Imagine being seconds away from updating Windows XP to Windows Vista, and the worst happens: a power cut; lightning strikes your house; aliens land on the roof; or more mundanely, your hard drive fails. No matter how unlikely it is that anything will go wrong, I’d never risk all my photos, emails and other mementos on the chance, particularly when it’s so easy to protect them using Windows Backup. You’ll find this in Start > All Programs > Accessories, though if you’re running Windows XP Home, then you’ll need to install the utility first – you’ll find it in the VALUEADD\MSFT\NTBACKUP folder on the installation CD. If you want an even easier option, dumping My Documents and any personal folders on a DVD or CD, takes less than half an hour.
Be it lightning, a power cut or an alien attack, it’s worth backing up before you run Windows Vista
Fight the temptation to tidy up My Documents before backing up – just be selective when you restore the data. Check where more obscure programs store files by checking their File > Save menu, and don’t forget ‘save points’ for games. They’re usually in their folders in Program Files. If you’ve bought online applications, then grab the keys/passwords for these as well (and the actual files). And if other members of your household use the same machine, then you’ll need to do all of this for each account.
The manual approach isn’t the only choice, though. Windows Vista introduces Windows Easy Transfer, a new program that makes it really easy to copy all the important settings over. While you can use it to get files off an old computer and on to your new Windows Vista machine – either by connecting their USB ports with an Easy Transfer cable, or connecting them both to a home network – you can also use it to back up a PC before installing Windows Vista on it.
It doesn’t support every program, and you’ll still need to reinstall lots of stuff once you’ve got your new system in place. But it’s a lot easier than painstakingly tracking down long-forgotten set-up details.
Getting Started
Why transfer settings manually when Windows Easy Transfer makes it easier? Place the Windows Vista disc in your old system, wait for the Install Windows screen to appear, and click Transfer files and settings from another computer.
Windows Easy Transfer ensures a smooth transition for your files
To Transfer
Click Next > Close All, if necessary, to close any running programs. Next, choose how you’ll be transferring data. An Easy Transfer Cable is best, but we’ll demonstrate another simple solution, which is to Use a CD, DVD or other removable media
We recommend saving your files to a DVD, although there are other options
Pick a drive
Easy Transfer can use USB flash drives, or a network drive that your PC can access, but if you don’t have either, then click CD (which can also mean DVD). Pick a CD or DVD writer from the list, and password protect your files if others might access them.
Unless you’re extremely suspicious or a secret agent, there’s no real need for password protecting your files.
What files?
Decide what you want to move. You can click All user accounts, files, and settings to transfer the lot, but that requires lots of space – ideally a network drive. We’re using DVDs, so click Advanced options and we can be more selective.
Just like moving home, there’s no need to take everything with you. Click advanced and select what you really need.
Which settings?
You’ll now see a tree of every group of files and settings that Easy Transfer can move, with their total size displayed bottom right. Browse the list, clearing the check boxes next to entries you don’t need, until they’ll fit on a reasonable number of DVDs
Don’t be a pack rat; just take what you use.
Burn data
Place a blank, writeable CD or DVD in the drive you specified earlier, and click Next. Windows Easy Transfer will copy the checked files and settings on to the disc – prompting you to replace it with another if you need more than one.
You can always use more than one DVD, if need be.
At the new PC
Put the first disc in a drive. Click Start (the round logo where the Start button used to be) > Computer, then choose the drive containing your disc. Doubleclick on the Migration store file it contains to import the transferred data and settings.
Just put in the disc and you’re away.
Who are you?
Your PC may not have the same user account names as your old one (maybe you were &
lsquo;Jane Smith’, but are now just ‘Jane’), so you’re asked which new accounts should be used for each old one you’re moving. Pick an account from the list and click Next.
Dozens of things refer to your user account name, so keep it sensible.
Let’s do it
Click Transfer and leave the PC to it, switching discs as prompted. When complete, click Show me everything that was transferred if you want a list of every file and Registry setting added or changed. Otherwise click Close and you’ve finished.
All done. Read the transfer report, make sure things are fine, and then you’re away!
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1. Add a gadget
Stay up to date with the latest news by adding a gadget in your Sidebar. Arsenal FC are developing their own, coming soon to www.arsenal.com. Leeds aren’t as progressive, so I rely on the BBC. By going to www.bbc.co.uk/football in Internet Explorer 7 and clicking the Sports Feeds link, I can select the Football feed. Clicking subscribe adds it to my list of favourite feeds.
Next, click the plus symbol at the top, select Feed Headlines and choose the BBC Football feed from the gadget’s tools menu, which gives the latest headlines and scores.
2. Talk to fans
Join an interactive forum and discuss the club’s progress with other diehard fans. Many sides have official forums on their web sites, but the most interesting debates are often in the unofficial forums. I’ve found the members at www.leedsunitedforum.co.uk to be a small but passionate community. For a more general chat with a wider audience, large sites such as www.thefootballforum.net are excellent.
3. Run the team yourself
If you’re tired of managers making duff decisions, why not grab hold of the reins yourself? Football Manager 2007 helps you pretend. Find out more at www.footballmanager.net.
4. Listen to commentary
There are a fair few amateur radio efforts knocking around. I enjoy the banter between two English expats in America in the Soccer Shout Podcast – soccershout.com – so I’ve subscribed via RSS using a free program called Juice (juicereceiver.sourceforge.net).
