mcfedries/windows vista top 100
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sample chapterTRANSCRIPT
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Sample Chapter
Make Windows Vista Fasterand More EfficientWhether you use Windows Vista at work or athome, you probably want to spend yourcomputer time creating documents, sendingand receiving e-mail, browsing the Web,playing games, and doing other useful and funactivities. You probably do not want to spendyour time wrestling with Windows Vista orwaiting for it to finish its tasks.
Using a few simple techniques, you can makeworking with Windows Vista faster and moreconvenient. For example, rather than openinga number of Start menu folders to get to aprogram, you can create a shortcut in a moreconvenient location.
Also, you can work with a few settings toensure Windows Vista is working quickly and
efficiently. For example, you can speed up yourdisplay by reducing the number of visualeffects Windows Vista uses to draw screenelements.
Sometimes getting the most out of WindowsVista is a simple matter of taking care of the little details. For example, do you findyourself wasting precious time every time youaccidentally press the Caps Lock key and haveto delete and retype the errant text? If so, youcan avoid the problem altogether by setting upWindows Vista to warn you when you turn onCaps Lock.
This chapter introduces you to these and manyother techniques for maximizing your WindowsVista productivity.
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Create Shortcuts for Your Favorite Programs . . . . . . . . . . 4
Adjust Visual Effects for Best Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Ensure Windows Vista Is Optimized for Programs. . . . . . . 8
Improve Performance with a USB Flash Drive . . . . . . . . . 10
Run a Program with Elevated Privileges . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Make Your File Searches Run Faster. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Hear an Alert When You Press the Caps Lock Key . . . . . . 16
Display More Programs on Your Start Menu . . . . . . . . . . 18
Launch Control Panel Icons Faster by Using a Menu . . . . 20
Update a Device Driver to Ensure Top Device Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
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1 Right-click the location on yourdesktop where you want tocreate the shortcut.
2 Click New.
3 Click Shortcut.
CREATE SHORTCUTSfor your favorite programsIf you have a program that you use regularly, youcan access the program more quickly by creating ashortcut. A shortcut is a special file that points to aprogram. When you double-click the shortcut,Windows Vista automatically loads that program.
Shortcuts become particularly handy when youcreate them in a convenient location. For example,you can create a program shortcut on your WindowsVista desktop. That way, instead of clicking the Start
menu and opening a number of subfolders to findand launch a particular program, you can simplydouble-click the shortcut on the desktop.
You can create as many shortcuts as you want; theWindows Vista desktop offers a number of featuresthat help you keep your shortcuts organized. And ifyou find that you no longer use a shortcut, you cansafely delete it without affecting the associatedprogram.
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The Create Shortcut wizardappears.
4 Click Browse.
The Browse for Files or Foldersdialog box appears.
5 Select the program that youwant the shortcut to start.
Note: You can also create shortcutsto documents.
6 Click OK.
7 Click Next.
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8 Type a name for theshortcut.
9 Click Finish.
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l An icon for the shortcut appears on thedesktop.
Note: You can also pin shortcuts to yourStart menu, as explained in Task #11.
Taskbar Trick!The problem with adding shortcutsto your desktop is that otherwindows often obscure thedesktop, particularly if you preferrunning your program windowsmaximized. However, Windowsgives you a quick method to get tothe desktop. Right-click an emptysection of the taskbar and thenclick Show the Desktop.
Desktop Trick!If you frequently use the WindowsVista desktop to store your programshortcuts, the desktop can quicklybecome a jumble of icons thatmake it difficult to find the shortcutyou want. To solve this problem,right-click an empty spot on thedesktop, click Sort By and then clickName. This sorts the shortcutsalphabetically by name.
Chapter 1: Make Windows Vista Faster and More Efficient 5
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1 Click Start.
2 Right-click Computer.
3 Click Properties.
ADJUST VISUAL EFFECTSfor best performanceYou can turn off some or all of the visual effects thatWindows Vista uses to display screen elements. Thisreduces the load on your computer, which improvesthe overall performance of your machine.
These visual effects include the animation WindowsVista uses when you minimize or maximize a window.For example, when you minimize a window, itappears to shrink down to the taskbar. Such effectsare designed to help a novice user better understandwhat is happening on their computer.
