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Some of the exciting new features of Windows Vista include:
A New Login Screen
The Windows Login screen has a new look. While the login screen is similar to Windows XP, it is now centered in the middle of the window instead of pided to the right hand side of the screen
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Welcome Screen
Windows Vista introduces us to Aero, the new Windows user interface present in most versions of Windows Vista. According to Microsoft, Aero provides a user interface that can scale to the hardware capabilities of your computer. The new welcome screen gives you access to perform everyday functions quickly.
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Desktop Appearance Choices
For users who enjoy the classic variety of Windows, Classic is still here. Right clicking on the desktop and choosing Properties or Appearance (depends on the Vista version) gives you an Appearance dialog that includes the “Windows Classic” option. If you like the new look, then you can leave the new appearance as it is.
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Easier Window Changes
Alt+tab, now known as Windows-Flip, has been enhanced to provide actual live thumbnails of the windows-based programs that you are using. In previous versions of Windows, using this feature would give you generic icons for the items you were working with. Now you can browse your toggle options with small pictures called thumbnails.
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Flip 3D
The newest addition to multi-tasking is Windows Flip3D. Flip3D is activated by utilizing the Windows+tab key combination. Once invoked, it can either work just like Alt+tab or you can use your mouse wheel to flip through all of the available windows.
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Start Menu Changes
The shell for Vista is an evolutionary change from the shell that was introduced in Windows XP. In contrast to the classic Start menu that could quickly grow to large tree of options, Microsoft has changed how Vista's start menu grows.
The start menu now follows a tier menu that allows you to open up folders and select a program that you wish to use.
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Windows Explorer Navigation
Windows Vista also brings changes to the explorer portion of the Windows Shell. The address bar in the Windows Vista Shell takes more of a "breadcrumb" approach to navigation. Which means you can quickly navigate backwards by clicking on one of the previous folders that you opened. For example, if you opened the "Pictures" folder, and then opened the folder called "Family Vacations" and then opened "Summer 2007", you could easily get back to "Family Vacations" by clicking on that portion of the address bar. The address bar shows you what path or directory brought you to your current position and allows you to go back to any folder within that path with one click.
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Search Changes
Search is one of the biggest changes in the Windows Shell. Out of the box, Vista provides a few ways to access the search. The easiest way is to use the Start menu, since it is quickly accessible with just the keyboard. You can also search from within any of the shell windows in Vista.
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Security Changes
User Account Control (UAC) is part of Microsoft's attempt to fix the problem of every user having administrative privileges. In theory, this should allow standard users to work more effectively by prompting them for either an administrative account or their own credentials, depending on what it is they are trying to do.
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Windows Firewall
Vista comes with two profiles for the firewall out of the box. They were simply labeled public and private. When set to public the firewall becomes much more restrictive, while private relaxes the rules for home or corporate use.
There is also good news for laptop users, as the Vista Network Center can remember inpidual network settings and apply the appropriate one.
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