Microsoft Windows Vista Manual Download Page 1

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Introducing Microsoft

Windows Vista

™

William R. Stanek

A01T622841.fm Page 1 Wednesday, May 17, 2006 1:49 PM

Summary of Contents for Windows Vista

Page 1: ...Introducing Microsoft Windows Vista William R Stanek A01T622841 fm Page 1 Wednesday May 17 2006 1 49 PM ...

Page 2: ... DirectX Encarta Excel Internet Explorer Microsoft Press MSDN MS DOS MSN Outlook PowerPoint SmartScreen Windows Windows Media Windows Server and Windows Vista are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and or other countries Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the trade marks of their respective owners The example companies orga...

Page 3: ...th Windows Vista 5 Working with the Welcome Center 5 Getting Basic System Information 6 Activating Windows Vista and Changing Product Keys 7 Using Windows Vista in Workgroups and Domains 8 Understanding Log On User Switching Locking and Log Off in Windows Vista 8 Understanding Windows Vista User Accounts and Windows Security Permissions 11 Turning Off and Shutting Down Computers Running Windows Vi...

Page 4: ... 40 Using Virtual Folders to Save Search Results 41 Managing File Properties and Metadata for Indexing and Searching 43 4 Using Internet Explorer 7 45 Introducing Internet Explorer 7 45 Getting Around in the Internet Explorer 7 Window 45 Working with the Internet Explorer Toolbars 47 Using the Internet Explorer Safety and Security Features 51 Understanding Internet Explorer Protected Mode 51 Manag...

Page 5: ...y Running Programs 80 Examining Network Connected Programs 81 Working with Your Computer s Programs 82 Viewing Adding Removing and Repairing Installed Programs 82 Viewing and Checking for Installed Updates 83 Configuring Default Programs 83 Setting Advanced Options for Windows Features 85 Getting into Your Multimedia 86 Getting Started with Windows Media Player 86 Getting Started with Windows Movi...

Page 6: ...Recognition for First Use 121 Using Speech Recognition for Dictation 124 Part III Securing Windows Vista 9 Protecting User Accounts and Using Parental Controls 129 Introducing User Account Control 129 Reducing the Need for Administrator Privileges 130 Defining the Standard User and Administrator User Modes 130 Navigating the User Account Changes 132 Understanding Standard User Privileges 132 Under...

Page 7: ...ng the TPM Owner Password 175 Using BitLocker Drive Encryption 176 Introducing BitLocker Drive Encryption 176 Preparing a Computer for BitLocker Drive Encryption 177 Configuring and Enabling BitLocker Drive Encryption for a TPM 181 Recovering Data Protected by BitLocker Drive Encryption 184 12 Networking Your Computer 187 Introducing TCP IP Networking for Windows Vista 187 Getting to Know the Next...

Page 8: ...Windows Defender Off or On 233 Part IV Supporting and Deploying Windows Vista 14 Supporting Windows Vista 237 Centrally Managing Computer Configuration 237 Introducing the Group Policy Management Console 238 Introducing Important Group Policy Changes 238 Diagnosing and Resolving Problems 239 Introducing Built In Diagnostics 240 Understanding Hardware Performance and Memory Diagnostics 241 Understa...

Page 9: ...tion Environment 272 Introducing Standards Based Single Format Answer Files 274 Upgrading Computers and Migrating to New Computers 276 Deciding Whether to Upgrade or to Migrate 276 Introducing the User State Migration Tool 277 Introducing Windows Easy Transfer 281 Starting and Copying the Windows Easy Transfer Software 282 Selecting and Transferring Files and Settings 284 Finalizing the Migration ...

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Page 11: ...hat you won t see at first glance including the many enhancements for reliability security usability and mobility In this chapter we ll look at the issues and features you ll need to know about to start using Windows Vista effectively The chapter begins with a look at the versions of Windows Vista that are available and then continues with a discussion of getting started using Windows Vista Next t...

