Find and Use Information: Get the Details

Windows Vista empowers your people and organisation to make better business decisions, be more productive and achieve greater business success by enabling them to find and use information more quickly, easily and securely.

Easy to search and organise your data

For the first time, Windows Vista integrates an Internet search feature throughout the operating system – in the Start Menu, in the Control Panel and in document folders. This fundamental change profoundly impacts productivity because employees can easily find almost anything they need on their computers. Additionally, they can save searches and use them on demand – or scan first-page previews and scalable thumbnails to reach the information they need more quickly.

Keeping track of corporate knowledge becomes more challenging when employees store information on more than one computer or device. To help people update, organise, and track information, Windows Vista offers improved data synchronisation with an enhanced interface and faster data transfer for connected devices and remote data sources.

Search features

	Feature Name	Function

	Enterprise Search	Facilitates finding the right information regardless of where it resides – from redirected folders, offline folders and SharePoint offline documents to removable hard drives and other PCs running Windows Vista.
	Desktop Search	Provides instant access to information such as documents, email, programs, applications and media files using Instant Search, which is integrated throughout the operating system.
	Metadata	Helps organise files with 'metadata' tags that indicate the information pertains to a certain project or category. Users can then search, filter and organise files based on certain criteria, no matter where the files reside on the hard drive.
	Search Folders	Helps to automatically and logically organise files and search folders, and saves searches that can be executed when clicked – automatically organising information for easy and fast access.

Easy to navigate and search data online

Now, with the new capabilities in Windows Vista, it's easier for your people to find information on the Internet and use it to drive your business forward. For example, with Tabbed Browsing in Internet Explorer 7, employees can view multiple webpages in one window. QuickTabs make it easy to effectively switch between pages and go to the right content, right away. Internet Explorer 7 also makes web content easier to print, with automatic shrink-to-fit settings and custom controls that designate which parts of a page end up on paper. And, advanced browsing capabilities introduce dynamic new tools for the web, making Internet searches safer and richer experiences.

Online navigation and search features

	Feature Name	Function

	Tabbed Browsing	Makes it possible to browse multiple pages simultaneously on the Internet within one window.
	RSS Reader	Makes is easy to read entries from personalised information feeds all in one place, without visiting individual websites.
	Simplified User Experience	Maximises the available screen real estate and makes it easy to perform the most common browsing tasks. (The Internet Explorer 7 frame is noticeably simpler, more streamlined and less cluttered compared to earlier versions.)

Streamlined user experience

The Windows Vista environment helps you find and use information with greater ease and efficiency. The refined Start menu, with integrated search, is easier to navigate and is more helpful than previous versions of Windows. Flip 3D is a great example of new interface features that make the operating system faster to use. It helps you to see the open windows on your desktop in a stacked, 3D fashion, so you can quickly select the right window for the right task.

Depending on your hardware, you have a choice of experiences with Windows Vista. Your business can use Windows Vista with a familiar user interface to minimise training costs, or you can maximise productivity with the new, streamlined Windows Aero interface. This is the most recognisable feature in Windows Vista, with its glass-like transparent windows that help people focus on the immediate tasks with fewer desktop distractions.

User experience features

	Feature Name	Function

	Windows Aero UI	Creates glass-like, transparent windows that make it easy to focus on tasks with fewer desktop distractions.
	Windows Flip 3D	Makes it easy to flip through open programs in a three-dimensional, stacked view to quickly locate and select the right program for the right task.
	Live Icons	Provides new ways to navigate open windows on the desktop and find documents fast.
	New Ways to Organise	Makes it simple to instantly find and view files with flexible information management tools.
	Instant Search	Makes instantaneous searches of files and content possible with a consistent search interface almost anywhere within Windows Vista.

High-performing, reliable PC

Windows Vista delivers exceptional performance, reliability and responsiveness. For example, the new ReadyBoost feature increases computer performance by using common USB storage sticks to extend computer memory. For more demanding applications, support for 64-bit hardware takes advantage of the latest performance-enhancing hardware innovations.

By providing better reliability and reduced downtime, Windows Vista can help lower IT costs. Engineered to prevent common system failures, Windows Vista automatically diagnoses and repairs common errors. Built-in diagnostics detect problems and resolve them immediately, or guide your employees through recovery, protecting data and decreasing reliance on the helpdesk.

Performance features

	Feature Name	Function

	Windows SuperFetch	Helps improve PC responsiveness, making system performance more consistent by tracking which applications are used the most and preloading them into memory for quick access.
	Windows ReadyBoost	Enables the use of available memory on a memory device, such as a USB flash drive, as extra memory cache – providing more consistent and responsive performance.
	Performance Self-Tuning and Diagnostics	Detects and self-corrects problematic performance, and provides instrumentation and services that support user-driven and tool-driven diagnosis of performance problems, such as media glitches, slow application startup, slow boot and network-related delays.
	Sleep, Fast Startup	Provides consistent and reliable power transitions, a simple usage model, two to three second resume times and nonvolatile protection of end-user data. (Sleep is the default 'off' setting in Windows Vista.)
	WinFX	Delivers new technologies for building applications that have visually stunning user experiences, seamless and more secure communications, and the ability to model a range of business processes. (WinFX is the Windows Vista programming model for developing the next generation of rich client applications.)
	64-Bit Processor Support	Enables the best performance for high-demand applications.

Next steps:

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Learn more about the features in Windows Vista that can help your mobile workforce on TechNet.