74 Chapter 2  Customizing and Configuring Windows Vista FIGURE 2.32 Service Properties New to Windows Vista is the startup type Automatic (Delayed Start), which starts after all Automatic services have started and sets the thread priority to lowest, which reduces the possibility the service will be interfering with other tasks. This can be useful for services that need to start automatically but are not required right at startup, thus reducing the time it takes for the user to boot the computer and use it. This solves the problem of too many services starting at once, many of which are not essential to the function of the com- puter at startup. In the past, this would cause the computer to be unusable because it was so busy just after booting. Smart use of this option can bring the user quicker boot times. TABLE 2.2 Service Commands Command Description net start Starts a service net stop Stops a service net pause Pauses a service net continue Continues a service 65348.book Page 74 Monday, October 22, 2007 4:27 PM Choosing Settings to Optimize Performance 75 FIGURE 2.33 net start command There are certain services, such as Event Log and Plug and Play, that cannot be stopped through the NET commands or the Service snap-in because they are required to run the operating system. The Performance Hog Users at ABC Company were complaining that their computers were running slowly. Allen investigated the computers and noted that the hard drive was being accessed heavily, even though there was no apparent activity on the computer. The computers had sufficient RAM and should have been performing well. After having a look at the Resource Monitor, Allen noted the disk and CPU were being used heavily by a process called indx.exe and that it was interfering with other processes. After a quick search, Allen found it was a service set to start automatically called Media Indexer. This service installed with a third-party CD authoring software, which used it to index all media files on the hard disk for its own media player. Since ABC Company users all use Win- dows Media Player to play media files, and the service wasn’t essential to the CD software, there seemed to be little gained in keeping the indexer running, so Allen set the service to Dis- abled. This allowed Allen to keep the CD software in place but disable the performance-zapping service that was redundant to the Windows Vista search function anyway. After disabling the service, the computers ran smoothly. 65348.book Page 75 Monday, October 22, 2007 4:27 PM 76 Chapter 2  Customizing and Configuring Windows Vista Using ReadyBoost ReadyBoost is a way to increase performance by using a typical USB flash drive or other memory card technology. It acts as a caching point between your hard disk and your system memory. A typical memory card is, on average, ten times faster at random reads than a typical hard disk. The ReadyBoost feature helps load applications faster by keeping data often used, as determined by the SuperFetch caching technology, in a file on the memory card for fast access. The SuperFetch memory management system in Windows Vista uses a ReadyBoost flash drive as a storage point for caching of performance critical data. All data is written simulta- neously to the file on the flash disk as well as the hard drive, preventing system error if the flash drive is removed. The file is compressed 2 to 1 and encrypted so the data is not accessible by others. The performance boost is most noticeable with a user who runs multiple programs simultaneously or with a user reporting slow performance when opening programs. It also improves response during power state transitions, such as from hibernate power mode. The flash drive has to meet certain requirements before it can be used as a ReadyBoost device. The hardware criteria include the type of device, size, internal speed, and bus speed. The types of devices include USB flash drives, CompactFlash, Secure Digital (SD), and Mem- ory Stick on a PCI bus, a PCIe bus, or an SSA bus. Flash drives connected to an external USB reader are not supported. Flash drives attached to USB 1.0 or USB 1.1 are not supported. USB flash drives must be USB 2.0 compliant and connected to a USB 2.0 port. The performance of the flash drive must also meet certain standards before it’s used for ReadyBoost. At a minimum, it must have 2.5MB-per-second throughput on random reads and 1.75MB-per-second throughput for random writes. There is a specification called Enhanced for ReadyBoost that confirms a minimum performance of 5MB-per-second random reads and 3MB-per-second random writes. Windows Vista will perform a test of random reads and writes on the device to check that it meets the minimum requirement. If the device doesn’t meet the minimum requirement, the ReadyBoost tab or prompt will not be available. The size of the flash drive determines the cache size that ReadyBoost will create. The ReadyBoost cache file can be as small as 230MB or as big as 4GB. It’s recommended that the size of the cache file be at least as big as the amount of physical memory. For example, if the system has 512MB of system RAM, the ReadyBoost cache file should