Vista Factory

One can assign TCP/IP address to the computer by two methods. It can be done either by static method or by dynamic method. Dynamic method of configuring can be done automatically whereas static method of configuring can be done manually. By default, Windows Vista configures the TCP/IP by dynamic method. In order to configure, Vista contacts the DHCP server. Once the connection is made, a request will be send to the server for the IP address. DHCP server will provide the IP address from the corresponding Internet Service Provider. It is much easier to configure the IP dynamically as everything is done automatically.

In certain cases, you will have to assign a specific IP address to your computer manually in Windows Vista. This is done by static method. It can also be done easily. First of all go to the start menu and select the control panel. Inside the control panel, double click the Network and Sharing option. Select the ‘Manage network connections’ options from the left side of the window. A new window will pop up. In this window you will find the network connections made by your computer. The network adapters will be displayed. Both wired and wireless adapters will be displayed in the window. Suppose if no IP address is assigned to your wireless adapter even though it is active. You must assign an IP address by static method.

For configuring the address, right click on the adapter icon for which new IP address is to be assigned. Select the properties option from the drop down menu. In order to configure you must have the administrator privileges. A new window will pop up. Select the continue option in that window. The properties window will pop out. Inside the window you can find all the protocols and services related to the corresponding network adapter. Select the properties option given below. Then select the button to configure the IP address. It should be done according to your network. Once you have finished entering, click the OK button to confirm. Now, the new IP address entered is assigned to your computer.

Microsoft has provided sharing facility in Windows Vista operating system with the help of public folder. Files in this folder can be shared with other users in the network. These files can also be shared by the other user accounts in the computer. In Windows Vista, the public folder is further divided into many categories. Different categories include Public music, Public pictures, Public documents, public videos, public desktops, Recorded TV and public downloads. If you want to share any file with other users then place that file in the public folder or on its sub folders.

Inside the networking options of Windows Vista, you will have to select the type of network. Sharing of files will be disabled automatically if public network is selected. If you want to disable sharing of files in Home or Work network then you can do that also. In order to disable the sharing you must go the Network and Sharing centre in the Vista. You can find this option in the Network status icon seen in the system tray.

Inside the network and Sharing centre you can see some lights which indicate the status of each option provided. Two colors used are green and grey. Green light indicates that the corresponding feature is turned on and the other color indicates that the option is disabled. If you want to share the files in the public folder then turn it on. If you want to turn off the sharing of public folder then select the radio button. Then click the apply option. After that a window will pop up which asks for the permission of the user to continue. Select the continue option to make the change. Once it is done, the sharing will be disabled.

Windows Vista is popular for its visual effects. One of the most poplar effects in Windows Vista is the Flip3D facility. In case you are using a system which has got low end facilities then the number of windows displayed by the Flip3D feature should be reduced. Otherwise, it will affect the performance of the system. You can reduce the number of windows by using the following method.

In order to make the change certain modification are to be made in the registry of Windows Vista. So, you must follow the steps carefully as it involves registry modifications. If not done properly then you may end up in a mess. First of all you must launch the Registry Editor. For that, select the start menu of the windows and then type regedit. Regedit icon will appear in the list. Click on the icon. Then a window will pop up asking for your permission to continue. Select the continue option. You must go to the registry key given below.

HKEY_CURRENT_USERS\Software\Microsoft\Windows\DWM

Once you reach there, make a new 32 bit DWORD entry and name the entry as Max3Dwindows. Now, you must enter the required number of windows to be opened in the Dword value. This value corresponds to the maximum number of windows that can be opened in the desktop. If you have got a low end machine then the Dword value can be set as 5. Once the value is entered, confirm it by clicking the OK button. Exit the registry editor. Reboot the Vista operating system and then check for the change made.

If you hate the look of Aero, click Start/Control Panel/Themes and you can choose a non-Aero theme, such as Windows Classic.

1. The installer in Windows Vista is capable of detecting the serial ATA without the help of a driver diskette. So, it is not necessary to create a driver diskette before installing Windows Vista.

2. If you are installing Windows Vista in your computer. If the installation process gets interrupted due to some problems then you don’t have to install everything from the beginning. The installer in Vista will automatically start from the last position.

3. Vista comes with an instant search feature. They have also provided a provision to save the search in a separate folder. This folder is known as the virtual folder. Thus, search results are automatically updated with the help of this feature.

4. Windows Vista has also got the provision to add extra clocks in the system tray. By using this facility you can set more than one clock with separate time zones. There is an additional Clocks tab provided in the Date and time settings to set more than one clock.

5. It is possible to create XML documents in Windows Vista with much improved security when compared to the normal text files. Make a word document and use the option menu to print it and then select the XPS printer.

6. For better performance of Vista, it requires good amount of local memory. So, when you are planning to buy a new graphics card for your system which is to be loaded with Windows Vista then go for a graphics card with more local memory.

7. You can utilise online database of the Microsoft when you are using the help feature provided in Windows Vista. Thus, better results can be obtained

8. Vista has also provided facilities to improve your gaming experience. A separate games folder is provided which can be used to update games, launch games and much more facilities.

9. You can close any window in Windows Vista by making a double click on the upper left icon. You don’t have to use the ‘X’ option provided in the upper right corner.

10. You can increase the system memory of your computer with the help of Windows ReadyBoost feature provided in the Vista. You can use your removable flash memory to increase the system memory.

You can provide the necessary protection to your Windows Vista loaded computer with the help of the following tips. Windows Vista comes with the Volume Shadow Copy (VSS) service. It helps to backup and recover data quickly. You can increase the lifetime of your hard disk with the help of VSS. There is a volume manage module provided in the VSS. By using that you can add snapshot function. Once this is done, it is possible to create the image of the data, which helps to backup and recover the data quickly.

In order to use this feature, press Start + R key together. Now, the Run window will open. Type ‘services.msc’ in it and select the enter option. A dialog box will open. You can find the Volume Shadow Copy option in the right side of the window. Double click on this option. Select the ‘disabled’ option in that window.

Life of the hard disk is also affected by the presence of compressed files and index files. So, stop the compress and index functionality. It can be done by right clicking on the corresponding disks. Once the click is made, a dialog box will pop out. Select the option ‘normal’ and cancel the two options, ‘compress his drive to spare disk space’ and ‘create this drive index to quickly search’. Now, both the options are disabled.

When the data is stored in the compressed format then frequent reading of the hard disk will be required. Repeated search operation will be carried out if the files are in the compressed state or indexed. So, the constant search process can reduce the lifetime of the hard disk. So, it should be avoided.

You should not carry out frequent disk defragmentation. It can cause damages to your hard disk. This is because frequent reading of hard disk occurs before the sorting is carried out. System recover also has an effect on the lifetime of the hard disk. This problem is not only present to Windows Vista operating system but also to all other operating systems.