By default in Windows XP, thumbnails for pictures are enabled when browsing the contents of your computer using My Computer or Windows Explorer. As you might know, the Thumbnails feature can come in handy when browsing through your digital photos and other images. Without the Thumbnails view, you have to open each image individually or use some type of photo software that provides thumbnail browsing.
Enabling thumbnails might affect your PC performance, making browsing through your files and folders a bit slower, which is worse on PCs loaded with lower memory. Therefore, if you don't need to browse through your pictures often or use photo software to view them, think about keeping the Thumbnails feature disabled.
The Thumbnails feature on Windows Vista is disabled by default. Nevertheless, you can easily enable this feature:
1. Double-click on the Computer (or My Computer) icon on your desktop.
If the Computer icon isn't on the desktop, open Windows Explorer by opening the Start Menu, clicking All Programs, choosing Accessories, and clicking Windows Explorer. By default, the Computer icon isn't displayed on the desktop. If you want to add this icon to the desktop
2. Click on the Organize button on your toolbar, and select Folder and Search Options. If your toolbar isn't visible, press one of the Alt buttons on your keyboard to make it appear.
3. Click on the View tab.
4. Uncheck the Always Show Icons, Never Thumbnails option. and then click OK to exit.
Even though you might have applied the Windows Classic theme, the Start menu will have the new Vista functionality. For example, instead of the menus and folders expanding out when opened or hovered over, Vista's Start menu is a fixed size and provides a folder type style with scrollbars when navigating through programs.
If you want to use the new search capabilities of the Start menu, you might not want to change to the Classic Start menu, as you'll get rid of this new feature.
If you find it's hard to adapt to this new design, you can apply the Classic Start menu:
1. Right-click on the taskbar and select Properties
2. Click the Start Menu tab.
3. Select the Classic Start menu option, and then click OK to exit.
If you want to use the new search capabilities of the Start menu, you might not want to change to the Classic Start menu, as you'll get rid of this new feature.
If you find it's hard to adapt to this new design, you can apply the Classic Start menu:
1. Right-click on the taskbar and select Properties
2. Click the Start Menu tab.
3. Select the Classic Start menu option, and then click OK to exit.
The My Network Places icon has been renamed to simply Network in Windows Vista. If you're particular about the naming of your icons or you find it hard to get used to the Network icon after years of seeing My Network Places, you can change it. You can't simply click on the icon and rename it like other icons. You'll have to do it through a more advanced method by editing the Windows Registry; here's how to do it:
1. Open the Start menu.
By default, the Network icon isn't displayed on the desktop. If you want to add this icon to the desktop
2. In the Search box, type "regedit", as shown in Figure 4.28, and then press Enter. If you are using the Windows Classic Start menu, you need to click Run, type "regedit", and then click OK.
Be very careful when editing the Windows Registry. Mistakes can cause major problems. By major, I mean everything from a program failing to start to your computer being made unusable. One false move in the Registry can spell disaster, so be careful!
It's also a good idea to make a backup copy prior to making any changes to the Registry. Here's how:
1. Open the Registry Editor by following steps 1 and 2.
2. In the Registry Editor, click File on the menu and select Export.
3. On the bottom of the dialog box, select the All option for the Export Range.
4. Browse, find, and select a location to save the registry. It's best to save it to a removable shortage device like a flash drive, floppy disc, or CD.
5. Enter your desired file name, such as Registry_Backup_DATE.
6. Click Save and wait until it's done which may take a few minutes.
3. Navigate to the following folder:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\MuiCache
4. Locate and double-click on the following Registry entry:
@C:\Windows\system32\NetworkExplorer.dll,-1
5. Enter your desired name in the Value Data field, as shown in Figure 4.31, and click OK.
6. Close the Registry Editor.
7. To activate the new icon name, right-click anywhere on the desktop and select Refresh. The new icon name should now appear
1. Open the Start menu.
By default, the Network icon isn't displayed on the desktop. If you want to add this icon to the desktop
2. In the Search box, type "regedit", as shown in Figure 4.28, and then press Enter. If you are using the Windows Classic Start menu, you need to click Run, type "regedit", and then click OK.
