Introduction to Windows Vista
 

Computer technicians must be life long learners because computer hardware and software are always changing. Previous experience typically allows for a quicker mastering of new technologies but at times it can be frustrating because things are not where you expect them or they don’t work in the same way. In this exercise you will explore some of the new features of the Windows Vista operating system. Go to  www.microsoft.com to answer the following questions. Click on the Windows link in the All Microsoft Sites window and then choose Windows Vista.

Before beginning this exercise restart your system in Windows Vista and log in as you normally do. As you read about these new features explore them on your Vista system.

  1. Click on the Discover Windows Vista link on the left hand side or do a search of the Microsoft site for “Discover Windows Vista”.  What are the six things that you can do with Vista?
  2. Which of these would you consider the best selling point for Vista? Why?
  3. Click on the Learn about the features button to see the new features of Vista. What are the advantages of the Fast Sleep and Resume feature?
  4. What are the four Built-in Diagnostic features of Vista? Briefly describe each.
  5. Write a sentence to explain what Internet Explorer Protected Mode protects you from.
  6. Increased performance is always a goal of any new operating system. Describe two of these features.
  7. On the performance page scroll down the the Ready Boost section. Explain what Ready Boost does. What do you think about this new feature?
  8. Compare the cost of a 1GB flash drive to the cost of a 1GB DIMM chip. Crucial would be a good site for this since it offers both types of memory.
  9. How does the Shadow Copy feature assist users?
  10. When Vista was initially released there was a lot of hype about the Aero feature. Describe some of the things this feature provides.
  11. What does the Live Taskbar feature provide?
  12. What is the difference between using the Alt+Tab and the Start+Tab keys?
  13. Click on the Choose an edition button. List and describe the different editions of Vista.
  14. Which edition would you choose? Explain why.
  15. A friend of yours is currently running XP Professional and they want to know if they should upgrade to Vista. What would be some of the questions you would ask them and what advise would you give them?