Windows XP users may find themselves lost when it comes to Vista. PC Authority looks at the most useful configuration settings between them.
When it comes to upgrading your operating system, many of us think we are better off with the devil we know. A majority may stick with Windows XP for the interim because we are used to it. The truth is that Windows Vista has tons of potential, and this only comes into focus when you compare it directly to working with the ‘old faithful’, Windows XP. Let’s go through some old and new settings, in Windows XP and Windows Vista.
Death to the UAC!
One of Vista’s most annoying features is the ‘Big Brother’ approach taken by the User Account Control (UAC) system. If you install software, edit files, explore CDs or do anything that might change your PC’s configuration, the UAC steps in like the fun police, prompting you with endless authorisation menus. Fortunately, you can turn the UAC off.
The pervasive UAC isn’t hard to neuter, even though Vista acts like you have compromised your system when you do. To nuke ‘Big Brother’ you simply hit the Start button then go to the Control Panel. Now select User Accounts and click the menu item Turn User Account Control Off. Vista then asks you to reboot your PC to put the change into effect. The reboot is due to the fact that UAC monitoring works on a registry level.
However, after killing UAC, not everything is sweetness and light. The price of freedom is vigilance, and it’ll pay to keep track of the system changes you are making more attentively – with UAC disabled, Vista isn’t watching your back anymore.
Vista File browsing
When file browsing, using XP you often have to physically explore directory groupings – and the clunky search system is no help. Thankfully, Vista’s file browser is in a different league.
File browsing in Vista makes life a lot easier, presorting your files so that they are already logically grouped. The file browser is also more thoroughly integrated into Vista, no matter which program you are using. When using Hotmail, you can still benefit from Vista’s intelligent search system. Grabbing recent files is easier too, because Vista lines these up for you and pops them into relevant categories. Thumbnails are clearer and you can instantly access a lot more meta-tag data by looking along the bottom of the browsing window.
Search and organise
Vista makes it easy to find, print, burn, email or organise files. These options are all sitting along the top of the window ready for you to use. Saved searches can be easily retrieved from the options menu on the left of the folder field.
To examine files in the Vista browser, you activate the Start bar and the various file types are displayed. You can click on Documents, Recent Files and Pictures. If this isn’t helpful, you can also search the hard drive directly by selecting Computer to do a traditional search.
Basic Vista networking
Networking with Vista is slick. For a start the networking settings menu is a part of the Vista Start Bar by default. You have to go hunting for it when using XP, as it is usually buried in menus.
Vista makes setting up your network far easier. You just click the Start Bar again and to find the Network option. From there all you need do is select the Networking and Sharing Centre and you can Establish a Network, Add Computers to Your Network, Manage Settings or Diagnose or Repair Connections.
This is a lot simpler than XP, as all of the networking options are integrated into the one area. Best of all, Vista does a lot of the work for you by running a wizard, searching for other machines and asking you if you’d like it to be connected.
Networking between XP and Vista
When configuring networking settings between Windows Vista and Windows XP machines, nomenclature can be a problem. Vista automatically names any network you set up ‘WORKGROUP’ by default, while XP uses the faithful ‘MSHOME’. You must make sure that both computers are using the same workgroup name (by adjusting this setting). The best practice is generally to change the name to something other than the defaults. This is also a small defense against unauthorised network access.
To do this in Vista, access the Start Menu and now right click on Computer, then selecting Properties. Now in the System menu, select Change Settings and once Computer Name pops up, change the Workgroup name to your preferred alternative. Critically, make sure you change the Workgroup name and not the Computer name.
Vista file sharing
File sharing with Vista is handled differently too. It stops users accessing a shared folder unless there are accounts established for each user.
To share files across a network you need to have your PCs linked and visible via the same Workgroup (see above). Now click the Network button again and this time open the Sharing Centre. Next select Turn On Sharing and you can then use your Public folder to share files with other PCs. This folder is very similar to the Shared Documents folder you’d use in XP, except it is easier to use as it is better integrated into the Vista networking system. Also using Vista you can choose to make files viewable or let other users change them using different options on the Sharing menu.
Another option is to turn off password protection for the Public folder. This is easy – in the Networking and Sharing centre, you select Turn Off Password Protected Sharing. Best only do this when sharing files across a secure group of PCs, like your home network.
See also, our Advanced guide to Windows Vista Device Manager.
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