Windows Vista Annoyances

Windows Vista Annoyances

by David A. Karp
Released December 2007
Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ISBN: 9780596527624

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Book description

Windows Vista may be the next big thing, but it still contains enough quirks and unaccountable behaviors to vex anyone. This unique guide not only discusses the most irritating features of the latest Microsoft operating system and how to get around them, but also explains how to improve Windows and do more with the software than Microsoft intended. You'll find information on setup, installation, upgrade from other Windows versions, the revamped interface, new security features, user accounts, troubleshooting, and the markedly improved Internet Explorer 7. Other chapters cover a wide range of key topics:

  • Media Center - tips on photos, videos, music, TV tuners, HD, and the media center engine

  • The Registry - explains the background and tools for working with Windows' database of settings

  • Tinkering Techniques - offers hacking-style customization and problem-solving topics

  • Networking and Wireless - includes LAN setup, WiFi sniffers and access points, connection sharing, firewalls, routers, and FTP

  • Scripting and Automation - introduces simple programming using the Windows Scripting Host for automating repetitive tasks

    • No other book takes our patented cranky, solutions-oriented approach. Our collection of tips, tools and techniques will improve your experience with Windows Vista, so you can control the OS -- rather than the other way around.

    Table of contents

    1. Windows Vista for Starters: The Missing Manual
      1. SPECIAL OFFER: Upgrade this ebook with O’Reilly
      2. THE MISSING CREDITS
        1. About the Author
        2. About the Creative Team
        3. Acknowledgments
        4. The Missing Manual Series
          1. For Starters
      3. INTRODUCTION
          1. Version Chaos
        2. About This Book
          1. About the Outline
          2. About→These→Arrows
        3. About
      4. I. THE VISTA DESKTOP
        1. 1. THE VERY BASICS
          1. About Windows
          2. Mouse and Keyboard Essentials
            1. The Right Mouse Button is King
            2. Wizards = Interviews
            3. There’s More Than One Way to Do Everything
            4. You Can Use the Keyboard for Everything
            5. You Could Spend a Lifetime Changing Properties
            6. Every Piece of Hardware Requires Software
            7. It’s Not Meant to Be Overwhelming
        2. 2. WELCOME CENTER, DESKTOP, AND THE START MENU
          1. The Welcome Center
          2. The Vista Desktop—Now with Aero!
          3. The Start Menu
            1. Anatomy of the Start Menu
          4. What’s in the Start Menu
            1. Search Box
            2. All Programs
            3. Folders
              1. The Startup folder
          5. Start→ (Sleep)
          6. Start→ (Lock)
          7. Start→Log Off, Restart, Hibernate, Shut Down
          8. Start→Help and Support
          9. Start→Default Programs, →Control Panel
          10. Start→Connect To
          11. Start→Network
          12. Start→Computer
          13. Start→Recent Items
          14. Start→Search
          15. Start→Games
          16. Start→Music, Pictures
          17. Start→Documents
          18. Start→[Your Name]: The Personal Folder
        3. 3. FILES, FOLDERS, AND WINDOWS
          1. Universal Window Controls
          2. Explorer Window Controls
            1. Address Bar
              1. Components of the Address bar
              2. What to type into the Address bar
            2. The Toolbar
            3. Column Headings
          3. Optional Window Panes
            1. Search Pane
            2. Details Pane
            3. Preview Pane
            4. Navigation Pane
              1. Favorite Links list
              2. Folders list
          4. Icon and List Views
          5. Sorting, Grouping, Stacking, and Filtering
            1. Sorting Files
            2. Grouping
            3. Stacking
            4. Filtering
          6. Sizing, Moving, and Closing Windows
            1. Moving a Window
            2. Closing a Window
            3. Layering Windows
          7. Windows Flip (Alt+Tab)
          8. Windows Flip 3D
          9. The Taskbar
            1. The Notification Area (System Tray)
            2. Taskbar Buttons—Now with Thumbnails!
            3. Button Groups
            4. The Quick Launch Toolbar
        4. 4. SEARCHING AND ORGANIZING YOUR FILES
          1. Meet Vista Search
          2. Search from the Start Menu
            1. Results Menu Tips
          3. Explorer-Window Searches
            1. The Search Pane
            2. The Search Window
          4. The Folders of Windows Vista
            1. What’s in the Local Disk (C:) Window
              1. Users
              2. Program Files
              3. Windows
            2. Your Personal Folder
          5. Life with Icons
            1. Renaming Your Icons
            2. Icon Properties
              1. Computer
              2. Disks
              3. Data files and Folders
          6. Selecting Icons
            1. Use the Mouse
            2. Use the Keyboard
            3. Checkbox Selection