For graphics in general, and the visual effects inparticular, performance is mostly determined by the
amount of memory on the graphics adapter. This isa circuit board inside your computer that processesthe graphical data generated by Windows Vistaand displayed on your monitor. The more memoryon the adapter, the faster it can process the visualeffects.
Most new computers have a decent amount ofadapter memory — at least 32MB — so turning offvisual effects will have little impact on performance.If your adapter has 8MB or less, turning off visualeffects can improve performance.
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Computer
The System window appears.
4 Click Advanced System Settings.
Note: If the User Account Controldialog box appears, click Continueor type an administrator passwordand click Submit.
The System Properties dialog boxappears.
5 Click the Advanced tab.
6 In the Performance area, clickSettings.
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The PerformanceOptions dialog boxappears.
7 Click the Adjust for bestperformance option( changes to ).
8 Click OK to return tothe System Propertiesdialog box.
Windows Vista turns offthe visual effects.
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9 Click OK.
The System Properties dialog box closes.
0 Click the Close box.
Customize It!If you prefer to turn off only certainvisual effects, click the Adjust forbest appearance option in step 7( changes to ) to ensure all theeffects are activated. Click the Customoption ( changes to ) and thenclick the check box for each visual effectyou want to turn off ( changes to ).
Did You Know?If you do not know how much memory yourgraphics adapter has, Windows Vista can tellyou. Follow steps 1 to 3 to display theSystem window, and then click the WindowsExperience Index link. In the PerformanceInformation and Tools window that appears,click the View and print details link. TheDedicated graphics memory value tells youthe amount of memory in your graphicsadapter.
Chapter 1: Make Windows Vista Faster and More Efficient
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1 Click Start.
2 Right-click Computer.
3 Click Properties.
Ensure Windows Vista isOPTIMIZED FOR PROGRAMSYou can set an option that ensures Windows Vistamaximizes the performance of your programs. Thisoption controls processor scheduling in WindowsVista.
The processor (or CPU) is the chip inside yourmachine that coordinates all the computer’s activity;some call it the brain of the computer. Processor
scheduling determines how much time the processorallocates to the computer’s activities. In particular,processor scheduling differentiates between theforeground program — the program in which you are
currently working — and background programs —programs that perform tasks, such as printing orbacking up, while you work in another program.
Memory (or RAM) is a set of chips inside yourcomputer that constitute the work area of the machine.Programs and files are loaded from the hard driveinto memory. Windows Vista sets aside a portion ofmemory as the system cache, which holds recentlyused data for faster access. In terms of memory
usage, the bigger the system cache, the less memoryis available for your programs, which can reduceperformance.
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Computer
The System window appears.
4 Click Advanced System Settings.
Note: If the User Account Controldialog box appears, click Continueor type an administrator passwordand click Submit.
The System Properties dialog boxappears.
5 Click the Advanced tab.
6 In the Performance area, clickSettings.
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The PerformanceOptions dialog boxappears.
7 Click the Advanced tab.
8 In the Processorscheduling area, clickthe Programs option( changes to ).
9 Click OK to return tothe System Propertiesdialog box.
Windows Vista appliesthe performancesettings.
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0 Click OK.
! Click the Close box.
The System Properties dialog box closes.
Did You Know?There are circumstances where you may bebetter off clicking the Background services option ( changes to ) in the Advanced tab of thePerformance Options dialog box. Specifically, if youoften use programs that typically perform a great dealof work in the background, you can benefit from thischoice. Good examples are the Windows Vista Backupprogram and Windows Update, both of which performprocessor-intensive tasks in the background, and sowould perform faster if given more processor cycles.
Did You Know?If you do not know what kind of processor or howmuch memory your computer has, Windows Vista cantell you. Follow steps 1 to 3 to display the Systemwindow and then click the Windows ExperienceIndex link. In the Performance Information and Toolswindow that appears, click the View and print detailslink. In the Details column, read the Processor andMemory (RAM) values. See Task #10 to learn how todetermine your system rating.
Chapter 1: Make Windows Vista Faster and More Efficient
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SPEED UP YOUR SYSTEM WITH
FLASH DRIVE MEMORY
1 Insert a flash drive into a USBport on your computer.
The AutoPlay dialog boxappears.
