All Windows systems have many possible configurations. Depending on individual usage patterns, there are a variety of ways to make a Vista system easier and quicker to operate. Here are some tips and tweaks that I like.
Make file extensions visible
I have made this recommendation for every Windows version so far and I am not stopping with Vista. Why Microsoft persists in the default policy of hiding file extensions is beyond me but they are easily made visible.
- Open "Computer" and click "Organize"
- Select "Folder and Search Options"
- Select the "View" tab and open the "Advanced Options" list
- Find "Hide File extensions for Known File Types" and uncheck it
Show hidden files and folders
While you have the above list open, you may also want to select "Show Hidden Files and Folders". Personally, I want to be be able to see hidden objects but you may feel that it's better to protect them by leaving them hidden. However, there are times when you may want to make them visible and it is worth knowing how to do it even if you generally want to keep these system objects out of sight and harm's way.
Restore the Run line to the Start menu
One of the first things different in Vista that I noticed was that the Run line was missing from the Start menu. Since I am a frequent user of the Run function, I restored it to the Start menu. Actually, the new search function in the Start menu basically supersedes Run but from habit I like Run anyway. You can get Run back temporarily by using the keyboard shortcut Windows key+R. To put Run permanently back in the Start menu :
- Right-click on the Start menu and choose "Properties"
- Select the "Start Menu" tab and click on the "Customize..." button
- Check the "Run command" option
Restore the Menu Bar to Windows Explorer
Another noticeable change in Vista is the new look for Windows Explorer. Navigation is different and the menu bar is gone. Most functions formerly found in the various menus like File, Edit, etc. can be found elsewhere but my first reaction was to get the Menu Bar back. Over time you get used to the new setup but I still like the Menu Bar sometimes. A temporary method is to press the Alt key. A more permanent display is enabled this way:
- Open the "Organize" menu
- Click "Layout"
- Put a check by "Menu Bar"
Using the "Organize" feature
As mentioned in the preceding tip, a new menu called "Organize" is present in the upper left of a Vista Explorer window. A number of functions can be accessed there as shown in Fig. 1.
Figure 1. "Organize" menu Go up one level in Windows Explorer
In XP, Windows Explorer has an "Up" button that will take you to the next-higher folder in the path. Vista no longer has this function but has "bread-crumbs" and a "Back" button. However, you can go up one level by using the keyboard combination Alt + Up Arrow.
Enhance the right-click menu
Ever since Windows 95, the right-click context menu (also called the "shortcut" menu) has provided many useful operations and I am constantly using its functions for one thing or another. In Vista an extended menu with additional functions becomes available when you hold down the Shift key as you right-click a folder or file. Two added options are "Open Command Window Here" and "Copy as Path".
Keyboard shortcut to objects in the Quick Launch Bar
I've been making regular use of the Quick Launch Bar since Windows 98 and, here again, Vista has an added wrinkle. If you wish to get something from the Quick Launch Bar but do not want to switch to the mouse when your hands are on the keyboard, you can use the following shortcut. Press Windows key + n. Here n is an integer from 1 to 9 that indicates the position of the desired object on the Quick Launch Bar. So if you want to invoke the third item (from the left) on the Quick Launch Bar press the Windows key together with the number "3". You can also use "0 " for the number "10".
Keyboard shortcut to put system in "sleep" mode
The keyboard is sometimes faster than the mouse and if you want to turn off the computer with the keyboard, use Windows key+right arrow+Enter to go into sleep mode. The keys should be pressed sequentially and not simultaneously.
Volume Shadow Copy or Previous Versions
A new feature in Vista that I like very much is unfortunately only in the Business and Ultimate editions. It is called "Previous Versions" and is like the Volume Shadow Copy of Windows Server 2003. It keeps track of changes in individual files and allows you to use Window Explorer to restore a file or folder to the state it was in on a particular date. The backup process occurs once a day (with System Protection) and only backs up files that have been changed. If you accidentally delete or change a file this allows you to get it back. Shadow copies are only kept for as long as available space allows and only if System Protection is enabled (the default setting). To see what previous versions are available for a file or folder, right-click the object in Windows Explorer and open the "Properties" dialog box. Click the tab "Previous Versions" and a list of the available shadow copies will open. There are buttons for the operations Open, Copy, and Restore. Select a file or folder from the list and click the desired button.
Remove the sidebar from the desktop
The new "Sidebar" feature appears on the desktop by default. However, not everyone will want to take up space this way. The sidebar can be prevented from displaying automatically by right-clicking the Sidebar icon in the notification area ( AKA the System Tray). Then select "Properties" and uncheck "Start Sidebar when Windows starts". You can always return the sidebar whenever you want
Get more gadgets for the sidebar
"Gadget" is the name Microsoft gives to the little programs that run in the sidebar. Vista comes with a small assortment but there are many more. This Microsoft site has a big list.
Use the Task Manager to monitor the system
The Task Manager is a useful system tool that I have described elsewhere for Windows XP. A similar utility is present in Vista but access to it is somewhat different from XP. The old "three-finger salute" Ctrl+Alt+Delete no longer brings up the Task Manager directly but presents a window with a list of various possible actions. The keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Esc can still be used or right-click on the Taskbar and choose "Task Manager" from the context menu.
