Windows Vista 101 Training

Comcast’s Windows Vista 101 Training

By: Robert A Bernard Jr.

Table of ContentsWindows Vista 101 Training..................................................................................171. Introduction..........................................................................................................172. Microsoft System Requirement....................................................................19

2.1. Windows Vista minimum supported system requirements.......192.1.1. Home Basic / Home Premium / Business / Ultimate............19

2.2. Windows Vista recommended system requirements...................202.2.1. Home Basic...........................................................................................202.2.2. Home Premium / Business / Ultimate........................................20

3. System Requirements Section......................................................................224. Run – IPCONFIG PING Commands.............................................................265. Internet & Mail settings..................................................................................315.1. Internet Settings.............................................................................................315.2. Mail Settings....................................................................................................336. Device Manager..................................................................................................387. Network Properties...........................................................................................408. How to perform System Restore..................................................................449. Add & Remove Programs................................................................................4710. Compatible Drivers (Network Cards & Wireless Adapters).........49

cNet 100/10 Mbps Fast Ethernet Cardbus Adapter (PCMCIA) CNF401 -....................................................................................................................49CP Technologies USB 10/100 Ethernet Adapter (USB) CP-USB-RJ45 - 49BPI 100Base-TX Ethernet PC Card (PCMCIA) BNP832TXU................50SMC Wireless Cardbus Adapter 802.11g 54Mbps (PCMCIA) SMCWCB-G –............................................................................................................51NETGEAR 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card (PCMCIA) WG511....................53SMC USB Wireless Adapter 802.11b/g (USB) SMC2862W-G..............53WalledGarden..........................................................................................................54

Windows Vista 101 Training

1.IntroductionWindows Vista is the new operating system from Microsoft. This

operating system comes in four different flavors, with two choices between each flavor. Each flavor has an upgrade version and a full version.

The four flavors of Vista are:

Windows Home Basic (Retail: Upgrade $99 Full $199)

Windows Home Premium (Retail: Upgrade $160 Full $240)

Windows Vista Business (Retail: Upgrade $199 Full $299)

Confidential Page 4 4/8/2023Robert A Bernard Jr.

Windows Vista Ultimate (Retail: Upgrade $260 Full $399)

Windows Vista Basic is a strip-down version of Vista, so it does not have the Aero or Glass graphics. While the other versions of vista have the necessary components that make up the Vista experience as intended by the programmers at Microsoft. As you go higher in the version list you will find the operating system to be more robust.

Windows Vista Premium is the first version which has those components. This operating system was design for the full experience of Vista at home. The next is Windows Vista Business which was design with the business in mind. And finally we have the Windows Vista Ultimate which has all the components from all previous versions here mention plus more.

The following information was provided as quick guide to help you learn the basis of Windows Vista. As in all Operating Systems there are multiple ways to get to any location within the operating system. I have describe in this book some examples on how to get to a particular location within the operating system but it does not mean that they are the only way to get to that particular section. Or that they are the best way to get to them. This is a matter of debate and as you get yourself familiar with this operating system, you will find other ways to get to different locations within the operation system that may be the best way for you but not necessarily the best way for someone else.


2.Microsoft System Requirement

The Microsoft System Requirement for Vista could be found at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/editions/systemrequirements.mspx

When upgrading an older computer system to Windows Vista, Microsoft has created what they call the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor which can be downloaded from http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/buyorupgrade/upgradeadvisor.mspx

2.1. Windows Vista minimum supported system requirements

2.1.1. Home Basic / Home Premium / Business / Ultimate

800 MHz processor and 512 MB of system memory

20 GB hard drive with at least 15 GB of available space

Support for Super VGA graphics


http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/buyorupgrade/upgradeadvisor.mspx

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/buyorupgrade/upgradeadvisor.mspx

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/editions/systemrequirements.mspx

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/editions/systemrequirements.mspx

CD-ROM drive

2.2. Windows Vista recommended system requirements

2.2.1. Home Basic

1 GHz 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor

512 MB of system memory


Support for DirectX 9 graphics and 32 MB of graphics memory

DVD-ROM drive

Audio Output

Internet access (fees may apply)

Additional Requirements:Actual requirements and product functionality may vary based

on your system configuration. Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor can


help you determine which features and edition of Windows Vista will run on your computer.

2.2.2. Home Premium / Business / Ultimate

1 GHz 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor

1 GB of system memory


Support for DirectX 9 graphics with:

WDDM Driver

128 MB of graphics memory (minimum)

Pixel Shader 2.0 in hardware

32 bits per pixel

DVD-ROM drive

Audio Output

Internet access (fees may apply)

Additional RequirementsActual requirements and product functionality may vary based on your system configuration. Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor can help you determine which features and edition of Windows Vista will run on your computer.

