Windows Vista Overview

Microsoft hasn't released a major update to its Windows operating system product line since Windows XP was released in October of 2001. With the release of Windows Vista, Microsoft has promised to revolutionize the way you use your computer for home and business applications. Windows Vista includes a large number of new features and new applications bundled with it. The ITS Help Desk's Windows Vista support center will give you the information you need to help make the transition from Windows XP as painless as possible. Use the information presented below as a "Getting Started Guide" to Windows Vista.

Versions of Windows Vista

There are five versions of Windows Vista available to customers in the United States. The various versions will be targeted for different user bases. The five versions of Windows Vista are:

The versions sort out basically into two "columns" with one column pertaining to home users and the other to business users. Windows Vista Ultimate is an umbrella edition that contains a superset of features included in all other versions. Windows Vista Ultimate Edition is what will eventually be available at the IMU Bookstore for students to purchase through the Microsoft campus agreement.

Please visit this site for more information on the various versions of Windows Vista.

New Features in Windows Vista

Improved Security - Windows Vista offers large strides forward in the area of personal computer security. The addition of a technology called User Account Control (UAC) allows your operating system to run at the lowest user level possible for the current task you are working on. When an action would require higher user privileges, Windows Vista asks you to enter in those credentials to continue working. UAC combined with better malware protection from Windows Defender, an improved Windows Firewall and an improved Internet Explorer 7 security feature called "protected mode" combine to keep your computer more secure.

Better Organization - A new and improved desktop search function has been integrated into almost every aspect of the Windows Vista user interface. You can easily find it in the start menu, in the upper right hand corner of most explorer windows and integrated into the new Internet Explorer 7. Use the advanced search feature to find exactly what you are looking for and then save the results as a "search folder." This "search folder" appears in your list of saved searches just as if it were an actual folder containing files on your hard drive.

Easier Networking and Mobility - The new Windows Vista mobility center allows you to easily monitor your battery performance, connect seamlessly to a projector or second monitor for presentations, mute noises and redirect windows. Windows Vista helps deliver increased battery life for laptop users by more effectively managing your notebook's power usage. The wireless networking control panel has been greatly improved to allow easier connection to wireless networks.

See the Help Desk's Windows Vista New Features site for more information about these and other features.

Top Ten Reasons to Upgrade to Windows Vista

Windows XP works just fine for you! Why should you upgrade your operating system to Windows Vista? The ITS Help Desk provides its top ten reasons for upgrading to the newest Windows. Reasons range from the practical to the purely cool:

  1. New multimedia capabilities - Windows Vista has a multitude of new tools to help you work with and organize your multimedia files including Windows Photo Gallery, Windows Media Player 11, and Windows DVD and Movie Maker.
  2. Improved organizational features - As more and more of our lives are moved over to the computer, we generate more files that we need to keep track of. Utilize Windows Vista's built-in organization features like new and improved desktop instant search, saved search folders, and file tagging to make sorting through all your files a snap.
  3. Improved mobility features for laptops - Use Windows Vista's new Mobility Center to connect to a projector, wireless network, or switch between "presentation" and normal modes. Vista also includes more power management capabilities to help laptop users get the most out life out of their battery.
  4. New and improved security features - Windows Vista's new User Account Control makes it harder than ever for malicious software to gain access to important areas of your computer. That combined with new built-in Malware protection from Windows Defender and an improved firewall will keep your computer safe and running clean.
  5. Increased reliability - Windows Vista has several built in layers of data protection. Accidentally deleted important information from a document? Use Windows Vista's built in shadowcopy to access an older version of your important documents to get that information right back. Use the built in data back up utility to schedule regular backups of your important information to an external hard drive, USB thumb drive, or remote backup location.
  6. Improved networking center - Use Windows Vista's improved networking center to easily connect to wired or wireless networks. Manage your all your connections from one location and diagnose problems from the same location.
  7. Integrated RSS support - Windows Vista and Internet Explorer 7 have built in RSS feed support. Add any RSS feed to the Feed Center and view them in Outlook 2007, the Windows Sidebar, or right in Internet Explorer. Not sure what RSS is? Visit our RSS support page to find out more.
  8. Windows ReadyBoost - Feel like your computer is running a bit sluggish? Wish you had some more memory under the hood? Windows Vista comes with a feature called Windows ReadyBoost that allows you to use a USB Thumb drive as virtual memory to help speed up your system. Read about it at our Windows ReadyBoost guide here.
  9. Improved User Interface - The new Windows Vista interface has been spruced up to include features like window transparency (Aero Glass), flip 3D (a new way to flip through your open programs - three dimensionally), and thumbnail previews of your open windows along your task bar. The start menu has likewise been rebuilt to be more intuitive.
  10. Windows Sidebar - Use the new Windows Vista Sidebar to display information from your RSS feeds, picture slide shows, stock quotes, and other important information - right on the side of your screen. Microsoft has opened up the specifications for making gadgets for the sidebar and created a web site to download new ones developed by the user community. You can browse through available gadgets here.

Possible Reasons to NOT Upgrade to Windows Vista

Even with all of the improvements and new features of Windows Vista, there are also reasons why you may not want to upgrade your computer. Those reasons include:

If you have questions about the Windows Vista operating system, including whether or not you should upgrade, please contact the ITS Help Desk at 384-HELP (4-4357) or its-helpdesk@uiowa.edu.

Return to the Windows Vista Support Center

Last Updated: 04/24/2008

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