UnlockMe! Gear up your new Windows Vista OS with tweaks for beginners

A Windows Vista guide for all beginners to intermediate. I noticed that there are so many articles in the web about windows vista but few of them has something that a beginner can do it by themselves. There are some articles for beginners but it is scattered in a way that it is difficult for a new user to find.

These article will cover desktop customization, security, Internet and few tips for beginners.

Enhancing your Windows Vista User Experience

• I noticed that when you buy a new laptop, some of them, the desktop icons are too large and not proportional to its taskbar and startmenu. To change, press CTRL key and scroll your mouse down and up. Choose the size that is proportional and comfortable with you.
• When I bought my laptop loaded with Windows Vista, the first thing that I have noticed is the RUN command in startmenu is missing. To put it back, Right-click in the taskbar -> Choose Properties -> Start menu tabs -> Customize -> scroll-down and check Run window.
• Here's a guide for changing the function of the Start menu power button. I always mistaken this one for shutdown, It goes to sleep rather than shutdown. If you enabled the Run command in start menu click it, if not just press WindowsKey+R. Type "cmd" and press enter. type "powercfg.cpl,1" without spaces. Scroll-down and find these options 'Startmenu power button'.

  

  Change the settings to Shut down.

• Turn-on Quick search, this is very useful when searching inside a folder.

  

  2. Open the Windows Explorer.
  3. click Organize menu ->
  4. Folder and Search options -> View tab and scroll-down to the bottom.

  Select 'Automatically type into the Search Box' option

  

• When you are working with your computer, suddenly your desktop icons disappear. Maybe accidentally you hide all your icons. To make them re-appear, Right-click to desktop -> View -> Show desktop icons.
• Slow file operations, when released, Windows Vista performed file operations such as copying and deletion runs more slowly than other operating systems. Other problems, there are many bugs in windows vista since it came out but it is few than Windows XP. To fix these problems, after you bought your laptop/PC loaded with Windows vista, Update your windows.
  How? Press WindowsKey+Pause, Click Windows update which is located down-left side of the screen. Click Check for updates.

  Security and Internet

  Windows Vista is the most secure OS that Microsoft has created. But some features need to be manually turn-on. You can read first my previous post on Top ten features of Internet explorer. Click Here.

  Phishing Filter, a protection against online scams that are considered to be dangerous for a user to enter and is checked against a masterlist of known sites (both local and online service). This is not turn-on by default so you have to manually turn it on in Internet explorer Tools Menu-->Phising filter-->Turn On  Automatic Website Checking.

  Protected Mode, sadly this is available only in Windows Vista. The browser runs in a lower rights that prevents malicious websites to write anything in the operating system beside the Temporary Internet files folder. I will call this feature as 'IE shield'. To check if it is turn-on, Internet explorer Tools Menu-->Options-->Security

  

  Quick Tabs (CTRL-Q), a very useful feature for general users which displays a thumbnail view  of opened tabs.

  Anti-virus and Anti-spyware Programs

  I recommend for a user to install only one anti-virus. If you install more than one (which I found in many inexperience users) of these anti-virus softwares like Norton, Mcafee, AVG , and AVAST. It will suck up your resources and your pc/laptop will run very very slowly.

  Use AVG Anti-virus, why?

• Easy to install and use
• Do not suck up your resources unlike Norton Anti-virus.
• Has a reputable good detection capability
• Real-time anti-virus protection of files and e-mails, I found it effective after months of use.
• Regular and Automatic database and program updates
• FREE

  To download: http://www.download.com/AVG-Anti-Virus-Free-Edition/3000-2239_4-10746390.html?tag=lst-0-1

  Avast is also a good anti-virus and has a reputable good detection capability. But the simplicity of AVG wins my vote.

  For anti-spyware, use Ad-aware 2007 and Spybot search&destroy. You can install both of them. For links:

  http://www.download.com/Ad-Aware-2007/3000-8022_4-10747652.html?tag=lst-0-2

  http://www.download.com/Spybot-Search-Destroy/3000-8022_4-10743107.html?tag=lst-0-1

  Scan your pc/laptop and update your file definition at least once a week.

  I hope this helps... This week I will post an advance tweaks for Windows Vista. Please check it out.

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