          7. Copying and Moving Folders and Files
            1. Copying by Dragging Icons
              1. The right mouse button trick
              2. Dragging icons into the Navigation pane
            2. Copying with Copy and Paste
          8. The Recycle Bin
            1. Restoring Deleted Files and Folders
            2. Emptying the Recycle Bin
          9. Shortcut Icons
            1. Creating and Deleting Shortcuts
          10. Burning CDs and DVDs from the Desktop
            1. A Tale of Two Formats
            2. Burning, Step by Step
              1. The final steps: Mastered format
              2. The final steps: Live File System format
            3. Final Notes
        5. 5. INTERIOR DECORATING VISTA
          1. Aero or Not
          2. Desktop Background (Wallpaper)
            1. Use a Microsoft Photo
            2. Use Your Photo
          3. Screen Savers
            1. Choosing a Screen Saver
          4. Sounds
          5. Mouse Makeover
          6. Customizing the Start Menu
            1. Start Menu Settings
            2. Adding Icons to the Start Menu
              1. The “free” sections of the Start menu
              2. Dragging onto the Start menu
            3. Removing Icons from the Start Menu
            4. Renaming Start-Menu Items
            5. Reorganizing the Start Menu
      5. II. THE PIECES OF VISTA
        1. 6. PROGRAMS, DOCUMENTS, AND GADGETS
          1. Opening Programs
          2. Exiting Programs
          3. When Programs Die: The Task Manager
          4. Saving Documents
            1. The Save Dialog Box
            2. Saving into Your Documents Folder
            3. Saving into Other Folders
            4. The File Format Drop-Down Menu
          5. Closing Documents
          6. The Open Dialog Box
          7. Moving Data Between Documents
            1. Cut, Copy, and Paste
            2. Drag-and-Drop
            3. Export/Import
          8. The Sidebar
            1. Losing the Sidebar
            2. Sidebar Tips
            3. Gadget Catalog
              1. Calendar
              2. Clock
              3. Contacts
              4. CPU Meter
              5. Currency
              6. Notes
              7. Stocks
              8. Picture Puzzle
              9. Weather
              10. Slide Show
            4. More Gadgets
              1. Installing a gadget
              2. Uninstalling a gadget
          9. Filename Extensions and File Associations
            1. Displaying Filename Extensions
          10. Installing Software
            1. The Preinstallation Checklist
            2. Installing Software from a CD
            3. Installing Downloaded Software
            4. Installing Windows Components
          11. Uninstalling Software
          12. The Control Panel
            1. Home View
            2. Classic View
            3. Date and Time
            4. Internet Options
            5. Keyboard
            6. Mouse
              1. Buttons tab
              2. Pointers tab
              3. Pointers Options tab
              4. Wheel tab
            7. Power Options
            8. Programs and Features
            9. Regional and Language Options
            10. Sound
              1. Playback and Recording tabs
              2. Sounds tab
            11. System
        2. 7. PHOTOS, MUSIC, AND MOVIES
          1. Windows Photo Gallery
            1. Getting Pictures into Photo Gallery
              1. Photos from a digital camera
            2. The Post-Dump Slideshow
            3. The Digital Shoebox
              1. The Bigger Picture
              2. The Navigation Tree
            4. Working with Your Photos
              1. Selecting Photos
              2. Deleting Photos
              3. The Info Panel—and photo names
            5. Tags and Ratings
              1. Applying Tags and Ratings
              2. Using Tags and Ratings
            6. Editing Your Shots
            7. Ten Levels of Undo
            8. Auto Adjust
            9. Cropping
            10. Red-Eye
            11. Rotate
            12. Exposure and Color Adjustments
            13. Reverting to the Original
            14. Finding Your Audience
            15. Make Prints
            16. Slideshows
            17. Email
            18. Make a Slideshow Movie
          2. Windows Media Player
            1. The Lay of the Land
            2. Playing Music CDs
            3. Ripping CDs to Your Hard Drive
            4. Organizing Your Music Library
              1. Playlists
            5. Burning Your Own CDs
            6. Copying Music or Videos to a Portable Player
            7. Online Music Stores
            8. Internet Radio
          3. DVD Movies
      6. III. VISTA ONLINE
        1. 8. GETTING ONLINE—SECURELY
          1. Broadband Connections (Cable Modems and DSL)
          2. Wireless Networks
          3. Dial-Up Connections
          4. Connection Management
            1. The Notification Area Icon
          5. Internet Security
            1. Security Center
            2. Windows Firewall
            3. Security Center and Antivirus
            4. Windows Defender
          6. Hot Spot Security
          7. Parental Controls
        2. 9. INTERNET EXPLORER 7
          1. IE7: The Grand Tour
            1. Menus and Gizmos
            2. The Address Bar
