Vista - What You Need To Know - Page 2

Microsoft will not be shipping separate Media Center and Tablet PC editions of Vista - even though some of the version names signify that - instead if you decide that you need the Media Center functionality, then a online purchase is all that is required. This is good news as many people's attempts at 'upgrading' from XP Professional to Media Center 2005 are prone to failure.

All versions of Vista will come with the following features:

• Internet Explorer 7 - Microsoft's latest version of their ever popular browser. The latest release has new added security features, for example Anti Phishing technologies that ensures that the site you are looking at isn't a fake.
• Windows Mail - The replacement for Outlook Express. The new version comes with more features, but in essence is just re-branded in line with the other applications in Vista.
• Vista Desktop Search (Based on MSN's Search technology) - The cornerstone to a lot of the new intelligent parts of Vista. This monitors specific areas of the file system for changes and creates a high performance, searchable database. It will index documents, mail and contacts and makes it easy to find what you are looking for.
• Parental controls (covering Internet and games usage) - These improve previous attempts at parental control in Windows. The Vista controls allow you to block specific sites on the Internet, and control how often and for how long children can use the computer, and what applications they can run.
• Windows SideBar - This contains "Gadgets", for example a calendar, a clock, or CPU monitor, or weather forecast. Gadgets are small, easily created components that almost anyone can produce, and sit - appropriately enough - in a bar at the side of the screen. It's similar in many ways to Apple's Dashboard, and Konfabulator.
• 64 bit support - Vista ships with both X86 and X64 editions on the disk, unlike XP.
• Windows Defender - Microsoft's anti-malware/spyware application. Microsoft purchased the creators of Giant Anti Spyware, and have transformed it into Defender. It works well, and is almost invisible to the user.

The simplest of the Vista products, and the cheapest, Windows Vista Home Basic is also the most basic. Home Basic does not include the Aero Glass interface, so even if you do have a graphics card capable of doing the shiny new rendering, you still will not be able to use it.

Article Author: Ashleigh Charlesworth

Ashleigh currently writes for Naked Cleaner and F1 Blog. His interest lie in Technology (of all forms) and engineering. Day to day he does network security for living (yes I AM that nerdy).

Visit Ashleigh Charlesworth's author page — Ashleigh Charlesworth's Blog