Task Scheduler, Backup Event Viewer, and Performance Monitor are all redesigned in Vista. The new Task Scheduler is backward compatible with XP’s Task Scheduler. The Task Scheduler improvements impressed me. You can schedule tasks at certain times as well as according to certain system events (e.g., a user-logon event), low-disk-space events, or computer idle times. You can also schedule tasks to run in sequence. You can use the new Task Scheduler as an alternative to logon scripts, and you can use it to run system-maintenance tasks when the system is idle. Figure 3 shows the new Task Scheduler. I consider the changes to Backup Event Viewer to be essential: That application has been nearly unusable since Microsoft revamped it for the Win2K release. XP’s backup functionality is difficult to use, doesn’t like reusing tapes, and is especially difficult to run from the command line.
Vista also includes a new file-based, hardware-independent imaging format called Windows Imaging Format (WIM). Because WIM is file-based, it allows you to reduce the number of images you need by letting you create a base image with different sets of add-on components. Unlike physical image files, in which the entire image is duplicated, WIM uses file compression to reduce the amount of storage space that each image requires. A new Ximage tool lets you capture and edit WIM images. With the Windows System Image Manager, you can create customized Vista images for deployment. Also, Vista includes an updated User State Migration Tool (USMT) to help you migrate data and settings to a new Vista system.
As I mentioned, the Vista Enterprise and Vista Ultimate editions will also include Virtual PC Express. Like the full-blown Virtual PC product, Virtual PC Express lets you run applications that might be incompatible with Vista because they’re written for earlier Windows versions. Virtual PC Express is limited to running a single virtual machine (VM). The VM images are completely compatible with Virtual PC and Virtual Server 2005.
How About Communications and Connectivity?
One of the most basic communication capabilities that Vista shares with XP and the other Windows OSs is the ability to share files and printers. For small-scale file serving, Vista—like XP— allows a maximum of only 10 simultaneous small-tomidsized business (SMB) connections.
Vista offers a number of revamped connectivity and Internet utilities. The new OS ships with IE 7.0, integrated Really Simple Syndication (RSS) support and a new mail client called Windows Mail. Some of the most important IE improvements (beyond the phishing and spoofing protection I mentioned earlier) include tabbed browsing, a streamlined menu bar, a new print-preview function, and integrated RSS feeds. Vista’s RSS support isn’t limited to IE. Vista itself provides support for RSS content through the use of APIs, which let you incorporate RSS into your own applications. Windows Mail is essentially an update of Outlook Express. The only difference I noticed right away is the integration of Microsoft Passport authentication. Windows Collaboration replaces NetMeeting, but unlike Windows Mail, Windows Collaboration is all-new. Windows Collaboration lets you share presentations and files among small groups of Vista systems. Using Windows Collaboration, you can use your Wi-Fi–enabled notebooks to create an ad-hoc peer-to-peer network, with no need for an existing Wi-Fi network or other Internet connectivity. Another useful communications tool is the new Sync Center. As its name implies, Sync Center lets you synchronize the contents of multiple folders on two networked PCs.
A New Vista to Desktop Computing
Vista is far more than a minor XP upgrade. The new OS is a huge step forward for Microsoft, providing many more new features than I can cover in this space. I haven’t even mentioned Vista’s new programming support in Windows Workflow Foundation, the new WinFX presentation-layer APIs, and the new XML for Applications (XAML) markup language. Despite the plethora of new features, though, you might still find that some features you were excited about didn’t, in fact, make it into the final version. The sidebar “What’s Not Included?” gives a quick overview of the features that are missing. Nevertheless, Vista is a compelling new desktop experience. As it steadily and inevitably approaches your environment, you need to start gearing up for its bevy of new features.