Windows Vista

Windows Aero
A new dynamic user interface in Windows Vista.

Explorer windows
Explorer windows give you more information and control while simplifying how you work with your files.

Search folders
A Search Folder is simply a search that you save. Opening a Search Folder instantly runs that saved search, displaying up-to-date results immediately.

Welcome Center
The Welcome Center displays options to view basic computer details, transfer files and settings, add new users, connect to the Internet, view new features, and view Microsoft offers on the Web.

Live taskbar thumbnails
Windows Aero displays a Live thumbnail of the window, showing the content of that window.

Windows flip and windows flip 3D
Flip and Flip 3D allow you to flip through open windows (by using Alt+Tab or Windows logo+Tab with Aero).

Instant search
The Instant Search box helps you quickly find and start any program or file on your computer. After you add or edit file properties, you can use the Instant Search box to quickly find a file by the file property.

Gadgets
Gadgets are mini-applications that can connect to Web services, such as an RSS feed.

Windows Sidebar
Windows Sidebar is a pane on the side of the Windows Vista desktop that gives you quick access to gadgets, such as news headlines and updates.

Help and Support
Microsoft Help and Support is a resource of information, training, and support to help you learn and use Windows Vista.

Contacts
Stores names, addresses, and other contact information.

Windows Calendar
Manages appointments and tasks using personal calendars.

Windows Defender
Helps protect your computer from spyware and other harmful intruders.

Windows Live Messenger
Sends and receives instant messages to online contacts; you need to download the program.

Windows DVD Maker
Burns pictures and videos to DVDs.

Windows Mail
Sends and receives faxes or scanned pictures and documents.

Windows Fax and Scan
Sends and receives faxes or scanned pictures and documents.

Windows Meeting Space
Provides an online place to share files, programs, or your desktop.

Windows Media Center
Provides entertainment options for digital and on-demand media.

Windows Photo Gallery
Provides a program to view, manage, and edit pictures and photos.

Window Views PCs
The available views include Extra Large, Large, Medium and Small Icons, List, Details, and Tiles.

Personal folder
The personal folder only contains files and folders associated with a user account and are unique for each user on the computer.

Recently Changed folder
The Recently Changed folder in the Navigation pane of an Explorer window makes it easy to locate recently changed documents.

Address bar
The Address bar appears at the top of every Explorer window and displays the current location on your computer or network.

Explorer layout
The layout for each Explorer window includes a Menu Bar, Details pane, Preview pane, and Navigation pane.

Navigation pane
The Navigation pane provides links to commonly used folders and saved searches to reduce the number of clicks it takes to locate a file or folder.

Filtering
Filtering displays only files with the properties you select by heading type.

Stacking
Stacking displays all of the files in the view into piles by heading type.

Grouping
Grouping displays a sequential list of all of the files by heading type.

Natural language search
If using properties and boolean filters seems a little too much for you to handle, you can find files using natural language search.

Indexing
Windows keeps track of files in indexed locations and stores information about them in the background using an index, to make locating files faster and easier.

Live System format
The Live File System format allows you to copy files to a disc at any time, like a USB drive, while the Mastered format needs to copy them all at once.

Public folder
The Public folder contains subfolders to help you organize the files you are sharing, and include Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures and Videos.

Speech recognition
Speech recognition is the ability to convert a spoken voice into electronic text.

Change Screen Text Size
Windows Vista allows you to increase the Dots Per Inch (DPI) scale, which is the number of dots that a device can display or print per linear inch.

Ease of Access Center
The Ease of Access Center allows you to check the status of and start or stop the Magnifier, Narrator, and On-Screen Keyboard accessibility programs.

Tabbed Browsing
Internet Explorer creates separate tabs for each one, so you can view multiple Web sites in a single window.

Feed
A feed delivers frequently updated Web content to your browser. A feed, also known as RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed, XML feed, or Web feed, is usually offered on a subscription basis and typically free.

Print Preview
Print Preview shows you how a Web page will look on the printed page, and gives you more control over margins and scaling.

Junk mail filter
Junk e-mail can seem like a never ending battle as it keeps piling up. Windows Mail provides the Junk E-mail Options dialog box to help you reduce the amount of junk e-mail you receive.

Shared calendars
You can use Windows Mail to share and publish calendars over the Internet.

MTV URGE music service
Windows Media Player provides special integration with URGE, an online music service provided by MTV networks.

Better protection from spyware
Windows Defender helps you protect your computer from spyware and other potentially harmful software that attempts to install itself or run on your computer.

Phishing filter
Phishing is a technique people use to trick computer users into revealing personal for financial information. Windows and Internet Explorer provide increase security to help protect you from phishing schemes.

Network and Sharing Center
The Network and Sharing Center provides a central location where you can view and modify network and sharing options for the computer connected to a network.

Windows SideShow
Windows SideShow allows hardware manufacturers to build peripheral devices-such as LCD displays, remote controls, Personal Digital Assistances (PDA), cell phones, or TVs-that can be used to view the information you need at a moments notice.

Network map
Network and Sharing Center displays a network map of your networking configuration.

Create your own DVDs
With Windows DVD Maker, you can insert video, pictures and audio, and combine it with titles and predefined menus to create a DVD video disc that you can play on a TV using a DVD player.

Encrypting file system
If your computer uses NTFS, you can use the advanced Encrypting File System (EFS) to protect sensitive data files.

Windows BitLocker drive encryption
If you have a two partition (also known as volumes) hard drive, you can use BitLocker to encrypt the entire system drive.

Windows Mobility Center
With the Windows Mobility Center, you can change or access mobile PC related options all in one place.

Presentation settings
As a presenter you can change all the settings you use regularly.

Power management
You can change power options properties for a portable or laptop computer to reduce power consumption and maximize battery life.

Sync center
With the Sync Center, you can keep files and other information up-to-date between your computer and mobile devices, network folders, and compatible programs.

Network projector
A network projector is a video projector that is connected to a wireless or local area network.

Tablet PC
If you have a Tablet PC or ink device, you can use the Pen and Input Devices utility in the Control Panel to set the options you want. Windows Vista comes with three Tablet PC tools: Windows Journal, Tablet PC Input Panel, and Sticky Notes.

Windows Update
Windows Update allows you to keep your computer up-to-date with the latest system software and security updates over the Internet.

Windows ReadyBoost
You can use Windows ReadyBoost to speed up your computer by using disk space on certain removable media devices, such as USB flash drives.

System Restore
System Restore returns your computer system, but not your personal files, to an earlier time, before the changes were made to your computer, called a restore point.

Windows backup
Using the Backup Wizard in the Backup and Restore Center, you can pick the day, time, and how often you want to back up your files, folders, and settings.

Previous versions
Previous versions are shadow copies of files and folders that you back up using the Back Up Files Wizard or Windows automatically saves as part of a restore point.

Windows easy transfer
Instead of trying to re-create Windows settings manually from an old computer on a new Windows Vista computer, you can use Windows Easy Transfer.