Which versions of Windows Vista have Parental Controls?

The versions of Vista which incorporates Parental Controls are Vista Home Basic, Vista Home Premium and Vista Ultimate.  Business and Enterprise versions of Vista don't have Parental Controls.

Looks like Apple wasn't paying attention and forgot that Microsoft was releasing a new version of Windows.  Big slip-up considering that the majority of iPod and iTunes users are running Windows and not Mac.

iTunes 7.0.2 may work with Windows Vista on many typical PCs. Apple recommends, however, that customers wait to upgrade Windows until after the next release of iTunes which will be available in the next few weeks. This document will be updated as more information becomes available.

Some currently known compatibility issues with iTunes 7.0.2 and earlier versions include:

• iTunes Store purchases may not play when upgrading to Windows Vista from Windows 2000 or XP.
• iPod models with the "Enable Disk Use" option turned off may be unable to update or restore iPod software, and make changes to iPod settings.
• iPod models configured to Auto Sync and have the "Enable Disk Use" option turned off may require being ejected and reconnected to resync.
• Ejecting an iPod from the Windows System Tray using the "Safely Remove Hardware" feature may corrupt your iPod. To always safely eject an iPod, choose Eject iPod from the Controls menu within iTunes.
• Cover Flow animation may be slower than expected.
• Contacts and calendars will not sync with iPod.

Here's the upgrade process that Apple recommends:

1. Deauthorize all iTunes Store accounts.
2. Enable Disk Use on all iPod models.
3. Uninstall iTunes.
4. Perform a clean install of Windows Vista (Highly recommended but not required).
5. Reinstall the latest version of iTunes.
6. Open iTunes.
7. Choose Authorize Computer from the Store menu in iTunes.

If you're still having problems:

Customers who have upgraded to Windows Vista and are still experiencing issues playing iTunes Store purchases should download and run the iTunes Repair Tool for Vista after re-installing iTunes 7.0.2. Click here for more information about this tool.

Microsoft have made it difficult for users to "clean install" (that is, install the operating system on a computer that doesn't have a previous copy of Windows) Vista if you've bought an upgrade version of the operating system.  Difficult, but not impossible, although it is a major hassle.

• Insert the Windows Vista upgrade DVD in the drive and boot up off it.
• Click on "Install Now".  This will begin the installation process.
• Now for the main trick - don't enter your Windows Vista product key.
• When asked, select the version of Windows Vista which you bought (don't think that you can trick the system, you can't!).
• Continue with the installation normally.
• When the installation has finished, access the DVD through Windows Explorer and re-run the setup process and carry out another installation.
• When prompted, enter your product key.
• Now continue with the installation.  You now have a working installation of Windows Vista.

 I told you it was a major hassle. 

The other day I received a small brown package from Amazon.  Inside was a copy of Windows Vista Secrets by Brian Livingston and Paul Thurrott.  This is a book that I've been looking forward to for months, and I even recommended it on this site a week or so ago when someone asked me about Vista-related books.  That was a mistake.

As a rule, if I can't say something good about a product, I generally say nothing.  If this blog became a soap box that I used to vent about things that annoyed or irritated me, well, let's just say that things would get pretty negative here.  However, I feel that I have to break that rule when it comes to this book for one reason and one reason alone - because I've recommended the book on this blog and people bought it based on that recommend.

First off, I should probably tell you that I'm a speed reader.  One of the tricks of speed reading is to preview the book before you start reading it.  This gives you a feel for the book and gives you a good overview before you start reading.  The first part of the previewing process is to first read the front cover, then the back cover, then the TOC and finally the index.  This is a great way to get a feel for the book before you start reading.  While I was previewing Windows Vista Secrets I got the feeling that the book was more of an introduction to Windows Vista as opposed to a deep look at the inner workings of Windows.  The first seventy pages or so is devoted to choosing the right version of Vista and installing Windows.  That's seventy pages out of a total of 645.   