Be very careful when editing the Windows Registry. Mistakes can cause major problems. By major, I mean everything from a program failing to start to your computer being made unusable. One false move in the Registry can spell disaster, so be careful!
It's also a good idea to make a backup copy prior to making any changes to the Registry. Here's how:
1. Open the Registry Editor by following steps 1 and 2.
2. In the Registry Editor, click File on the menu and select Export.
3. On the bottom of the dialog box, select the All option for the Export Range.
4. Browse, find, and select a location to save the registry. It's best to save it to a removable shortage device like a flash drive, floppy disc, or CD.
5. Enter your desired file name, such as Registry_Backup_DATE.
6. Click Save and wait until it's done which may take a few minutes.
3. Navigate to the following folder:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\MuiCache
4. Locate and double-click on the following Registry entry:
@C:\Windows\system32\NetworkExplorer.dll,-1
5. Enter your desired name in the Value Data field, as shown in Figure 4.31, and click OK.
6. Close the Registry Editor.
7. To activate the new icon name, right-click anywhere on the desktop and select Refresh. The new icon name should now appear
Along with the other main icons, the icon for Internet Explorer isn't automatically placed on the Vista desktop. In addition, the Internet Explorer icon can't even be enabled via the desktop icon settings, such as discussed in the previous section when adding the main icons. This can be rather bothersome when you're accustomed to clicking on the icon to surf the web. Nevertheless, there are ways to get the icon on your desktop.
Here's the simplest way to add the Internet Explorer icon to the desktop:
1. Open the Start menu.
2. Click and drag the Internet Explorer icon to the desktop
3. To get rid of the shortcut text, right-click on the icon, select Rename, and delete the word "Shortcut."
In creating a simple shortcut means you'll have the ugly arrow on the Internet Explorer icon, unlike the other main icons, such as Computer, Network, and Recycle Bin.
Be very careful when editing the Windows Registry. Mistakes can cause major problems. By major, I mean everything from a program failing to start to your computer being made unusable. One false move in the Registry can spell disaster, so be careful!
It's also a good idea to make a backup copy prior to making any changes to the Registry. Here's how:
1. Open the Registry Editor by following steps 1 and 2.
2. In the Registry Editor, click File on the menu and select Export.
3. On the bottom of the dialog box, select the All option for the Export Range.
4. Browse, find, and select a location to save the registry. It's best to save it to a removable shortage device like a flash drive, floppy disc, or CD.
5. Enter your desired file name, such as Registry_Backup_DATE.
6. Click Save and wait until it's done which may take a few minutes.
Here's the simplest way to add the Internet Explorer icon to the desktop:
1. Open the Start menu.
2. Click and drag the Internet Explorer icon to the desktop
3. To get rid of the shortcut text, right-click on the icon, select Rename, and delete the word "Shortcut."
In creating a simple shortcut means you'll have the ugly arrow on the Internet Explorer icon, unlike the other main icons, such as Computer, Network, and Recycle Bin.
Be very careful when editing the Windows Registry. Mistakes can cause major problems. By major, I mean everything from a program failing to start to your computer being made unusable. One false move in the Registry can spell disaster, so be careful!
It's also a good idea to make a backup copy prior to making any changes to the Registry. Here's how:
1. Open the Registry Editor by following steps 1 and 2.
2. In the Registry Editor, click File on the menu and select Export.
3. On the bottom of the dialog box, select the All option for the Export Range.
4. Browse, find, and select a location to save the registry. It's best to save it to a removable shortage device like a flash drive, floppy disc, or CD.
5. Enter your desired file name, such as Registry_Backup_DATE.
6. Click Save and wait until it's done which may take a few minutes.
As you probably noticed, the only icon that's placed on the desktop by default in Windows Vista is the Recycle Bin. However, if you're used to the others (such as My Computer or My Network Places) being on the desktop, you can easily add the other main icons:
1. Right-click on your desktop and select Personalize 
2. Click Change Desktop Icons in the tasks pane on the left 
3. Check the icons you want to appear on the desktop, such as that shown in Figure below, and then click OK to exit.
Windows uses themes to make altering your desktop and interface easier. A theme contains a saved configuration for the appearance of your desktop background, icons, window styles, screensavers, and other personalization settings. Windows Vista comes preloaded with two themes: Windows Vista (enabled by default, of course) and Windows Classic, which resembles the appearance of Windows 98 and Millennium Edition (Me).
