Owner: Windows Vista for beginners URL:www.vista4beginners.com Join Date: Tue, 20 Mar 2007 04:02:31 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: The team behind this site will try to provide simple and easy to understand tutorials about Windows Vista. We will try to cover as many topics as possible, starting with the most simple things like playing music on your Vista PC. You will see the site exp Site statistics:Click here
Sticky Notes 2007-03-20 09:47:43 Sticky Notes
is a very small and easy to use application that allows users to create short handwritten or voice notes. The notes are arranged in a stack on the desktop, similar to paper sticky notes.
It was first included in Windows XP Tablet PC Edition and it also made it to the Windows Vista Tablet PC list of components. To find it go to Start Menu -> All Programs -> Accessories -> Tablet PC.
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7 gadgets for your Windows Sidebar 2007-03-19 11:20:54 Windows Sidebar
is one of the new applications included in Windows Vista. Basically, it is a long, vertical bar displayed on the right side of your desktop. The Sidebar contains mini-programs called gadgets
which may be used to display useful information or provide easy access to different tools. The gadgets can be run inside the Windows Sidebar or separately, on the Windows desktop.
Windows Vista includes a list of eleven Sidebar gadgets: Calendar, Clock, Contacts, CPU Meter, Currency conversion, RSS Feed Headlines, Notes, Picture Puzzle, Slide Show, Stocks, and Weather. You can add new gadgets to the Windows Sidebar from the Windows Live Gallery site. There you can find a big list of additional gadgets that can be added to your Windows Sidebar.
For this article we have tested most of the gadgets available on the Windows Live Gallery and prepared a list of seven gadgets that you might consider adding to your Windows Sidebar:
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Windows Memory Diagnostics Tool 2007-03-16 08:23:54 Windows MemoryDiagnostics
Tool is a very useful troubleshooting application included in the Windows Vista operating system. There are times when your computer might start to fail and freeze or reboot on its own. This tool can help you to detect if these problems are caused by memory errors or not. It tests the Random Access Memory (RAM) on your computer and reports the errors that are found.
In this guide we will show you how to use this tool for troubleshooting memory problems.
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"Final" Creative sound card drivers for Windows Vista 2007-03-15 08:57:28 In the last few days Creative quietly released new versions of their WindowsVista
drivers for their line of sound cards. We rushed to the download page and installed the new versions. After testing the drivers on our Audigy 2 ZS sound cards and reading the release notes we noticed that there is little improvement compared to the old beta versions.
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Change the System Restore Frequency with CSRF v1.0.0.0 2007-03-13 14:10:48 According to Windows Help and Support, a restore point is a representation of a stored state of your computer's system files. Restore
points are created by System
Restore at specific intervals and when System Restore detects the beginning of a change to your computer. If no important system changes are made, restore points are created once per day.
However, there are cases in which you might need to change the creation of restore points frequency on your computer. To do that, you need to use the Registry Editor and edit the value of a key called RPGlobalInterval that can be found in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionSystemRestore.
If you are not very familiar with the Windows registry and you are not very sure on what you are doing, you might have problems when changing settings in the Windows Registry. This is why we created a tool called CSRF (Change
System Restore Frequency
).
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Change the amount of space used by System Restore 2007-03-12 14:19:17 System Restore
is a very useful feature of Windows Vista but it has one main drawback. After running for a few weeks, it can use a lot of your hard disk space. With the default settings turned on, System Restore might use up to 15 percent of the space on each disk. For example, if you have a 250GB hard disk drive, System Restore might end up using 37,5GB of it. That is a lot of space.
What can we do to limit the amount of space used by System Restore? In Windows XP making this kind of configuration was pretty easy. You had a slider in the System Properties window that you could move left or right to the desired percentage. Unfortunately this slider was removed from Windows Vista.
In order to configure the amount of space used by System Restore, you need to use a tool called Volume Shadow Copy Administrative Command-Line Tool (or vssadmin.exe).
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, System
System Restore 2007-03-09 08:29:50 System Restore
is a feature that allows users to restore their system to a previous state. It offers a way to undo all the changes in the system files, registry keys, installed programs, etc, to a previous state, without affecting personal files such as documents, photos or e-mails. It was first implemented in Windows Me and since then it was included in both Windows XP and Windows Vista.
By default, Windows Vista creates the so called "restore points" every day. The restore points are created automatically, before any significant system event such as the installation of a program, device or system update. Also, restore points can be created manually by the user.
When something goes terribly wrong with your system you can restore it to a previous state and you will be able to use it again. In this tutorial we will show you how to do that using System Restore.
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How to configure your startup programs 2007-03-07 09:06:09 Lots of people have the tendency to install their applications using the default installation options. When they have to choose between a "Typical" installation and a "Custom" one, they always choose the first option. Typical installations are easy and require less input from the user but they also install lots of additional modules and settings that are not needed.
The most common problem caused by the use of typical installation options is the fact that you have a big chance of having a bloated system that loads lots of useless programs at every startup. Even if you have powerful hardware, your system will become slower and less responsive with each new program added to the startup list.
