`editions of Windows® For Dummies SAMSUNG1043
`
`Andy Rathbone
`Bestselling authorofall previous
`
`FREEeTips at dummies.com:
`
`1
`
`SAMSUNG 1043
`
`

`

`Windows Vista™
`
`FOR
`
`DUMmIES‰
`
`by Andy Rathbone
`
`2
`
`

`

`3
`
`

`

`Windows Vista™
`
`FOR
`
`DUMmIES‰
`
`4
`
`

`

`5
`
`

`

`Windows Vista™
`
`FOR
`
`DUMmIES‰
`
`by Andy Rathbone
`
`6
`
`

`

`Windows Vista™ For Dummies®
`Published by
`Wiley Publishing, Inc.
`111 River Street
`Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
`www.wiley.com
`Copyright © 2007 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana
`Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana
`Published simultaneously in Canada
`No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or
`by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permit-
`ted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written
`permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the
`Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600.
`Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Legal Department, Wiley Publishing,
`Inc., 10475 Crosspoint Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46256, (317) 572-3447, fax (317) 572-4355, or online at
`http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.
`Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the
`Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies.com, and related trade
`dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United
`States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. Windows Vista is a trade-
`mark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the
`property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor
`mentioned in this book.
`
`LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: THE PUBLISHER AND THE AUTHOR MAKE NO REP-
`RESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE
`CONTENTS OF THIS WORK AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITHOUT
`LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. NO WARRANTY MAY BE CREATED
`OR EXTENDED BY SALES OR PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS. THE ADVICE AND STRATEGIES CONTAINED
`HEREIN MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR EVERY SITUATION. THIS WORK IS SOLD WITH THE UNDERSTAND-
`ING THAT THE PUBLISHER IS NOT ENGAGED IN RENDERING LEGAL, ACCOUNTING, OR OTHER PRO-
`FESSIONAL SERVICES. IF PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE IS REQUIRED, THE SERVICES OF A COMPETENT
`PROFESSIONAL PERSON SHOULD BE SOUGHT. NEITHER THE PUBLISHER NOR THE AUTHOR SHALL
`BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES ARISING HEREFROM. THE FACT THAT AN ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE IS
`REFERRED TO IN THIS WORK AS A CITATION AND/OR A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF FURTHER INFORMA-
`TION DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE AUTHOR OR THE PUBLISHER ENDORSES THE INFORMATION THE
`ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE MAY PROVIDE OR RECOMMENDATIONS IT MAY MAKE. FURTHER, READ-
`ERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT INTERNET WEBSITES LISTED IN THIS WORK MAY HAVE CHANGED OR
`DISAPPEARED BETWEEN WHEN THIS WORK WAS WRITTEN AND WHEN IT IS READ.
`
`For general information on our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care
`Department within the U.S. at 800-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax 317-572-4002.
`For technical support, please visit www.wiley.com/techsupport.
`Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may
`not be available in electronic books.
`Library of Congress Control Number: 2006934815
`ISBN-13: 978-0-471-75421-3
`ISBN-10: 0-471-75421-8
`Manufactured in the United States of America
`10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
`1B/SZ/RR/QW/IN
`
`7
`
`

`

`About the Author
`
`Andy Rathbone started geeking around with computers in 1985 when he
`bought a 26-pound portable CP/M Kaypro 2X. Like other nerds of the day,
`he soon began plying with null-modem adapters, dialing computer bulletin
`boards, and working part-time at Radio Shack.
`
`He wrote articles for various techie publications before moving to computer
`books in 1992. He’s written the Windows For Dummies series, Upgrading and
`Fixing PCs For Dummies, TiVo For Dummies, PCs: The Missing Manual, and
`many other computer books.
`
`Today, he has more than 15 million copies of his books in print, and they’ve
`been translated into more than 30 languages. You can reach Andy at his Web
`site, www.andyrathbone.com.
`
`8
`
`

`

`9
`
`

`

`Author’s Acknowledgments
`
`Special thanks to Dan Gookin, Matt Wagner, Tina Rathbone, Steve Hayes,
`Kelly Ewing, Colleen Totz, Dave Diamond, Joyce Nielsen, Kristie Rees,
`Jodi Jensen, and Amanda Foxworth. Thanks also to all the folks I never
`meet in editorial, sales, marketing, proofreading, layout, graphics, and
`manufacturing who work hard to bring you this book.
`
`10
`
`

