Windows Vista Tips & Tricks

It may have taken you months to be persuaded, but switching to Microsoft Windows Vista is certainly not a PC death sentence. With the release of Vista Service Pack 1, you can now enjoy a higher degree of program compatibility, an increased speed when copying large files and connecting to networked PCs, improvements in BitLocker encryption, and a configurable search option.We know that Vista takes some getting used to—new translucent interfaces, constant security prompts, and Sidebar gadgets, oh my!—but you can’t live in the shadow of Windows XP for much longer. With a little hand holding, we can make your Vista experience smoother (and more beguiling) than ever. Here are 198 tips and tricks to get the most out of Windows Vista.
— Next: Start-up & Security

Start-up:

Remove Unwanted Dual Boot in Vista
One Vista user keeps getting a dual-boot message at start-up, even though he removed the other drive. Find out how to clean up an unwanted dual boot.

Avoiding OS Conflict
System Restore supposedly gets deleted on Vista every time one boots to XP. Is there any way to avoid this?

Avoid Confirmation at Start-Up in Vista
Here’s a way to let specific programs run with automatic user authorization at PC start-up.

Unblock Start-Up Programs in Vista
It would be great if the end user could modify the authorized list.

Use a Vista Restore Point to Log On to a System
If you’ve recently set a new password and forgotten it, this is a quick way around the problem.

Vista Log-In Hacks
There are a few things you can do to tweak the Welcome/log-in screen, for convenience and greater system security.

Security:

Enhancing Vista Security with EFS
In addition to encrypting on a file-by-file basis, you can encrypt all the files inside a given folder automatically by encrypting the folder itself.

Tame User Account Control
You can get rid of Vista’s annoying security prompts, but doing so may place your system at risk.— Next: Programs & Utilities

Programs & Utilities:

Can I Delete from the Virtual Store?
Need help cleaning out programs you don’t need or want in Vista?

Install an Ancient Printer in Vista
There is a way to install an old printer on Vista without receiving a message that the PCL6 driver is not compatible.

Default Programs
One of Vista’s most attractive new features makes uncovering important settings easier than it was in XP.

Boost Compatibility
Try running compatibility mode to get legacy software to work.

Living an Outlook-Free Life with Windows Vista
Windows Vista comes with full-blown PIM functionality. Can you use it to shake your Microsoft Outlook addiction?

Quick Fixes for Five Nasty Vista Problems
Windows Vista certainly has its quirks. Here are some common conundrums and how to thwart them.

Whip Vista into Shape
Microsoft Windows Vista is a pretty muscular operating system, but it still needs toning. These three utilities give your new OS more speed and endurance.

Watch TV on your Vista PC
You can watch TV without a cable box by following these simple steps.
— Next: Files & Folders

Files & Folders:

Vista Folders Always Start at 800-by-600
One user just wants every window to be the same size, and for that size to be larger than the default. Can the default be changed?

Make Vista Show Picture Thumbnails
Here’s how to show thumbnails of the picture files in your Vista picture folder.

Vista Icons Lose Their Filenames
Only seeing icons with no filenames in Vista? You can restore the settings easily to get them back.

Send Faxes and Scan Documents
The odds are good that your PC has an integrated fax modem. Take advantage of it.

What to Do with an Iso File
For those who have an .iso file and can’t seem to make it work: The answers are here.

Search Folders
Vista has improved the history functionality of Windows Explorer.

Copy as Path
A new feature of Vista allows users to copy folder paths.

Compact Folders in Windows Mail
Tweaking defaults in Windows Mail can help you free up more space and keep your e-mail organized.

Can’t Create Groups in Windows Contacts
It’s dead simple to group specific contacts in the Windows Contacts folder in Vista.

Find the Cookies Folder in Vista
Oh where, oh where can the Cookies folder be?

Going Up
You might have noticed a familiar button missing from Vista’s Windows Explorer: It’s the Up button, which used to take you to the previous level in the path.

