FAQ On Windows Vista
Windows Vista, the new operating system in MS-Family
of OS has started its first journey through its business
customers from 30th November 2006. The OS has changed
significantly from look to all its new features. Here,
are the some of the featured FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
and the answers.
What is Windows Vista?
This is the first question, perhaps, every one asks.
Windows Vista, a Microsoft product, is an operating
system, which manages the computer's resources. This
is a Graphical User Interface (GUI) based operating
system. Check out this cool video on Windows Vista to
understand Vista better.
When is it gets released and which operating system
it precedes?
Microsoft has already released it business edition
to its business customers in its home state, the US,
on 30th November 2006. The official date for releasing
other editions has been fixed to January 2007. The operating
system will precede Windows XP.
Ok, alright, what are the new features does the operating
system carries?
Windows Vista carries a lot of new features. It starts
with the desktop view itself. The desktop look has been
changed significantly. One can enjoy the 3-D window
effects as well as translucent window effects. The other
features include more secured Internet Explorer 7.0,
Windows Media Player 11, side bar etc.
3-D effect means? Is it the default feature, which
is available in all editions of Windows Vista?
The 3D effect to all windows in Windows Vista is termed
as Aero. This is not available in Home basic edition
of Windows Vista. In other editions, feature will not
get installed to your system if the system does not
have the DirectX 9.0 supported graphics card with minimum
of 128 MB of Graphics Memory.
What are the new features available in Internet Explorer
7.0?
The Internet Explorer 7.0 includes tabbed browsing.
One can browse multiple pages in the same window separated
by tabs. The browser also got anti-phishing tools to
combat phishing. Phishing is a serious crime where by,
the user information such as password etc. goes to the
hacker's system.
How many editions are available for Windows Vista?
What are they?
Windows Vista comes in 5 editions. The editions are
Starter, Home basic, Home Premium, business and ultimate.
One can select the edition depending on the type of
use of computer for his activity.
What is the minimum system requirement to run Windows
Vista?
Windows Vista requires a good, a reasonably well configured
system to work. However, the requirement will be high
as Windows Vista runs a couple of new features. It is
said that, the system requirement for running Windows
Vista is,
- Processor speed - 800 MHz and above.System Memory
- 512 M.B.
- GPU - SVGA (800x600)
- Graphics Memory - 64 MB in case, if running aero.
- HDD - 20 GB. (40 GB for well working conditions)
- HDD Free Space - 15 GB.
- Optical Drive - CD-ROM/DVD ROM.
- Audio card - Any, whose drivers support Windows
XP.
- Internet - Required for activation.
- File System - The installation hard drive partition
must be NTFS New Technology File System), and this
is the crucial point in backing up files.
However, one can check whether their system is compatible
or not through,Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor,
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/getready/upgradeadvisor/default.mspx
The upgrade advisor is a small program, which checks
the system for compatibility.
One can select a dealer and visit his site, for compatibility,
If you do not get your dealer name listed in the list
of dealers provided, the dealer might not yet registered
to Microsoft.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/getready/expressupgrade.mspx
Some of the pre installed operating systems such as
Windows 95, 98, requires clean install, which means
no upgrade option will be available for Windows Vista.
If you have Windows 2000, XP, then the upgrade option
is available. But, for Windows 2000, clean install is
required.
The following chart shows, the scheme.
| Previous Versions |
Windows Vista Editions |
X- Clean Install
Y- Upgrade or In-Place Install option available |
Home Basic |
Home Premium |
Business |
Ultimate |
| Windows 95, 98, 98SE, ME |
X |
X |
X |
X |
| Windows 2000 |
X |
X |
X |
X |
| Windows XP Home |
Y |
Y |
Y |
Y |
| Windows XP Professional |
X |
X |
Y |
Y |
| Windows XP Prof. x64 |
X |
X |
X |
X |
| Windows XP Media Center |
X |
Y |
X |
Y |
| Windows XP for Tablet PC |
X |
X |
Y |
Y |
Clean Install involves removing the existing entire
operating system and installing the new one. One need
to install every programs etc. again as various settings
of the programs including shortcuts gets overwritten.
The clean install requires more time than other installation
method.
Will the present PC can run Windows Vista?
Yes, but, of course, it must meet the minimum system
requirements as given above.
Before installation process should I require to take
all data backup?
This is a simple question that can be answered by you,
yourself. If the data is important to you, then I will
advice backup of that data, before installing windows
vista. Remember, during installation process any thing
may happen. The system may crash or even selecting a
wrong partition can take the data beyond recovery. Keep
data backup in CD-ROM’s if you can
afford to do so.
Should I require converting my existing FAT32 hard
disk partition into NTFS while installing Windows Vista?
Yes. Microsoft has done an excellent job in protecting
the system from Hackers. For security reasons, Microsoft
felt the need for conversion from FAT32 into NTFS. Windows
Vista will not get installed to a non NTFS partition.
After installation, I was prompted with a window to
activate my product. What is it?
After many years of thinking and experimenting, even
scratching their heads, Microsoft people found a way
to overcome software piracy. Activating the product
through the internet, ensure that the product is genuine.
