Windows Vista Blog

Fortunately, Windows Vista makes it absolutely simple to find out just what kind of hardware is powering your system and helps you to learn that little bit more about your personal computer. If you’re interested in learning exactly which CPU (central processing unit) model, how much memory (RAM), operating system, computer model, or even a few other bits and pieces of information about your computer, then you happen to be in luck!

Firstly, in order to get to where we’re going, we need to right mouse click the ‘Computer’ icon on our Windows Vista desktop and go to ‘Properties’. Read more »

With Windows Vista comes a sensational new feature that allows each and every user who has their own account on your computer to have access to their very own profile folder with which to store their very own personal folders dedicated to: videos, pictures, music, searches, downloads and much more. It’s a great idea that Microsoft deserves a lot of credit for.

However, while it could be argued that this feature first debuted in Windows 2000 and also made an appearance in Windows XP, it was hidden in such a location and used in a way that made it clear that it wasn’t really something that should be played with; It’s only with Windows Vista that Microsoft have made it much more simple for us to find and experiment with. Read more »

What I like about Windows Vista is that it comes with a built-in application, called Disk Defragmenter, which will allow your hard drive to neatly and tidily organize all of the files that you have stored and scattered throughout your computer into a much more optimal fashion - allowing your PC to benefit from a very welcome speed increase during your everyday computer use. Just to clarify though: this feature was also available in Windows XP.

Why should I de-frag my hard drive?

I know, I know, you like your files just where they are but fortunately you don’t have to worry about your everyday Microsoft Word, Excel, Spreadsheet and general business files suddenly vanishing and appearing in a different, unknown location that you have to track down. Oh no. Window’s Vista Disk Defragmenter is so smart that it can move your files and organize them to a much more optimal standard and you won’t even notice it has! As if by magic! Read more »

Unlike previous versions of Windows, such as Windows XP, Windows Vista does not include the Internet Explorer launcher icon on the desktop. My Dell Inspiron 1520 Notebook came with a shortcut to Internet Explorer 7, but all shortcuts come with a rather unsightly arrow graphic layered on top and lack that whole ‘official’ look. Well, that’s just how I feel anyway; I just prefer to not have to see that wretched arrow obstructing my icons!

In order to bring back the ‘proper’ Internet Explorer 7 launcher icon, all you need to do is run a simply registry editing command:

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Experienced Windows users can definitely testify that they have come across the occasional crash or program freezing in Windows Vista - it’s never pleasant and we all wish our computers could avoid it but it is usually due to software errors that spring right out of the blue. Fortunately, Windows Vista retains the ‘Ctrl, Alt and Delete’ keyboard-combination miracle cure that has been included with virtually every previous version of Windows to date. ‘Ctrl, Alt and Delete’ normally helps remedy those pesky freezes but not always.

Next time your computer decides it’s time for a good freezing for whatever reason, try applying this remedy: Press your Ctrl, Alt and Delete keys on your keyboard simultaneously to bring up a screen with a beautiful background that contains a list of options that include:

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Fortunately for us, Windows Vista allows for us to change our desktop wallpaper in a multitude of ways; However, this guide will demonstrate how to change your wallpaper in one of the easiest ways I know how: Via the web. In this case, I will be selecting a lovely photo of my daughter, Jessica, from my very own online gallery and implementing her gorgeous mug into my Windows Vista environment.

Firstly, we need to select the image we want to use as our desktop background; And since I already have mine ready and I’m assuming you do too, we can progress to the next step. Simply right click on the image and scroll down the menu until you reach Set As Desktop Background…

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If you’re anything like me and dislike having to have to click a multitude of links to locate that one specific file or folder on your computer then I’m sure you will be pleased to learn that there is a great way to drastically reduce the amount of clicks required to effectively reach the item in question.

I personally love the idea that I can have everything I need right there and ready for me when I desire it. Fortunately, Windows Vista allows for the ability to customize your taskbar and add as many shortcuts (well, within reason) to your Windows environment to greatly speed up and optimize your work schedule. Read more »

In order to safely remove unwanted programs and software from Windows Vista, we need to uninstall them. Uninstalling software that you no longer use is a great way of freeing up that little bit extra space on your hard drive - allowing you to install another computer application that you might find that little bit useful and give you even more space to download things while on the internet.

Where’s the option to uninstall unnecessary software?

Some programs come with the ability to run an uninstaller and which, when run, will automatically remove any instance of itself from your computer - which is obviously very helpful. However, some programs do not. When we are faced with the all-to-common scenario of having to have to manually uninstall a program from Windows Vista, then it requires a little more effort - but not too much! Read more »

I must admit that I’m not a massive fan of the ‘revolutionary’ new sidebar that was introduced into Windows Vista. I can’t say I’ve ever truly found a single decent use for it other than to help make my Windows desktop look a little more attractive. If you’re looking to disable the Windows Vista Sidebar - well, disable it from booting up when Windows Vista starts up - then this quick tutorial will do the trick.

First you need to be looking at your Windows desktop environment and have your Windows Sidebar activated for this to work; provided you meet this criteria, we can proceed. Right mouse click anywhere within your sidebar to bring up a menu and go to Properties. Read more »

One of the fantastic things about Windows Vista is the ability to take screen shots of whatever is currently on your screen. It’s a very handy feature and can prove very useful sometimes. Also, if you’re an avid gamer, taking screen shots during those heated action sequences during a video game can be saved, manipulated in your favourite graphics editing software, and being turned into a very unique desktop wallpaper.

To go about taking a screen shot in Windows Vista, all you need to do is press the Print Screen key - or Prnt Scrn as it appears on typical UK keyboards - and this works very similar to when you copy and paste something; When you press Print Screen, an image of your entire screen is copied to the clipboard. Read more »