Page 12: ... include entertainment features that aren t found in the business versions The business versions include management features that aren t found in the home versions Windows Vista Ultimate combines the best of all the available features giving you a complete package for home and business use When you use Windows Vista Ultimate you can get addi tional programs and services as well as tips and tricks ...

Page 13: ...This account is created as a computer administrator account When the operating system starts you can log on using the account and password you specified during setup Working with the Welcome Center By default the operating system displays the Welcome Center at startup You can access the Welcome Center console shown in Figure 1 1 from Control Panel Figure 1 1 The Welcome Center The Welcome Center p...

Page 14: ...an use CDs DVDs a universal serial bus USB flash drive or external hard drives as well as network folders and a USB cable that connects to both computers To transfer settings the old computer must be running Windows 2000 Windows XP or Windows Vista View Your Computer Details Display the default view for the Welcome Center which provides an overview of the system configuration Use the More Details ...

Page 15: ...in the left pane provide quick access to key settings including the following Device Manager Remote Settings System Protection Advanced System Settings If you prefer you can view the classic style System Properties dialog box at any time by click ing Change Settings under Computer Name Domain And Workgroup Settings Activating Windows Vista and Changing Product Keys Volume licensed versions of Wind...

Page 16: ... configurations Understanding Log On User Switching Locking and Log Off in Windows Vista In a workgroup configuration Windows Vista displays the Log On screen at startup All stan dard user and administrator accounts that you ve created on the computer are listed on the Log On screen To log on you click the account name If the account is password protected you must click the account name type the a...

Page 17: ...screen appears with the message Press Ctrl Alt Del To Log On To display the Log On screen you must press Ctrl Alt Del again 2 Once the Log On screen appears you can log on to another account using a technique similar to logging on at startup Note You can also initiate the switch user process by clicking Start clicking the Options button to the right of the Power and Lock buttons and then clicking ...

Page 18: ...can click the Switch User button to log on as a different user Note You can also lock the computer by clicking Start and then clicking the Lock button The Lock button is a blue button with a picture of a lock on it Logging Off a Computer You can log off by pressing Ctrl Alt Del and then clicking the Log Off option If there is a problem logging off the Log Off dialog box appears This dialog box sho...

Page 19: ...e user is logged on with an administrator account or a standard user account Users with administrator permissions are asked for confir mation The user can click Allow to allow the task to be performed or Cancel to stop the task from being performed Clicking Details shows the full path to the program being executed Users with standard accounts are asked to provide a password for an administrator ac...

Page 20: ... powers it down completely Turning Off Computers What s Changed By default when you turn off a computer running Windows Vista the computer enters the sleep state When entering the sleep state the operating system Automatically saves all work Turns off the display Puts the computer in sleep mode In sleep mode the computer s fan stops the computer s hard disks stop and the computer enters a low powe...

Page 21: ...mputer can t use the sleep state and turning off the com puter powers it down completely If you or an administrator has reconfigured the power options on the computer and set the Power button to the Shut Down action the computer can t use the sleep state and turning off the computer powers it down completely See Chapter 7 Working with Laptops and Tablet PCs for more details on configuring power op...

Page 22: ... the Power button Caution Do not install hardware inside a computer running Windows Vista or connect non USB non FireWire devices without first ensuring that the computer is completely powered down If the computer s Power button is red and shows a shield with a line through the middle of it the Power button shuts the computer off and completely powers it down If the com puter s Power button is amb...

Page 23: ...y work with Windows Vista is the subject of this chapter The primary means of getting around in Windows Vista are the taskbar and the menu system The entryway to the menu system is the Start button on the taskbar You use the Start button to display the Start menu which in turn allows you to run programs open folders get help and find the items you want to work with From the Start menu you can acce...

Page 24: ... ability to add any program directly to the Quick Launch toolbar from the Start menu To do this click the Start button navigate to the program on the Start menu that you want to be able to access quickly and then right click the program name Last select Add To Quick Launch to add the program to the Quick Launch toolbar The Quick Launch toolbar is displayed by default If the Quick Launch toolbar is...

