Top Ten New Features in Windows Vista

Windows Vista, scheduled for release on January 30th, 2007 has something for everyone, from tight security and stunning new graphics to some new bundled applications. In fact, there is much that this new operating system has to offer, that it will be a real test for the hardware configuration of your PC. With its sleek new look and eye-catching interface, actually it's what's under the hood that impresses the most. Microsoft's done a great job of improving security across the board as this was their priority when they were developing Vista in the first place. Features like Windows and spyware library updates are streamlined, and I definitely appreciate the more robust Backup software.

Internet Explorer is the new web browser that comes with Windows Vista, but as we all know you can download it for XP as well, so this article won't focus on it. Windows Media Player 11 can also be installed to the XP system. A really intriguing stuff is the Windows Sidebar, which puts real-time weather info, stock quotes, system status, RSS feeds, and other information on the display.

This article puts the focus on the top new features in Window Vista, things that can't find in the XP. Apart from this article, another really great site about Windows Vista full of information about the new features is vista-hq.com.

1. New User Experience, including Windows Aero

Windows Vista features four different levels of user experience--Basic, Windows Classic, Standard, and Windows Aero(TM). All controls are totally redesigned in Windows Vista and look even better now. The Aero user interface is the top of the line and takes advantage of the latest advances in computer hardware. On computers equipped with graphics hardware that supports the new Windows Driver Display Model (WDDM), the Aero provides more stability and smoother window handling. The main element of this interface is the transparent glass design, with subtle effects such as dynamic reflections and smooth animations. To checkout some screenshots, go to vista-hq.com/interface.html.

2. Windows Sidebar

The Windows Sidebar can be positioned on the right or on the left side of your screen and its associated with mini-applications called gadgets, that provide specific information. Like for example, the gadgets can give you info on the weather, show you the calendar, games, a calculator or all types of other tools. The Sidebar fits perfectly especially on widescreen monitors. It can be easily customized and you can add different types of gadgets. Gadgets are a new concept introduced in Windows Vista. They can connect to web services to deliver business data, weather information, news updates, traffic maps, Internet radio streams, and even slide shows of online photo albums. By default, the OS comes with a set number of gadgets to get you started, but you can always download more from an online gadget gallery.

3. The Instant Desktop Search

The Instant Search is a new feature that will help you find whatever you're looking for. It is available almost everywhere in Windows Vista, in the Explorer Dialogs, in the Start Menu, pretty much in every system window. Using it, you can type a filename, a property, or even text contained within a file, and it returns pinpointed results. Besides that, the Instant Search also arranges the results depending on your current activity, whether it's searching for music files in Media Player, or looking over all your files and applications on the Start Menu. You can check out some screenshots of that at vista-hq.com/interface.html.

On the Start Menu, the Instant Search box is located at the lower left corner, and instead of going through all the programs installed in order to find the one you are looking for, you can just type its name in the box and as you type, Windows Vista instantly searches file and application names, metadata, and the full text of all files, and it displays the search results. It searches through everything - Applications; Favorites/Internet History; Files, including documents and media; and Communications, including email, events, tasks, and contacts.

4. Windows Defender

Windows Defender is a features that protects your computer from pop-ups, slow performance, and security threats caused by spyware. It works by monitoring key system locations for changes that signal the presence of spyware. The autoupdate option will make sure that the Defender has all the latest spyware definitions from Microsoft. The interface is simple and easy to use, making daily tasks like as scanning, blocking, and removing unwanted software easier than ever. It has a built in Software Explorer that determines which software and services are running on your computer and stops or disables "rogue" software.

It works in co-operation with Internet Explorer with the "Scan on execute" feature. This feature provides an added layer of protection, by scanning all downloaded files before they are saved and executed, thus reducing the chance that spyware might be installed by accident. If you want to learn something more about the Windows Defender visit vista-hq.com/security.html.

5. Performance Center

The Performance Center is a brand new tool that gives information on the PC's performance characteristics and can manage and troubleshoot performance issues. The very interesting thing here is the WinSPR, or Windows System Performance Rating. This rating is from 1 to 5, and depending on your rating, you can determine if a given application can run on your machine. For example, if you have some of the latest hardware, your rating can reach 4.2 and it that case, any software with 4.2 or lower WinSPR will run smoothly on your computer. To find out more about it, go to vista-hq.com/performance.html.