The process collects information such as ids of various
hardware components installed in the system and sends
the information to the activation server. It is kept
in the server. If there are more than one installations
using same product, then the server rejects the request
to activate, and the product installed is termed as
non-genuine. If the product is not genuine, then one
may not able to get the latest updates, patches, latest
major upgrades. If the product is not activated, within
30 days, the product will enter into reduced functionality
mode and continues to stay in that mode, till the product
is activated.
What are the features available in the various editions
of Windows Vista?
The features vary depending on the type of editions.
The home basic provides only basic features for email
and internet access in a more secured environment. Home
Basic provides tools such as Windows Defender and Windows
Firewall for security. It also includes Internet Explorer
7.0, which is meant for secured browsing.
The home Premium is meant for best computing and entertainment
experiences. Home Premium includes features from home
basic plus Windows Aero, tools for collaborating and
sharing documents. This edition is best suited for laptops.
It also provides Windows Media Center, a platform for
entertainment. One can enjoy television through Xbox
360.
The third edition is the business edition, which is
meant for small and mid-sized organizations. It includes
all features of Home Premium, but, excludes media center
and Xbox 360 from its list. Instead of these two features,
it comes with tools for protecting from hardware failures,
provides connectivity to business and remote desktops.
The final and feature rich edition of Windows Vista
is the Ultimate. It provides all features of business
and home premium and also, provides tool to protect
data, in case of computer or hard drive thefts, through
bit-locker encryption.
Windows Vista starter edition is a special edition
meant for beginners, learners. It includes additional
help, tutorials to teach the use of computers among
learners. However, this edition will not be made available
in the US, United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand,
European Union, or any other high income markets defined
by the World Bank.
What is bit locker encryption?
Bit locker encryption is tool for encrypting data.
Actual data is converted to an unknown form in this
technique. It has to be decrypted before use by the
user. This keeps data in secured form as actual data
is not revealed to the user unless he reveals his correct
identity in the form of password or finger print to
the system. It is a tool which is very useful for protecting
data during the theft of any storage media, such as
hard disks.
What is Vista sidebar? What is its use?
The side bar is a small window which contains shortcuts
to the frequently accessed programs. This window appears
on the desktop, there by making it convenient for the
users to access programs quickly, without much difficulty.
For example, if one want to access calculator program.
The user needs to traverse many paths for accessing
the program. For calculator, the user has to click start
button, then navigate through Programs menu, and then
through Accessories, then finally reach the calculator
program. Instead, if the calculator shortcut is placed
in the sidebar, one need a single click to access the
calculator program! This saves the time and energy in
pressing and moving the mouse pointer from here to there.
Windows Vista side bar contains clock which shows time
and also gadgets. Gadgets are mini-applications, which
offer easy access to information, and also provide easy
access to the frequently used tools. For example, a
gadget can give one, a glance view of all online instant
messaging contacts, the day view from the calendar.
It can also give an easy way to control the media player
too. One can download more gadgets from the gadget gallery
which is available in the Microsoft web site.
What are the features in Windows Defender?
Windows Defender is a program which helps the PC to
stay protected against spyware and other potentially
dangerous, harmful programs. Spyware usually collects
the personal information such as password, phone number,
credit card numbers etc and sends it to the person,
who wants it. Some spyware even can change the configuration
settings of the system.
How much time needed to learn Windows Vista?
It depends. But, surely it will take some time for
an experienced user to get adjusted to the Vista environment.
The entire environment has changed, including the desktop.
Previously, it was said some users of Windows 3.1 took
time to adjust to Windows 95, as the environment, such
as screens got changed. People, who saw the working
of Windows XP, may feel slightly different in working
environment. For example, the start button is no longer
labeled as "Start" in Windows Vista.
Will all my softwares that ran comfortably in Windows
XP, run in Windows Vista?
This question is slightly difficult to answer at this
stage. Testers found comfortable in running these applications
without many problems. But, the applications such as
Symantec Norton 2007, Winamp, Nero, Disk keeper, Dragon
NaturallySpeaking, Adobe Premiere, Pinnacle Studio,
and a wide range of games, may cause problems. These
programs may not run at all also. Some programs may
require you to tweak their some settings to work properly.
For such programs, you can go through their official
websites for more information on how to tweak settings.
Will the Release of Windows Vista signal the end of
road for Windows XP?
No. One can expect Microsoft to give out upgrades,
patches for Windows XP too. As of now, the new features
such as Internet Explorer 7.0, Windows Media Player
11 have been also extended to Windows XP users. One
can expect Microsoft to continue support for Windows
XP for another 10 to 15 years. The major upgrade of
Windows XP, Service Pack 3 is expected to be released
on 2008. It was earlier expected that the Service Pack
3 will be released next year.
Can I have a feel of Windows Vista in my existing
Windows XP?
Yes, it is possible, through transformation pack. The
transformation pack,
(http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/OS-Enhancements/Vista-Transformation-Pack.shtml)
will give the feelings of Windows Vista. However, these
programs will not give Windows Vista functionality.
This will give only face lift for Windows XP users.
Check out more topics on windows from here,
Advantages and Disadvantages of Windows 7
16 Reasons Why Should You Select Windows Vista
Advantages and Disadavantages of Windows Vista
Advice on Upgrading to Windows Vista
All about Windows Vista Migration
Wanna make Windows XP look like Vista ?
Change Windows Vista Appearance
Cloud Computing Deployment Models
|
