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Windows Vista Ultimate

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Waiting For Windows: Installation entails the usual wait for files to load and code to install.
Welcome, Stranger: Nothing unusual about Vista's first set-up screen, which asks you to pick a user name, password, and background.
Status Check: After booting, Vista's second welcome screen shows the system configuration and several often-used functions.
Flip 3D: Vista's Flip 3D feature lets you stack up your open windows in a kind of flip-picture view in the middle of the screen, and scroll through them with the mouse to go back and forth among apps.
Waiting For Windows
Installation entails the usual wait for files to load and code to install.
Welcome, Stranger
Nothing unusual about Vista's first set-up screen, which asks you to pick a user name, password, and background.

Status Check
After booting, Vista's second welcome screen shows the system configuration and several often-used functions.
Flip 3D
Vista's Flip 3D feature lets you stack up your open windows in a kind of flip-picture view in the middle of the screen, and scroll through them with the mouse to go back and forth among apps.

Internet Explorer 7: The Firefox-fighting IE7 browser is a big part of the Vista experience.
Performance Issues: Vista offers a complete set of tools to enable you to see what's what with your computer.
Start Menu: The ever-present search bar at the bottom of the start menu highlights Vista's emphasis on better useability.
Display Settings: Vista defaults to Aero if you have a graphics card powerful enough to handle the translucent graphical user interface.
Internet Explorer 7
The Firefox-fighting IE7 browser is a big part of the Vista experience.
Performance Issues
Vista offers a complete set of tools to enable you to see what's what with your computer.
Start Menu
The ever-present search bar at the bottom of the start menu highlights Vista's emphasis on better useability.
Display Settings
Vista defaults to Aero if you have a graphics card powerful enough to handle the translucent graphical user interface.

Sidebar Gadgets: Vista's Gadgets are applets that post the time, track the temperature, and even allow you to play video poker or Sudoku while you're nominally working.
Windows Explorer: The operating system's basic file management tool has gotten a facelift; it's smoother and slighty more functional.
Windows Mail: Pitched as ''your personal messaging solution,'' the new Mail client replaces Outlook Express.
Windows 'Ultimate': Microsoft is promising premium add-ons to purchasers of its top-of-the-line Vista SKU, but there's nothing in the hopper yet.
Sidebar Gadgets
Vista's Gadgets are applets that post the time, track the temperature, and even allow you to play video poker or Sudoku while you're nominally working.
Windows Explorer
The operating system's basic file management tool has gotten a facelift; it's smoother and slighty more functional.
Windows Mail
Pitched as "your personal messaging solution," the new Mail client replaces Outlook Express.
Windows 'Ultimate'
Microsoft is promising premium add-ons to purchasers of its top-of-the-line Vista SKU, but there's nothing in the hopper yet.

Are You Experienced? Formerly the Windows Experience Index, Vista's Windows Experience is supposed to rate how your capable your hardware is of running the OS, but mostly it rates your graphics card.
Better Backup: Vista does a much better job than previous Microsoft OSes of making it easy for users to not neglect the frequently neglected task of backup up one's files.
Are You Experienced?
Formerly the Windows Experience Index, Vista's Windows Experience is supposed to rate how your capable your hardware is of running the OS, but mostly it rates your graphics card.
Better Backup
Vista does a much better job than previous Microsoft OSes of making it easy for users to not neglect the frequently neglected task of backup up one's files.




Windows Vista RC2

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Flip 3D: Vista's Flip 3D feature lets you stack up your open windows in a kind of flip-picture view in the middle of the screen, and scroll through them with the mouse to go back and forth among apps.
Ready To Roll: Vista RC2 maintained the streamlined welcome screen, which premiered with the earlier release candidate.
Performance Rating: The Windows Experience Index relies heavily on graphics hardware to determine how robust your hardware is -- and whether it's ready to run the Aero GUI.
Display Settings: Microsoft has done a good job streamlining the controls, which enable users to personalize the look and feel of their graphical-user interface.
Flip 3D
Vista's Flip 3D feature lets you stack up your open windows in a kind of flip-picture view in the middle of the screen, and scroll through them with the mouse to go back and forth among apps.
Ready To Roll
Vista RC2 maintained the streamlined welcome screen, which premiered with the earlier release candidate.
Performance Rating
The Windows Experience Index relies heavily on graphics hardware to determine how robust your hardware is -- and whether it's ready to run the Aero GUI.

Display Settings
Microsoft has done a good job streamlining the controls, which enable users to personalize the look and feel of their graphical-user interface.

Mucho Gadgets: You can download up to 54 of the great-looking little applets that reside on the right side of your desktop, up from an anemic 10 available with earlier betas.
DVD Maker: Media-savvy apps such as the Windows DVD maker are intended to be a key component of Vista's consumer experience.
Photo Gallery: It's not exactly Picasa or Flickr, but Vista is equipped with a PC-bound analog in the form of a sophisticated image browser and viewer.
Windows Mail: Pitched as ''your personal messaging solution,'' the new Mail client replaces Outlook.
Mucho Gadgets
You can download up to 54 of the great-looking little applets that reside on the right side of your desktop, up from an anemic 10 available with earlier betas.
DVD Maker
Media-savvy apps such as the Windows DVD maker are intended to be a key component of Vista's consumer experience.
Photo Gallery
It's not exactly Picasa or Flickr, but Vista is equipped with a PC-bound analog in the form of a sophisticated image browser and viewer.