`

`Publisher’s Acknowledgments
`We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our online registration form
`located at www.dummies.com/register/.
`Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:
`
`Acquisitions, Editorial, and
`Media Development
`Project Editor: Kelly Ewing
`Senior Acquisitions Editor: Steve Hayes
`Technical Editor: Joyce Nielsen
`Editorial Manager: Jodi Jensen
`Media Development Manager: Laura VanWinkle
`Editorial Assistant: Amanda Foxworth
`Sr. Editorial Assistant: Cherie Case
`Cartoons: Rich Tennant
`(www.the5thwave.com)
`
`Composition Services
`Project Coordinator: Kristie Rees
`Layout and Graphics: Carl Byers, Denny Hager,
`Barry Offringa, Heather Ryan, Rashell Smith
`Proofreaders: Melanie Hoffman,
`Jessica Kramer, Dwight Ramsey, Techbooks
`Indexer: Techbooks
`
`Publishing and Editorial for Technology Dummies
`Richard Swadley, Vice President and Executive Group Publisher
`Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher
`Mary Bednarek, Executive Acquisitions Director
`Mary C. Corder, Editorial Director
`Publishing for Consumer Dummies
`Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher
`Joyce Pepple, Acquisitions Director
`Composition Services
`Gerry Fahey, Vice President of Production Services
`Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services
`
`11
`
`

`

`Contents at a Glance
`
`Introduction .................................................................1
`Part I: Windows Vista Stuff Everybody
`Thinks You Already Know..............................................7
`Chapter 1: What Is Windows Vista? .................................................................................9
`Chapter 2: The Desktop, Start Menu, and Other Windows Vista Mysteries .............21
`Chapter 3: Basic Windows Mechanics...........................................................................47
`Chapter 4: Flipping Through Files, Folders, Floppies, and CDs..................................69
`Part II: Working with Programs and Files .....................95
`Chapter 5: Playing with Programs and Documents .....................................................97
`Chapter 6: Briefly Lost, but Quickly Found.................................................................119
`Chapter 7: Printing Your Work......................................................................................133
`Part III: Getting Things Done on the Internet ..............145
`Chapter 8: Cruising the Web .........................................................................................147
`Chapter 9: Sending and Receiving E-mail ....................................................................171
`Chapter 10: Safe Computing..........................................................................................189
`Part IV: Customizing and Upgrading Windows Vista....207
`Chapter 11: Customizing Windows Vista with the Control Panel ............................209
`Chapter 12: Keeping Windows from Breaking ............................................................235
`Chapter 13: Sharing One Computer with Several People..........................................249
`Chapter 14: Connecting Two or More Computers with a Network..........................259
`Part V: Music, Movies, Memories (and Photos, Too)....277
`Chapter 15: Playing and Copying Music in Media Player..........................................279
`Chapter 16: Fiddling with Photos and Movies............................................................303
`Part VI: Help! ..........................................................331
`Chapter 17: The Case of the Broken Window .............................................................333
`Chapter 18: Strange Messages: What You Did Does Not Compute ..........................345
`Chapter 19: Moving from an Old Computer to a New One........................................353
`Chapter 20: Help on the Windows Vista Help System ...............................................365
`
`12
`
`

`

`Part VII: The Part of Tens ..........................................371
`Chapter 21: Ten or So Things You’ll Hate about
`Windows Vista (and How to Fix Them).....................................................................373
`Chapter 22: Ten or So Tips for Laptop Owners ..........................................................381
`Appendix: Upgrading to Windows Vista ......................387
`Index .......................................................................391
`
`13
`
`