6. Backup and Restore

This new functionality makes it possible for you to keep your information safe from user error, hardware failure, and other issues that can result in data loss. There are several layers of protection to ensure maximum effectiveness. From the Backup and Restore control panel, you can enable the auto feature which automatically caches previous versions of your files to an image-based backup of your entire computer. Later, you can browse and search for files to restore from a backup.

Another great new feature allows you to access previous versions of files without even having a backup. This is possible through the Volume Shadow Copy technology. If you want to do that manually, then you will have to use the File Back Wizard in which you select the types of files you want to backup, specify a storage folder and start the process at any point you want. There is also an automatic scheduling function.

The system restore feature can reverse system changes, but still preserving your data in its current state.

7. Network Map

The Network Map is a new feature inside the Network Center that displays graphically your connectivity to the network and to the Internet. If a computer on the network loses Internet connectivity, you can graphically see which connection is down and then use Network Diagnostics to help determine the cause of the problem and find possible solutions.

This is especially useful if you have a network of wired and wireless PCs and devices. With the Network Map you can increase the performance of the network and easily spot problems.

8. Windows ReadyBoost

ReadyBoost is a brand new technology that comes with Windows Vista. It's a whole new concept that will change they way people add memory to a system. With ReadyBoost, you can use USD flash as RAM to extend system memory and improve performance. So instead of buying RAM and opening your computer, you can just plug the Flash. Plus, most motherboards have just two RAM slots, which will be taken anyway.

Utilizing this technology is simple. Just plug the Flash in the USB slot and Windows Vista will check to determine if its performance is fast enough to work with Windows ReadyBoost. If that's the case, then you'll be asked if you want to use this device to speed up system performance. ReadyBoost is reliable as well as secure. You won't loose any data, and the system will restore to its original level of performance when the Flash is removed. There is no wearing on the USB drive, because of the specifically optimized algorithms used.

9. Windows ReadyDrive

Windows ReadyDrive takes advantage of the latest hybrid hard drives to provide faster boot-up, hibernate, and resume. It works by writing data to the flash memory on the hybrid hard disk, which lessens the amount of spinning for the mechanical hard drive, thus saving battery power. And also increases the life of your hard drive. With a hybrid drive, Windows Vista can resume more quickly from Sleep because data can be restored from flash memory faster than from the spinning mechanical hard drive.

10. Windows Media Center

For a large number of users, the PC has become mostly a source of entertainment, that you can enjoy by sitting back with a remote control in hand. That's not something strange considering the enormous amount of media files that you can download online. The Windows Media Center enables you to enjoy live and recorded TV, music, photos, videos, and online entertainment on a single device. It can also be connected to Xbox 360 allowing you to transfer this experience in other rooms of your home.

It's integrated in the Home Premium and Ultimate editions of Windows Vista and also offers built-in support for archiving TV shows to DVD. It takes advantage of the very latest technologies including a support for widescreen and high-definition (HD) displays. There are three separate sections - music, digital photos, TV and movies. In the Music section, you can quickly browse your music by artist, song, or album title, as well as by genre, composer, or year. Regarding the photos, Windows Media Center can turn your simple photo collection into a cinematic slide show that can be shared on the television in the living room. On top of that, WMC provides seamless experience when watching your favorite television shows and movies.

For a lot of great information and plenty of screenshots related to Windows Vista, check out [http://vista-hq.com/]

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Windows 7 New Backup Features

Windows 7 Backup and Restore

With Windows 7, Microsoft expands on the reliable backup and restore solutions for both data files and the entire computer that it introduced in Windows Vista, which can be used to copy your important files and folders to a safe location or create a system image that can be used later to restore a unreliable PC.

File Backup If you think of your Documents library as the centre of your data universe, and keep a series of folders and files there and in other libraries, then you'll understand the importance of backing up these files on a regular basis. Windows 7 supports both automatic and manual data backup, enabling you to choose which files to back up and when. You can then restore your backups at any time to recover previous versions of documents, or to replace a file you may have accidentally deleted.

System Image There's nothing worse than discovering that you need to reinstall Windows for some reason. You also have to ensure that you have drivers for all your hardware, reinstall the applications you use regularly, reload your data, and reconfigure all of the system, so that it's exactly the way you used to have it. Rather than go through this pain, you can use a Windows 7 feature called System Image Backup to create what is called a system image. This image, which is essentially a huge file, contains the entire contents of your PC as it existed when you backed up an image. You can simply restore the system image and get right back to work.

Window 7 also offers a way to access previous versions of data files or a previous state in time, or called a System Restore. These features are not part of Backup and Restore, but when you add it all up, what you have is the makings of a full-featured data recovery software suite like Ghost used for many years with Windows XP.

