2.1. The Welcome Center The Welcome Center is supposed to be an antidote to the moment of dizzy disorientation that you'd otherwise feel the first time you fire up Vista. It's basically a window full of links to useful places in the Vista empire. Click a link once to read its description in the top part of the window, or twice to open up the control panel or program you need to make changes. Here are a few highlights (you may have to click "Show all 14 items" to see them): -
 View computer details . Click this icon to read, in the top pane of the Welcome Center, the tech specs of your computer: its name , how much memory it has, what processor chip is inside, which graphics card you have, and so on. -
Transfer files and settings . The Vista program called Windows Easy Transfer is designed to transfer files and settings from an older PC. -
Add new users . If you're the lord of the manor, the sole user of this computer, you can ignore this little item. But if you and other family members , students, or workers share this computer, you'll want to consult Chapter 15 about how to set up a separate account (name, password, and working environment) for each person. -
Personalize Windows . Sure, sure, eventually you'll be plotting rocket trajectories and mapping the genomebut let's not kid ourselves . The first order of business is decorating: choosing your screen saver, replacing the desktop background (wallpaper), choosing a different cursor shape, adjusting your monitor resolution, and so on. Double-click here to open the appropriate control panel. -
Windows Basics . Double-click to open the electronic help screen whose articles cover the very basics of your PC: how to use the mouse, how to turn off the computer, and so on. If you're very new to PCs, close the door, turn off the phone, and spend some time reading these screens. Below a horizontal line, you'll find another group of icons called Offers from Microsoft. Needless to say, these are various opportunities for you to spend money on Microsoft software and services, or to download Microsoft add-on programs. At the very bottom of the Welcome Center, you'll find an important checkbox called "Run at startup." This is not some kind of warning that you should evacuate every time the computer boots. Instead, it's the on/off switch for the Welcome Center itself. If you turn off the checkbox, the Welcome Center no longer appears each time you turn on the PC. (You can always bring it back by clicking its link in the Control Panel, as described on Section 6.12.) If you'd rather get rid of the Welcome Center just for now, click its Close box. Or learn to press Alt+F4, the universal Windows keystroke for "Close this window." UP TO SPEED
The Windows Experience Index | | Quickwhich computer is better, an AMD Turion 64 ML-34 processor at 1.80 gigahertz but only 512 megs of RAM, or a Core Duo 2.0 gigahertz with 1 gig of RAM but only a Radon Xpress 200M graphics card? If you know the answer offhand, you shouldn't be reading a book about Vista; you should be writing your own darned book. The point is, of course, that Vista is an extremely demanding operating system. It craves horsepower, speed, and memory. But Microsoft didn't really expect the average person, or even the average I.T. manager, to know at a glance whether a particular PC is up to the Vista challenge. That's why Vista analyzes the guts of your computer and boils the results down to a single numerical rating. To find out yours, choose Start  Control Panel. Click "System and Maintenance," and then click "Check your computers Windows Experience Index base score." The final score is the lowest of any of the subscores. For example, if your memory, hard drive, and graphics all get scores over 4, but your processor's score is only 3.1, your overall score is 3.1, which makes it easy to spot the bottleneck. A score of 5 is the best; it means you'll be able to run all of Vista's features well and fast. (Actually, it's technically possible to get a score above 5; if so, all the better.) You need a score of at least 4 to play and edit high-definition video. A 3 is the minimum for running Vista's new Aero look (Section 2.2). A 1 is the worst; Vista will be dog slow unless you turn off some of the eye- candy features, as described on Section 14.4.3. True, finding out that the computer you bought last year for $2,800 is now worth only a measly 2 on the Performance scale could deal your ego quite a bruise. But fortunately, Microsoft also offers the Vista Upgrade Advisor (available through this book's "Missing CD" at missingmanuals.com). This free program reveals your PC's report card before you install Vista, so at least you can avoid getting a rude surprise. |
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