Windows Vista Home Basic

Windows Vista Home basic is the entry-level offering for consumers with basic computing needs. If you want to use your PC for tasks like surfing the Internet, keeping in contact with friends and family via e-mail and chat and creating and editing documents, Windows Vista Home Basic edition is for you. Windows Vista Home Basic edition is designed to help people stay... More better connected and to be compatible with a wide range of software, devices and services that people use and trust the most.Windows Vista Home Basic will deliver a safter, more reliable and more productive computing environment. In fact, its the safest operating system that Microsoft has ever developed. Whether browsing the internet, connecting to wireless or reading an e-mail, Windows Vista Home Basic Edition protects you with security tools and technologies, parental control features and more. And with new tools to move your files and settings from your old PC, Windows Vista Home Basic makes using your computer a snap. Windows Vista Features: Basic File Backup and Restore The basic file backup and restore features in Windows Vista make it easier for you to keep your data and your computer safe from user error, hardware failure, and other problems. In the Home Premium, Business, Ultimate, and Enterprise editions of Windows Vista, you can automate the entire backup process using a simple wizard so you'll never have to worry about forgetting to back up your work. Backup and Restore Center : The Backup and Restore Center gives you one place to manage all backup-related features. File backup and restore: Windows Vista helps you easily back up the files on your PC when and where you choose to back them up, with the convenience of automated scheduling. For ease of use and to prevent confusion, programs and system files are not included in the file backup. They can be separately restored by reinstallation or by using either system restore points or Complete PC Backup and Restore, a feature available in the Business, Ultimate, and Enterprise editions of Windows Vista. You no longer have to remember to periodically back up your data. You can now use a simple wizard to schedule when and where you want your data to be backed up, and Windows Vista will take care of the rest DirectX 10: Eye-popping graphics in Microsoft Flight Simulator X. DirectX 10, the latest version of the DirectX suite of multimedia application programming interfaces (APIs), puts gamers and multimedia buffs on the leading edge of PC audio and video performance. DirectX 10 features heavily enhanced 3-D graphics-rendering capabilities and helps noticeably improve your computer's in-game and multimedia performance. Providing a standard development platform for Windows-based PCs, it also provides software developers access to specialized hardware features without the need to write hardware-specific code. For gamers and video enthusiasts, this translates to higher-performance graphics and sound when you're playing games or watching video on your PC. Additionally, DirectX APIs make it possible for multimedia applications to make use of high-performance hardware such as 3-D graphics acceleration chips and sound cards. They control low-level functions, too, including 2-D graphics acceleration, input devices (such as joysticks, keyboards, and mice), sound mixing, and sound output. Explorers: In Windows, the Explorer windows are the main tools for finding, viewing, and managing information and resources: documents, photos, programs, devices, and Internet content. The new Windows Vista Explorers empower you to manage your information with greater ease, speed, and flexibility. They also happen to look super cool.

In the new Explorers, the menus, toolbars, Navigation Pane, Task Pane, and Preview Pane have all merged into a single intuitive interface that's consistent across all of Windows Vista. Instant Search, which is always available and finds files rapidly. Navigation Pane, which contains quick links to the places your documents, pictures, and Search Folders are stored.

Command Bar, which displays tasks appropriate for the files being displayed. Live Icons, which display a thumbnail image of the actual contents of each file. Details Pane, which provides rich information (metadata) about files so you can easily add or edit their metadata.

Preview Pane, which you can use to browse through a preview of a file's contents in programs that have this feature.

