Windows Vista ™
FOR
DUMmIES
‰
QUICK REFERENCE
by Greg Harvey, PhD
Windows Vista™ For Dummies® Quick Reference
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About the Author
Greg Harvey, the author of a slew of For Dummies books running the gamut from
Excel For Dummies to The Origins of Tolkien’s Middle-earth For Dummies, has had a
long career of teaching business people the use of IBM PC, Windows, and Macintosh
software application programs. From 1983 to 1988, he conducted hands-on computer
software training for corporate business users with a variety of training companies
(including his own, PC Teach). From 1988 to 1992, he taught university classes in
Lotus 1-2-3 and Introduction to Database Management Technology (using dBASE)
in the Department of Information Systems at Golden Gate University in San Francisco.
In mid-1993, Greg started a new multimedia publishing venture, Mind over Media, Inc.
As a multimedia developer and computer book author, he hopes to enliven his future
online computer books by making them into true interactive learning experiences
that will vastly enrich and improve the training of users of all skill levels. In 2006,
he received his PhD in Comparative Philosophy and Religion with a concentration
on Asian Studies from the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco,
California. When he isn’t busy writing, Dr. Greg works as a patient care and bereave-
ment volunteer with the Hospice of Marin in Larkspur, California and Hospice by the
Bay in San Francisco, California and a home and hospital volunteer with the Center
for Attitudinal Healing in Sausalito, California.
Dedication
To my alma mater, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, birthplace
of NCSA (National Center for Supercomputing Applications) Mosaic, the great-grand-
daddy of Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.
Thanks for helping me gain the analytical, language, and writing skills that all came
into play in the creation of this work.
Author’s Acknowledgments
Many thanks to Christopher Aiken at Mind over Media, Inc. for all his help and support
with this revision of Windows Quick Reference.
I want to thank the following people at Wiley Publishing, Inc. who have worked so
hard to make this book a reality: Katie Feltman for her consistent and inspiring help
in getting this revision off the ground; Linda Morris for her dedicated editorial assis-
tance; and the amazing layout folks in Production. Thanks, too, to Joyce Nielsen for
the technical review.
Last, but never least, I want to acknowledge my indebtedness to Dan Gookin, whose
vision, sardonic wit, and (sometimes) good humor produced DOS For Dummies, the
“Mother” of all For Dummies books. Thanks for the inspiration and the book that
made it all possible, Dan.
Greg Harvey
Point Reyes Station, California
Publisher’s Acknowledgments
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Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:
Acquisitions, Editorial, and Media Development Composition Services
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Acquisitions Editor: Katie Feltman Layout and Graphics: Denny Hager,
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Barbara Moore, Barry Offringa,
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Publishing and Editorial for Technology Dummies
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Publishing for Consumer Dummies
Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher
Joyce Pepple, Acquisitions Director
Composition Services
Gerry Fahey, Vice President of Production Services
Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services
Contents at a Glance
Part 1: The Vista User Experience ..................................................................1
Part 2: Computer Management ....................................................................49
Part 3: Networking ........................................................................................81
Part 4: Communications ................................................................................95
Part 5: System Maintenance ........................................................................139
Part 6: Security ............................................................................................163
Part 7: Entertainment ..................................................................................173
Glossary: Tech Talk......................................................................................205
Index ............................................................................................................209
Table of Contents
Part 1: The Vista User Experience ............................1
Aero Glass Interface ..........................................................................................2
Ah, That’s What They Did with It! ....................................................................6
Start is a very good place to begin ............................................................6
Using the All Programs item ........................................................................8
The role of Start Search ..............................................................................8
Looking at virtual folders with Windows Explorer ................................10
Notable differences in the Vista Windows Explorer ..............................10
The Navigation pane ..................................................................................11
The standard buttons on the toolbar ......................................................12
Taking a good look at the Views................................................................14
Using the address bar ................................................................................15
Making the most of the Details pane ........................................................16
Displaying the Search pane and Preview pane ......................................18
Restoring the Classic pull-down menus to Windows Explorer ............19
Restoring the Classic Windows Start menu ............................................19
Getting rid of the Vista glassiness ............................................................20
Adopting a Classic view of the Control Panel ........................................21
Things that haven’t changed a bit ............................................................21
Flip and Flip 3D ................................................................................................22
Personalize........................................................................................................23
Search ................................................................................................................25
Adding tags for searches ..........................................................................27
Doing advanced searches with the Search pane ....................................27
Saving search results in a search folder ..................................................28
Sidebar and Gadgets........................................................................................29
Changing where and how the Sidebar appears ......................................30
Hiding or eliminating the Sidebar ............................................................31
Adding new gadgets to your Sidebar ......................................................31
Customizing the contents of a gadget......................................................32
Changing the opacity of a gadget..............................................................33
Detaching a gadget from the Sidebar and freely moving it
around the desktop..................................................................................33
Vista Desktop....................................................................................................34