Windows Mail
Pitched as "your personal messaging solution," the new Mail client replaces Outlook.

'Genuine' Activation: Your copy of Vista has to pass muster with Microsoft's activation check, otherwise it'll stop working.
Streamlined Search: Microsoft appears to have improved the speed with which Vista searches through internal files.
Easing Installation: While there are still occasionally glitches in getting Vista onto one's PC, they aren't from any want of hand-holding on Microsoft's part.
Brand New Browser: Internet Explorer 7 has a well-designed welcome screen, which walks new users through their browser set-up functions.
'Genuine' Activation
Your copy of Vista has to pass muster with Microsoft's activation check, otherwise it'll stop working.
Streamlined Search
Microsoft appears to have improved the speed with which Vista searches through internal files.
Easing Installation
While there are still occasionally glitches in getting Vista onto one's PC, they aren't from any want of hand-holding on Microsoft's part.
Brand New Browser
Internet Explorer 7 has a well-designed welcome screen, which walks new users through their browser set-up functions.

Basic Info: As with RC1, Vista presents a one-stop summary of one's machine as well as its Vista rating.
Network Setup: An improved dialog eases the set up of local-area and wireless network connections.
Unexpected Shutdown: RC2 retains a reduced though nevertheless lingering propensity for occasional lockups and shutdowns.
Basic Info
As with RC1, Vista presents a one-stop summary of one's machine as well as its Vista rating.
Network Setup
An improved dialog eases the set up of local-area and wireless network connections.
Unexpected Shutdown
RC2 retains a reduced though nevertheless lingering propensity for occasional lockups and shutdowns.




Top 10 Windows Vista Beta 2 Hits & Misses

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Vista's Sidebar & Gadgets: The right side of Vista's desktop features a Sidebar packed with Gadgets -- applets that post the time, track the temperature, and even allow you to play video poker or Sudoku while you're nominally working.
Unexpected Shutdown: Vista lockups and shutdowns are supposed to be fewer than in Windows XP, but they haven't been banished entirely.
Aero Glass GUI: The most noticeable feature in Vista is the new Aero Glass graphical user interface, which features translucent elements for which you can change both the color and the level of transparency.
Patching The Beta: Microsoft is automatically downloading patches and updates to the beta, as it works furiously to get Windows Vista ready for its upcoming shipment date.
Vista's Sidebar & Gadgets
The right side of Vista's desktop features a Sidebar packed with Gadgets -- applets that post the time, track the temperature, and even allow you to play video poker or Sudoku while you're nominally working.
Unexpected Shutdown
Vista lockups and shutdowns are supposed to be fewer than in Windows XP, but they haven't been banished entirely.
Aero Glass GUI
The most noticeable feature in Vista is the new Aero Glass graphical user interface, which features translucent elements for which you can change both the color and the level of transparency.
Patching The Beta
Microsoft is automatically downloading patches and updates to the beta, as it works furiously to get Windows Vista ready for its upcoming shipment date.

Performance Rating: The tool in Vista Beta 2 that gives a numerical assessment of whether your PC is up to snuff is being replaced by a ''Windows Experience Index,'' which should yield ratings that are somewhat more favorable to hardware vendors.
Media Center: Vista's Media Center software is a one-stop control shop for listening to music files, viewing videos, and even watching high-definition television.
URGE Online Music Store: Pitched as a powerful Windows alternative to Apple's iTunes, the new URGE online music store is tightly linked into Vista and Windows Media Player 11. URGE is a joint venture of Microsoft and MTV.
User Account Control: Microsoft is planning to revise the user-account-control dialog boxes, which are meant as a security check but are currently so intrusive they're apt to be ignored.
Performance Rating
The tool in Vista Beta 2 that gives a numerical assessment of whether your PC is up to snuff is being replaced by a "Windows Experience Index," which should yield ratings that are somewhat more favorable to hardware vendors.
Media Center
Vista's Media Center software is a one-stop control shop for listening to music files, viewing videos, and even watching high-definition television.
URGE Online Music Store
Pitched as a powerful Windows alternative to Apple's iTunes, the new URGE online music store is tightly linked into Vista and Windows Media Player 11. URGE is a joint venture of Microsoft and MTV.
User Account Control
Microsoft is planning to revise the user-account-control dialog boxes, which are meant as a security check but are currently so intrusive they're apt to be ignored.

Flip 3D: Vista's Flip 3D feature lets you stack up your open windows in a kind of flip-picture view in the middle of the screen, and scroll through them with the mouse to go back and forth among the apps
Flip 3D
Vista's Flip 3D feature lets you stack up your open windows in a kind of flip-picture view in the middle of the screen, and scroll through them with the mouse to go back and forth among the apps.


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