            3. Topside Doodads
            4. Window Controls
          2. Tabbed Browsing
            1. Shortcut-O-Rama
            2. Quick Tabs (Thumbnails)
          3. Favorites (Bookmarks)
          4. History List
          5. RSS: The Missing Manual
            1. Viewing an RSS Feed
          6. Tips for Better Surfing
            1. Picking a Home Page
            2. Bigger Text, Smaller Text
            3. Zooming In and Out
            4. Saving Pages
            5. Printing Pages
            6. Turn Off Animations
            7. Internet Options
          7. The Phishing Filter
          8. Privacy and Cookies
          9. The Pop-up Blocker
            1. Overriding the Pop-up Block
        3. 10. WINDOWS MAIL
          1. Setting Up Windows Mail
          2. Sending Email
              1. Mail folders in Windows Mail
              2. Composing and sending messages
              3. The Contacts list
              4. Attaching files to messages
          3. Reading Email
            1. When Pictures are Part of the Message
            2. How to Process a Message
              1. Deleting messages
            3. Replying to Messages
            4. Forwarding Messages
            5. Printing Messages
            6. Filing Messages
            7. Opening Attachments
          4. Junk Email
            1. Junk E-Mail Options
      7. IV. BEYOND THE BASICS
        1. 11. PRINTING AND FAXING
          1. Installing a Printer
            1. USB Printers
            2. Network Printers
            3. The Printer Icon
          2. Printing
            1. Printing from Programs
            2. Printing from the Desktop
          3. Controlling Printouts
          4. Sharing a Printer
          5. Printer Troubleshooting
          6. Fonts
            1. Managing Your Fonts
          7. Faxing
            1. Sending a Fax from Any Program
            2. Receiving Faxes
        2. 12. EXPANDING YOUR HARDWARE
          1. External Gadgets
            1. USB Jacks
            2. Other Jacks
            3. Connecting New Gadgets
          2. Installing Cards in Expansion Slots
          3. Troubleshooting Newly Installed Gear
          4. Driver Signing
          5. The Device Manager
            1. Red Xs and Yellow !s: Resolving Conflicts
              1. Duplicate devices
              2. Resolving resource conflicts
            2. Turning Components Off
            3. Updating Drivers
            4. Driver Rollback
        3. 13. GETTING HELP
          1. Navigating the Help System
            1. Help Home Page
            2. Search the Help Pages
            3. Drilling Down
          2. Remote Assistance
            1. Remote Assistance: Rest Assured
            2. Remote Assistance, Step by Step
          3. Getting Help from Microsoft
        4. 14. BACKUPS, MAINTENANCE, AND TROUBLESHOOTING
          1. Automatic Backups
            1. Backup Hardware
            2. Creating a Backup
            3. Restoring Files from a Backup
          2. System Restore
            1. About Restore Points
            2. Performing a System Restore
          3. Windows Update
            1. Fiddling with Windows Update
            2. Removing Updates
          4. Four Speed Tricks
            1. SuperFetch
            2. ReadyBoost
            3. Shutting Off Bells and Whistles
            4. Toning Down the Aero
          5. Safe Mode and the Startup Menu
          6. Startup Repair
      8. V. THE VISTA NETWORK
        1. 15. ACCOUNTS (AND LOGGING ON)
          1. Introducing User Accounts
          2. Accounts
            1. Administrator vs. Standard Accounts
            2. Adding an Account
            3. Editing an Account
            4. The Forgotten Password Disk
            5. Deleting Accounts
          3. Fast User Switching
          4. Logging On
            1. You Get the Windows Welcome Screen
            2. You Zoom Straight to the Desktop
            3. You Get the “Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete to Begin” Dialog Box
        2. 16. SETTING UP A NETWORK AND SHARING FILES
          1. Kinds of Networks
          2. Sharing an Internet Connection
            1. Get a Broadband Router
            2. Use Internet Connection Sharing
          3. The Network and Sharing Center
            1. “View computers and devices”
            2. “Connect to a network”
            3. “Manage wireless networks”
            4. “Customize”
            5. Testing the Network
          4. Sharing Files
            1. Sharing Files: Two Methods
            2. The Public Folder Method
            3. The “Share Any Folder” Method
          5. Accessing Shared Files
      9. VI. APPENDIX
        1. A. APPENDIX
          1. Explorer windows
          2. Instant Search box (top of each Explorer window)
          3. Working with icons
          4. Navigation pane
          5. Windows-key shortcuts
          6. Login screen
          7. Security screen
          8. Miscellaneous/Editing
      10. Index
      11. About the Author
      12. COLOPHON
      13. SPECIAL OFFER: Upgrade this ebook with O’Reilly

    Product information

    • Title: Windows Vista Annoyances
    • Author(s): David A. Karp
    • Release date: December 2007
    • Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
    • ISBN: 9780596527624