Page 25: ... displays a flip view containing live thumbnails of all open windows as shown in Figure 2 2 Holding down the Alt key keeps the flip view open Pressing Tab while holding down the Alt key allows you to cycle through the windows Because the thumbnails are live views the thumbnails continuously update to reflect their current state regardless of the type of content When you release the Alt key the cur...

Page 26: ...s such as those for the clock volume network and power Unlike earlier versions of Windows notification area configuration in Windows Vista is con trolled on a separate tab in the Taskbar And Start Menu Properties dialog box To modify the default settings right click the Start button and then select Properties In the Taskbar And Start Menu Properties dialog box click the Notification Area tab You c...

Page 27: ...clock in the notification area on the taskbar and then click the Date And Time Settings link In the Date And Time Properties dialog box click the Change Date And Time button to change the date and time or click Change Time Zone to change the time zone After you change the date and time or the time zone and click OK twice the time is updated to reflect your changes By default Windows Vista automati...

Page 28: ... pinned to the Start menu By default Internet Explorer and Windows Mail previously called Microsoft Outlook Express are pinned to the Start menu and up to eight recent pro grams are displayed as well Search box Allows you to search your entire computer for files folders or programs To use the Search box open the Start menu type your search text and then press Enter The Clear button appears when yo...

Page 29: ...t Menu Using the Right Pane on the Start Menu The right pane on the Start menu provides access to commonly used folders and features The right pane also provides the Power button puts the computer in sleep mode or shuts it down depending on the system configuration the Lock button locks the computer and the Options button displays the following options Switch User Log Off Lock Restart Sleep and Sh...

Page 30: ... but you d have to do it in two steps That is type cd m TAB TAB TAB and press Enter followed by cd m TAB and press Enter The bottom line though is that the fewer times you need to enclose paths in quotes the easier it becomes to navigate from the command line Now if only they had changed the Program Files directory into just Programs Mitch Tulloch Author and MVP For more information see http www m...

Page 31: ...lorer and access a computer s disks In the Computer window double click a disk to browse its contents By default the Search box in Windows Explorer performs localized searches of the currently open folder and its subfolders Network Opens a window where you can access the computers and devices on your net work Also provides quick access to Network Center and the Connect To A Network wizard Connect ...

Page 32: ...box on the Start menu allows you to search your entire computer for files folders or programs To use the Search box open the Start menu type your search text Search results are displayed in the left pane of the Start menu Clicking an item in the results list opens that item To clear the search results and return to normal view click the Clear button to the right of the Search box or press the Esc ...

Page 33: ...rch provider using the Internet Options utility in Control Panel Using the All Programs Menu What s Changed As with earlier versions of Windows when you want to work with programs installed on a computer running Windows Vista you ll use the All Programs menu Like many aspects of Windows Vista the All Programs menu has changed as well When you click the Start button and then point to All Programs y...

Page 34: ...sories Ease Of Access Includes the accessibility tools such as Mag nifier Narrator On Screen Keyboard and Speech Recognition All Programs Accessories System Tools Includes commonly used system tools such as Backup Disk Cleanup System Restore and Windows Easy Transfer Windows Easy Transfer replaces the Files And Settings Transfer Wizard in Windows XP This folder also includes Internet Explorer No A...

Page 35: ...ate gory includes a top level link and under this link are several of the most frequently per formed tasks for the category Clicking a category link provides a list of utilities in that category Each utility listed within a category includes a link to open the utility and under this link are several of the most frequently performed tasks for the utility In Category Control Panel view all utilities...

Page 36: ...or opening items follow these steps 1 Click the Start button and then click Control Panel 2 In Control Panel click Appearance And Personalization 3 Under Folder Options click Specify Single Or Double Click To Open 4 In the Folder Options dialog box select Single Click To Open An Item Point To Select and then click OK Once you have everything set to open with a single click you ll find that working...

