A Quick Overview

Your computer probably came with Windows Vista pre-installed, but if you do have to install it yourself, the Setup Wizard makes installation so simple that you won't need our help anyway. Next, you don't have to read this book in any particular order. It's designed so that you can jump in, get the information you need, and then close the book and keep it near your computer. But that doesn't mean we scattered the information about with wild abandon. The tasks you want to accomplish are arranged in two levels. The overall type of task you're looking for is under a main heading such as "Finding Something on the Internet," "Using Shortcut Menus for Quick Results," and so on. Then, in each of those sections, the smaller tasks within the main task are arranged in a loose progression from the simplest to the more complex. OK, so what's where in this book?

Section 2 covers the basics: starting Windows Vista and shutting it down, changing users without having to log off, starting programs and working with program windows, using shortcut menus, taking a class at Mouse and Keyboard School, and getting help if you need it.

Section 3 focuses on running programs, including programs such as Sticky Notes and Journal that come with Windows Vista, and using the various little gadgets on the Windows Sidebar. You'll find information here about everyday tasks: composing, editing, saving, opening, and closing documents; copying material between documents; capturing screen images with the Snipping Tool; and using the Calculator and the On-Screen Keyboard. There's a short section here for MS-DOS fans, and another about running older programs.

Sections 4 and 5 are all about using Windows Vista as your window on the world at largeexploring, communicating, and using some of the tools that let you work and play out in cyberspace. We'll talk about communicating via Windows Mailcomposing, sending, receiving, forwarding, and organizing e-mail messages; subscribing to newsgroups; managing and adding to your Contacts list; and using the Windows Calendar to keep track of your appointments and to schedule meetings and tasks. We'll surf with you as you explore the Internetsearching for people and places, finding and revisiting Web sites, designating your home page, viewing Web pages off line, saving and copying material from Web sites, and so on. You'll also learn how to block those annoying and occasionally dangerous pop-up windows.

Section 6 is devoted to playing games, including Chess Titans, Mahjong Titans, and six other familiar games to keep you challenged and entertained, as well as three new gamesComfy Cakes, Purble Shop, and Purble Pairsthat will delight the youngest members of the family.

Sections 7 and 8 cover working with different types of pictures in your Windows Photo Gallery; working with pictures from digital cameras and videocameras; assembling multimedia slide shows and creating transitions between video clips; playing and recording CD music; and creating and listening to your own music playlists. You'll be amazed by the professional results you can achieve with the combination of your own creativity and the Windows Vista toolsamong them Media Player, Media Center, and Movie Maker.

Section 9 is about soundscontrolling the volume of the sounds your computer makes, creating sound files, associating sounds with events, and so onbut the majority of this section is devoted to Windows Vista's powerful speech-recognition system that makes it possible for you to direct your computer with voice commands. You'll step through a tutorial that teaches you the commands you have to use so that the program can understand your voice and the way you pronounce words. Alternatively, you can have a program called Narrator read aloud to you the contents of your computer screenan especially valuable feature if your eyesight isn't what it once was!

Section 10 is the place to go with questions about printing your documents or problems setting up your printer. Windows Vista makes it a snap to print your photographs, and we'll also show you how to print readable Web pages. This section of the book also covers creating documents in the XPS format, which makes it possible for your documents to look exactly the same regardless of the computer you use to open or print thema very useful feature when you need to preserve a document's design and formatting. We also discuss scanning and digitizing images in this section.

Section 11 covers managing and organizing your documents, files, and folders: moving or copying files, and creating a system of folders in which to keep them; sharing files with other users; recovering deleted items; using compressed folders to minimize large files; storing files on CDs, DVDs, or other types of removable memory devices; re-arranging the items on your Desktop; and navigating with toolbars.

Section 12 is the networking sectionthe types of networks you might encounter, how to find what you need on your network, and how to use the power of a network to your best advantage. We'll show you how to share files, folders, and printers, and how to connect to your network in several different ways. We'll talk about connecting to public wireless networks, hosting or participating in network meetingseven conducting wireless meetingsand making sure that your wireless communications are secure.

Section 13 is about setting up your computer. This is where you'll find information about transferring your files, folders, and settings from one computer to another without losing any of that precious information. You'll learn how to turn Windows components on or off and how to set up your Windows Mail, your Internet access, your local and network printers, and any other hardware.

Section 14 is all about customizing, and it'll make you realize that you're the boss of your computer and that you can customize just about everything in Windows Vista. You can change the overall look by changing themes and colors, or you can create your own themes. You can try out the new Windows Aero glass effect; you can customize your Desktop background, screen saver, folders, Desktop icons, account picture, taskbar, and Start menu; and you can change the way the mouse works and the way a CD starts. You can check out some alternative ways of working, and, if you sometimes work in another part of the world or use another language, you can customize your keyboard to that language and add clocks to the taskbar so that you can see what time it is in that other city or country.

Section 15 deals with what's possibly the most important topic in the whole book: Security, with a capital "S"! In this section, we cover all the ways you can protect yourself and your computer from the activities of others, whether they have direct access to your computer or are lurking in some faraway place from which they attempt to prey on you over the Internet. We'll show you how to set up secure passwords to deny access to your computer when you're not around; create trusted contacts; use parental controls to keep children safe; set up a firewall to prevent intrusions from the Internet; protect your personal information on the Internet; and increase your protection against dangerous e-mail viruses.

Last but not least, section 16 concentrates on doing some basic maintenance to tune up Windows once in a while. And if something does go wrong with your system, we'll help you diagnose the problem, get help, and get the system running correctly again.