2 Click the Speed up my systemoption.
Windows Vista configuresSuperFetch to use the flashdrive’s memory.
IMPROVE PERFORMANCEwith a USB flash driveIf you add a USB flash drive to your computer,Windows Vista can use the memory on that drive toimprove the performance of your system. WindowsVista uses a technology named SuperFetch to boostsystem performance. SuperFetch tracks the programsand data you use over time to create a kind of profileof your hard drive usage. Using this profile,SuperFetch can then anticipate the data that youmight use in the near future. It would then load(fetch) that data into memory ahead of time. If thatdata was indeed what your system required, thenperformance would increase because Vista would nothave to retrieve the data from your hard drive.
However, SuperFetch goes even further by also usingVista’s new ReadyBoost technology. If you insert aUSB 2.0 flash drive (also called a memory key) intoyour system, Windows Vista asks you if you want touse the device to speed up your system. If you electto do this, SuperFetch will use that drive’s capacityas storage for the data that SuperFetch anticipatesyou will require. This frees up the system memorythat SuperFetch would otherwise use for storage, andmore available memory means better performancefor Windows Vista and your programs.
CONFIGURE THE AMOUNT OF FLASH
DRIVE MEMORY USED BY WINDOWS
1 Click Start.
2 Click Computer.
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The Computer windowappears.
3 Click the flash driveicon.
4 Click Properties.
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The drive’s Properties dialog box appears.
5 Click the ReadyBoost tab.
6 Click and drag the slider to set theamount of drive memory Vista sets asidefor SuperFetch.
7 Click OK.
Did You Know?If you have two USB flash drives and yourcomputer has two available USB ports, youcan insert both flash drives and tell WindowsVista to use them both to speed up yoursystem. You should also know that youprobably will not see much improvementin performance if your system has at least1GB of RAM, because SuperFetch does notneed extra space when it has that muchmemory available.
Reverse It!If you decide later on that you want to usethe flash drive’s full capacity for file storage,you can tell Windows Vista not to use thedrive to augment SuperFetch. Click Start,Computer, click the flash drive, and thenclick Properties. Click the ReadyBoost taband then click the Do not use this deviceoption ( changes to ). Click OK to putthe new setting into effect.
Chapter 1: Make Windows Vista Faster and More Efficient
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1 Click Start.
2 Click All Programs.
Run a program withELEVATED PRIVILEGESIf you need to perform advanced tasks in a program,you may need to run that program with elevatedprivileges.
Windows Vista implements a new security modelnamed user account control (UAC). The basic ideabehind this new security strategy is that you havepermission to perform only a few day-to-day Windowstasks, such as moving and copying files. For moreambitious tasks that could affect the security of thesystem, Windows Vista asks you to provide credentialsto prove that the task is not being performed by avirus program or other malicious software.
The credentials you provide depend on the type ofaccount you have. If you have an administrator
account, you click Continue in the User Account Controldialog box; if you have a standard user account, youhave to provide an administrator password.
However, this security model falls short when youneed to perform certain actions. For example, if youedit a file in one of the Windows Vista protectedfolders, you will receive a Permission Denied errorwhen you try to save your changes.
To work around such problems, you need to start theprogram you are using with elevated privileges. Thistells Vista to run the program as though you wereusing the Administrator account, the highest-levelaccount on your system, and the only account thatdoes not need to provide credentials.
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3 Open the Start menu folderthat contains the icon of theprogram you want to run.
l For example, to run theCommand Prompt withelevated privileges, clickAccessories.
4 Right-click the program icon(for example, the CommandPrompt icon).
5 Click Run as administrator.
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The User AccountControl dialog boxappears.
6 Click Continue.
If you have a standarduser account, type thepassword for anadministrator and thenclick Submit, instead.
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Windows Vista runs the program withelevated privileges.
Did You Know?If you have a program that you use frequently andyou normally run it with elevated privileges, youcan tell Windows Vista to always run the programelevated. Follow steps 1 to 3 in this task to findthe program icon, right-click the icon, and thenclick Properties. Click the Compatibility tab, clickthe Run this program as an administrator checkbox ( changes to ), and then click OK.