Home Premium / UltimateTV tuner card required for TV functionality (compatible remote control optional).

Home Premium / Business / Ultimate


Windows Tablet and Touch Technology requires a Tablet PC or a touch screen.

UltimateWindows BitLocker Drive Encryption requires a USB Flash Drive and a system with a TPM 1.2 chip.

3.System Requirements Section

On this section you will find the system requirements page in Windows Vista. This section helps you pre-qualify the computer system before the install could take place.

The following is a step-by-step instruction on how to get to this section within Windows Vista.


3.1. Click on Start Button

3.2. Right click on My Computer and left click on Properties


3.3. Now you have the System windowIn the system window you will find the information which was

classically found under Windows XP by right-clicking on the My Computer icon found on the desktop. The difference with Vista is that it provides a lot more information the windows XP.

In the Windows edition section you find the version of Windows installed and just below it you will find a link for upgrading Vista online.


In the System section you also will find the Processor type, Memory RAM and the system type (32 or 64 bit).

Also you will find the rating score of the computer. Windows Vista performs a system test which produces a Windows Experience Index Score. This score is base on a rating 1 through 10, 1 been the lowest and 10 been the highest.

By clicking on the Windows Experience Index link you will find detail information on all the specific ratings.

As you can see windows picks the lowest score and makes that the computer score. So you could have a rating of 10 in mostly all but if you have a score of 1 in one of the other components then your computer score is a 1.


And finally at the bottom of the window you will find the Computer name, domain and workgroup settings alone with the activation status and product key. In that section you could change the product key, something that could not be done in previous versions of XP.


4.Run – IPCONFIG PING CommandsIn order to use the Run button you must first turn on this feature in Windows Vista.

To do this you must:

4.1. Click on the Start Button

4.2. Right click on any empty space on the panel to see the properties button then left click it


4.3. Click on Customize

4.4. Scroll down past pictures and you will see Run. Place a check mark on it and click ok


4.5. Then on the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties click ok

4.6. And now when you click on the Windows Vista button you will see the Run button

4.7. Now you can see the Run window


4.8. Type CMD and then click ok

4.9. Now you can see the Command window


4.10. You can type IPCONFIG /all to see the network information or use the Ping and trace commands to troubleshoot packet loss. You can also use the release and renew commands to deal with connectivity issues.


5.Internet & Mail settings

5.1. Internet Settings

The Internet Options windows could always be access from the Internet Explorer browser but I wanted to give you another way to access it in case you can not get to the browser.

The steps are as follows:

5.1.1.Click on the Start Button

5.1.2.Click on Control Panel


5.1.3.Click on Network and Internet

5.1.4.Click on Internet Options

5.1.5.And that should open your Internet Options window.


5.2. Mail SettingsOutlook Express Has change name in the new operating system. The new name is Windows Mail. But the actual software has not change a lot except in its appearance. To show you I have prepare a walkthrough.

The steps are as follows:

5.2.1.Click on the Start Button

5.2.2.Click on All Programs


5.2.3.Click on Windows Mail

5.2.4.Once Windows Mail is open then click on Tools and then Accounts


5.2.5.Click Add

5.2.6.Click Email account then Next


5.2.7.Type the customer’s name then next

5.2.8.Type customer’s email then Next


5.2.9.Select POP3 and type the POP and SMTP server names then click next

5.2.10. Type customer’s Username and password, place a check mark in Remember Password then click next


5.2.11. And now after this step you have completed to set up the customer’s email. Click Finish

6.Device ManagerTo find the device manager in Windows Vista, follow the following steps:

6.1. Click on the Start button

6.2. Click on Control Panel


6.3. Click on System and Maintenance

6.4. Scroll to the bottom of the System and Maintenance Page and click on Device Manager

6.5. You will get the Windows Vista permission window, click on continue and then you will see the device manager.


The permission window shows up every time a sensitive part of Windows Vista is been touch in any way. This is just a way for the operating system to let you know so you can decide if it is not you to block the access before damage could take place to the operating system.

7.Network PropertiesIn this section you will find Network information.

To get the Network Information follow these steps:


7.2. Right click on Network and left click on Properties


7.3. Now you have the Network and Sharing Center

Here you’ll find Network information as well as the sharing and Discovery section.