Page 37: ... make use of system level priv ileges Parental controls provide features to help keep your family safe on the Internet These same features can be extended to organizations with youth volunteers and to organizations that provides services for youths Note This book was written using the Windows Vista Beta to provide an early introduction to the operating system More so than any other area of Windows...

Page 38: ...l not function properly without local administrative rights Why Typically Windows XP applications use local administrative rights to write to system locations during normal operations Through User Account Control Windows Vista provides the architecture for running user accounts with standard user privileges while eliminating the need for using administrator privileges to perform common tasks This ...

Page 39: ... If an application or process has an administrator token elevated privileges are required to run the application or process and Windows Vista will prompt the user for permission confirmation prior to running the application If an application or process has a standard token or an application cannot be identified as an administrator application elevated privileges are not required to run the applica...

Page 40: ...med using standard user accounts Administrators also have the ability to restrict privileges if they prefer Understanding Standard User Privileges In Windows Vista standard user accounts can be used to perform some tasks that previously required administrator privileges New permissions for standard user accounts in Windows Vista include Viewing the system clock and calendar and changing the time z...

Page 41: ...ded by a shield icon Change Settings and Change Product Key These tasks require administrator privileges Figure 9 1 The shield icon indicates tasks that require administrator privileges From the experts Only legacy applications need the Power Users group The terms legacy application and legacy operating systems take on new meanings with the introduction of Windows Vista In Windows Vista legacy app...

Page 42: ... application has a standard token it doesn t require elevated privileges The token is a reflection of the required level of privileges A standard user mode compliant application should write data files only to nonsystem locations If the application requires administrator privileges to perform a specific task the application should request elevated privileges to perform that task For all other task...

Page 43: ...unctions that they perform and elevate privileges to perform tasks as necessary Admin istrators can modify the way User Account Control works as required Understanding and Setting Run Levels In Windows Vista an application can indicate the specific permission level it needs to func tion so that it will perform only authorized functions making the code less vulnerable to exploits by malicious users...

Page 44: ...pting the user for consent To do this follow these steps 1 Log on to the computer as a member of the local Administrators group 2 By using the Start menu locate the program that you want to run always using elevated credentials 3 Right click the application s shortcut icon and then click Properties 4 In the Properties dialog box select the Compatibility tab as shown in Figure 9 2 Figure 9 2 Markin...

Page 45: ...l users includ ing administrators as standard users This approach serves to better safeguard the computer from malicious software by ensuring that any time programs need administrator privileges they must prompt the user for approval To bypass the safety and security settings you can modify this behavior so that administrators run programs as administrators and standard users run programs as stand...

Page 46: ...Prompt Behavior By default Windows Vista handles security prompts for standard users and administrator users in different ways Standard users are prompted for credentials Administrators are prompted for consent Using Group Policy you can change this behavior in several ways If you don t want standard users to have access to this prompt you can specify that users shouldn t see the elevation prompt ...

Page 47: ...ty Options 5 Double click User Account Control Behavior Of The Elevation Prompt For Administra tors In Admin Approval Mode 6 You can now Block the elevation prompt by selecting No Prompt in the drop down list Enable the elevation prompt to use consent by selecting Prompt For Consent in the drop down list The default setting is Prompt For Consent Require the elevation prompt to obtain credentials b...

Page 48: ...ntal controls by completing the following steps 1 Click Start and then click Control Panel 2 In a workgroup setting click Set Up Parental Controls under the User Accounts And Family Safety heading In a domain setting click Set Up Parental Controls under the User Accounts heading 3 On the main Parental Controls page shown in Figure 9 4 you can now set up parental controls Figure 9 4 Accessing paren...

Page 49: ...s and configure a default rating system to use by following these steps 1 Click Start and then click Control Panel 2 In Control Panel click Set Up Parental Controls under the User Accounts And Family Safety category heading 3 In the left panel of the main Parental Controls page click Select A Games Rating System 4 As Figure 9 5 shows you can now review the games rating systems available The defaul...