Backup Capabilities in Various Windows 7 Editions

All Windows 7 product editions get Backup and Restore with system image backup capabilities; the only exception is network-based backups: Only Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate support that capability.

One Tool to Rule Them All: Using Backup and Restore

Although various tools are available through the Windows 7 user interface. A single menu control panel menu option in System & Security, the Back UP & Restore menu option provides a front end.

Backing Up Documents, Pictures, and Other Data

If you want to create a data backup, you can use Windows Backup, which is available from Backup and Restore. To do so, launch Backup and Restore and click the Set up backup link. This launches Windows Backup's Setup up backup wizard

In the first step of the wizard, you must choose a location to store the backup. You can save a backup to an internal or external hard disk, a writeable CD or DVD, or a network share. (Network backup is only available in Windows 7 Ultimate, Enterprise & Professional. The amount of space you need, of course, depends on the amount of data you are backing up. Windows auto selects the local storage offering the most free space, but you can change this of course.

Microsoft does not allow you to back up to the disk or partition you are backing up, you cannot go from C: / to C: /

In the second step, you have two choices: Let Windows choose or Let me choose. If you choose the first option, Windows Backup will automatically backup data files saved in libraries, on the desktop, and in any folders founder in your user folder. Windows Backup will also create a system image if you choose this option, and then automatically make periodic backups on a schedule going forward.

If you choose Let me choose, Windows Backup will present a view of your file system. From this option, you can pick exactly what you want to backup. You can also optionally cause a system image to be made.

In the next step, review what you've chosen. Click the Change schedule link to change the default, which is to make a backup every Sunday night.

Click Save settings and run, as the backup begins, Backup and Restore displays its progress.

If you set up an automatic backup, Windows 7 will monitor your PC usage and prompt you to perform full backups over time.

A backup is in progress. This message will occur in the future; when Windows Backup runs in the background you can create multiple automatic backup schedules if you want. For example, you may want to back up different drives or file types at different times.

Managing Backups

Once you have created your first backup. First, Backup and Restore indicates that you've set a backup location and indicates when the last and next backups occur. You can also change the automatic backup settings and restore all of the files for the each user account.

When you click the Manage space, the Manage Windows Backup disk space window will indicate, information about the selected backup device, you can browse the file system of the backup location, view backups stored on that PC, and change settings configured with system image backups.

If you do click View backups, you can't actually get inside the backup folder you have made. From here, you can view the backups and delete them.

Go back to the previous window and click Browse. This will open Windows Explorer view, navigating the location of your backup. At this location, you will see Windows Backup icon and the name of your PC. If you try to double click this folder, a Windows Backup window will appear. Instead, right-click the folder and choose Open. Then, click Continue in the permission folder that appears. You'll will see a folder structure representing your various backups. A number of standard ZIP files. If you accidently lose everything, at least these files will always be accessible.

Restoring Files& Folders

Backup and Restore can also be used to restore files you have previously backed up. There are 3 file restore methods.

Restore my files. Restore your own files and folders.

Restore all users' files. Restore your own files and folders as well as those of other users.

Select another backup to restore files from. Perform more advanced restoration tasks, such as restoring files from a different PC.

You can follow these steps to trigger a restore of your own files or folders:

1. Open Backup and Restore and click the Restore my files button.

2. The Restore Files window appears.

From here, you have three options:

You can Search. If you know exactly what you're looking for, and only need one or a handful of files, you can use the Search button to Search your existing backup sets.

You can browse for files. If you'd like to manually browse around the backup set to find a file or any number of individual files, click Browse for files. You'll be presented with a modified File Open dialog, from which you can browse the various backups you've created, diving into the full backup or just the files in your user profile.

Recover entire folder

Whichever method you choose, you can mark a folder for restoration as you go and then continue looking for more.

3. When you're ready to go, click the Next button in the Restore Files window. Windows Backup will ask you to decide where you want to restore the files to; either to their original locations or to a new location.

Choose one and then click Restore. Windows Backup will begin restoring your files. If there any of the backup files will overwrite an existing file, you'll see the normal File Copy window shown below, which offers you a chance to overwrite, copy but keep both files, or don't copy.

When the restore is complete, Windows Backup will let you know that the files have been restored and list them.

Windows 7 System Image Backup

Backing up and restoring data files is important and should be on a regular basis, recently a new type of backup utility that backs up entire PC systems using system images has become quite available. These types of backups protect against a hard drive failure, virus infection or a major crash: If your you can use this system image to restore the PC to its previous state.