Caution!When you run a program with elevated privileges, itnot only enables you to perform otherwise forbiddentasks using the program, but the program itself canperform tasks that programs are usually preventedfrom doing (at least until you enter your credentialsto allow them access to the system). Becauseelevated programs can perform forbidden tasks, onlyelevate privileges for programs you know and trust.Otherwise, you might inadvertently give a virus orTrojan horse program complete access to your system.
Chapter 1: Make Windows Vista Faster and More Efficient
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1 Click Start.
2 Click Control Panel.
The Control Panel windowappears.
3 Click System and Maintenance.
Make your file searches RUN FASTERYou can add folders to the Windows Search engine’sindex, which makes your file searches in thosefolders run noticeably faster.
Having a lot of data is certainly not a bad thing, butfinding the file you want among all that data can getfrustrating. Fortunately, the Windows Vista Searchfeature can help by enabling you to search for filesbased on name, content, size, and more.
This works well if what you are looking for is in yourmain user account folder or one of its subfolders(such as Documents, Pictures, and Music). This is
because Windows Vista automatically indexes thosefolders, which means it keeps a detailed record of thecontents of all your files. Using this index, the Searchfeature can find files up to a hundred times fasterthan without an index.
However, if you have files in a different location,Windows Vista does not index them, so searchingthose files is very time-consuming. You candramatically speed up the searching of those files byadding their location to the Search index.
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The System and Maintenancewindow appears.
4 Click Indexing Options.
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The Indexing Optionsdialog box appears.
5 Click Modify.
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6 Show all locations.
Note: If the User Account Control dialog boxappears, click Continue or type anadministrator password and click Submit.
The Indexed Locations dialog boxappears.
7 Click the folder you want to include in theindex.
l The folder appears in the list of includedlocations.
8 Click OK.
9 Click Close.
Windows Vista includes the folder in theindex and begins rebuilding the index.
Note: See Task #36 to learn how to runadvanced searches in Windows Vista.
Did You Know?If Windows Vista takes a long time tosearch or cannot find your files, youmay need to rebuild the index. Followsteps 1 to 5 to display the IndexingOptions dialog box and activate theglobal settings. Click Advanced to displaythe Advanced Options dialog box, andthen click Rebuild.
Caution!The catalog created by the IndexingService can use up hundreds ofmegabytes of hard drive space. To movethe catalog to a hard drive with morespace, follow steps 1 to 5 to display theIndexing Options dialog box and activatethe global settings. Click Advanced todisplay the Advanced Options dialog box.Click Move, select a new location, andthen click OK.
Chapter 1: Make Windows Vista Faster and More Efficient
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1 Click Start.
2 Click Control Panel.
HEAR AN ALERTwhen you press the Caps Lock keyYou can adjust a setting that tells Windows Vista tobeep your computer’s speaker whenever you pressthe Caps Lock key.
When you are typing quickly, it is common toaccidentally press the Caps Lock key instead of eitherShift, Tab, or A. As you probably know, when youinadvertently press Caps Lock, it may be a whilebefore you realize it. This means that you end upwith a great deal of typing that has the capital lettersreversed. Not only must you delete this text, but youmust also retype it with the correct letters, all ofwhich wastes valuable time.
To save all the time it takes to fix mistakes causedby accidentally pressing Caps Lock, you can configureWindows Vista to beep your computer’s speakerwhen you press Caps Lock. This alerts you that CapsLock is now activated, so you can immediately pressthe key again to deactivate it and continue with yourwork after only a short interruption. It is alsopossible to quickly disable the Caps Lock alert forthose times when you need to use the Caps Lockfeature.
Control Panel
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The Control Panel windowappears.
3 Click Ease of Access.
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The Ease of AccessCenter windowappears.
4 Click Change how yourkeyboard works.
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5 Click the Turn on Toggle Keys check box( changes to ).
6 Click Save.
7 Click the Close box to close the Ease ofAccess Center window.
Windows alerts you with a tone when youpress the Caps Lock key.
Did You Know?You can turn off Toggle Keys byholding down the Num Lock key forfive seconds, until you hear a beep. Toturn it back on, hold down Num Lockfor five seconds, until you see theToggle Keys dialog box. Click OK toturn Toggle Keys on; click Cancel toleave Toggle Keys off.