Displaying additional desktop icons ........................................................34
Creating desktop shortcuts ......................................................................35
Vista Taskbar ....................................................................................................36
The Start menu............................................................................................37
Customizing the taskbar ............................................................................38
Customizing the Start menu ......................................................................38
Using the Quick Launch toolbar ..............................................................40
Adding other toolbars to the taskbar ......................................................41
x Windows Vista For Dummies Quick Reference
Creating new toolbars ................................................................................41
The Notification area..................................................................................42
Customizing the Notification area ............................................................42
Switching between open windows............................................................43
Arranging windows on the desktop..........................................................43
Using the Task Manager ............................................................................44
Welcome Center ..............................................................................................45
Windows Help and Support ............................................................................46
Part 2: Computer Management ..............................49
Disk Management ............................................................................................50
Opening folders on drives in the Computer window ............................51
Formatting a disk ........................................................................................51
Mapping a network folder as a local drive ..............................................52
File and Folder Management ..........................................................................53
Assigning filenames ....................................................................................54
Creating new files and folders ..................................................................55
Customizing a window’s Folder Options ................................................56
Changing how you select and open items ..............................................57
Changing how items are displayed in a folder ........................................57
Creating compressed (zipped) folders ....................................................58
Extracting files from a compressed folder ..............................................59
Selecting files and folders ..........................................................................60
Copying (and moving) files and folders ..................................................61
Deleting files and folders ..........................................................................65
Renaming files and folders ........................................................................66
Sharing files ................................................................................................67
Program Management ....................................................................................72
Removing or repairing a program ............................................................72
Changing the program defaults ................................................................72
Restart, Sleep/Hibernate, Lock, Log Off, and Shut Down............................74
Windows Explorer............................................................................................75
Changing the display of an Explorer window..........................................76
Sorting and filtering items in an Explorer window ................................77
Part 3: Networking ................................................81
Connect to a Network......................................................................................82
Manage Network Connections ......................................................................83
Manage Wireless Networks ............................................................................84
Modifying the order in which Vista automatically
connects to wireless networks ..............................................................85
Manually adding a new wireless network ................................................85
Removing an unused network from the list ............................................86
Network Access................................................................................................87
Turning on File Sharing or Discovery and Sharing ................................87
Opening and exploring shared computers on the network ..................89
Table of Contents xi
Network and Sharing Center ..........................................................................90
Network Map ....................................................................................................91
Set Up a Connection or Network....................................................................92
Part 4: Communications ........................................95
Internet Explorer 7 ..........................................................................................96
Connecting to the Internet ........................................................................96
Launching Internet Explorer 7 ..................................................................96
Adding and changing home pages............................................................97
Navigating the Web ....................................................................................98
Zooming in on page ....................................................................................99
Using the Panning Hand to scroll the Web page ..................................100
Address AutoComplete ............................................................................101
Adding Web Favorites ..............................................................................101
Opening Favorites ....................................................................................102
Organizing Favorites ................................................................................103
Using Internet Explorer 7 tabs ................................................................105
Saving Web graphics ................................................................................106
Saving Web pages......................................................................................107
Printing Web pages ..................................................................................108
Working offline ..........................................................................................111
Searching from the Live Search text box ..............................................112
Autosearching from the address bar......................................................113
Adding a search provider to Internet Explorer 7..................................113
No phishing allowed ................................................................................115
Pop-ups anyone? ......................................................................................116
Subscribing to RSS feeds..........................................................................116
Speech Recognition ......................................................................................118
Setting up Speech Recognition................................................................119
Changing Speech Recognition settings ..................................................120
