Introducing Windows Vista

Windows Vista Editions

Windows Vista comes in four main editions: the Home Basic Edition for consumers; the Home Premium Edition for consumer power users; the Business Edition for business and power users; and the Ultimate Edition for the complete package. Two other editions are available for specific needs: the Starter Edition and Enterprise Edition. The Starter Edition is for the beginning PC user and provides the most basic entry to Windows Vista, which is targeted to emerging markets. The Enterprise Edition is for large corporations with advanced data protection, compatibility, and international support needs.

The Home Basic Edition provides a basic secure entry point for using Windows Vista. The Home Premium Edition adds to the basic experience by providing the Windows Areo experience, the Mobility Center and Tablet PC support for laptops, Windows Meeting Space for sharing documents, and Windows Media Center for media entertainment.

The Business Edition modifies the Home Premium Edition by adding advanced hardware protection, business networking and remote desktop access, and by removing the Windows Media Center. The Ultimate Edition combines every thing from all the editions into one complete package.

Windows Vista User Experience

Windows Vista provides two distinct user interface experiences: a basic experience for entry-level systems, and a more visually dynamic experience called Windows Aero (New!). Both offer a new and intuitive navigation experience that help you more easily find and organize your applications and files, but Aero goes further by delivering a truly next-generation desktop experience.

The basic experience has been updated and streamlined so you can find and work with your programs and files more easily than in previous versions of Windows. Some of the important new features include Explorer windows, Live icons, Search Folders, and Instant Search.

Windows Vista uses Explorer windows (New!) to give you more information and control while simplifying how you work with your files. Each Explorer window includes a Command Bar, Live icons, column headers, and a Navigation pane. Command Bars display only the tasks that are most appropriate for the files being displayed. Live icons are scalable thumbnails that display the first page of documents, the actual image of a photo, or the album art for individual songs in your music collection, making it easier to find exactly what you are looking for. The Navigation pane contains Search Folders and traditional folders that you have created on your computer. A Search Folder (New!) is simply a search that you save. Opening a Search Folder instantly runs that saved search, displaying up-to-date results immediately.

With Windows Vista, you no longer have to remember where you store every file. Instead, to find a file, you need only to remember something about it. The updated Start menu integrates the Instant Search (New!) box to help you quickly find and start any program or file on your computer. After you add or edit file properties or data associated with a file, such as a keyword on a document, you can use the Instant Search box to quickly find a file by the file property.