Microsoft XP to Vista – Finding Your Way
Vista Overview
Many users who have used Windows XP in the past are used to a menu and toolbar system to access commands in each program. In Vista, the menus still exist, but have been re-imagined. New features, such as an improved search system, a preview pane and a details pane have been added to make finding documents and navigation simpler.
The Vista Start Button
The Start Button has gotten a makeover in Windows Vista. Instead of the familiar button that says Start, .png)
Vista’s start button is a streamlined, round button featuring the Windows logo (1).png)
Menu Name Changes
All of the familiar features of the Start Menu are still contained in the Vista. They have been regrouped to reflect their various functions and some of them have been renamed.
In Vista, the pronoun “My” has been removed from the labels for accessing the Computer, Music, Picture, and Document areas. The ‘Printers and Faxes” function has been absorbed into the new Network group.
System Options
The Log Off and Shut Down features have been consolidated into the new System Options group, and some new features have been added.
Sleep Button
One new feature in System Options is the new Sleep button. When you press the Sleep button, Windows saves the file and program information and then puts the computer in a power saving mode. On Drew computers, putting the computer into Sleep mode also Locks it.
To take the computer out of Sleep mode, simply press the power button on the computer. You will then be prompted to Unlock the computer, which you can do simply by entering your Drew password.
Lock Button
If you want to Lock your computer but don’t want to put it to Sleep, simply press the Lock button located in the System Options group.
When your computer is locked, the screen will dim. To Unlock the computer, simply type in your Drew password.
Shut Down Button
The Shut Down button is now part of a set of Log Off options, available when you press the arrow on the end of the System Options group. Functions available in the Log Off options include:
Vista Log Off Options
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Switch User – allows you to log off the computer and then have another user log in while programs remain open.
Log Off –closes all programs, lets you quit the current session and log off.
Lock – as explained in the Lock section above.
Restart – closes down all programs, shuts Windows down and then restarts Windows again.
Sleep – as explained in the Sleep section above
Hibernate – this function saves your current session, including the file and program information, then shuts the computer down.
Shut Down – turns off all programs, shuts down Windows and turns the computer off
Logging Off
Windows allows you the option of Logging Off of the computer but leaving it on. The difference between Logging Off and Shutting Down is that when you simply Log Off, the computer stays powered up, but you are no longer the active user on the computer. Logging Off disconnects you from the Drew Network when you are on campus, and protects you from having someone else use your computerand have access to your Drew account.
When you are off campus, Logging Off ends your use session and logs you off of the computer; it will also disconnect you from an off-campus/wireless network if you are using one. If you are logged off of your computer and someone else tries to use your computer without your permission, they will have to log in with their Drew uLogin, and the incident will be logged in your computer's memory. People who are not Drew users will not be able to log in to your computer at all. It's always a good idea to log off or shut down your computer when you are not going to be using it for a while.
To Log Off, go to the Start Menu and click on the Shut Down button. A window will appear with the Log Off Options: Choose Log Off.
Shutting Down
Computers should be shut down at the end of each day. Not only does it allow the system cache to clear itself out, but it also helps to protect your computer from hacking; a computer that isn't turned on can't be hacked. To turn the computer off::
- Go to the Start Menu
- Click on the Log Off Options arrow.
- From the pull down menu, choose Shut Down.
One of the best new features in Vista is the improved Search function. To find a program or file on your computer quickly and easily, you only need to type a few letters of the program or file name into the Search box at the bottom of the Start Menu.
To have Vista Search for your files and folders more effectively, you need to index the drives on your computer.
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Indexing Your Drives
Note: You cannot index any of the Drew network drives for searching
To index the drives on your computer, go to the Start Menu and open the Control Panel. Choose Indexing Options. The Indexing Options dialog box should appear.
Click the Modify button at the bottom, left hand side of the Indexing Options dialog box. The Indexed Locations dialog box should appear.
Click on the Show all locations button at the bottom right of the dialog box. (1).png)
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The screen will dim and a User Account Control dialog box will appear asking for permission to bring up the Common Indexed Locations Settings. Choose Continue. In the Change selected locations area, the C: and I: drives for your laptop computer should appear. Put check marks in the boxes next to each of these, then click OK.