Windows Fax and Scan ..................................................................................122
Sending and receiving faxes ....................................................................122
Scanning documents ................................................................................123
Windows Mail ................................................................................................123
Creating a new e-mail account ................................................................124
Composing and sending messages ........................................................125
Adding recipients to the Contact List ....................................................128
Reading e-mail ..........................................................................................130
Organizing e-mail ......................................................................................132
Deleting e-mail ..........................................................................................133
Windows Meeting Space ..............................................................................134
Setting up Windows Meeting Space........................................................134
People Near Me ........................................................................................135
Inviting participants to the session........................................................136
Sharing computer resources ..................................................................137
Sharing programs, files, or your Vista desktop ....................................137
Presenting a document as a handout ....................................................138
xii Windows Vista For Dummies Quick Reference
Part 5: System Maintenance ................................139
Backup and Restore Center ..........................................................................140
File and Folder Backup ............................................................................140
CompletePC Backup ................................................................................141
Restoring files to your computer............................................................142
Control Panel ..................................................................................................143
System and Maintenance ........................................................................146
Hardware and Sound ................................................................................147
Printers ......................................................................................................148
AutoPlay ....................................................................................................151
Manage Audio Devices and Sound Themes ..........................................152
Mouse ........................................................................................................152
Scanners and Cameras ............................................................................152
Clock, Language, and Region ..................................................................153
Date and Time ..........................................................................................153
Regional and Language Options..............................................................155
Ease of Access Center ..............................................................................156
System Restore ..............................................................................................158
Windows Update ............................................................................................160
Part 6: Security ..................................................163
BitLocker Drive Encryption ..........................................................................164
Parental Controls ..........................................................................................164
Security Center ..............................................................................................166
User Account Control ....................................................................................168
Managing your own account ..................................................................168
Managing other user accounts................................................................169
Changing the User Account Control status ..........................................170
Windows Defender ........................................................................................170
Part 7: Entertainment ..........................................173
Games ..............................................................................................................174
Media Center ..................................................................................................175
When it’s TV time......................................................................................177
Watching recorded programs..................................................................179
Playing your favorite tunes......................................................................179
Playing your much-loved movies............................................................180
Viewing your preferred photos and videos ..........................................180
Windows DVD Maker ....................................................................................181
Windows Media Player 11 ............................................................................183
Now Playing ..............................................................................................186
Using the Media Library ..........................................................................187
Ripping and burning CDs ........................................................................188
When you get the URGE for music..........................................................189
Using the Media Guide ............................................................................190
Synching up with a portable MP3 player ..............................................191
Table of Contents xiii
Windows Movie Maker ..................................................................................192
Importing media files and capturing video clips ..................................193
Assembling media files in your movie ..................................................193
Adding special effects to clips ................................................................194
Adding transitions ....................................................................................195
Adding movie titles and credits ..............................................................195
Publishing the final movie ......................................................................196
Windows Photo Gallery ................................................................................197
Playing a slide show ................................................................................200
Adding ratings, tags, and captions ........................................................201
Fixing a photo............................................................................................202
Glossary: Tech Talk..............................................205
Index ..................................................................209
xiv Windows Vista For Dummies Quick Reference
Part 1
The Vista User Experience
If such a thing as a beautiful user interface for a personal computer operating
system exists, Microsoft’s Windows Vista, shown in the following figure, is surely
at the top of this list. However, as you find out in this part, the Windows Vista
desktop is much more than just a pretty face. Indeed, Vista is also Microsoft’s
most powerful and usable personal computer interface to date (and this is
coming from someone who really liked Windows XP).
In this part . . .
