The next version of the Microsoft Windows operating system, Windows Vista, enables a new level of confidence in the PCs so you can lower IT costs and help your users get more out of their PCs. Windows Vista introduces clear ways to organize and use information to help people focus on what's most important. It seamlessly connects your users and applications to the information, people, and devices they need to maximize results.
New Security Features
With Windows XP and earlier operating systems, IT departments had to choose between application compatibility and the convenience of having users log on as an administrator and the security and stability provided by having users log on as a standard user. User Account Protection in Windows Vista gives administrators the option of restricting permissions while still enabling most applications to run.
By default, Windows Vista runs most applications with limited permissions, even if the user logs on to his or her computer with administrative privileges. This won't stop users from performing administrative tasks that you've granted them permissions to perform. When users attempt to perform administrative tasks, Windows Vista explicitly asks them to confirm their intentions or provide administrative credentials, depending on the policy setting that you've chosen. This feature can be controlled with Group Policy settings.
If users log on as standard users, who are not members of the Administrators local group, they can still run most Windows Vista applications without additional rights. Most applications will run equally well under either the administrator account or a standard user account.
To help provide this combination of security and compatibility, Windows Vista automatically virtualizes computer-wide registry settings and folders. Changes made to the virtualized registry settings and folders are visible to only that user and the applications the user runs, so the integrity of the computer is protected. If an application does require administrator credentials, Windows Vista automatically prompts the user for the credentials before allowing the application to run.
User Account Protection is only one of many security improvements in Windows Vista. Some other major improvements include:
- Improved firewall. Windows Vista's firewall includes both inbound and outbound filtering, giving you greater control over networked applications.
- Windows Service Hardening. This new platform service restricts what services can do on the system in order to prevent them from spreading malware.
- Internet Explorer Enhancements. Microsoft Internet Explorer protects users from dangerous Web sites and runs with limited privileges even if the user is logged on as a member of the local Administrators group.
Deployment
Windows Vista reduces the complexity, time, and cost of desktop deployment. The following are the two most significant improvements:
- Modularization. Windows Vista is built with inter-dependent modules, which makes it easier to customize Windows Vista (to a certain degree) to your needs. Modularization also simplifies adding device drivers, testing and installing updates, and adding languages.
- Windows Imaging Format (WIM). WIM, a file-based imaging format, enables a single image to be deployed to different types of computer hardware with different language requirements. Maintaining WIM images is easy, because you can add and remove drivers, updates, and Windows components offline, without ever booting the operating system image.
While modularization and WIM alone would dramatically simplify deployment, together they will revolutionize the way client operating systems are installed. Most notably, the combination of the two technologies significantly reduces the number of operating system images you'll need to maintain. In other words, if your IT department currently maintains images for each language and computer type, you can probably use much fewer number of Windows Vista images, which will free your staff for other priorities.
Visualize, Search, and Organize Information
Windows Vista has amazing information management capabilities that enable users to find documents, e-mail messages, and other information in seconds and then to work with that data in ways that are most intuitive to them. In fact, Windows Vista's new tools are so flexible and so easy to use that users will rarely need to search for information on their computers.
First, the new Document Explorer, replacing the My Documents folder in Windows XP, is much more powerful. Instead of simply showing icons for documents, the Document Explorer shows high-resolution thumbnails that preview the document's content. Users can dynamically adjust the size of these thumbnails up to 256x256 pixels, which is large enough for users to know whether they've found the right document without opening it. To get more information about a document, users can select it to see more information in the Preview pane.
Windows Vista also introduces a new type of folder called a virtual folder. Virtual folders behave like regular folders; however, the contents of a virtual folder are defined dynamically. The contents of a virtual folder can be based on combinations of document authors, ratings, keywords (which users can define), and other criteria. For example, users could create a virtual folder that contained documents written by "Jeff Price," regardless of where the document is stored on their local computers. When they opened the virtual folder, the Windows Vista Document Explorer would automatically find every document on the local computer written by Jeff Price and display those documents as the folder's contents. As they can with any other folder, users could re-organize and filter the virtual folder's contents to quickly find the document they are looking for.
Easy Sharing
It is easier for users to share files with one another, whether users work in a workgroup or a domain. Windows Vista enables two or more users to connect directly with one another to share files, applications, nearby projectors, or an Internet connection. It also lets users chat. You do not even need a wireless Access Point (AP) because Windows Vista makes it easy to set up ad hoc meeting networks.
Improved Performance
Windows Vista lets busy people be more productive. Windows Vista can recover from Sleep in few seconds, a capability known as Fast Startup. Applications and files load much faster than they did with Windows XP, and Windows Vista will significantly improve overall system responsiveness. Users will particularly notice improvements over Windows XP when opening the Start menu or right-clicking items in Windows Explorer. Windows Vista also features built-in performance self-tuning. The system will recognize and correct issues that cause performance degradation, including slow shell responsiveness and slow boot or logon.
Reliability
Windows Vista is more reliable than Windows XP, reducing the frequency and impact of user disruptions. Windows Vista includes fixes for known hangs and crashes, and new technology that will prevent many common causes of hangs and crashes. Windows Vista can automatically restart many system services in case of a service crash, enabling the user to continue working without interruption. Windows Vista can also recognize when applications are in danger of exhausting system resources (such as virtual memory) and warn the user to shut down applications before the system hangs and data is lost.
New diagnostic tools provide auto-diagnosis and auto-correction of common error conditions, and help to protect user data when failures occur. For example, built-in diagnostics in Windows Vista will warn users of impending hard drive failures and advise them to take corrective action before data is lost. In the worst case, when the machine will not boot, the Startup Repair tool (SrT) provides step-by-step diagnostics to guide the user through recovery and minimize data loss.
Windows Vista also includes enhanced instrumentation that enable continual improvements to reliability. For example, new application deadlock detection technology determines if a hang is due to a deadlock condition and includes this information as part of the Windows Error Report.
User Interface
Windows Vista's userinterface, code-named AERO is easier to navigate, thereby making users more productive than with Windows XP and earlier versions of Windows. Users with computers specifically designed for Windows Vista will be particularly pleased because Windows Vista takes advantage of the power of modern computers to create a professional and rich graphical user interface. Even applications created before Windows Vista will be more attractive and functional because Windows Vista has improved wizards and common dialog boxes that are shared by all applications.
Users with high-resolution monitors (for example, a monitor with a resolution of 1600x1200 pixels) will be more productive because Windows Vista can smoothly scale icons and the overall user experience to higher dots-per-inch (DPI) displays. As a result, users of applications designed for high DPI display, such as photo editing or engineering applications, will not struggle to read small on-screen text when simultaneously using an application that is not designed for a high-DPI display.
As of now these are some of the features these may change in the by the time the prodcut actaully comes out.