You can turn on and off options like:

Network Discovery

File Sharing

Public Folder Sharing

Printer Sharing

Password Protected Sharing

Media Sharing


In addition, if you look at the top left hand corner of this window you will find “Manage Network Connections”.

When you click there you will get the window that contains all the network cards on that particular computer system.

From this window you can right click the appropriate network card and you could disable and/or enable the card.


And if you double click on the network card, you could get to the Stack window.


8.How to perform System RestoreHere I will show you how to create a system restore point and how to restore it.

Make sure that before you do this the customer has his computer system backed up to prevent lost of data.


8.2. Click on Control Panel


8.3. Click on System and Maintenance

8.4. Click on System. Now you notice that we got to the System requirements page. This is just another way out of many to get to the system requirements page.

8.5. Now if you look at the top left hand side you will see System Protection. Click on System Protection


8.6. After you click continue on the permission window then you have the restore window open. You can click on Create to create a restore point or system restore to restore the Windows Vista to and earlier time


9.Add & Remove ProgramsHere I will show you how to get to the Add & Remove Programs section within

Windows Vista.

In Windows XP when you access this section you will notice that it takes a couple of second before you can see all the programs installed in the computer system.

In Windows Vista is a little different. The operating system will give you a result as it scans so you will notice that not all the programs will be there. If you don’t see the program you are looking for, just give it a couple of seconds until it finish scanning. After it is done then you will see the results.

To get to the Add & Remove programs window follow these steps:

9.1. Click on the Start Button

9.2. Click on the Control Panel


9.3. Click on Uninstall a program

9.4. Then just click on the program you want to uninstall and then click on Uninstall/change.


10. Compatible Drivers (Network Cards & Wireless Adapters)

Compatible cards are:

cNet 100/10 Mbps Fast Ethernet Cardbus Adapter (PCMCIA) CNF401 - Windows Vista found the drivers in its database and installed it without any problems. (Realtek Drivers) At the end just click the close button on the bottom right corner of the desktop (on top of the clock).

CP Technologies USB 10/100 Ethernet Adapter (USB) CP-USB-RJ45 - Worked after manually installing the drivers found at http://www.cptechusa.com/drivers/CP-USB-RJ45P.zip. Make sure you have the drivers in either a Thumb drive or a CD because the adapter only comes with the floppy disk. Most computers nowadays will not come with a floppy drive.

1. Plug-in the USB then I got:


http://www.cptechusa.com/drivers/CP-USB-RJ45P.zip

2. Click on “Locate and Install driver software. Then you get this window:

3. If you have the driver in a CD then click next, if not then click on the choice at the bottom with the green arrow “I don’t have a disk”. This will take you to the window where you will tell Vista the location of the driver (Thumb driver, etc…)

4. After if finishes loading the driver you will get the window that says I has been successfully installed. Just click close.

BPI 100Base-TX Ethernet PC Card (PCMCIA) BNP832TXU – Windows Vista found the drivers in its database and installed it without any problems. (Realtek Drivers)


SMC Wireless Cardbus Adapter 802.11g 54Mbps (PCMCIA) SMCWCB-G – After I inserted the Card in the PCMCIA slot I got this window:

1. I inserted the CD that came with the adapter.

2. Then selected the first choice “Locate and install driver” and got the Windows vista permission window. I click on continue.

3. The “Insert the disk window came up:


4. Click on Next5. After the progress bar finished then I got:

6. Click close then I got:


7. Click close and the driver for this card is installed successfully.

NETGEAR 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card (PCMCIA) WG511 - Windows Vista found the drivers in its database and installed it without any problems. (NETGEAR Drivers)

SMC USB Wireless Adapter 802.11b/g (USB) SMC2862W-G – After plugging the adapter in I got:


1. Place the CD inside the computer and then click on “Locate and install driver”

2. Click continue on the windows permission window and then you will get:

3. Click on Next and after it finished loading you click close and your driver is installed.

WalledGarden


Let me start by saying that I have tested both the CD and the WalledGarden server page. The software you download form the WalledGarden server page is exactly the same as the one found on the CD. My recommendation is that you want to use the WalledGarden server page download software as the primary way to installing the software and the CD as a backup way. The software was tested under the new operating system Windows Vista and it works perfectly.

I have found it to fail a couple of times and all you have to do is a combination of the following:

1. Restart the computer2. Reset the modem3. Uninstall/Reinstall the Comcast software


I hope everyone finds this book handy but if you should have any questions or problems with the material, please email me at [email protected]


mailto:[email protected]

Windows Vista 101 Training

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