However, this problem can be solved easily. If you look carefully in the configuration options of your installed applications, you might find an option that enables you to remove them from the programs startup list. If you don't, all you need to do is to edit the startup list manually using the Syst
Windows Vista Security Center 2007-03-05 18:36:18 The Windows
Security Center
was first included in Windows XP Service Pack 2. Its main purpose is to provide the ability to view and change the status of computer security settings and services. Even though it looks the same, Windows Security Center evolved a bit in Windows Vista
.
Now the Security Center monitors a wider variety of settings and informs the user if there is a problem. In this guide we will show you how to configure it.
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How to install Windows Vista 2007-03-26 12:43:49 Some of our site visitors searched for a WindowsVistainstall
ation guide. Today we decided to publish an article with references to some of the best installation guides available on the Internet. We managed to find for you a nice list of guides, some of which include interesting scenarios like having a triple boot configuration.
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, install Windows Vista
Windows Sidebar - the complete guide 2007-03-25 14:26:59 In this tutorial we will show you how to use the WindowsSidebar
- a new application included in the Windows Vista operating system. You will learn how to tweak it, how to add or remove gadgets and where to find them on the internet.
Windows Sidebar is situated by default on the right side of your screen and initially it has three gadgets: Clock, SlideShow and Feed Headlines. It offers the following customization options: it can be hidden, kept on top of other windows, you can add and remove gadgets from it or detach gadgets to place them on your desktop.
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Accessibility Tools 2007-03-28 15:58:38 The AccessibilityTools
are some of the least known applications included in Windows XP. However, that doesn't mean they are not important or useful. Practically these tools are a life-saver for people with disabilities. The Accessibility Tools allows them to adjust settings that make it easier to see their computers, use their mouse and keyboard or other input devices.
In Windows Vista these tools were updated to provide more configuration options. Also, their location and some of the application names were changed.
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Pimp My Windows Vista 2007-03-31 11:25:46 One of the greatest thing about WindowsVista
™ is its looks. When you start it for the first time it certainly has some of the "Wow" factor Microsoft is talking about in its commercials. When you compare it to the previous Windows operating systems, the Windows Vista
desktop looks really great. Even so, people will surely get bored by all the eye candy after a while.
So, what do you do when you get bored with the looks of your operating system? You do what MTV does - you PIMP it!
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Recover lost files with Recuva 2007-04-02 15:46:25 Recuva is a free Windows utility that allows users to restore files
that have been accidentally deleted from their computer. This includes file emptied from the Recycle Bin and files deleted by bugs, crashes or viruses.
It supports all versions of Windows including the new Windows Vista operating system. The setup file has a size of only 200KB and the application itself is very light on resources consumption. Also the interface is very clean and easy to use.
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Check your system health with the Reliability and Performance Monitor 2007-04-04 08:29:20 One of the good things about Windows Vista is the fact that, compared to Windows XP, it incorporates a set of really good troubleshooting tools. You no longer have to buy third party tools or go to a specialist to learn what is wrong with your system.
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, Performance
, Monitor
Windows Speech Recognition 2007-04-05 13:23:16 Windows SpeechRecognition
is one of the new applications included in Windows Vista. Its scope is to empower users to interact with their computers by using their voice. Also, this is a fantastic feature for people with disabilities that cannot use the mouse or keyboard.
There has been lots of buzz about Windows Speech Recognition and some of it was not very positive. While this application is not exactly perfect, it actually works and it seems that Microsoft's research in this area payed off.
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Windows Mail 2007-04-12 19:53:52 Windows
Mail is the successor of Outlook Express and ships only with Windows Vista. This new solution builds on the foundation of Outlook Express, adding a variety of new features that aim to provide improved productivity and security.
The list of new features includes: a new interface, a junk mail filter that blocks spam messages, improved reliability when working with large data files, a phishing filter which lowers the risk of you being the victim of online deception techniques and newsgroup features which allow you to manage newsgroups.
In this article we will show you how to setup your first mail account in Windows Mail. As you will see, it is pretty easy.
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Migrate from Outlook Express to Windows Mail 2007-04-14 17:45:08 In our previous article we presented the new Windows
Mail and its features. We also made a step by step tutorial on how to create your first e-mail account in Windows Mail. Today we will show you how to manually migrate all your e-mail accounts, messages and your address book from OutlookExpress
to Windows Mail. As you will see for yourself, the procedure is not very complicated even though it might take you some time to do it.
This article in split in two parts. The first part covers the export procedure that you need to perform in Outlook Express and the second one explains how to import everything in Windows Mail.
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Tweak VI Basic 2007-04-16 10:39:38 Tweak VI Basic
is one of the few tweaking solutions that were designed for Windows Vista. It was also the first to be available for free. As its name says, this solution allows you to tweak and optimize your Windows Vista operating system.
Tweak VI Basic includes a set of 11 plug-ins that deliver a core set of tweaks split into the following categories: System Information and Tweaks, Miscellaneous Tweaks, Visual Tweaks, Internet Tweaks and Utilities.
If you need additional tweaks you can upgrade to Tweak VI Premium or Tweak VI Ultimate. The first costs 29.99$ and offers 8 additional plug-ins while the second costs 39.99$ and includes another 15 plug-ins for even more advanced configuration options.