New ClearType fonts for Vista
Six new fonts are included with Vista (and Office 2007). Their description and examples are shown at this Microsoft link.
How to turn off ClearType
The font-smoothing technology called ClearType is on by default in Vista. ClearType is intended for LCD displays and laptops so if you have a an old-fashioned CRT you may wish to turn it off. Also, some people prefer to have it off even with an LCD display. Here is the procedure:
- Right click an empty spot on the Desktop and choose "Personalize" from the context menu.
- Select "Windows Color and Appearance".
- Click the line, "Open classic appearance properties for more color options".
- Click the "Effects" button.
- Choose "Standard" in the drop-down menu.
- Click "OK".
How much does "ReadyBoost" help?
ReadyBoost is a way to use a USB thumb drive to add additional memory for paging that is faster than hard drives. In practice, the method is of somewhat limited application. First, it requires thumb drives with specifications that many of these devices do not meet. Secondly, it is of most help in systems with limited RAM . Tests at PCStats indicate that If you have less than 1 GB of RAM, it will speed things up but otherwise ReadyBoost does not help much. Adding RAM is a much better way to speed up a system.
Tweaking performance by configuring visual effects
If your system is slowed down too much by Vista's fancy graphical effects or you just want to get rid of some eye candy, you can turn off some of the visual effects by this procedure:
- In an administrator account, go to the Start menu and right-click "Computer".
- Choose "Properties" from the context menu.
- Click "Advanced system settings" in the left section of the window that opens.
- Click "Continue" when User Account Control opens.
- Click "Settings" in the Performance section.
- With the Visual Effects tab selected, remove checks by effects you wish to turn off. You can also just check the radio button "Adjust for best performance".
Configure Windows features
Certain features of Vista can be turned on or off in Control Panel. These include games, faxing, tablet PC components, various networking services and others. To see and configure the list of features:
- Open the Start Menu and click Control Panel.
- Click the "Programs and Features" icon.
- In the Task Pane click "Turn Windows features on or off"'
- When the User Account Control prompt comes on, click "Continue".
- Wait for the Windows Features box to populate.
- Put a check by any features you want to run and remove the check from those you do not need.
- Click "OK" and reboot if necessary.
Note that Vista often seems to take a long time to make the changes.
Tips for using the Vista command line
Although the command prompt in Vista is quite similar to the one in Windows XP, there are some interesting differences. Tips on some of the added features for the Vista command line are at this sister site.
How to find special folders
Many of the special system folders such as Cookies and SendTo are in a different place from that in Windows XP and are harder to find. The easiest method is to use the "Shell:" command. Details are at this link but I will illustrate with the "Cookies" folder. To quickly open the "Cookies" folder, go to the Start menu and in the "Start Search" box enter shell:cookiesNote the colon between "shell" and "cookies". There must be no spaces in the command. Instead of "cookies", any of the other folders listed at the link above can be used.
Turn off automatic Defender scans
The anti-spyware program Defender that comes with Vista is automatically set to do a system scan once a day. This can cause a lot of disk activity and use resources while it is happening. I prefer to do any spyware scans manually. You can turn off the automatic scans this way:
- Go to Start Search and enter "defender" (without quotes).
- At the top of the window for Defender that opens, click Tools.
- Under Settings, click Options
- Remove the check by "Automatically scan my computer". If desired, you can always put the check back.
Get a report on system health
Vista contains an accessory called the "Reliability and Performance Monitor" that will carry out a health check on your system in about 1 minute.The path to it is, Control panel—> System and Maintenance—> Performance Information and Tools—> Advanced Tools. Then click on "Generate a system health report". A shorter way to get to the tool is to go to "Start Search" and enter "performance" or just "perf". Then click on "Performance Information and Tools". Next click "Advanced Tools" in the left pane and select "Generate a system health report"
Resize Desktop icons with mouse scroll
You can control the size of icons on the Desktop with a simple mouse action. Click in an open spot on the Desktop, hold down the Ctrl key, and scroll with the middle mouse button to make icons larger or smaller.
Speed up your internal SATA drive
Write caching is a way to improve hard drive performance but it is not enabled by default in Vista for SATA drives. Since almost all PCs now use SATA instead of the old parallel connected drives, most systems can be speeded up by enabling write caching. There is a small possibility that data could be lost in a power failure if caching is enabled, but power outages can cause data loss in other ways. (You should be using an uninterruptible power supply anyway.)
Write caching can be enabled by using the Device Manager. Go to Start—>Search and begin entering "Device" (without quotes). Device Manager should appear in the search list after the first few letters have been entered. Click the entry and approve the UAC query. In the Device Manager console, choose "Disk Drives" and select the entry for your SATA drive. In the dialog box, click the tab "Policies". Then click "Optimize for performance" and check "Enable write caching on the disk." Click "OK",
Turn off hibernation
Even if you don't want to use hibernation in your power management, Vista will still create a file hiberfil.sys. This file is equal in size to your total RAM so it can take up quite a bit of disk space. If you want to disable hibernation, use the command line. You'll need administrator privileges so use the procedure given at Commandwindows.com to open the appropriate command window. Then enter the command powercfg /h offIf you wamt hibernation back, enter powercfg /h on
As time goes on I will continue to add tips to this page.