Those Aren’t My Favorites
Vista’s version of Windows Explorer has a few key navigational changes from Windows XP.

Expanded Shortcut Menu
You can add useful options to the right-click menu on any file or folder in Vista.

Compatibility Files
To keep legacy apps running, Vista lets them pretend to write to their familiar file locations. But when you go to look for those files, you won’t find them!

Remove Metadata from Pictures
Remove hidden details from pictures and documents.

Raw Images
Vista’s new Photo Gallery is powerful and flexible, but out of the box, it works with JPEG and TIFF images only.— Next: Performance

Performance:

What’s Holding You Back?
Does it seem as if something’s dragging on your Internet connection?

Horribly Slow Browsing in Vista
What could be tripping up Web browsing in a seemingly Vista-capable PC?

Horribly Slow Browsing Revisited
Where on the Start menu do you access a place where you can even type a command?

ReadyBoost
With Vista’s ReadyBoost, you can use any high-performance CompactFlash or SD card with a USB 2.0 card reader to increase your PC’s performance.

Controlling Defragmentation in Vista
In Vista, Microsoft removed the flashy analysis report because defragmentation just isn’t something you have to watch. But if you’re desperate to get some kind of analysis, try this.

Extra RAM Isn’t a Waste in Vista
The issue with either Windows XP or 32-bit Vista really isn’t the OS itself, but the legacy of the old IBM PC.

Limit Space Used by Windows Resource Protection
Windows Resource Protection takes up a lot of space on your hard drive. Is it safe to limit how much it uses?

Conserve Battery Power
Get an extra 20 to 30 minutes of battery time.

Turn Off Annoying Prompts
You can turn off annoying prompts by deactivating User Account Control in the User Accounts Control Panel.
— Next: System Tools & Maintenance

System Tools & Maintenance:

Installus Interruptus
What to do if your Vista installation gets interrupted.

Clean Install Using Vista Upgrade
You cannot use an upgrade key to perform a clean installation of Windows Vista, so here’s what to do.

Tweaking SendTo in Vista
Installing SendTo PowerToy into Vista doesn’t work, but there is a way around it.

Windows Sidebar
The Windows Sidebar is more than meets the eye. Find out how to maximize its uses.

Take Smarter Screen Shots
Learn how to use the Snipping Tool.

Recover Vista’s Wayward Snipping Tool
After downloading the latest update from Microsoft, the snipping tool in Accessories is no longer there. What happened?

Get a Health Report from Vista
Vista can run a complete and well-organized diagnostic report highlighting potential problems.

Keep Vista from Adding “Shortcut” to Shortcuts
Here’s how to tweak the Registry so that any shortcut’s title or label merely repeats the original object’s title or label.

How to Disable Autorun/AutoPlay in Windows XP/Vista
There is a way to disable Autorun for good.

Partitioning Bad?
Does partitioning have a place in the twenty-first century?.
— Next: Customizing

Customizing:

Be Time-Zone Aware
In Windows Vista, you can add additional clocks to the system tray.

I Want My Aero!
What to do to get the window transparency effect in Windows Vista.

Vista’s Flash for the Rest of Us
Aero, the translucent interface in Microsoft Windows Vista, has somewhat hefty system requirements and guzzles CPU cycles. Here are a few Aero utilities that will work on most PCs.

Virtualize Your Keyboard
If you’re running Vista on a Mac via Boot Camp, you can use the virtual on-screen keyboard for keys the Mac doesn’t have.

How to Expand Your Recycle Bin
You can set your Recycle Bin’s size in Vista.

Have Kids? Use Parental Controls
Block inappropriate Web sites, set up a time schedule for playing games, limit use of instant-messaging software, and create boundaries for browsing the Internet.

Command Prompt Magic
Do big jobs with a single command line.

Using Quick Launch
The Quick Launch bar became more convenient in the jump from Windows XP to Vista.