The first task in getting rid of the Vista look and feel is applying the Windows Classic theme:
1. Right-click on your desktop and select Personalize
2. Click on Theme
3. Select Windows Classic from the drop-down list,see figure below and then click OK to exit.
The first task in getting rid of the Vista look and feel is applying the Windows Classic theme:
1. Right-click on your desktop and select Personalize
2. Click on Theme
3. Select Windows Classic from the drop-down list,see figure below and then click OK to exit.
Just like the Welcome Center, the new Windows Sidebar feature is set to automatically load each time you enter Windows Vista. This can be annoying if you aren't making use of the sidebar's gadgets. If that's your case, you can easily disable Windows Sidebar from popping up. Before totally blowing off this new feature, you might want to look into it more. Windows Sidebar and the gadgets can be very convenient and time saving.
Here's how to disable Windows Sidebar:
1. Right-click on Sidebar Windows and select Properties, as shown in Figure below
2. Uncheck the Start Sidebar when Windows Starts option,
3. Click OK.
If you want to simply close Windows Sidebar without disabling it from coming up at startup, just right-click on the Sidebar and click Close Sidebar.
Here's how to disable Windows Sidebar:
1. Right-click on Sidebar Windows and select Properties, as shown in Figure below
2. Uncheck the Start Sidebar when Windows Starts option,
3. Click OK.
If you want to simply close Windows Sidebar without disabling it from coming up at startup, just right-click on the Sidebar and click Close Sidebar.
The language packs offered by Microsoft for Windows Vista Ultimate allow you to set the entire interface of Windows to another language. It is even user account specific, so you can set different languages for the individual users on the same PC.The language packs can be downloaded from the Windows Ultimate Extras section on the Windows Update website:
www.update.microsoft.com
Here's how to access the language settings (such as to remove a language pack):
1. Open the Start menu.
2. Click Control Panel.
3. Double-click the Regional and Language Options icon.
4. Click the Keyboards and Languages tab.
5. Refer to the Display language section,
Another data-protection tool you can use among other traditional system backup and safeguard techniques is Shadow Copy. It is available and enabled by default in Windows Vista Business and Ultimate editions. Shadow Copy is particularly useful in helping recover previous versions of files.
For example, when you accidentally save over a file or notice you've made changes to files that you now regret, you can easily revert to other saved versions. A few clicks and the file will appear just as it did back when it was saved days or months ago.
Shadow Copy works in conjunction with System Protection, and its System Restore features. Therefore, System Protection must be enabled for Shadow Copy to work. Shadow copies of files are made when restore points are saved, typically every day.
The System Protection features are hard-drive independent; therefore, you would need to turn on System Protection for each hard drive and/or partition.
To access the System Protection settings, right-click the Computer icon on the Start menu or desktop, select Properties, and click the System Protection link under the Tasks pane on the left.
Here's how to access the Shadow Copy feature:
1. Right-click on the file or folder to restore.
2. Select Restore Previous Versions
For example, when you accidentally save over a file or notice you've made changes to files that you now regret, you can easily revert to other saved versions. A few clicks and the file will appear just as it did back when it was saved days or months ago.
Shadow Copy works in conjunction with System Protection, and its System Restore features. Therefore, System Protection must be enabled for Shadow Copy to work. Shadow copies of files are made when restore points are saved, typically every day.
The System Protection features are hard-drive independent; therefore, you would need to turn on System Protection for each hard drive and/or partition.
To access the System Protection settings, right-click the Computer icon on the Start menu or desktop, select Properties, and click the System Protection link under the Tasks pane on the left.
Here's how to access the Shadow Copy feature:
1. Right-click on the file or folder to restore.
2. Select Restore Previous Versions
Available in the Business and Ultimate editions, Windows Fax and Scan (shown in Figure below) is an improved and enhanced version of the fax services Windows XP offered. You can now create cover sheets onscreen to be used with your fax or include files to be faxed. Of course, scanning capabilities have also been integrated. In addition, improvements have been made, such as support for scanning documents to include with faxes and support for network-connected scanners.
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