As a long time user of Windows operating systems, I am very familiar with all versions from 3.1 through XP, but Vista is different, by design. Microsoft added lots of security features, which have to be mastered and they wanted to make it more intuitive. The former they did, the latter is questionable. I could eventually figure out what to do and how to do it, but I wouldn’t say it’s any more intuitive than other versions of the Windows operating system. But it works.
I like the book physically: the pages are not glossy (no glare from overhead lights), the paper weight makes the pages easy to turn and the print size is easy to read. It’s a friendly book to use.
Although an experienced computer operator and user of Windows operating systems, I like to start at the first page and read a text just as the author wrote it. I find that most authors do a good job of introducing the subject and guide the reader from the simple to complex in an understandable manner. Certainly, the first time the reader encounters the subject matter it is the best method to follow. I highly recommend that you start at the beginning and patiently work your way to the end.
Part one introduces the Vista desktop. Read this. The Vista desktop needs some explanation. You might bull your way around it, but don’t rely on your Windows XP experience. The text covers the essentials of using the desktop and introduces the new Aero look. I like the Aero desktop. Later in the text the author reveals how to revert to the older, classic Windows desktop, but I’m staying with Aero. I like the smooth opening and fading of the windows and the transparency feature. I think after a few days you will become comfortable with it.
A word of caution: the text uses the Microsoft ‘standard’ Vista in it’s illustrations but it quickly became apparent that the manufacturer has made some customizations in my version. I purchased an HP Compaq SR5130NX with Vista Home Premium version. Compaq has replaced a few of the security and maintenance features to direct the user to HP’s support rather then to Microsoft. I was able to work around the difference without much difficulty. You will, too. It doesn’t really detract from the text’s presentations of those features.
The text reveals in friendly detail the many new features that Vista introduced on the desktop and in the windows panels. One can simply point and click and get useful results without clicking down through a series of submenus. These features aren’t intuitive so I was happy to have the text introduce them and explain how to use them. Once through the exercises in the text and practicing using the new features, the operator, you, should enjoy considerable productivity gains. Some of the ‘new’ features are actually available in Windows XP but, since I ‘knew’ how to use XP, I didn’t take the time to read a book about XP so I didn’t know many of these features existed. This text points out certain features that were introduced in XP so my knowledge of XP has been improved by reading this text on Vista.
I like the new Windows Flip feature in Vista. It’s neat the way one can flip through many windows, going forward and backward searching for a particular window and bringing to the front. For the power user who likes to have a dozen windows open, the flip feature makes it far easier to work with that many windows. Of course, this assumes you have several gig of RAM installed in your computer. Vista’s features work best when it has lots of RAM.
Another nice feature is the thumbnail view of active tasks. Place the cursor over an item in the taskbar and a thumbnail picture of the window for that task appears just above the taskbar. When you have many tasks that are active, having thumbnail pictures of the screens is very helpful to making a selection to jump to.
The text clearly introduces how revised features function. Cut, copy, and paste are just one example of how the text covers useful tools in the Vista system. I’m glad I took the time to read about the usual desktop features and followed the text in using them as they have been redesigned to work.
A new feature on the desktop is the sidebar down the right side of the screen. Here’s where you can display and use the new Gadgets. Gadgets are useful tools that are displayed in the sidebar. They can be activated easily with a simple left-click of the mouse. They are little programs that used to be run and minimized on the task bar. Now they each have an active window in the sidebar without cluttering the task bar. The sidebar can be hidden if desired. There are many of the new gadgets, and more available to be downloaded from the Internet, if desired. On my sidebar, I have displayed a clock, a calendar, and news feed showing headlines. Yes, they do need RAM so have lots of it! It’s cheap!
Vista has incorporated many functions for which you used to have to buy separate programs. For example, burn a CD or a DVD, work on a movie, work with photos and audio. If available in XP, the application has nice new features in Vista. The text provides a friendly and easy explanation of these apps in Vista.
Don’t look for Outlook Express: in Vista it’s now Windows Mail. This took a little getting use to but I adjusted to the change after using it. Windows Mail has been redesigned to be more like a Web window (as have most windows in Vista which means you have fewer differences in appearance as you jump from window to window). The address book has been replaced with Contacts. The Contacts file does not appear separately as did the Address Book in XP, however, it is available on the Start menu and a shortcut can be created so it can be accessed from the desktop if desired. I resisted the urge to create shortcuts and fill my desktop with logos. I decided to stay with Microsoft’s approach of keeping the desktop free of clutter.
Security is important in the Vista operating system, as the new user will quickly find out. A new feature in Vista is the User Account Control (UAC). This is explained on page 127 and how to turn it off, but I decided to use it. After all, Microsoft worked hard to make Vista safer so why should I not use the new securities features they built into the system? I quickly accommodated to clicking ‘continue’ when initiating some admin function or feature. The UAC requires authentication of the operator by clicking a ‘continue’ button before proceeding to execute the desired action. This prevents nasty geeks from taking over my PC with their malware. It works for me.
I’m pleased with the book but I have to admit it could use a good proofreader. I came across more than a few typos, a couple of missing section headings, and a couple of sentences that were incomplete. It appears the book was rushed. Hopefully, the next version will have fixed these imperfections. They do not detract from the overall usefulness and readability of the book.
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