Did You Know?Many of today’s keyboards come withsettings that enable you to disableCaps Lock. To check for such a setting,click Start, Control Panel, Hardwareand Sound, and then Keyboard todisplay the Keyboard Properties dialogbox. Look for a tab named KeySettings or something similar and thenlook for a Caps Lock option that youcan turn off.
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1 Right-click Start.
2 Click Properties.
DISPLAY MORE PROGRAMSon your Start menuYou can customize the Start menu to display more ofthe programs you use most often.
The list displaying your most-frequently usedprograms appears on the bottom-left side of theStart menu, above All Programs. As you work withyour programs, Windows Vista keeps track of howmany times you launch each one. The programs thatyou have launched most often appear on the Startmenu for easy, two-click access. These programsappear at the top of the list, followed by the next
most-often-used programs, and so on. When anotherprogram becomes popular, Windows Vista drops thebottom program and adds the new one.
Unfortunately, the default Start menu shows justthe six most popular programs. If you find thatsome of your regular programs are constantly gettingdropped from the Start menu, you can increase thesize of the list to force Windows Vista to displaymore programs.
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The Taskbar and Start MenuProperties dialog box appears.
3 Click the Start Menu tab.
4 Click Customize.
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The Customize StartMenu dialog boxappears.
5 Type the number ofprograms you wantto see.
Note: The maximumnumber of programsis 30.
6 Click OK to returnto the Taskbar andStart Menu Propertiesdialog box.
7 Click OK.
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l Windows Vista adjusts the size of the Startmenu’s most-frequently used program list.
More Options!The height of the Start menu is restrictedby the height of your screen. To displaymore Start menu items without changingthe screen height, follow steps 1 to 4 toopen the Customize Start Menu dialogbox. In the list, click to uncheck the Uselarge icons check box ( changes to ),and then click OK. Using smaller iconsenables more items to appear on theStart menu.
Customize It!If you want to get even more items onthe Start menu, you can change theheight of your screen by increasing thescreen resolution. Right-click the desktop,click Personalize, and then click DisplaySettings. In the Display Settings dialogbox, click and drag the Resolution sliderto the right, and then click OK.
Chapter 1: Make Windows Vista Faster and More Efficient
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1 Right-click Start.
2 Click Properties.
LAUNCH CONTROLPANEL ICONSfaster by using a menuYou can quickly access items in the Control Panel byconverting the Start menu’s Control Panel item into amenu.
Control Panel is the Windows Vista customizationshop, with more than 50 icons. Using these icons,you can customize and modify features such asaccessibility, the display, folders and fonts, theInternet, and user accounts. You can install anduninstall programs and devices, and you can tweakspecific devices such as game controllers, thekeyboard, the mouse, the modem, printers,scanners, and more.
The longer you use Windows Vista, the more youappreciate the Control Panel. The problem, however,is that the default Control Panel window uses acategory view that groups the Control Panel iconsinto categories, such as System and Maintenance,Security, and Appearance and Personalization. Thatview hampers more experienced users, who mustoften negotiate several windows to get to the iconthey want. Converting the Start menu’s Control Panelitem into a menu on the Start menu enables you toeasily find and choose any Control Panel item.
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The Taskbar and Start MenuProperties dialog box appears.
3 Click the Start Menu tab.
4 Click Customize.
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The Customize StartMenu dialog boxappears.
5 In the list of Start menuitems, under ControlPanel, click the Displayas a menu option ( changes to ).
6 Click OK to return tothe Taskbar and StartMenu Properties dialogbox.
7 Click OK.
Display as a menu
Control Panel
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8 Click Start.
9 Click Control Panel.
l A menu of the Control Panel itemsappears.
l If the entire menu does not fit on yourscreen, position the mouse here toexpand the menu.
More Options!There are other Start menu items that youcan display as menus. Follow steps 1 to 5to display the Customize Start Menudialog box. The following branches have aDisplay as a menu option that you canclick ( changes to ): Computer,Documents, Games, Music, Personal folder,and Pictures.