Enhanced title bars, borders, and Address Bar. In Windows XP, the Explorer menus, toolbars, Navigation Pane, and Task Pane are distinct. In Windows Vista Explorers, all are merged into a single, streamlined interface Fast Sleep and Resume : Putting your PC to sleep can save time and power, and protect your work. In the past, if you turned your computer off to save power or extend your mobile PC's battery life, it took a long time for it to start back up when you wanted to use it again. With Windows Vista, you can easily and quickly use your PC whenever you want, while still preserving battery life. The default "off" state is now the new Sleep power state. Just press the power button on the Start menu or on your PC, and your PC will automatically save your current session to memory, and then quickly enter into a very low power state. It will also save your session to the hard drive, so you can access it even if the memory loses power. Then, when you want to resume your computer use, just press the power button on your PC. Your PC will turn on in seconds, and be just how you left it last time. Unlike Windows XP, which offered the different Standby and Hibernate modes, Windows Vista combines the benefits of both modes into Sleep to simplify the entire process for users. For optimal speed and performance when putting the PC to sleep, and when resuming it, purchase a new PC with Windows Vista preinstalled, rather than upgrading an existing PC. Internet Explorer 7 : Internet Explorer 7 in Windows Vista features a new and cleaner interface. Windows Internet Explorer 7 in Windows Vista, the new version of the popular web browser, represents a major step forward in making everyday web tasks easier. Making everyday tasks easier : To help you perform tasks more productively and efficiently, Internet Explorer 7 has been redesigned with new and enhanced capabilities for searching and making use of myriad sources of information. Everyday tasks are easier with improved navigation through tabbed browsing and web search right from the toolbar. Improved printing and the ability to easily discover, read, and subscribe to Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds enable you to access only the information you want, any time it's convenient. Dynamic security protection: Through a robust new architecture, Internet Explorer 7 offers dynamic security protection to help defend against malicious software (also known as malware), as well as new ways to protect users from unintentionally providing personal data to fraudulent websites that use deceptive practices such as phishing. And, Internet Explorer 7 in Windows Vista provides Parental Controls and a Protected Mode setting to keep families safer online and to help protect your PC from web-based attacks. Cleaner, sleeker user interface: Internet Explorer 7 offers a new look to minimize the number of toolbars you need while maximizing the amount of screen space devoted to the webpages you care about. Internet Explorer 7 is noticeably simpler, more streamlined, and less cluttered. It reduces the toolbar "creep"—consecutive rows of buttons and tools—that can sometimes take up as much as a third of the screen. The Back and Forward buttons are now smaller and have been moved next to the Address Bar. The Windows flag icon in the upper right corner of Internet Explorer 6 has been replaced with the powerful Instant Search field. Microsoft has invested heavily in the improvements in Internet Explorer 7; you'll experience the difference the moment you start the new browser. Improved platform for web development and manageability Internet Explorer 7 offers better support for cascading style sheets (CSS), a rich RSS feeds platform, and robust tools for deploying and managing Internet Explorer 7 in enterprise environments. Network and Sharing Center: A visual representation of your network. The Network and Sharing Center puts you in control of your network connectivity. It's a place where you can check your connection status, view your network visually, and troubleshoot connection problems.N The Network and Sharing Center informs you about your network and verifies whether your PC can successfully access the Internet—then summarizes this info in the form of a Network Map. If any computer connected to your network loses Internet connectivity, the Network and Sharing Center provides a graphical representation of which connection is down. Then you can use Network Diagnostics and Troubleshooting to determine both the cause of the problem and possible ways to correct it. Network Diagnostics and Troubleshooting : The Windows Network Diagnostics tool in Windows Vista helps you identify the top potential issues preventing network connectivity—and it automatically takes appropriate steps toward correcting them. If a computer on the network loses Internet connectivity, you can graphically see which connection is down and then use Network Diagnostics to help determine the cause of the problem and find possible solutions. Windows Vista includes wireless diagnostics capabilities as part of the extensible Network Diagnostics Framework (NDF). The NDF provides you with advanced help in resolving network-related issues. When you are unable to connect to a network resource, you are presented with clear repair options rather than error messages, which can be difficult to understand. If Windows Vista can repair the issue automatically, it will; if not, you are directed to perform simple steps to correct the problem without having to call for support.