The Editions of Windows Vista

The editions of Windows Vista are:

• Windows Vista Home Basic
• Windows Vista Home Premium
• Windows Vista Business
• Windows Vista Enterprise
• Windows Vista Ultimate

The home editions have entertainment features that aren't in the business editions, which themselves have management features that aren't in the Home editions. Ultimate edition combines the Home and Business features, for a complete package, and lets you get additional programs and services by using the Windows Ultimate Extras utility in Windows Update.

The core features in the different Vista editions look and work alike, so most discussions apply to all editions equally. This book points out the differences among the editions where necessary. To find out which edition you're running, choose Start > Control Panel > System and Maintenance > Welcome Center (Figure i.1).

Tips

• Windows Anytime Upgrade, new in Vista, lets you upgrade your copy of Vista to another edition. You can upgrade from Home Basic to either Home Premium or Ultimate, for example. Choose Start > Control Panel > System and Maintenance > Windows Anytime Upgrade.
• There's also an inexpensive-and severely hamstrung-Starter edition, sold only in developing countries and not covered in this book.

If you're familiar with earlier versions of Windows, here are Vista's significant new and updated features and programs.

New programs and features

• Welcome Center. See "Using Welcome Center" in Chapter 1.
• Taskbar thumbnail previews. See "Customizing the Taskbar" in Chapter 2.
• Sidebar and gadgets. See "Using the Sidebar" in Chapter 2.
• Aero color scheme. See "Setting the Window Color and Color Scheme" in Chapter 4.
• Live icons. See "Using Windows Explorer" in Chapter 5.
• File tagging. See "Tagging Files" in Chapter 5.
• Filtering and stacking files. See "Filtering, Sorting, Stacking, and Grouping Files" in Chapter 5.
• Instant search. See "Searching for Files and Folders" in Chapter 5.
• Saved searches. See "Saving Searches" in Chapter 5.
• Flip 3D. See "Switching Programs" in Chapter 6.
• Windows Ultimate Extras. See "Using the Free Utility Programs" in Chapter 6.
• XPS document support. See "Installing a Printer" in Chapter 7.
• Windows DVD Maker. See "Publishing a Movie" in Chapter 11.
• Windows Defender. See "Defending Against Viruses and Spyware" in Chapter 13.
• Parental Controls. See "Using Parental Controls" in Chapter 13.
• Windows Contacts (replaces Address Book). See "Managing Your Contacts" in Chapter 15.
• Windows Calendar. See "Creating a Personal Calendar" in Chapter 15.
• User Account Control. See "Using User Account Control" in Chapter 17.
• Sync Center and Windows Mobility Center. See "Using Laptop Utilities" in Chapter 19.
• ReadyBoost. See "Boosting Memory" in Chapter 20.

Major updates

• Speech recognition. See "Using Speech Recognition" in Chapter 4.
• Power Options utility. See "Conserving Power" in Chapter 4.
• Windows Explorer. See Chapter 5.
• Windows Photo Gallery (replaces Windows Picture and Fax Viewer). See Chapter 9.
• Internet Explorer. See Chapter 14.
• Network setup. See Chapter 18.
• Task Scheduler. See "Scheduling Tasks" in Chapter 20.
• Backup and Restore Center (formerly Windows Backup). See "Backing up Your Files" in Chapter 20.
• Problem Reports and Solutions (replaces Error Reporting and Dr. Watson). See "Reporting and Solving Problems" in Chapter 20.

Moderate updates

• Start menu. See "Exploring the Start Menu" in Chapter 2.
• Windows Help and Support. See Chapter 3.
• Control Panel. See "Using Control Panel" in Chapter 4.
• Taskbar clock. See "Setting the Date and Time" in Chapter 4.
• Ease of Access (formerly Accessibility). See "Accommodating Disabled Users" in Chapter 4.
• Personal folder (reorganizes My Documents, My Music, and so on). See "Storing Stuff in Your Personal Folder" in Chapter 5.
• Disc burning. See "Burning CDs and DVDs" in Chapter 5.
• Programs and Features (formerly Add or Remove Programs). See "Removing Programs" in Chapter 6.
• Meeting Space (formerly NetMeeting). See "Using the Free Utility Programs" in Chapter 6.
• Windows Fax and Scan (formerly Windows Fax). See "Scanning and Faxing" in Chapter 6.
• Windows Media Player. See Chapter 10.
• Windows Movie Maker. See Chapter 11.
• Internet connections. See "Connecting to the Internet" in Chapter 12.
• Windows Mail (formerly Outlook Express). See Chapter 15.
• Windows Live Messenger (formerly Windows Messenger). See Chapter 16.
• System Restore. See "Restoring Your System" in Chapter 20.
• Windows Easy Transfer (formerly Files and Settings Transfer Wizard). See "Transferring Existing Files and Settings" in the appendix.