More Options!For easier access to some of yourdocuments, follow steps 1 to 5 to displaythe Customize Start Menu dialog box. Clickthe Favorites menu check box ( changesto ) to display a menu of Internet Explorerfavorites. Click OK to return to the Startmenu tab. Click the Store and display a listof recently opened files check box (changes to ) to display a list of the 15documents you have used most recently.
Chapter 1: Make Windows Vista Faster and More Efficient
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1 Click Start.
2 Click Control Panel.
The Control Panel windowappears.
UPDATE A DEVICE DRIVERto ensure top device performanceYou can ensure that a device is working at optimumperformance by updating the device’s driver to thelatest version.
Windows Vista acts as a go-between for you andyour programs and the hardware devices on yoursystem. For example, when you press a key on yourkeyboard, Windows Vista accepts the keystroke andeither displays it on screen (if you are typing) or runsa command (if you pressed a shortcut key).
Windows Vista communicates with a hardware deviceby using a small program called a device driver, and
this communication works two ways: from the deviceand to the device. For example, a keyboard uses itsdevice driver to let Windows Vista know which keyyou pressed.
Hardware manufacturers often create new versions oftheir device drivers to fix problems and improve thedevice’s performance. For these reasons, it is a goodidea to always use the latest device drivers for yoursystem’s hardware. After you download a new driverfrom the manufacturer’s Web site, you then need toupdate the existing driver on your system.
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Control Panel
3 Click System and Maintenance.
The System and Maintenancewindow appears.
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4 Click Device Manager.
Note: If the User AccountControl dialog boxappears, click Continueor type an administratorpassword and clickSubmit.
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The Device Manager window appears.
5 Click the device you want to update.
Check It Out!Windows Vista has a new feature that enablesyou to quickly update the drivers of thosedevices that were not installed properly on yoursystem. Click Start, All Programs, Accessories,Welcome Center, and then double-click Set updevices. (If you do not see this icon, click theShow all X items link.) If the User AccountControl dialog box appears, click Continue ortype an administrator password and clickSubmit.
Did You Know?If you have a device that is performing slowlyor is having problems, the cause may be acorrupted device driver file. In most cases, youcan fix this problem by reinstalling the device’sdriver. Follow the steps in this task and, whenit is time to select the driver, select the originaldriver, which is usually on the CD that camewith the device.
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6 Click the Update Driver Softwarebutton.
UPDATE A DEVICE DRIVERto ensure top device performanceMost device manufacturers offer a Web site whereyou can download the latest drivers, but it helps toknow how to navigate these sites.
Look for an area of the site dedicated to driverdownloads. The good sites have links to areas namedDownloads or Drivers, but it is far more common tofirst have to go through a Support or CustomerService area.
Go through each step the site provides. For example,it is common to have to select an overall driver
category, and then a device category, and then a linecategory, and then the specific model you have.
When you get to the device’s download page, becareful which file you choose. Make sure that it is aWindows Vista driver, and make sure that you arenot downloading a utility program or some othernon-driver file.
When you finally get to download the file, save it toyour computer. The best location is your useraccount’s Downloads folder.
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The Update Driver Softwaredialog box appears.
7 Click Browse my computer fordriver software.
Note: If you have a CD with thedevice driver, insert the disc andclick Search automatically forupdated driver software, instead.
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The Browse for driversoftware on yourcomputer dialog boxappears.
8 Type the locationof the folder whereyou saved thedownloaded driver.
l Alternatively, clickBrowse, use the Browsefor Folder dialog boxto select the folder, andthen click OK.
9 Click Next.
Windows Vista installsthe driver.
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0 Click Close.
! Click the Close box to close DeviceManager.
Windows Vista now uses the updateddevice driver.
Reverse It!The latest device drivers are usually themost stable and bug-free. However, youmay occasionally find that updating adevice driver causes problems. In thatcase, you need to roll back the driver tothe previous version. Follow steps 1 to 4to display Device Manager, and thendouble-click your device. Click the Drivertab and then click the Roll Back Driverbutton.
Remove It!When you remove a device from yoursystem, Windows Vista usually recognizesthat the device is no longer part of thesystem and it uninstalls the device’sdriver. However, Windows Vista willsometimes not realize the device is goneand continue to load the driver. If thishappens, follow steps 1 to 4 to displayDevice Manager, right-click the device,and then click Uninstall.
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