Where's the #@$%? Device Manager in Windows Vista? Steve Polak exlains how to find all the system settings you know from Windows XP, in the sometimes confusing Vista interface.
Dialect is an interesting phenomenon, which has commonality in operating system interfaces. While travelling overseas recently, it again amused me how vastly different the English language is, depending on where you speak it. Chatting to an Irishman in Belfast, then an American in New York can cause you to throw out the rule book when it comes to speaking and being understood. While many points of reference are the same, there are also custom regional terms and slang differentiation that can make you feel as though you are speaking an entirely different language. Moving from an older version of Windows like XP to Windows Vista can result in a very similarly confusing experience. This is because while Vista attempts to use the same core terms as XP, the differences in how you actually “communicate” with your machine can be so great that you feel like the user interface is speaking a different language.
With this ‘master class’ tutorial we'll help you clear the muddy waters.
Windows Vista has really changed the way most of us use our PCs, but the basics are still there. You will still need to understand and use the Control Panel if you want to manage Vista so that it suits your needs. The Control Panel is really one of the first areas you should familiarize yourself with once you get the new operating system installed.
See also: PC Authority's basic guide to Vista for Windows XP users