be at least 512MB too. Bigger ratios of system memory to ReadyBoost cache will see bigger performance gains. Up to three times the system memory is recommended. Some kinds of flash memory have a limited number of write cycles before the memory is unusable. In effect, too many writes can wear out a flash drive. ReadyBoost does manage to limit the number of write cycles to reduce occur- rence of this issue. Most devices will see many years of use without every experiencing this problem with ReadyBoost. To use ReadyBoost, just insert a compliant flash drive. An AutoPlay window will open with the option called Speed Up My System, as shown in Figure 2.34. Click the option and the flash drive Properties will open to the ReadyBoost tab, as shown in Figure 2.35. Select Use This Device to make this a ReadyBoost device. You can specify the amount of memory from the 65348.book Page 76 Monday, October 22, 2007 4:27 PM Choosing Settings to Optimize Performance 77 device to use for the cache file. If you use less than the maximum available you can use the rest for regular file storage. FIGURE 2.34 ReadyBoost AutoPlay FIGURE 2.35 ReadyBoost configuration If you browse the flash drive, you will see a file called ReadyBoost.sfcache. This is the file that ReadyBoost saves to and reads from for caching between system memory and the hard disk. To disable ReadyBoost on this drive and use it for other purposes, just right-click the drive icon and click Properties. Click the ReadyBoost tab and select Do Not Use This Device. When you use ReadyBoost, it is expected that the device will be connected to the computer all the time. Removing the device will not cause any problems, but it will turn off the performance gain of ReadyBoost. If the ReadyBoost file still exists on the flash drive, you can just reattach the drive and ReadyBoost will be enabled again without additional configuration. If you delete the cache file, ReadyBoost will have to be reenabled. 65348.book Page 77 Monday, October 22, 2007 4:27 PM 78 Chapter 2  Customizing and Configuring Windows Vista Setting Up and Configuring Windows Applications Windows Vista comes with a whole slew of new applications that allow you to do more than ever before without additional software. Whether you need to set up e-mail, track appoint- ments, attend meetings, edit a picture, or even create a home movie, Windows Vista has an application to help you on your way. Additionally, there are even options for accessing files while you’re away from home and for backing up your files in case the unthinkable happens. In the following sections, we will look at the tools and utilities in Windows Vista, how to set up them up, what configuration options are available, and how to decide which applications a user may need. Understanding Windows Mail Windows Mail is used if a user needs to send and receive e-mail, subscribe to newsgroups, or access Directory Services. Older versions of Windows had Outlook Express, which was actu- ally a part of Internet Explorer, to accomplish these same tasks. Though similar, you will find Windows Mail is easier to use and has many more features than its predecessor. Let’s take a look at the ins and outs of this new application. Setting Up an E-mail Account To launch Windows Mail, click Start  All Programs  Windows Mail. When you open Win- dows Mail for the time, you are presented with a setup wizard, as shown in Figure 2.36. This wizard will walk you through some common setup options to get you going with Win- dows Mail. Let’s take a look at the various settings: Your Name This first screen asks for your display name; this is the name that will show up on e-mail you send. Internet E-mail Address This screen asks you to enter your e-mail address. This should be the e-mail address that has been assigned to you by your ISP or e-mail provider. For example, if you are using Gmail from Google.com, you would enter something like timjones@gmail.com. Set Up E-mail Servers This section allows you to enter the details for your incoming and out- going e-mail servers. For incoming, choose the server type provided by your ISP and enter the address of the incoming mail server. In our Gmail example, you would select POP3 for the Incoming E-mail Server Type and enter pop.gmail.com in the Incoming Mail text box. For the outgoing mail you enter the name of the outgoing server, in our case smtp.gmail.com, and select Outgoing Server Requires Authentication, if needed. Again, this information will be provided by your ISP—for Gmail, check this option. 