`

`Table of Contents
`
`Introduction..................................................................1
`About This Book...............................................................................................1
`How to Use This Book .....................................................................................2
`And What about You? ......................................................................................3
`How This Book Is Organized...........................................................................3
`Part I: Windows Vista Stuff Everybody
`Thinks You Already Know..................................................................4
`Part II: Working with Programs and Files ............................................4
`Part III: Getting Things Done on the Internet......................................4
`Part IV: Customizing and Upgrading Windows Vista .........................4
`Part V: Music, Movies, Memories (and Photos, Too) ........................5
`Part VI: Help! ...........................................................................................5
`Part VII: The Part of Tens ......................................................................5
`Icons Used in This Book..................................................................................6
`Where to Go from Here....................................................................................6
`
`Part I: Windows Vista Stuff Everybody
`Thinks You Already Know ..............................................7
`
`Chapter 1: What Is Windows Vista? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
`What Is Windows Vista, and Why Are You Using It?....................................9
`Should I Bother Switching to Windows Vista?............................................11
`Improved security ................................................................................11
`New Internet Explorer version............................................................12
`New Media Player and Media Center.................................................14
`DVD burning..........................................................................................14
`Calendar.................................................................................................14
`Easier searching for files .....................................................................14
`Vista looks prettier...............................................................................15
`Can My PC Still Run Vista? ............................................................................16
`Can I Make Windows Vista Look and Feel Like Windows XP? ..................17
`The Five Flavors of Vista ...............................................................................18
`
`14
`
`

`

`xii
`
`Windows Vista For Dummies
`
`Chapter 2: The Desktop, Start Menu, and
`Other Windows Vista Mysteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
`Being Welcomed to the World of Windows Vista .......................................22
`Fiddling around with user accounts ..................................................23
`Keeping your account private with a password...............................25
`Working on the Desktop ................................................................................27
`Cleaning up a messy desktop .............................................................29
`Jazzing up the desktop’s background................................................29
`Dumpster diving in the Recycle Bin...................................................31
`The Start Button’s Reason to Live ...............................................................32
`The Start menu’s prime real estate ....................................................34
`Starting a program from the Start menu ...........................................35
`Customizing the Start menu................................................................36
`Bellying Up to the Taskbar............................................................................38
`Shrinking windows to the taskbar and retrieving them ..................39
`Clicking the taskbar’s sensitive areas................................................40
`Customizing the taskbar......................................................................41
`The taskbar’s crazy toolbars ..............................................................42
`The Sidebar.....................................................................................................44
`Logging Off from Windows............................................................................45
`Chapter 3: Basic Windows Mechanics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
`Dissecting a Typical Window........................................................................48
`Tugging on a window’s title bar..........................................................49
`Typing in a Window’s Address Bar ....................................................51
`Finding Vista’s hidden menu bar........................................................52
`Choosing the Right Button for the Job........................................................53
`Quick shortcuts with the Windows Vista Navigation Pane.............54
`Working with the Details pane............................................................56
`Moving inside a window with its scroll bar ......................................57
`Boring borders......................................................................................58
`Filling Out Bothersome Dialog Boxes ..........................................................58
`Poking the correct command button.................................................59
`Choosing between option buttons.....................................................60
`Typing into text boxes .........................................................................60
`Choosing options from list boxes ......................................................61
`Drop-down list boxes ...........................................................................62
`Check boxes ..........................................................................................63
`Sliding controls.....................................................................................64
`Maneuvering Windows Around the Desktop..............................................64
`Moving a window to the top of the pile.............................................65
`Moving a window from here to there.................................................65
`Making a window fill the whole screen..............................................65
`Closing a window..................................................................................66
`Making a window bigger or smaller ...................................................66
`Placing two windows next to each other ..........................................67
`Making windows open to the same darn size...................................67
`
`15
`
`

