Introduction
You probably are anxious to get started with your Windows Vista training. Windows Vista is an exciting operating system by Microsoft, a completely revamped operating system from the Windows XP operating systems that were used previously. Vista is all new—developed from the ground up—and is not the result of putting together legacy Widows code and adding some extra features.
Windows Vista is cool.
Windows Vista is the first operating system environment that truly puts you in control of all your media, from video to music to pictures, and enables you to synchronize that digital multimedia data with mobile devices, cameras, scanners, projectors, and televisions. Windows Vista, using the famed Aero graphical interface, is a visually stunning operating system honed to a detail before unimagined. Even the window icons you see on the screen are often live depictions of what those icons represent.
Windows Vista is far more than a multimedia-centric operating system, though. Vista is the safest Windows operating system developed. Security measures flow throughout the system to guard you and your computing experience from outside attacks and from bugs inside your programs. Vista offers a robust work environment for the home, small office, or corporate enterprise. Even though Vista integrates an online experience into almost everything it offers, you can rest far easier knowing that Vista contains safety features that protect you while you work.
This book’s goal is to get you up to speed as quickly as possible. Take just a few preliminary moments to acquaint yourself with the design of this book described in the next few sections.
What This Book Will Do for You
Although this is not a reference book, you’ll learn almost every aspect of Windows Vista from the everyday user’s point of view. This book does not take up your time with those many advanced technical details that most of you will never need. I know that you want to get up to speed with Windows Vista, and it’s this book’s goal to do just that. From the first chapter, you’ll learn hands-on, practical ways to make Vista work better for you and to help you get your work done while using Vista.
I present only enough background and theory that a new Windows Vista user needs. In addition to the background discussions, this book is practical and provides a vast array of useful step-by-step tasks that you can work through to gain hands-on experience. You’ll glide through that tasks and learn every common Windows Vista action you’ll need to make Windows Vista work for you, instead of you working to use Windows Vista.
As with Vista, this book is graphical, using far more figures and callouts than normal to teach you what’s going on every step of the way. Enough pages are here, however, to give you the textual background and instructions necessary to learn quickly and thoroughly without wading through a boatload of theory and history.
Who Should Read This Book?
This book is for both beginning and advanced Windows users. Readers rarely believe that lofty claim, for good reason, but the design of this book and the nature of Windows Vista make it possible for this book to address an audience that wide.
Windows Vista is extremely similar to previous versions of Windows in many ways. The Start menu is there. The taskbar is there. Windows Explorer is there. Vista, however, begins where those kinds of features left off. Vista takes each feature to the next-higher notch and offers an added graphical experience to go along with the usual Windows feature.
The bottom-line result is that a beginning user of Vista needs to know far less about Vista to use it than beginning users of previous Windows needed. In addition, there is enough under Vista’s hood to make the most tech-hungry computer pro love working inside the operating system.
Conventions Used in This Book
In addition to text, pictures, and step-by-step guides, you’ll also find the following special elements are included to set off different types of information to make them easily recognizable:
By the Way
Special By the Way notes augment the material you are reading in each hour. They clarify concepts and procedures.
Did you Know?
You’ll find numerous Did You Know tips that offer shortcuts and solutions to common problems.
Watch Out!
The Watch Out! sections warn you about pitfalls. Reading them will save you time and trouble.
What to Do Now
With the introduction out of the way, it’s time that you began learning what Windows Vista has in store for you. Turn the page to start learning about Microsoft’s exciting redesigned operating system that makes your computer come alive.