Windows Vista

* Sidebar- The Sidebar is one of the most significant graphical differences between Windows XP and Windows Vista. The sidebar is a dock that sits on the right side of the desktop that can have ‘widgets’ added to it that have extremely varied functionality. By default, Vista comes with a clock, calendar, as well as other basic computer functions, but there are many custom functions that can be downloaded from the internet. If your sidebar is turned off, go to start, all programs, accessories, and then click Windows Sidebar. If you want the sidebar to be visible above other applications, you can change the default setting from the appearance and personalization tab from the control panel.

* Better Security- Security was a key part of Microsoft’s plan when upgrading from Windows XP to Vista, but why do you never hear much about it? You do hear about it, but it’s not positive feedback most of the time. While Microsoft did indeed make the OS much safer by adding in their UAC (User Account Control) Settings, they also made it much more annoying. If you’re annoyed by the UAC settings in Vista, they can be removed by: going to control panel then User Account and Family Settings, Add or Remove User Accounts, Go to Main User Account page, Change Security settings, and then uncheck UAC. The UAC can be turned back on in a similar fashion, but more than likely you’ll just want to get an anti-virus program instead.

* Improved Search Options- One of the best changes that Microsoft made in the transition from XP to Vista was their improvements in the searching system. Locating files and folders in XP was often a clunky and painful experience, but no more in Vista. All you need to do is open your start menu in the bottom left and search for the file name, and your file will be found quickly and easily. Search speed was also increased and the searches parameters can be changed dynamically, or while you’re searching.

These are three options or services that Microsoft has provided to you that many people don’t know about. All three are widely documented on the internet if you require further information, but this article should have given you a good gist on some of the most crucial changes when updating your OS.

Photo Credits: Stijn Vogels

Originally posted 2009-11-05 03:20:07.

Hello Vista! Welcome!

Windows Vista has been a plague for computer users who have installed it on their old Windows XP machines. From problems such as horrible boot and shutdown times to just completely not working, Vista has seen it all. So what can you do to increase your performance on a Vista machine? This article will outline a couple of solutions for your slow Windows Vista machine.

1. Clean Up- General clean up is one of the most effective ways to make your computer run more smoothly and efficiently. All you need to do is uninstall any programs and delete any files that you aren’t going to use anymore. This can be done by going to control panel and then uninstall program. If you’re unsure what a program does, be careful and do a little research to make sure that it’s not an important program that you still use.

2. Limit Start Up Programs- Many programs such as AIM and Steam start up as soon as your computer is turned on. This means that the boot time will be much slower while all of these programs are attempting to simultaneously trying to start. All you need to do to eliminate this problem is go into that programs settings and uncheck the “launch on startup” checkbox. You’d be surprised how big of a difference this can make to your boot time, try it if you don’t believe me.

3. Virus/Spyware Scan- This shouldn’t be the first thing you do to try to solve your problems, but it’s never a bad idea to run a spyware and virus check. Many of these malware programs can simply hide in your background and hinder your computer without making any outward appearance of their existence. There are many free options for dealing with this problem such as Spybot and Ad-aware.

4. Upgrade- One of the most effective ways to boost your performance with Vista is to upgrade your computer. One of the biggest differences between Vista and XP is how much RAM is used to run the OS. With that said, adding one gigabyte of RAM to your computer can make a worlds difference in your speed. Lucky for you, RAM is the cheapest it has ever been right now and shouldn’t be much of a hassle to acquire.

5. Defrag- Fragmented data makes your computer do extra work which can slow down your computer. Running a disk defragmentation can increase your computers speed, but it should really only be done as a last resort.

Windows Vista is not a perfect OS, but many of the problems that new users suffer are not the OS’s fault. If you try a few of these solutions surely you will increase the speed and productivity of your computer.

Photo Credits; lancefisher

Originally posted 2009-11-20 03:01:20.