If you are having problems with a program, right-click on the program executable or launch icon, select Properties and under the Compatibility tab tick the 'Run this program in compatibility mode' and select the appropriate OS (Windows XP Service Pack 2 if in doubt). Also make sure to try running the program as an Administrator (see User Account Control further above), as some programs do not inform Vista that they need full Admin access to the system, and hence will abort during launch or give errors during installation or usage unless you right-click on them and select 'Run as Administrator'.

Also check this Windows Vista Software Compatibility List to see if your program has any known issues.

DRIVER COMPATIBILITY
Driver compatibility is perhaps the most significant issue facing Vista at the moment, and also the one whih users can do least about. Vista employs a new driver model which is designed to make the system more stable, but this means that older drivers will not work in Vista; drivers specifically designed for Vista must be used. Some hardware manufacturers are struggling to provide adequate, stable drivers which are fully functional, but this will improve over time. While some older hardware may never receive proper drivers, most recent hardware should have good drivers soon. Hardware manufacturers ATI, Nvidia and Creative Labs have all indicated they are working towards releasing better drivers over the coming months.

Vista 64-bit users should note tha t you cannot run drivers which are unsigned under Vista 64-bit, nor can it use drivers designed for 32-bit Windows. See the Windows Drivers chapter for more details of drivers under Vista, as well as the Sound section under the Control Panel chapter, and the start of the Graphics & Interface chapter for important details on audio and video driver-related changes.

These are just some of the more important areas which may confuse new users of Vista. Vista has a vast range of changes, some large and some small, for which you must steadily read through this entire guide to learn more about and understand the rationale behind them. The one thing I can guarantee you is that Windows Vista is not just Windows XP with a new interface, a few annoying prompts and driver problems.
It really has had a great deal of changes both above and beneath the hood, and contains greatly improved built-in utilities and features which are all covered in this guide.

Microsoft AdLabs.

winvista 07/05/2008 @ 16:15

Microsoft appears to have re-launched and put all of its search marketing tools into the AdCenter Labs; an advertising & data mining tools center.

For example, I was curious to know the demographic predictions of WinVistaClub, and here are the results:

AdLabs looks like a great tool for search marketers, webmasters and anyone looking to gain some insight into how people use search. The data comes from Microsoft's own search engine. Worth a checkout !