To do it yourself, download the program and run it, click Add Feed, and enter the address of the podcast’s feed you found in Internet Explorer (in this case soccershout.com/rss). Add as many feeds as you like and then simply click Check for new podcasts to update them all.
5. Get news to your inbox
If email’s more your bag, The Guardian produces a daily football newsletter called The Fiver, so called because it arrives at around 5pm on Monday to Friday. I find it’s a humorous look at the day’s machinations, and it enjoys a wide audience – not just in this country, but across the world.
Head to football.guardian.co.uk/fiver for the latest issue and details on how to subscribe.
Mike Channel contributes to Windows Vista: The Official Magazine, and is works on PC Format.
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Dreading your quarterly phone bill? Then you should consider ditching the landline for a phone that saves you money by routing your calls over the internet. Once the money-saving secret of computer experts, internet phones have now hit the mainstream market – you can even buy them from Tesco (buy.tescointernetphone.com).
These phones have the advantage of offering cheap or even free calls but, in the past, audio quality wasn’t always particularly good. The technology has improved, though, and call quality is getting closer to that of a traditional phone.
Also known as VoIP phones, which stands for Voice over Internet Protocol, internet phones are becoming a plausible alternative to a landline phone and, depending on the volume of calls you make, they can offer substantial savings.
VoIP technology is steadily replacing traditional phones in business and, increasingly, in the home – although you’ll need a broadband connection to take advantage of the technology. The key benefit of VoIP services is that PC-to-PC calls are cheap or free, providing your contact is using the same VoIP software as you. This means that you can call anybody, anywhere for nothing.
We took two comparable units from the same manufacturer. The Philips CD5351S DECT Phone is a traditional landline phone that retails for around £50, while the Philips VOIP 433 Dual Phone offers both DECT and VoIP, but at a £20-odd higher tag. So will placing your calls over the internet provide you with savings that offset the cost of the handset? That depends on who you call and how many calls you make.
Philips VOIP 422 Dual Phone | Price £72 | www.philips.co.uk
Landline phones are ideal for short local or even national calls. If you make international calls regularly, however, you’ll find the numbers don’t make quite such happy reading. Calling abroad for long periods from a landline is still expensive, and this is where VoIP can offer big savings.
Philips CD5351S DECT Phone | Price £50 | www.philips.co.uk
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Palm Treo 750v
Price £0-213 with contract | www.palm.com
The latest incarnation of the Treo has lost its distinctive aerial, opting instead for a more convenient internal version as part of a handsome design update. Running on Windows Mobile 5.2, the 750v connects to Windows Vista using Windows Mobile Device Center and includes updated Bluetooth, a mini-SD card slot, a 1.3-megapixel camera and a 300MHz processor. The integrated keyboard means it’s great for sending email on the move. The bottom line Building on previous success, the Palm Treo remains the business smartphone of choice.
The bottom line
Building on the previous success, the Palm Treo remains the business smartphone of choice
Samsung i320
Just 11.5mm thick and 95g in weight, which is excellent for a smartphone. Runs Windows Mobile 5, so it’s easy to connect to your PC.
T-Mobile MDA Vario II
Supporting just about every form of wireless data connection, you’ll always be in touch.
O2 XDA Mini S
Another great Windows device, the Mini S includes a small but useful fold-out keyboard for easier text entry.
Orange SPV C600
It looks like a normal phone, but it runs Windows Mobile inside so it’s easy to sync your contacts, email and more.
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In issue 2 of Windows Vista: The Official Magazine there was a guide to setting up and using voice recognition taken from Windows Vista Plain & Simple, published by Microsoft Press. If you’d like to buy the book, you can save 34% by buying online from the Amazon.co.uk Microsoft Press Store.
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On Sale: Now!
Windows Vista offers a host of new ways to enjoy your music, movies and photos, and in issue two we show you how. Whether you want to set up a wireless network so you can stream your entertainment around the house, or update your home with great new devices such as digital photo frames and surround-sound speakers, we explain what you need to know and how to get there without breaking the bank. Issue two also comes with a free DVD with the best new software to use with your Windows Vista PC.
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Make your laptop battery last more than one day
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We explain the different versions of Windows Vista so you can choose the one that’s best for you. We also show you how to get your PC ready for the install – or how to buy a new PC that suits your needs. Once you’re ready to go, you’ll find that our installation and set-up guides will get you up and running and enjoying the new programs and features in no time. And in the event that you run into any problems, our troubleshooting help and advice will see you through.
Buy this issue from myfavouritemagazines.co.uk
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Issue Samples
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If Windows Vista encounters an error or crashes that could be caused by faulty memory or a failing hard disk, it will schedule a check the next time Windows Vista starts. You can manually check your memory for errors by typing ‘memory’ into the Start menu search box and clicking Memory Diagnostics Tool. Windows Vista will then prompt to you restart your PC so it can run the test.
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Windows Vista features a brilliant “set it and forget it” back-up tool. Click Start > Control Panel. Select System and Maintenance and click Back Up and Restore Center. Click Back up Files and follow the wizard, making sure you choose a separate location for your backups, whether that’s CD, DVD, an external hard drive or other removable storage device.
Never lose a file again – Make sure you back-up regularly and thoroughly
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System Restore enables you to roll back Windows Vista to an earlier point in time without affecting your personal files. You can run it from within Windows Vista or in Safe mode by clicking Start > Control Panel > System and Maintenance > System, clicking System Protection and clicking System Restore. You can also run it from the Repair your computer menu on your installation disc.
Blast from the past – If you’re having problems and can’t understand why, you can roll back to a previous state when things were fine
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