65348.book Page 78 Monday, October 22, 2007 4:27 PM Setting Up and Configuring Windows Applications 79 FIGURE 2.36 The Windows Mail setup wizard Internet Mail Logon This screen simply requires that you enter your username and pass- word for the e-mail account. You can also choose the Remember Password option if you don’t want Windows Mail to prompt you each time you open it. Congratulations This final screen offers one option: Do Not Download My E-mail at This Time. If you select this option, your account will be created and your e-mail will not be downloaded. By default, this option is not selected and your e-mail will be downloaded immediately. Click Finish to complete the wizard. This wizard will complete most of the setup required to connect to a POP3 or IMAP mail- box. Depending on your provider, you may need to configure some additional options, which we will look at in the next section. Before we move on, you need to know how to add an e-mail account to Windows Mail if you already have an account configured or if you did not complete the wizard when you first opened Windows Mail. To add an account, select Tools  Accounts. This will open the Internet Accounts dialog box, shown in Figure 2.37. To add a new e-mail account, click the Add button, which opens the same setup wizard we just discussed. You can add multiple e-mail accounts, so you can come here to set up your first account or add addi- tional accounts. 65348.book Page 79 Monday, October 22, 2007 4:27 PM 80 Chapter 2  Customizing and Configuring Windows Vista FIGURE 2.37 Windows Mail Internet Accounts Advanced E-mail Account Settings If you have some other settings you need to configure that weren’t available using the setup wizard, or you just want to change the behavior of Windows Mail when accessing your e-mail, you can access the advanced properties from the Internet Accounts dialog box. Launch this dialog box by clicking Tools  Accounts; this will open the same screen seen in Figure 2.37. Now select the account you need to change and click Properties to open the properties dialog box for the account you selected. Let’s take a look at the settings on each of the tabs: General Tab The General tab allows you to enter your personal information and give the mail account a friendly name. This tab, shown in Figure 2.38, contains the following options: Mail Account This is the friendly name of the mail account, such as Eric’s Gmail account. Name This is the same as the name you entered in the setup wizard. The entry you make here will appear in the From field when you send e-mail. Organization If you choose, you can enter the name of your organization here. E-mail Address This is the address that your ISP has assigned you. Reply Address You can enter a different reply address in this box. When users replay to your e-mail, their reply will go to this address instead of your actual e-mail address. Include This Account When Receiving and Sending Mail or Synchronizing This option enables or disables this profile. When you enable it, Windows Mail will check for and send e-mail with this account. Additionally, you will be able to synchronize this account with mobile devices like PDAs. 65348.book Page 80 Monday, October 22, 2007 4:27 PM Setting Up and Configuring Windows Applications 81 FIGURE 2.38 Windows Mail account properties, General tab Servers Tab This tab, shown in Figure 2.39, provides you with settings related to your e-mail servers. These settings should be provided by your ISP. Incoming Mail This is the name or address of your incoming mail server and should match the information you provided when you completed the setup wizard. Outgoing Mail This is the name or address of your outgoing mail server and again should match the information you provided during setup. E-mail Username This is the username Windows Mail will use when logging on to your Incoming mail server. This entry should match the information you provided during setup. Password This is the password Windows Mail will use when logging on to your incoming mail server. Again, this should match the information you provided during setup. Remember Password When this option is enabled, Windows Mail will remember your password so you won’t have to type it every time you log on to your account. Log On Using Secure Password Authentication This option tells Windows Mail whether to use Secure Password Authentication (SPA) when connecting to your mail server. SPA provides for a more secure logon than just using clear-text usernames and passwords. If your mail server is using SPA, enable this option. Enabling this option when your mail server isn’t using it will cause you to be unable to connect to the server. Outgoing Mail Server This section allows you to configure the logon settings for your outgoing server. If you select My Server Requires Authentication, you will need to click Set- tings and provide the logon details in the Logon Information screen, shown in Figure 2.40. 65348.book Page 81 Monday, October 22, 2007 4:27 PM 82 Chapter 2  Customizing and Configuring Windows Vista Your options are to use the same credentials specified for your incoming server or to specify a different set of credentials. Connection Tab This tab, shown in Figure 2.41, has one option: the network connection that is required to connect to the mail servers. If you select a dial-up or VPN connection, the connection will be established when you start Windows Mail if it not already connected. Security Tab The Security tab offers you two options, as shown in Figure 2.42. You can specify a certificate to use in order to sign messages sent with this account, or you can choose a certificate to encrypt your messages. These options are advanced features that should only be used when you are specifically instructed to do so. Configuring digital signing and encryption is outside the scope of this book. FIGURE 2.39 Windows Mail account properties, Servers tab FIGURE 2.40 The outgoing mail server logon information settings 65348.book Page 82 Monday, October 22, 2007 4:27 PM Setting Up and Configuring Windows Applications 83 FIGURE 2.41 Windows Mail account properties, Connection tab FIGURE 2.42 Windows Mail account properties, Security tab 65348.book Page 83 Monday, October 22, 2007 4:27 PM [...]