System imaging isn't new; companies have been using it for years such as Norton Ghost., Microsoft has created its own version, which it includes with Windows 7.

System imaging utilities typically compress the data on your hard drives to create a small image. Various solutions use different compression types, but you may be interested to know that Windows 7 uses VHD format that Microsoft also uses in its Windows Virtual PC software and its server-based Hyper-V virtualization solutions.

System images contain complete PC operating system files and user files & folders. You can't restore only parts of a system image, as you can with data backups. When you restore a system image, it restores the entire PC and overwrites any existing operating system. That means you should be careful before restoring a system image: Any data you have on the disk will be lost. Of course, remember to use automatic backups.

To create a system image, launch Backup and Restore menu and click the Create a system image on the left side bar at the top corner. This launches the Create a system image, shown below, which directs you through the steps to back up your whole PC. You can save system images to hard disks or DVDs, as well as network locations only in Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise, or Ultimate only. You can only write a system image to a hard disk that is formatted with the NTFS file system.

Click Next. The wizard will give you a chance to confirm the backup settings and remind you which partitions are being imaged. It will also provide an estimate of the amount of space needed to create a system image. The required storage space varies according to the size and usage of the hard disk on your PC. Click Start backup to begin the system image process.

Two file system locations must be included in the system image-what Microsoft refers to as the boot partition and the system partition. The boot partition is always C:\, whereas the system partition is the drive with the Windows 7 Windows directory. This is typically C: but if you installed Windows 7 in a dual-boot setup with a previous Windows version, the system partition might be in a different location. If you have other drives or partitions, you can optionally choose to include them in the system image as well. As the image is created, Windows Backup will provide an ongoing progress indicator.

This process could take some time, especially on a heavily used PC. When it's done, Windows Backup will prompt you to create a system repair disc. You should do so: While Windows 7 does install recovery files directly into the boot partition, in some cases; these files will not boot the PC. If that happens, you can use the system repair disc to boot your PC, a requirement for restoring the entire PC with the system image (as we'll see in the next section you can use any writeable DVD for a system repair disc.

If you have both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 7 on different PCs, you cannot use the same system repair disc for each. Instead, you must create separate system repair discs for 32-bit and 64-bit systems.

Restoring the Entire PC

If a major hardware or software failure has made your computer unusable, and you simply want to return to a system backup, you can use one of the system images you've previously created. Note, however, that you will typically need to boot your PC into the Windows Recovery to make this happen, using the boot repair disc that you created earlier. Note, too, that restoring your PC in this fashion will wipe your system and format your C drive partition.So this should not a last resort.

Follow these steps to restore your entire PC using a system image:

1. Reboot the computer.

2. If you are using a system repair disc, boot the PC with that. Otherwise, after your PC has finished its BIOS sequence, hold down the F8 key. Choose Repair Your Computer from the Advanced Boot Options screen (below) and tap Enter.

3. After the loading files screen, choose the correct language and keyboard input method and then click next.

4. If you booted from the hard drive, you will need to choose System Image Recovery from the System Recovery Options window that appears. Otherwise, System Recovery will examine the hard drives attached to your PC and look for Windows installs. When it's done, it will list the install(s) it found and give you the opportunity to use Windows 7's built-in recovery tools to fix problems with Windows or you can restore your PC to an earlier time using a system image. Choose that latter option and

Click Next.

5. The Re-imege your computer menu begins. In the 1st phase of this system, you choose the latest image available by default or you can select a different system image.

Click Next.

6. In the next step, you can choose to format the PC's hard drive or C: / generally.

Click Next to continue.

7. In the final phase of the menu, you can certify what you're doing and click

Finish continuing.

This can take some time depending on how large you backup is.

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Windows 7 Features, Benefits and Testing

On Thursday, October 22, Windows 7 was released to consumers. Windows 7 was designed from inception to be an upgrade to the Windows line of operating systems while at the same time remaining compatible with the hardware and applications Windows Vista was compatible with.

The new Windows 7 interface is more intuitive and user friendly than its predecessors. The design of Windows 7 is clean and sleek, and its taskbars and windows look somewhat similar to those of a Mac. One key feature of Windows 7 is the built-in multi-touch mapping application, which allows users to interact with graphical applications with a touch of a finger. A primary benefit of the Windows 7 operating system is performance improvement over its predecessor Windows Vista. Microsoft has even created a "Starter" version of Windows 7 that is compatible with netbooks - mobile computers with limited hardware performance and capabilities.