Hmmm.  At this point I started to have doubts as to how deep this book really went.  I decided to stick with it, after all the back cover assured me that the book was for readers of an intermediate to advanced level.

I started reading. 

I finished reading. 

I wasn't impressed. 

The problem with Windows Vista Secrets is that it's far too basic.  If you're a basic level Windows XP user and you want to get up to speed on what's in Windows Vista, then you might this book useful (but some elements of the book might also scare you - I'll come to these in a moment).  However, if you're a tech pro (intermediate to advanced level) you're going to be disappointed.  The book from beginning to end is little more than a basic tour of what's in Vista.  You get to see what's new in Vista, but that's about it.  I kept asking myself questions like "where are the secrets?" and "when do we get to the good stuff?"

The book also seems to be lacking in focus and seems to devote far too much ink to some topics and far too little to others.  Here are a few examples:

• Part three of the book looks at security in Vista.  It consists of two chapters and the total page count for the section is forty two. 
• Chapter seven looks at fonts and this is forty seven pages long. 
• I can't find a single entry about the revamped Task Manager.
• Nothing about DirectX 10.
• Nothing on ReadyBoost.
• No troubleshooting information.
• Sixteen pages are devoted to PowerShell - a feature that doesn't even ship with Vista.
• Unless I missed it, the system requirements for the various version of Vista aren't discussed.  However, the author's take an in-depth look at Vista pricing.
• No registry tweaking.
• No performance optimization tips.
• Nothing of value about the new, improved Windows Firewall.
• Zip about speech recognition.
• Limited information on UAC.
• Very little useful information about networking.
• Many of the screenshots are from pre-RTM builds of Vista.
• Limited pre-upgrade advice.

I could go on.  Maybe I'm not the target audience for this book, but I have to be honest and say that I didn't find much of value in the book.  I was expecting to be bombarded with hints, tips, tweaks and inside secrets.  There are hints, tips and secrets but they are all at the very basic user end of the spectrum.  But it's also hard for me to recommend this book to beginners because it contains far too much superfluous information - beginners have little or no need for loads of information on fonts and PowerShell.

Verdict:  I wrote this review last Friday and I was disappointed back then.  I sat on the review for a few days was to see if I would change my mind.  That didn't happen.  I'm still disappointed.  Unless you're an absolute beginner, this book is a waste of both time and money, and if you're an absolute beginner, there are areas of this book that you'll need to ignore (PowerShell, all the fonts stuff and so on).

Microsoft launches a new version of the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor.

Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor will help you determine if your current PC is ready for an upgrade to Windows Vista. It will also help you to choose the edition of Windows Vista that's right for you. Download the Upgrade Advisor to run an analysis of your current PC and use the detailed feedback to ensure that your PC is ready for the edition of Windows Vista that you want.

The Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor runs on Windows XP Service Pack 2 and requires .NET Framework 1.1 and MSXML 4.0.

Microsoft publicly responds to questions raised about content protection schemes present in Windows Vista.

Windows Vista includes content protection infrastructure specifically designed to help ensure that protected commercial audiovisual content, such as newly released HD-DVD or Blu-Ray discs, can be enjoyed on Windows Vista PCs.  In many cases this content has policies associated with its use that must be enforced by playback devices.  The policies associated with such content are applicable to all types of devices including Windows Vista PCs, computers running non-Windows operating systems, and standalone consumer electronics devices such as DVD players.  If the policies required protections that Windows Vista couldn't support, then the content would not be able to play at all on Windows Vista PCs.  Clearly that isn't a good scenario for consumers who are looking to enjoy great next generation content experiences on their PCs.