Page 50: ...ols under the User Accounts And Family Safety category heading 3 In the left panel of the main Parental Controls page click Notifications 4 As Figure 9 6 shows you can now specify how often you would like to be reminded to read activity reports You can specify that you want to be notified weekly every two weeks monthly or never Figure 9 6 Setting general notifications 5 If you want to hide the par...

Page 51: ...d manage parental controls You cannot configure parental controls for local administrators 4 To turn on parental controls and enforce settings select On Enforce Current Settings as shown in Figure 9 7 Figure 9 7 Enabling and configuring parental controls 5 To turn on activity reporting select On Collect Information About Computer Usage 6 Web Restrictions determine allowed Web sites and allowed typ...

Page 52: ...ts click Time Limits on the User Controls page On the Time Limits page shown in Figure 9 9 you can specify what times you allow and what times you block Click and drag over allowed hours to change them to blocked hours Click and drag over blocked hours to change them to allowed hours Click OK when you have finished Figure 9 9 Setting time limits C09622841 fm Page 144 Wednesday May 17 2006 9 26 AM ...

Page 53: ...lowed or blocked games and then clicking OK Click OK when you have finished Figure 9 10 Setting game controls 9 Application Restrictions determine which programs can be run by the user If you want to control application usage click Block Specific Programs on the User Controls page On the Application Restrictions page shown in Figure 9 11 you can specify which types of applications can be run Allow...

Page 54: ...nd also provides details about general system modifications related to the account Computer usage details include the following The top 10 Web sites visited in the reporting period The most recent 10 Web sites blocked File downloads Logon times Applications run and games played E mail messages sent and received Media played in media players Instant messaging Instant messaging details include Conve...

Page 55: ... standard user by following these steps 1 Click Start and then click Control Panel 2 In Control Panel click Set Up Parental Controls under the User Accounts And Family Safety category heading 3 On the Parental Controls page click the user account for which you are configuring activity reports 4 Turn on activity reporting by selecting On Collect Information About Computer Usage 5 Click OK to save t...

Page 56: ...ons provided in the left pane you can access detailed information for each cat egory which typically includes the date and time of the activity as well as other important details For example if you want to see a detailed list of Web sites visited you can expand Account Activity expand Web Browsing and then select Websites Visited C09622841 fm Page 148 Wednesday May 17 2006 9 26 AM ...

Page 57: ... provide an early introduction to the operating system More so than any other area of Windows Vista the security features discussed in this book are subject to change Some of the features might not be included in the final product and some of the features might be changed substantially Introducing TCP IP Networking for Windows Vista The networking components in Windows Vista have been extensively ...

Page 58: ...e size of the memory buffer the receive windows to use for storing incoming data based on the current network conditions Compound TCP CTCP Optimizes TCP transfers for the sending host by aggressively increasing the amount of data sent in a connection while ensuring that other TCP con nections are not impacted Neighbor Unreachability Detection Determines when neighboring nodes including routers are...

Page 59: ...ders receive duplicate acknowledgements and to recover more effectively and quickly when multiple segments are not received at the destination Detect spurious retransmission time outs RTOs with TCP This provides correction for sudden temporary increases in RTOs and prevents unnecessary retransmission of segments Learning About the Dual Stack and the IP Management Enhancements As mentioned earlier ...

Page 60: ...s networks Random Interface IDs Random Interface IDs prevent address scanning of IPv6 addresses based on the known company IDs of network adapter manufacturers By default Windows Vista generates Random Interface IDs for nontemporary autoconfig ured IPv6 addresses including public and local link addresses Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol version 6 DHCPv6 Windows Vista includes a DHCPv6 capable D...

Page 61: ...s Mapping Your Networking Capabilities and Infrastructure Windows Vista provides a whole new way to navigate and manage the networking features of your computer In this section you ll learn about these features including Network Center Network List Network Map and Network Connections Using Network Center When you want to work with the networking features of your computer you ll start with Net work...

