Snipping Tool

In Windows Xp, I would press the Print Scrn key if I wanted to take a screen shot of what is on my desktop. Then I would paste and edit it in Photofiltre or Paint. Windows Vista comes comes with what is titled Snipping Tool. This allow you to take screen shots and edit within one little application that is part of Windows Vista.

You can get to the Snipping Tool program by going to Accessories folder in the All Programs section. Once open you will be asked to highlight the area of your desktop you want to capture as a screen shot. Afterwards that area is put inside the application. From there you can highlight certain areas with a pen and then save it.

This is great when you want to share part of your desktop with someone else.

Desktop Sidebar - Changing Gadgets

Sidebar is usually turned on by default. You may want to change or edit the clock, calender, and slide show that is set in the sidebar of your new to Vista computer. This is done by:

• Left clicking on the Start Orb
• Go to All Programs
• Then Accessories
• Finally to Windows Sidebar

This will open Windows Sidebar on the right side of your monitor. If you want to add new gadget, just left click on the little plus sign at the top of the Sidebar. This will bring up a selection of gadgets that come with Windows Vista. At the bottom of this Window is a link that will take you to a web location where you can choose from more gadgets.

If you want to remove a gadget from the sidebar move your cursor over that gadget. A "X" will appear. Left click on this "X" and that gadget will be removed from the Sidebar.

Adjusting Graphics 2

If your computer does not support Aero. There are still a few things you can do to get some more speed. You can disable some of the graphics effects that can look nice, but really don’t add much.

• Left click the Orb in the lower left corner of your monitor
• Go to the Control Panel
• Click on Performance and System Tools
• Click Adjust visual effects
• Here you can either choose Adjust for best performance, or you can choose Custom and pick the effects you want to keep

Smooth edges of screen fonts and Use visual styles on windows and buttons are something you will want to keep. Otherwise you will be hating the way programs will look.

The Vista’s sidebar is a cool looking tool. However, it takes away from your processor, RAM and video. It slows down your computer. You can disable it and notice a performance boost. Below is how you can turn it off.

• Right-click on the Sidebar for go to the Control Panel and choose Windows Sidebar Properties
• Uncheck Start Sidebar when Windows starts
• Click OK

If the Sidebar is currently open, right-click on it and choose Close Sidebar.

Adjust Graphics

The rich graphics in daily will slow down your computer. Here are ways to regain some of the computer's power back from the graphics.

• Right-click anywhere on the desktop
  
• Left click on Personalize
• Left click Window Color and Appearance

If your computer supports Aero and it’s turned on, you’ll see a row of boxes showing the different colors you can choose for your windows.

If your computer doesn’t support Aero or it’s not turned on, you’ll see a box labeled Appearance Settings showing some sample windows and listing color schemes. This is very much like what you would see in older versions of Microsoft Windows.

Regardless of popular belief, Aero is actually a good thing in terms of system resources. The older versions of Windows, the more graphics, the slower the computer. So you might think that Windows Classic, which has the fewest bells and whistles, will give you the fastest performance. But that’s not exactly true for Vista.

Windows Aero and Windows Vista Basic use your computer’s graphics card, and not the computer’s processor, to do most of its' work when it comes to the display. Using one of those as opposed to Standard or Classic actually lets your computer work less.

You can switch to Windows Vista Basic for most of Aero’s graphics; that also saves resources. Here’s how:

• Start at Window Color and Appearance box
• Left click on Open classic appearance properties for more color options
• Click on Windows Vista Basic

If you want to keep all of Aero’s bells and whistles, you can still get a performance boost if you’re willing to give up transparency. You can do this by;

• Right clicking on the desktop and choose Personalize
• Click Window Color and Appearance
• Uncheck Enable transparency

NOTE: If you want performance over visual affects, and you have a video card that is powerful enough, here is some rules of thumb.

• Best: Use Windows Vista Basic
• Better: Use Windows Aero with transparency turned off
• Ok: Use Windows Aero
• Worst: Use Windows Standard or Windows Classic