`

`Table of Contents
`
`xiii
`
`Chapter 4: Flipping Through Files, Folders, Floppies, and CDs . . . . . .69
`Browsing Your Computer’s File Cabinets....................................................70
`Getting the Lowdown on Folders .................................................................72
`Peering into Your Drives and Folders..........................................................75
`Seeing the files on a disk drive ...........................................................75
`Seeing what’s inside folders................................................................76
`Creating a New Folder ...................................................................................78
`Renaming a File or Folder .............................................................................80
`Selecting Bunches of Files or Folders..........................................................81
`Getting Rid of a File or Folder.......................................................................81
`Copying or Moving Files and Folders ..........................................................83
`Seeing More Information about Files and Folders .....................................84
`Writing to CDs and DVDs ..............................................................................87
`Buying the right kind of blank CDs and DVDs for burning..............88
`Copying files from or to a CD or DVD ................................................89
`Working with Floppy Disks and Memory Cards .........................................92
`
`Part II: Working with Programs and Files......................95
`
`Chapter 5: Playing with Programs and Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97
`Starting a Program .........................................................................................97
`Opening a Document .....................................................................................99
`Saving a Document.......................................................................................101
`Choosing Which Program Opens a File.....................................................102
`The wrong program loads my file!....................................................102
`No program will open my file!...........................................................105
`Taking the Lazy Way with a Shortcut ........................................................106
`The Absolutely Essential Guide to Cutting, Copying, and Pasting ........108
`The quick ’n’ dirty guide to cut ’n’ paste ........................................108
`Selecting things to cut or copy.........................................................109
`Cutting or copying your selected goods .........................................110
`Pasting information to another place ..............................................111
`Windows Vista’s Free Programs! ................................................................113
`Writing letters with WordPad............................................................113
`Keeping appointments with Calendar .............................................114
`Finding symbols like © with Character Map...................................115
`Chapter 6: Briefly Lost, but Quickly Found . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119
`Finding Lost Windows on the Desktop......................................................119
`Locating a Missing Program, E-mail,
`Song, Document, or Other File................................................................121
`Finding a Missing File in a Folder...............................................................123
`Sorting, Grouping, and Stacking Files........................................................125
`Finding Lost Photos .....................................................................................127
`Finding Other Computers on a Network ...................................................128
`
`16
`
`

`

`xiv
`
`Windows Vista For Dummies
`
`Finding Information on the Internet ..........................................................128
`Saving Your Searches...................................................................................129
`Commanding Vista’s Big Search .................................................................129
`Fine-Tuning Vista’s Searches ......................................................................130
`Adding places to Vista’s index..........................................................130
`Rebuilding the index ..........................................................................131
`Chapter 7: Printing Your Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133
`Printing Your Masterpiece ..........................................................................133
`Adjusting how your work fits on the page ......................................135
`Adjusting your printer’s settings......................................................137
`Canceling a print job..........................................................................139
`Printing a Web page ...........................................................................140
`Installing new fonts ............................................................................141
`Troubleshooting your printer...........................................................143
`
`Part III: Getting Things Done on the Internet...............145
`
`Chapter 8: Cruising the Web . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .147
`What Is the Internet? ...................................................................................147
`What’s an ISP, and Why Do I Need One?....................................................149
`Setting Up Internet Explorer the First Time..............................................150
`Navigating the Web with Microsoft Internet Explorer.............................155
`Moving from Web page to Web page................................................155
`Making Internet Explorer open to your favorite site .....................158
`Revisit favorite places .......................................................................159
`Finding things on the Internet ..........................................................160
`The Web Page Says It Needs a Weird Plug-In Thing! ................................162
`Saving Information from the Internet ........................................................163
`Saving a Web page ..............................................................................164
`Saving text ...........................................................................................165
`Saving a picture ..................................................................................165
`Downloading a program or file .........................................................166
`It Doesn’t Work! ............................................................................................168
`Removing Unneeded Plug-ins .....................................................................168
`The Pages Won’t All Fit on My Screen .......................................................170
`Internet Explorer Now Fills My Entire Screen!..........................................170
`Chapter 9: Sending and Receiving E-mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .171
`Using Windows Mail.....................................................................................171
`Setting Up Your E-Mail Account .................................................................174
`Composing and Sending an E-Mail.............................................................177
`Reading a Received E-Mail ..........................................................................179
`Sending and Receiving an Attachment......................................................182
`
`17
`
`