Page 62: ...gs You ll learn how to manage general settings in the next section Managing General Networking Settings The sections that follow discuss using Network Center to manage settings diagnose and repair connectivity issues and manage your network status Managing General Networking Settings In Network Center the settings in the General panel allow you to block or allow connections to your computer If you...

Page 63: ...our net work connectivity problem For example in Figure 12 3 the tool advises that you should con nect a network cable to the computer s network adapter When you plug in the cable and then click the diagnostics box the tool will validate the repair If a problem is detected the tool con tinues troubleshooting the connection Otherwise you ll see a prompt confirming that the problem has been repaired...

Page 64: ...le is created Windows can save settings in this location and automatically use these settings the next time you connect to this network Sometimes you can connect to one network in multiple ways For example you might be able to connect to a network by plugging in a cable by using a wireless connection or both Or your computer might have multiple network adapters and those adapters might be connecte...

Page 65: ...connection from a network This button is available only when you are using a wireless connection Properties Displays the connection s Status dialog box which you use to get details about the TCP IP configuration and to manage the TCP IP configuration Diagnose Starts the Windows Networks Diagnostics Tool for troubleshooting 9 Click OK to close the Status dialog box Using Network List Network List d...

Page 66: ...The Network List toolbar allows you to work with networks in several different ways The option buttons are used as follows Reorder Wireless Networks Click Reorder Wireless Networks to set the preference order for using wireless networks To change the order drag a network entry up or down the list You can also add or remote network profiles View Status And Properties Click View Status And Propertie...

Page 67: ... following these steps 1 Click Start and then click Control Panel 2 In Control Panel under the Network And Internet heading click View Network Status And Tasks 3 In Network Center under Network Map click View Full Map Figure 12 7 Using Network Map If you have questions about your network infrastructure and have permission to browse the network you can use Network Map to get a better understanding ...

Page 68: ...d view The view you ll use most often is the Details view Using the Details view of Network Connections you can quickly determine the following information Name The name of the network connection Type The type of connection such as LAN or High Speed Internet Status The status of the connection such as Connected or Disabled Device Name The manufacturer and type of network adapter Phone Or Host Addr...

Page 69: ...y when using additional Extensible Authentication Protocol EAP types for IEEE 802 1X authentication Wireless connections in Windows Vista use a software infrastructure for 802 11 wireless connections called the Native Wireless Fidelity Wi Fi architecture Native Wi Fi architecture has many benefits It allows Windows Vista to represent wireless IEEE 802 11 as a media type separate from Ethernet IEEE...

Page 70: ...ks in different ways than earlier ver sions of Windows Because of the many changes keep the following information in mind Wireless access points used by hidden wireless networks can be configured to use non broadcast Service Set Identifiers SSIDs In this configuration the wireless access points either do not send Beacon frames which announce their network names or they send Beacon frames with an S...

Page 71: ...ilable Wireless Auto Configuration in Windows Vista helps to protect computers running Windows Vista from attackers As with earlier versions of Windows a computer running Windows Vista uses a randomly named wireless network if no preferred network is available and periodically scans for a preferred network to become available Unlike earlier versions of Windows Win dows Vista prevents a wireless co...

Page 72: ...click Connect The network list is available only if your computer has a wireless network adapter installed the adapter is turned on and there are no policy settings blocking your computer from browsing for available wireless networks If you don t see the network to which you want to connect click the I Don t See The Networks I Am Looking For link On the Select A Connection Option page select the S...

Page 73: ...k The files do not contain any personal information about you or your computer Instead they provide details on the network configuration and on how you can access the network If you choose not to down load the files you will not be able to connect to the wireless network When the provisioning files are downloaded the Wireless Network Registration Wizard requests additional information from you At ...

Page 74: ...k click Personalize under Network Details The Status dialog box appears 4 The Connections In Use list show the connections you are using Click the wireless con nection and then click Disconnect To disconnect an open wireless connection when your computer has multiple active connec tions follow these steps 1 Click Start and then click Control Panel 2 In Control Panel under the Network And Internet ...

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