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Vista jokes

Windows Vista -> System and Maintenance (Icon)

Windows Vista -> System and Maintenance (Icon)

I was so pleased that the old trick of pressing Windows Key + Pause / Break (key) brought the System Icon into life.  The first menu that you see is like an HTML version of the old General Tab.  I have to say that Vista's HTML style menu brings consistency to all the Control Panel menus.

Orientation (See in Address Bar Below):
Control Panel
     System and Maintenance
          System

Where have all the tabs gone?

The answer to the question, 'Where have all the old tabs gone?', is that you can access them from the links in the green left hand column. Click on one of the shields and see the Device Manager, Remote Settings or Advanced System Settings  When you click on any of those menu item the familiar XP-style tabbed menu appears.

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Familiar System Properties

What's New in System and Maintenance?

There are subtle links that cross reference other configuration, this methodology fuels the idea that there are always at least six ways of doing anything in Windows.  In fact, these shields turn out to be useful beacons for the new hyperlink style of navigating the Control Panel.

What's new is the System Protection tab.  However this not brand new, just the old System Restore Tab with extra features such as System Protection, which is the equivalent of the Windows Server 2003's Shadow Copy.

Joining a Domain

Providing you have the Business or Ultimate Edition, you can join an Active Directory domain, just as you could in XP.  The configuration options are very similar to those of XP.  See here how to overcome firewall problems and join a domain.

Summary of the Vista System Icon

All the old XP style System Icon tabs are here in the new System and Maintenance section, it's just that they have a new Vista style front end.  When you reach: Control Panel, System and Maintenance, System you see a summary page with links to the more familiar XP layout.

Guy Recommends:  A Free Trial of the Network Performance Monitor (NPM)

Solarwinds' Orion performance monitor will help you discover what's happening on your network.  This utility will also guide you through troubleshooting; the dashboard will indicate whether the root cause is a broken link, faulty equipment or resource overload.

Perhaps the NPM's best feature is the way it suggests solutions to network problems.  Its second best feature is the ability to monitor the health of individual VMWare virtual machines.  If you are interested in troubleshooting, and creating network maps, then I recommend that you take advantage of Solarwinds' offer.

Download a free trial of the Network Performance Monitor.

Configuring Windows Vista Topics:

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Custom Search	Guy Recommends: SolarWinds Free IP SLA Monitor SolarWinds IP SLA Monitor offers so much more than just uncovering network bottlenecks, the real joy is learning about router traffic. To find out what's happening on the network between your computers and their routers, download your free copy of the of IP SLA Monitor.
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