Technologies Benefiting from Windows 7

Graphics chips, such as those from ATI and NVIDIA, benefit greatly from Windows 7. DirectX 11, a software technology that provides the APIs necessary for detailed graphics and audio, will enable the next generation of graphics technology. It is the perfect technology for the detail-oriented PC gamer or game developer interested in fluid game play and more realistic worlds and characters.

The new Intel Core i7 processor can also take advantage of the Windows 7 operating system to provide unmatched speed and optimized performance to PCs. With Intel Core i7, running multiple applications and creating digital media without sacrificing computer performance are possible. Windows 7 developers focused heavily on ensuring the operating system was fully compatible with and could take advantage of the multiple cores offered on modern processors such as the Intel i7 chip.

32 bit vs. 64 bit Architecture

Windows 7 is available in both 32 bit and 64 bit versions. The 32 or 64 bit architecture refers to the memory address length that the processor can reference and impacts the amount of memory that can be used. Most likely, a PC that is more than a couple years old will only be capable of running the 32 bit version. A PC with a modern processor has the ability to run the 64 bit version.

The amount of memory that can be used for a 32 bit CPU is 4 GB. To experience the speed improvements of a 64 bit operating system, software optimized for 64 bit processing is required.

Windows 7 Versions

Consumers, IT managers and other IT decision makers will need to evaluate Windows 7 to determine which version of the software is right for them. Microsoft offers Windows 7 in a variety of packages. Each package contains features and benefits targeted at a specific group of users. This evaluation should be made carefully as the versions range in price, and not all features will be applicable to all users. The six versions of Windows 7 are outlined below.

Windows 7 Editions

Windows 7 Starter: Windows 7 Starter is the most basic edition. It does not include the Windows Aero theme, and is offered in 32-bit only.

Windows 7 Home Basic: The Home Basic edition is available in emerging markets, such as Brazil, China, India, Mexico, Pakistan and Thailand. Aero options and some other new features are not included in this edition.

Windows 7 Home Premium: Home Premium is designed for personal users and includes features such as the Windows Media Center, Windows Aero and Multi-touch. Microsoft touts the entertainment experience of using Home Premium and emphasizes the simplicity of creating a home network with Home Premium to share photos, videos and music.

Windows 7 Professional: Windows 7 Professional is designed for power users and small business users. It includes all of the Windows 7 Home Premium features and also includes the ability to participate in a Windows Server domain and operate as a remote desktop server. Additional features include location aware printing, encrypting file system, presentation mode and the ability to run many Windows XP productivity programs in Windows XP Mode.

Windows 7 Enterprise: Enterprise is designed for business PCs and includes a feature called BitLocker Drive Encryption, designed to help protect data against loss or theft and allows users to work in the language of their choice and switch between 35 languages.

Windows 7 Ultimate: Ultimate includes all the features that Enterprise offers, but is designed for individual use. Windows 7 Professional users have the option to upgrade to Windows 7 Ultimate for a fee using Windows Anytime Upgrade.

Windows 7 Testing

When creating Windows 7, Microsoft focused efforts on creating the highest performing, feature rich and bug free PC operating system to date. Accomplishing this goal in the modern PC market means that the operating system and software on the operating system, such as music, movie or photo programs, must interoperate and work with millions of devices in the consumer electronics ecosystem. To achieve this goal, Microsoft relies on testing, certification and stringent logo guidelines, all aimed to achieve the best possible experience for users of Windows 7.

For many devices, using a Windows Logo requires more than just a Windows certification. To receive a Windows logo for a Bluetooth device, the device must first achieve Bluetooth certification, and to use a Windows logo for an IEEE 1394 (FireWire) device, the product must first be certified with the 1394 Trade Association.

A new requirement asserts that manufacturers seeking Windows 7 certification for their products must first achieve USB certification from the USB Implementers Forum. USB certification helps ensure that a device will function properly with the Windows OS. This certification ensures compliance to the USB standard and interoperability between the USB host and device.

There are many tests required at various levels of the software and hardware ecosystem to provide a coherent and smooth computing experience. Consumers benefit from these requirements as they reassure that devices bearing the Windows and Bluetooth, FireWire and certified USB logos will work with PCs also bearing the respective logos.

~Ben Anton, 2009

Ben Anton is a frequent writer for Allion Test Labs.
Seeking the Windows 7 logo but need to get USB certification first? Contact Allion USA, the experts in USB testing against the USB-IF specifications.

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