What to do with your 1st hour in Windows Vista

Download the original article from Windows Vista: The Official Magazine, Issue 1.
(PDF Format, 4516kb)
Requires Adobe Reader.

Alternatively, buy the issue here.

Welcome!

Making Windows Vista look the way you want is easy, thanks to the way its display settings are organised. Click Show all… in the Getting Started section of the Welcome Centre, then select Personalise Windows to begin.

The Welcome screen gives you a few pointers to get you started

Change the view

Click Desktop Background to choose a new background from the variety of images on offer. Then follow the Screen Saver link to replace the Windows logo with something more entertaining – or disable it altogether.

You get a series of tasteful desktop backgrounds, in standard and widescreen sizes

Adjust Your Icons

If the desktop looks a little bare with nothing more than the Recycle Bin, then click Change desktop icons to give it a little company. Here you may choose to add other icons, perhaps to your documents, Control Panel or computer.

You can garnish your desktop with icons of your own choosing

Connect to the Internet

If you’re connected to the internet through a network or router, you should already have a connection; if not, click Connect to the Internet from the Welcome Center and follow the steps to restore your internet connection.

It's easy to set up a new connection to the web

Add some gadgets

Open Windows Sidebar from the Start menu and click the + symbol at the top to see the available gadgets. Drag them on to the sidebar or the desktop – I like to have the Calendar on the Sidebar and Weather on the desktop.

The weather gadget is great - if you take it off the sidebar.

Go further

Click Get more gadgets online for a wider range; you get everything from news headlines to a voodoo doll. If you want the Sidebar to appear when you start your PC, right-click the + symbol in the bottom right and choose Properties.

There are new gadgets arriving almost daily.

Add to del.icio.us | Digg This Article | Add to StumbleUpon