 |
|
|
Cloudeight InfoAve Premium - Feature A Look Ahead - Windows® Vista® - The Next Generation of Windows® Control Panel - Eye Candy - New Features Windows Vista Control Panel sports a new look and some interesting new features. We're going to take a quick look at two of these that are very different from Windows XP. The first is the built-in Windows backup - which creates snapshots of your hard drives and stores them on DVD or hard drive partition (other than the one on which Windows is installed). The interface is simple, clean, and intuitive. You don't really need to read the detailed instructions (which are, for a change, very user-friendly).
You can choose to run a full backup or custom backup which allows you to backup only the files you choose. And, best of all, Windows Vista makes it easy to schedule a backup at intervals of your choosing. We were able to create a backup while working on the computer normally. We didn't notice any hesitation or slow-downs when the backup was active. The Backup Scheduler is very straight-forward and simple. Most people will be able to schedule backups without reading the excellent help files that accompany the backup feature.
The Control Panel itself has a great new look (we like it at least). Shown below is the default view:
If you like BIG icons you're going to love Windows XP's icon resizer tool. This tool allows you to control the size of icons - making them bigger or smaller using a slider bar.
When scaled to their largest size, Windows XP icons are huge. We call these "Hot" icons. I don't know why. We just do. Here's a shot of some "hot" icons.
You'll notice in the picture above that the drive on which Windows is install (D) shows the Windows logo. This screen shot was taken on a 3 1/2 year-old DELL 1.8 GHz 768MB RAM computer. Not exactly a powerhouse but Vista runs well on it this time around. We "clean-installed" Vista. More about that later :) One more thing we like in Vista is the totally revamped Start Menu. How many of you have or have seen friends with Start Menus that sprawl across the whole screen? With Vista that will not happen. The menu scrolls up and down (like a Web page) in a narrow Window. Well, here - take a look:
You'll notice the scroll bar on the right and that the Startup folder (programs which have shortcuts in this folder start with Windows) is on the start menu. You can also see how clean and neat it looks. Each program has an expandable view showing other items associated with the program; including its uninstaller. Also note, the "MY" is gone from "Computer" "Pictures" and "Documents" thank goodness! No more "My Computer". Finally, let's look at the Windows Vista default desktop (sans Aeroglass). You'll note the sidebar and the clock. The pictures at the top of the side bar create a slideshow you can customize. Why you'd want a slideshow there, we don't know. But it's there if you want it. The sidebar can be closed or modified by each user.
Next time we look at more of Vista's eye candy and features.
Cloudeight Start Page | Cloudeight Home Page | Close This Window |
|