The post by Dave Marsh, Lead Program Manager for Video, on the Windows Vista Team blog answers many content protection related questions relating to Windows Vista.  Here are the questions addressed:

• Do these content protection requirements apply equally to the Consumer Electronics industry supplied player devices such as an HD-DVD or Blu-Ray player?
• When are Windows Vista's content protection features actually used?
• Will the playback quality be reduced on some video output types?
• Will this affect things like medical imagery applications?
• Do things such as HFS (Hardware Functionality Scan) affect the ability of the open-source community to write a driver?
• Will the Windows Vista content protection board robustness recommendations increase the cost of graphics cards and reduce the number of build options?
• Will Windows Vista content protection features increase CPU resource consumption?
• Aren't there already output content protection features in Windows XP?
• Is content protection something that is tied to High Definition video?
• What about S/PDIF audio connections?
• Will Component (YPbPr) video outputs be disabled by Windows Vista's content protection?
• Will echo cancellation work less well for premium content?
• Will it mean that there will no longer be unified graphics drivers?
• Will Windows Vista audio content protection mean that HDMI outputs can't be shown as S/PDIF outputs?
• What is revocation and where is it used?
• Does this complicate the process of writing graphics drivers?
• Will the 'tilt bit' mechanism cause problems even when the driver is not under attack from a hacker, e.g., when there are voltage spikes?
• Does Windows Vista's use of OMAC-authenticated communication impact graphics driver performance?
• Do content protection requirements mean that graphics chips have to provide hardware acceleration for video decode?
• Will the video and audio content protection mechanisms affect gaming on the PC?

Ed Bott has posted details about the prices of different versions of Windows Vista for OEM System Builders:

• Home Basic: $96.98
• Home Premium: $120.89
• Business $152.62
• Vista Ultimate $205.31

 I also have to say that I echo Ed's thoughts about pricing:

Last September, I called the pricing for Ultimate edition "price gouging." Now that the first wave of Ultimate Extras have been unveiled, I'm still not convinced that the premium price is fair or justified.

Yeah, Ultimate does feel a tad overpriced. 

Welcome to the first of our new ‘Your Vista Questions Answered’ section where we’ll begin to change the emphasis from tech talk among Vista beta testers to tips and tricks for users now that the Vista RTM has been achieved.

One of the first things that new Vista users notice is that there are a lot less menus. This is a Microsoft trend all round, with new Office 2007 and Internet Explorer 7 having a much less menu driven interface.

So what do you do instead?

Well you'll be glad to know that most of the menus are still there, albeit hidden. In Internet Explorer there is much greater use of buttons but you'll still be able to access the menus if you prefer. You can get the menus back temporarily by hitting the ALT key or you can get them back permanently by right clicking on the toolbar and checking the Menu Bar option.

In Windows Explorer you can click ALT just the same way any time you want the full menus to appear.

Title says it all really - Get your Windows Vista RC2 download here!  Here are some details:

This page includes information to help you download Windows Vista RC2, a new test build. This build (5744) has a number of improvements and updates from previous builds, and has been through daily testing processes to refine quality and performance.

We are making this release available for a limited time only (and only by download) in order to get broad distribution and testing in a variety of PC configurations. Please note: This build may not have the same level of support or servicing via Windows Update as RC1, and you may not be able to upgrade from this build to the final version of Windows Vista. To continue, please use the links below to start the download. Otherwise, please click here to access the download for Windows Vista RC1 (build 5600).

Once you complete the download you must burn the ISO file to a DVD. If you don’t know if your DVD-burning software will support burning an ISO file, please refer to your DVD-burning software program and search Help for instructions on creating a disc from an ISO file. Additional instructions can be found on the Customer Preview Program website.

Thanks to Scott Hanselman for the head's up:

I found myself on Vista RC1 recently, downloading an ISO DVD disk image of the next build if Vista when I realized I had no way to burn the image to disk! Try as I may, I couldn't find an applet within Vista to burn an ISO and I had to uninstall Nero when I upgraded Vista.

Now, there's lots of ISO burning tools, but BurnCDCC from TerabyteUnlimited (Download via FTP) not only burns and works great on Vista RC1, but it requires no install. That's my kind of utility.

Great find Scott!