Meet the Aero Glass Interface
Guide for displaced Windows XP Users migrating to Windows Vista
Personalizing your copy of Windows Vista
Using the Start Search and Search features
Using the Vista taskbar
2 Part 1: The Vista User Experience
Aero Glass Interface
In Windows Vista, A is for Aero Glass, the name given to the operating system’s
graphical user interface (GUI). The name is a combination of the acronym
AERO — Authentic, Energetic, Reflective, and Open — which describes the
original design goals for the new operating system, and glass (the stuff of which
actual windows are made), this stunning new user interface is all about clarity,
in the sense of both brightness and simplicity.
The first thing to note about the Aero Glass desktop when first installed (and after
you close the Welcome Center window that automatically appears) is the overall
openness of the screen (due to a decided lack of program icons) and a rather mini-
malist Start button and taskbar, as shown in Figure 1-1. This open screen makes
the most of your screen space, whatever the size of your monitor, by accommo-
dating more open windows and more information within each open window.
Figure 1-1
Aero Glass Interface 3
The second thing to notice is the relative transparency and high degree of reflec-
tiveness displayed by the various Vista screen elements, especially the taskbar,
Start menu, and title bars of open windows (depending upon the graphics capa-
bility of your computer). You notice the transparency most in the title bars of
windows and in the right column of the Start menu (especially when the menu is
on top of another open window, as in Figure 1-2). You notice the reflectiveness
most when you position the mouse pointer over buttons and desktop icons —
they actually appear to glow. This effect is accomplished by backlighting the
graphic with various contrasting colors — blue for most buttons and icons and
bright red for a window’s Close button.
The third thing to notice about the Aero Glass interface is the extremely smooth
way in which screen elements change and the high degree to which this version
of the operating system supports live visual previews.
You notice the screen smoothness whenever you open or close a new window
and resize or move it on the Windows desktop. When Vista opens a window, it
does so in a much more fluid manner than previous Windows versions. So too,
when you drag an open window around the Vista desktop (even one playing a
video or showing a music visualization), the graphics don’t break up and
become pixilated as they pass over other screen elements.
Figure 1-2
4 Part 1: The Vista User Experience
The live visual previews in Vista show up in several really cool desktop features:
live taskbar thumbnails, Flip, and Flip 3D, which are used to switch between
open windows. The live taskbar thumbnails feature enables you to see a thumb-
nail version and name of any window that is currently minimized on the Vista
taskbar simply by positioning the mouse pointer over its icon. That way, you
can get tell whether a particular window icon on the taskbar contains the partic-
ular application or Vista window you want to restore to its previous position and
size on the Vista desktop.
Note that the Flip feature is a more graphic version of a switching feature first
introduced in Windows XP (and still activated by pressing Alt+Tab). This feature
enables you to activate a particular open window from among those currently
minimized on the Windows taskbar by selecting its icon and window name in a
band that appears in the middle of the desktop. In the Vista version of the Flip
feature, however, rather than just a generic window icon, you see an actual live
thumbnail of the contents of the window along with its window name (see Figure
1-3). This live preview helps you immediately identify the window you want to
open on the desktop.
Figure 1-3
The Flip 3D offers an even faster visual method for activating an open window
among those you have open. It accomplishes this by showing a stack of live 3-D
representations for all the windows you have open in Vista (see Figure 1-4). You
can then quickly flip through this stack until the thumbnail of the window you
want to activate is displayed at the front of the stack. See “Flip and Flip 3D” later
in this part for details on how to use Flip and Flip 3D to select a window.
Visual previews also show up in windows that contain file folders when using
the Extra Large Icons viewing option. Figure 1-5 illustrates such a situation. Here,
you see the contents of a few of the folders inside an Excel Wrkbk folder on my
computer’s hard drive after selecting Extra Large Icons on the window’s Views
pop-up slider. When any size between Large Icons and Extra Large Icons are
selected, Vista actually shows a live preview of the first few documents within
that folder so that you see a thumbnail of an actual graphic image, if the folder
contains photos, and a worksheet, if it contains spreadsheets.
As you can begin to see from this brief overview, the Aero Glass interface in
Windows Vista offers you an extremely visual and highly dynamic environment
in which to work. All around, when coupled with the many less glitzy enhance-
ments that the Microsoft software stuck under the hood, Windows Vista makes
for a very satisfying user experience.
Aero Glass Interface 5
Figure 1-4
Figure 1-5
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