Quick Launch Eyestrain?
Tweak your Vista interface to look more like the upcoming Windows 7 by taking advantage of a little-known feature.

A Tab Too Far
When you’re Alt-Tabbing through open applications and files in Windows but accidentally Tab past the window you were looking for, you don’t have to cycle through them all again.

More and Better Help
When using the Windows help system, it’s usually advantageous to include Microsoft’s online database in your search.

Help for FreeCell Addicts in Vista
Don’t let quitting in the middle of a game affect your win/loss record. Here’s how to get around it.

Create a Shortcut to Lock a PC
Slice steps off your system log-off routine by putting a log-off shortcut on your desktop.— Next: Solutions Series

SOLUTIONS SERIES

Make Vista Great, Part 1: Fix Windows Explorer
Surprisingly, most of Vista’s annoyances are fixable. If you’re willing to roll up your sleeves and do some tweaking, you can turn Vista into a pretty great OS. First up: Fixing Windows Explorer.

Make Vista Great, Part 2: Fill in the Missing Pieces
You might expect a new operating system to improve on or excise older elements that are no longer necessary or just plain don’t work. So why is Vista missing stuff that users, well, miss? Here are some tools to fill the holes in Windows Vista.

Make Vista Great, Part 3: Improve Performance and Stability
There’s a lot you can do to improve both performance and stability on your Vista PC, easily meeting or surpassing XP standards on sufficient hardware.

Make Vista Great, Part 4: Solve Ultimate Edition Envy
Believe it or not, you can get most of the Ultimate Edition’s goodies for free, no matter which edition of Vista you have. Here’s a breakdown.

Customizing Windows Vista, Part 1
We show you how to personalize Vista top to bottom, from the Control Panel to Related Tasks.

Customizing Windows Vista, Part 2
Here are even more ways to personalize Vista, including the Start Menu, folder options, and search.

System Maintenance with Windows Vista, Part 1
We’ll show you how to ensure your system is running at optimal levels, using Vista’s built-in maintenance features.

System Maintenance with Windows Vista, Part 2
With just the tools provided with Windows Vista, you can dig much deeper into the processes occurring behind the scenes.

Vista and Internet Explorer 7, Part 1
Our latest book excerpt will help you get the most out of Vista and its browser.

Vista and Internet Explorer 7, Part 2
In Part 2 of our book excerpt, you’ll learn how to get the most browser security out of Windows Vista and IE7.

59 Ways to Supercharge Windows
With our 15th Annual Utility Guide, we highlight 59 tools that instantly improve Windows (including Vista).
— Next: Video Tech Tips

VIDEO TECH TIPS

Optimizing Vista
Does Vista seem slower than XP to you? Do the security warnings annoy you to no end? We have the tips to help you speed up that CPU and to eliminate those security warnings.

Verifying Your System Files in Vista
ExtremeTech’s Jason Cross demonstrates how to verify the integrity of your system files in Vista.

Turn Your Power Button into a Power Button in Vista
Here’s how to make that power button on the start menu into an actual on/off power button.

Save Your Search in Windows Vista
Make and save a custom search folder that will update whenever anything changes on your hard drive.

Vista’s Parental Controls
ExtremeTech’s Jason Cross takes a long walk through the Parental Controls of Windows Vista.

Add Extra Clocks in Vista
Do you need to keep track of time for other than your own time zone? DL.TV’s Scott Asnault will show you how to add clocks to Windows Vista.

Use Windows Vista Defender to Set Start-Up Apps
Choose which Vista applications launch during start-up by using Windows Defender.

System Monitors for Vista
Optimize your Windows Vista experience using its Reliability and Performance monitors.

Take Control of Your Vista Experience
Is the New 3D Desktop in Vista making you dizzy? Do you miss the old XP-style menus? Here are two tips to help you take control of your Vista experience.

Article written by Jennifer L. DeLeo, pcmag.com