Disk Cleanup is one of the applications that did not change much in Windows Vista. It's functionality has remained the same and the interface was changed here and there. No additional features were added. Just like in the previous versions, Disk Cleanup scans your disks, finds unnecessary files and helps you remove them to cleanup some space and make your computer run a bit faster. In this article we will show you how to work with it and save some valuable space from your hard disk.

Windows Update is another application that has been redesigned in Windows Vista. Now it is a standalone application instead of a web based one and, in order to download updates, you don't need to go through a validation process. As you will see for yourself, the new Windows Update is easier to and use and less disruptive compared to its predecessor.

In this article we will talk about the new Windows Update, how it works and how to configure it.

Some of our readers asked us how they can manage their disks in Windows Vista. To answer their questions we created this tutorial where you can learn the following: how to change a drive letter, how to shrink an existing partition, how to create a new partition, how to format or delete a partition and how to extend a partition.

Everything is done using only one tool called Disk Management. As you will see, things are pretty simple. Just follow our instructions and you will finish in no time.

Disk Defragmenter is another application that has been changed in Windows Vista compared to Windows XP. Unlike other applications that were modified, Disk Defragmenter was simplified to a bare minimum. You no longer have menus or the colored graphs showing you how the data is arranged on your hard drive. The application offers only two options: "Defragment now" and "Modify schedule". Even though some people will miss the old interface and the configuration features, others will welcome the change. One thing is for sure - working with the Disk Defragmenter is easier than ever.

In this article I will go through the new interface and the available options and you will see for yourselves how easy it is to use the new Disk Defragmenter.

Windows Defender is an application designed to detect and remove known spyware from your computer. It is based on a solution initially developed by GIANT Company Software, a company which was acquired by Microsoft in December 2004. Before Windows Vista's launch, Microsoft has changed both the application and its name several times. Now it is included by default in all versions of Windows Vista in order to enhance the security of the operating system.

Even though Windows Defender has been criticized for its shortcomings in detecting and blocking spyware applications, many users might choose to use it for several reasons: it is free, easy to use, light on system resources and it offers a basic set of protection features.

For those of you who would like to give Windows Defender a try, we created this quick overview of the application interface and its main functions. Also, in the upcoming weeks we will publish a few articles about some of Windows Defender's most useful features.

Windows Media Player 11 is one of the new applications included in Windows Vista. The interface is very simple and visually effective compared to version 10, the media library is organized in a better way, the performance has improved and new features were added. Overall it is the best version of Windows Media Player released by Microsoft.

In this tutorial we will show you how to customize your installation of Windows Media Player 11 and the basics about the program navigation.

One of the challenges Microsoft had to face when working on Windows Vista, was to upgrade the old Internet Explorer and bring it up to part with the competition. Firefox and Opera have proved to be worthy adversaries and Microsoft had to come up with something new. And they did. Compared to its predecessor, Internet Explorer 7 is a huge upgrade. Microsoft changed not only the interface but also included features such as: tabbed browsing, integrated searching, phishing filters, protected mode, add-ons and newsfeed support.

Our mission is to help people get accustomed with Windows Vista. This is why, in this article, we will try to talk about the biggest change in Internet Explorer 7 - it's interface - and explain all the new elements.

Instant Search is one of the most useful new tools included in Windows Vista. It allows users to search and find everything on their computer: applications, e-mail messages, documents, music, photos and any other types of content. You can find Instant Search almost anywhere within the operating system: in the Start Menu, in the Control Panel, in every Explorer and also in other programs like Windows Media Player or Windows Photo Gallery.

In order to return results quickly, Instant Search needs to build an index with the content of your computer. By default, Instant Search indexes only a small number of folders such as the Start Menu, the names of the files that have been opened, the Documents folder, and the user's e-mail. It can also be configured to index only the type of content and the locations chosen by the user.

Instant Search is contextual and it shows results based on your current activity. This is why it will display different results depending on the location where you make the search. Even though, in theory, contextual search is not very complicated, some people will need some time to get used to it. This is why, in this article, we will try to explain how Instant Search works.

ReadyBoost is a new disk caching technology included in Windows Vista that uses flash memory to boost your system performance. It can use any form of flash memory such as a USB 2.0 drive, SD card or CompactFlash.

ReadyBoost functions as a complement for SuperFetch, giving SuperFetch another place to cache data. SuperFetch is a technology included in Windows Vista which prioritizes the programs you are currently using over background tasks and adapts to the way you work. This technology tracks your computer usage behavior and intelligently preloads applications into memory. This helps improving the general performance of your system and the loading times of your core applications. While SuperFetch loads by default all the necessary files into the main memory, ReadyBoost complements it by loading data into alternate storage devices such as USB 2.0 flash memory sticks.

While the USB flash drives are not as fast as the main memory, they can be faster than a hard disk drive and enabling ReadyBoost can free up some of the main memory which could be used for other tasks and applications.