It will take a few minutes for the computer to index these drives the first time. After this initial set up process, the computer will automatically update the indexes for these drives periodically.
Windows Explorer (WE) in Vista
In Vista’s Windows Explorer (WE), the Menu Bar does not appear in the default settings. Instead, the default features in Vista WE are:
The Address Bar
Just as with WE in Windows XP, Vista displays an address bar at the top of the WE digalog box. Instead of showing the file path with back slashes like Windows XP:
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Vista uses arrows:
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When Vista can’t display the entire address for a document, it uses a chevron (two pointed brackets) to indicate that there is more to the address than is displayed in the address bar.
The Breadcrumb Trail
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In the old XP Address Bar, the contents of the bar were static; if you wanted to move through the folder path, you had to click on the arrow at the end of the address bar or use the “back” button. In Vista, each section of the address bar is part of a Breadcrumb Trail. That means that every arrow before a folder path acts as a link to show the contents of that folder.
As you can see, I have used the Breadcrumb Trail in the Address Bar to display all of the available folders in the arthist folder. The folder I am currently looking at appears in bold face type in the list.
The Command Bar
The new Command Bar allows you to perform various functions based on what is displayed in the WE window. The Command Bar is a permanent feature in Vista WE and is not customizable.
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When a file is highlighted, the Command Bar allows you to print directly from WE without opening the file. You can also click on the Preview command to see a file preview – even in text files!
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The Navigation Pane
The upper half of the Navigation Pane contains a list of Favorite Links. By default, Vista displays Documents (connected to your I: Drive), Pictures, Music, Recently Changes, Searches, and Public folders as Favorite Links. You can change the Favorite Links when you customize WE.
Folders ListAt the bottom of the navigation pane, there is a Folders List. The Address Bar no longer opens out into a list of all available resources - it only displays the most recent files and folders you’ve visited. The Folders List is an excellent way for you to navigate the various resources available from your computer when you are logged in to the Drew network. To open the list, simply click on the upward pointing chevron in the Folders List bar. | (1).png) |
You can expand a resource to see what's available inside it by clicking on the white triangle next to the name. The white triangle will turn black, and a list of file and folders available in the resources will appear in a drop-down list. The Preview PaneThe Preview Pane allows you to see a little bit of what’s inside a file before opening it up. This allows you to determine whether or not a file is the one you want, especially when a file has been given an ambiguous name. |  |
Details Pane
The Details Pane always appears at the bottom of the WE window. When you highlight a folder or file, the Details Pane displays the properties of the highlighted resource. In the details pane, you can add tags, author names, and comments to your files to make them more searchable.
Copying Files and Folders
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Open a location on your computer that has files you want to copy. Select a file or files by clicking on the file once. To select more than one file at a time, hold down the Ctrl key + Click on
the files you want to move or copy. When you are done choosing files, release the Ctrl key.
With the selected file(s) still highlighted, Right Click on it. A File menu should appear. Choose Send To. A set of locations should appear in a new menu. Choose the location to which you would like to move the file(s) you selected. The computer will copy those files and put the copies in the location you chose.
Copying Files by dragging and clicking
.png) | You can also copy files to a new location by opening a window to their current location, and then opening a new window to the location where you want to place the copies. First, open a window displaying the current location of a file. Next, open a new window that displays whichever new location you want for the copies. .png)
Select the files you wish to copy by clicking on them once. Then click and drag the selected files from the current location window to the new location window. The computer will create new copies automatically. If you do not want to keep the files in the old location, simply select the old files in the old location and then press the Delete button.
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The Menu Bar, Details Pane Navigation Pane, and Preview Pane are all optional features in Vista WE. To turn them on or off, open the Organize pull down menu. Choose Layout.
Highlight the optional WE features you want displayed.
Working features are highlighted in blue. To remove a working feature, simply click on the icon next to the name of the feature. The blue highlighting will disappear, and the feature will no longer display in Windows Explorer.