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View media content using Windows Media Player Firefox Plug-in 2007-04-17 22:29:38 The Windows
Media Player team recently released a plug-in for Firefox
. After you install it you will be able to view Windows Media
Player videos directly from your favourite browser.
Each time you will navigate to a web page that has the embedded Windows Media Player ActiveX control, Firefox will automatically grab the new plug-in and you will be able to enjoy your media content. To download this plug-in, click on the following link.
Alternatively, you can click on the attached file and download it directly from our site. The plug-in works on both Windows XP SP2 and Windows Vista (32 and 64 bit).
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Switch back to the Classic Start Menu 2007-04-19 13:37:18 One of the biggest changes in Windows Vista is the complete redesign of the Start
Menu. While this change is a good thing for some people, others prefer to use the old style Start Menu. In this tutorial we will show you how to enable and configure the classic version of the Start Menu.
The procedure is very simple. Just follow these steps:
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Change Owner v1.0 2007-04-24 08:28:09 These days we managed to develop another small tool for Windows Vista users. As you can tell from its name, this tool allows you to change the registered owner and organization for your Windows Vista installation. You don't have to edit any registry keys. Just download our tool, run it, type the desired owner and organization name and press the Change
button.
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Thunderbird 2.0 2007-04-23 07:55:47 The people from Mozilla have recently released a new version of the award-winning Thunderbird
e-mail client. If you are not satisfied with the features of Windows Mail or you are a fan of open-source software you should definitely try Thunderbird v2.0. This new version is available in over 35 languages and works on all recent version of Windows, including Windows Vista.
The list of new features is pretty impressive and includes the following:
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The complete guide to the Windows Calendar - Part 1 2007-04-27 12:34:38 Windows Calendar
is one of the new applications delivered with Windows Vista. This application looks like many other similar applications and offers all the expected features: support for the iCalendar file format, support for publishing or subscribing to web-based calendars, options for creating and managing tasks, several calendar views and so on. In fact many criticized this application for resembling with iCal - a personal calendar application available for MAC OS X users. Even if there is some resemblance, Windows Calendar is nonetheless a great application and the first calendar application to be included in a Microsoft Windows operating system.
We are currently working on a series of articles about Windows Calendar which will be published gradually these days. The series will serve as a complete
guide on how to use and configure your Windows Calendar.
This first article covers the basic functionalities of Windows Calendar: creating personalized calendars, customizing them, creat Read more:Windows
Windows Contacts 2007-04-26 10:20:09 Windows Contacts
is a new application distributed with Windows Vista, that replaces the old Windows Address Book. This application has all the features of its predecessor and some new ones such as the ability to add pictures to your contacts, a new XML based file format for storing contacts and better extensibility for integration with other applications.
As you can imagine, Windows Contacts integrates with Windows Mail. When you create an e‑mail message in Windows Mail, you select the recipient from your Contacts folder. Even if you do not use Windows Mail as your default e‑mail client, you can still use Windows Contacts to store all the contact information about the people you know.
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The complete guide to the Windows Calendar - Part 2 2007-05-02 13:09:25 In the second part of our WindowsCalendar
series we will show you how to export and import your calendars. By using the import and export functions you can make a quick backup of your calendars or you can move them on different PC's or use them in different applications.
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Where are the e-mail identities? 2007-05-09 08:03:11 Some of our readers e-mailed us asking if we know what happened with the e-mail identities
in Windows Mail. In Outlook Express, if multiple people were sharing the same computer, they had the possibility to create different identities to keep their e-mail separate from others.
According to this post, found on the Windows Vista Help pages, the ability to create e‑mail identities has been removed in Windows Mail. Instead, Windows Mail enables you to create separate Windows user accounts for each person who wants to use e‑mail on a single computer.
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Manage User Accounts 2007-05-08 11:32:35 In this tutorial we will show you how to manage all the user accounts on your Windows Vista PC. You will learn how to change your password, your picture (avatar), your account name and account type. Also, you will learn how to remove your password and how to create and manage other user accounts.
Before we start, you should keep in mind that most of the important changes can be done only using an administrator account. If your account is a standard user you can only modify the password and the picture of your account.
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, Accounts
ReadyBoost 2007-05-11 09:38:47 ReadyBoost is a new disk caching technology included in Windows Vista that uses flash memory to boost your system performance. It can use any form of flash memory such as a USB 2.0 drive, SD card or CompactFlash.
ReadyBoost functions as a complement for SuperFetch, giving SuperFetch another place to cache data. SuperFetch is a technology included in Windows Vista which prioritizes the programs you are currently using over background tasks and adapts to the way you work. This technology tracks your computer usage behavior and intelligently preloads applications into memory. This helps improving the general performance of your system and the loading times of your core applications. While SuperFetch loads by default all the necessary files into the main memory, ReadyBoost complements it by loading data into alternate storage devices such as USB 2.0 flash memory sticks.
While the USB flash drives are not as fast as the main memory, they can be faster than a hard disk drive and enabling Rea
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