`

`Table of Contents
`
`xv
`
`Finding Lost Mail..........................................................................................183
`Managing Your Contacts .............................................................................185
`Reducing Your Spam....................................................................................187
`Chapter 10: Safe Computing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .189
`Understanding Those Annoying Permission Messages ..........................189
`Assessing Your Safety in Security Center .................................................191
`Changing the firewall settings...........................................................193
`Changing Windows Update settings ................................................195
`Avoiding viruses .................................................................................196
`Staying Safe on the Internet........................................................................197
`Avoiding evil add-ons and hijackers ................................................198
`Avoiding phishing scams...................................................................200
`Avoiding and removing spyware and parasites
`with Windows Defender.................................................................202
`Using parental controls .....................................................................203
`
`Part IV: Customizing and Upgrading Windows Vista ....207
`
`Chapter 11: Customizing Windows Vista with the Control Panel . . .209
`Finding the Right Switch in the Control Panel..........................................210
`System and Maintenance ............................................................................212
`User Accounts and Family Safety...............................................................212
`Security..........................................................................................................212
`Changing Windows’ Appearance (Appearance and Personalization)...213
`Changing the desktop background ..................................................213
`Choosing a screen saver....................................................................215
`Changing the computer’s theme ......................................................216
`Changing the screen resolution........................................................217
`Changing Network and Internet Connections ..........................................219
`Setting the Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options .......................220
`Hardware and Sound ...................................................................................220
`Adjusting Vista’s volume and sounds..............................................221
`Installing or setting up speakers ......................................................222
`Adding a printer .................................................................................224
`Installing or adjusting other items ...................................................226
`Adding new hardware ........................................................................228
`Adding or Removing Programs ..................................................................229
`Removing or changing programs .....................................................229
`Adding new programs........................................................................231
`Add/remove parts of Windows Vista ...............................................231
`Modifying Vista for the Physically Challenged.........................................232
`Options for Laptops (Mobile PC)...............................................................234
`Additional Options.......................................................................................234
`
`18
`
`

`

`xvi
`
`Windows Vista For Dummies
`
`Chapter 12: Keeping Windows from Breaking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .235
`Creating a Restore Point..............................................................................236
`Tuning Up Windows Vista with Built-In Maintenance Tools...................236
`Backing up your computer................................................................237
`Finding technical information about your computer ....................242
`Freeing up space on your hard drive...............................................243
`Empowering your power button ......................................................244
`Setting up devices that don’t work (fiddling with drivers)...........245
`Cleaning Your Computer .............................................................................247
`Cleaning your mouse .........................................................................247
`Cleaning your monitor.......................................................................248
`Cleaning your keyboard.....................................................................248
`Chapter 13: Sharing One Computer with Several People . . . . . . . . .249
`Understanding User Accounts....................................................................250
`Setting Up or Changing User Accounts .....................................................252
`Switching Quickly between Users..............................................................253
`Changing a User Account’s Picture............................................................255
`Setting Up Passwords and Security ...........................................................256
`Chapter 14: Connecting Two or More
`Computers with a Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .259
`Understanding a Network’s Parts ..............................................................260
`Setting Up a Small Network.........................................................................262
`Buying parts for a network ...............................................................262
`Installing a wired network .................................................................264
`Connecting Wirelessly .................................................................................267
`Setting up a wireless router or access point...................................267
`Setting up Windows Vista to connect to a wireless network........268
`Connecting to and Sharing Files with Other PCs on Your Network.......272
`Sharing a Printer on the Network ..............................................................274
`Troubleshooting a Network ........................................................................276
`
`Part V: Music, Movies, Memories (and Photos, Too) ....277
`
`Chapter 15: Playing and Copying Music in Media Player . . . . . . . . .279
`Stocking Media Player’s Library.................................................................279
`Browsing Media Player’s Libraries ............................................................283
`Understanding Media Player’s Controls....................................................284
`Playing CDs ...................................................................................................285
`Playing DVDs.................................................................................................287
`Playing Videos and TV Shows ....................................................................288
`
`19
`
`

`

`Table of Contents
`
`xvii
`
`Playing Music Files (MP3s and WMAs) .....................................................290
`Playing Internet Radio Stations ..................................................................290
`Creating, Saving, and Editing Playlists ......................................................291
`Copying CDs to Your PC ..............................................................................292
`Burning Music CDs.......................................................................................294
`Copying Songs to Your Portable Player ....................................................295
`Buying Music and Movies from Online Stores..........................................297
`Working with Media Center ........................................................................299
`Browsing Media Center’s menus ......................................................300
`Getting the most out of Media Center .............................................301
`Chapter 16: Fiddling with Photos and Movies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .303
`Using Your Computer as a Digital Shoebox ..............................................303
`Dumping the camera’s photos into your computer.......................304
`Browsing your photos with Windows Photo Gallery.....................307
`Viewing a slide show..................................................