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Did you miss the first three parts of this story? Read Fix Windows Explorer, Fill in the Missing Pieces, and Improve Performance and Stability.
A healthy array of choices is the next best thing to a great product. To that end, you can get any of five different versions of Windows Vista, depending on how much you feel like paying. Each edition boasts a different subset of superficial bells and whistles, except for the Ultimate edition, which has 'em all. The good news is, you can cobble together whichever set of extras you like. Here's a breakdown of the odds and ends included (or not) with each of the five editions of Windows Vista.
Backup and Restore Center
In earlier versions of Windows, everyone got backup software (although it was hidden on the CD in some editions of 2000 and XP). But for Vista, Microsoft has decided that only higher-paying customers have data important enough to back up.
Oh, sure, everyone gets the flimsy Back Up Files wizard that can safeguard a subset of your personal documents, but only the Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate editions include the Complete PC Backup and Restore tool to back up your entire hard drive. Fortunately, a number of free backup tools exist for those using Home Premium or Basic, such as PC Backup Utilities Free Edition and Bacula. Of course, many external hard drives come with their own automatic backup software, so even Ultimate users may not need to use Microsoft's bundled utility.
DVD Maker
The Windows DVD Maker is a rudimentary tool that lets you put photos and videos on a disc that can then be played on an ordinary DVD player and television. If you don't have Home Premium or Ultimate, you can burn movies to DVD for free with DVD Flick or DVDStyler. To burn a photo slideshow to disc, try the free DVDSlideshowGUI.
Fax and Scan
Don't shed any tears if you can't use the crummy scanning tool that comes only with the Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate editions; even the cheapest scanners come with better software. But if you need to send a fax with Home Premium or Basic, forget tying up your phone line and use a free Internet fax service instead, such as FaxZero or FreeFax. Need to receive a fax? Get a free phone number from eFax, and receive incoming faxes as e-mail attachments.
File, Folder, and Drive Encryption
File Encryption is built in to every copy of Windows Vista, but only Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate users can make use of it to protect sensitive files. And the BitLocker tool, used to encrypt an entire drive, is available only in Enterprise and Ultimate. But no matter which edition you have, you can use FreeOTFE or TrueCrypt (also free) to encrypt your data.
Glass Interface
Nearly every edition of Vista supports the shiny, translucent Aero Glass interface skin, provided you have the proper video hardware. Alas, there is no free Glass in Home Basic, but you can fake it for about $25 using WindowBlinds ($19.95) along with the Optix skin ($4.95). For more details, as well as hardware tips for Glass-supported editions, see "Vista's Flash for the Rest of Us."
—next: Media Center, Policy Editors, & More >
Media Center
Originally a special edition of Windows for living-room PCs, Media Center is now just another application in Vista (Home Premium and Ultimate editions), one that lets you turn any PC with a TV tuner card into a fully functional DVR (digital video recorder—like a TiVo). Sure, it's not expandable, works only with certain infrared remote controls, and is a bit clunky, but Media Center does score high on the gee-whiz factor. Of course, you can turn any Windows PC into a DVR, regardless of OS edition, with either GB-PVR or MediaPortal.
Policy Editors
Geeks love policy editors, such as the Group Policy Object Editor (Start | gpedit.msc), Local Security Policy Editor (Start | secpol.msc), and Local Users and Groups tool (Start | lusrmgr.msc), because these tools make it easy to turn off some of Vista's annoyances, such as UAC, or mess around with the log-on page. But if you're using one of the Vista Home editions, you can accomplish nearly every task using either the net.exe command-line tool or by editing the Registry. For example, see "Vista Log-In Hacks" for instructions on how to hide the list of users from the Welcome screen using both the Local Security Policy Editor and the Registry Editor.
Remote Desktop
Only in the Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate editions can you control a PC remotely with Remote Desktop. If you want to see your PC desktop while you're away, and you're using Home Basic or Premium (or, while we're at it, Windows XP Home, Mac OS X, Linux, or even an Apple iPhone), just install UltraVNC (free). For details and instructions, see "Control a PC for Free."
Shadow Copies
Vista's Previous Versions feature (aka Shadow Copies) is Microsoft's understated counterpart to the clumsy Time Machine tool in Mac OS X, but you get it only with the Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate editions. Funny thing is, the Volume Snapshot Service, the background process responsible for shadow copies, runs on all editions of Vista. To access Shadow Copies in Home Premium or Home Basic, use ShadowExplorer, which is free.
Tablet PC
If your pen tablet is compatible with Vista, you can use it with any edition. But handwriting recognition (and other gimmicks, like gestures) requires Home Premium or better. To use these features in Home Basic, download the Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005 Recognizer Pack.
Windows Ultimate Extras
It wasn't until Summer 2007 that items started appearing under the Windows Ultimate Extras heading in Windows Update. To date, the extras consist of a couple of games (Hold 'Em Poker and Tinker), additional sound schemes, language packs, and Windows DreamScene (which lets you replace your desktop wallpaper with motion video). If you're using any lesser edition of Vista and want to eat up all your processor cycles—and give yourself motion sickness at the same time—try Stardock's DeskScapes ($19.95), which does pretty much the same thing as DreamScene at a fraction of the price of the Vista Ultimate package.
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Make Vista Great: Part 1: Fix Windows Explorer Part 2: Fill in the Missing Pieces Part 3: Improve Performance and Stability Part 4: Solve Ultimate Edition Envy |
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This article originally appeared on PCMag.com.