... you run a meeting in the “Running a Meeting” section 6 534 8.book Page 92 Monday, October 22, 2007 4:27 PM 92 Chapter 2 Customizing and Configuring Windows Vista FIGURE 2. 53 Windows Meeting Space FIGURE 2.54 An active meeting in Windows Meeting Space 6 534 8.book Page 93 Monday, October 22, 2007 4:27 PM Setting Up and Configuring Windows Applications 93 Join a Meeting Near Me This option displays a list... more to Windows Mail than just setting up e-mail accounts The program can also connect to newsgroups and Directory Services We aren’t going to provide further details on these features—just know that Windows Mail is the application that can handle these items Understanding Windows Calendar Windows Calendar is new to Windows Vista It is a simple application that may look familiar if you have used Microsoft. .. check off tasks from the list as you complete them FIGURE 2.47 The task list in Windows Calendar 6 534 8.book Page 88 Monday, October 22, 2007 4:27 PM 88 Chapter 2 Customizing and Configuring Windows Vista Managing Multiple Calendars Windows Mail allows you to work with multiple calendars This gives you the ability, for example, to have one calendar for your appointments, another for work events, another... calendars, but a group lets you see all appointments for all of your kids at once, for example FIGURE 2.48 Using multiple calendars in Windows Calendar 6 534 8.book Page 89 Monday, October 22, 2007 4:27 PM Setting Up and Configuring Windows Applications FIGURE 2.49 89 Using calendar groups in Windows Calendar Sharing Calendars Windows Mail provides the ability to share your calendar with other users This is... published calendar Understanding Windows Meeting Space Windows Meeting Space is a brand-new application that ships with Windows Vista It allows users to have virtual meetings with many of the same facilities as they would have if meeting face to face Previous versions of Windows contained an application called Net Meeting, which is no longer available, to serve this same purpose Windows Meeting Space is more... server after its download to Windows Mail When enabled, you can also specify after how many days a message is removed and whether to delete a message from the server when it has been deleted from the Deleted Items folder in Windows Mail FIGURE 2. 43 Windows Mail account properties, Advanced tab 6 534 8.book Page 85 Monday, October 22, 2007 4:27 PM Setting Up and Configuring Windows Applications 85 Remember,... October 22, 2007 4:27 PM 94 Chapter 2 FIGURE 2.56 Customizing and Configuring Windows Vista Sharing an application in Windows Meeting Space As you can see, users get a mini-view of your entire desktop but only the portion of the desktop containing the shared application or document is visible Of course, if you share the entire desktop, everything is visible The view can be expanded to full screen, and... hardware requirements Knowing these features will allow you to help users configure, maintain, and increase performance of their Windows Vista computers We also looked at several applications that come with Windows Vista 6 534 8.book Page 109 Monday, October 22, 2007 4:27 PM Exam Essentials 109 Using these applications, you can send e-mail, track appointments and tasks, conduct virtual meetings, manage... user requirements Understand the Applications That Come with Windows Vista Know what Windows Mail is and how to set up e-mail accounts Understand Windows Calendar Know how to use the Window Photo Gallery to manage and edit pictures Understand how Windows Movie Maker works and the types of things you can do with it Know how to have meetings with Windows Meeting Space Understand the Backup and Restore Center... you can use the recently imported category in Windows Photo Gallery to see the newest photos and apply tags after you import Also, as you will learn in Chapter 3, you can add tags to photos as you import them into Windows Photo Gallery FIGURE 2.58 Windows Photo Gallery Editing Pictures While not a fully featured photo-editing application like Photoshop, Windows Photo Gallery does offer you some functionality . reenabled. 6 534 8.book Page 77 Monday, October 22, 2007 4:27 PM 78 Chapter 2  Customizing and Configuring Windows Vista Setting Up and Configuring Windows Applications Windows Vista comes with. and Configuring Windows Applications 83 FIGURE 2.41 Windows Mail account properties, Connection tab FIGURE 2.42 Windows Mail account properties, Security tab 6 534 8.book Page 83 Monday, October. section. 6 534 8.book Page 91 Monday, October 22, 2007 4:27 PM 92 Chapter 2  Customizing and Configuring Windows Vista FIGURE 2. 53 Windows Meeting Space FIGURE 2.54 An active meeting in Windows Meeting