Windows Vista: Compare editions

Windows Vista Business

With its powerful new security features, Windows Vista Business you can better protect the key information that your institution depends on and that your constituents trust you to keep confidential. Your users can use its enhanced mobility technology to stay connected in and out of the office. They will find information more easily and collaborate better using this edition's new search and organization features. And you will spend less time on technology support issues with the advanced network management features in Windows Vista Business.

Easier

Work more efficiently

One of the first things you'll notice about Windows Vista Business is how easy it is to navigate your open files and programs. The new look is both beautiful and efficient. You won't have to open a window or file to see what's in it because live taskbar thumbnails and Live Icons will show you. And you can conveniently arrange and manage all your open windows to find the one you need with Windows Flip and Flip 3D.

Spend less time looking

Everyone has had the experience of hunting-and hunting-for a particular document or e-mail message. Now, you can find virtually anything on your PC with a few keystrokes by using the search boxes. We call it Instant Search, and it should mean the end of your hunting days. For example, to quickly find the fifth draft of that budget report or the ninth draft of that grant proposal, just start typing in the Search box on the Start menu.

Plus, if there's a search you do often, you can save it with the new Search Folders feature. Let's say you frequently need to find all the information you have about a customer named Acme. Just save your search, and then run it later with a single click to get results from all the content on your PC that includes the word Acme.

Cruise through your day

It can often take you longer than you thought it would to complete your job tasks, but at least you won't have any trouble finding what you need to complete them. The improved Explorers in Windows Vista provide consistent, streamlined menus, toolbars, and preview panes to help you view and easily find information and resources such as documents, photos, devices, and Internet content.

When you can immediately sort and filter information based on file type, saved date, or the name of the file creator, it's easy to find anything, no matter where you may have saved it. Watch this demo to see how Windows Vista helps you organize and find information.

More ways it's easier:

• Share your work with coworkers using the Sharing command on the Explorer Command Bar. You can simply choose names of people on your network and they can access your files.

• Perform and manage all your faxing and scanning from one location with enhanced Windows Fax and Scan. Plus, support for multiple user accounts means no more generic faxes from your business because several employees sharing a single computer can log on to it and send their own faxes.

• Retrieve, view, and edit photos for your business or website with easy-to-use tools in Windows Photo Gallery-and possibly save the expense of hiring a special vendor.

Safer

Enjoy increased peace of mind with built-in security features

You've seen the news stories about online security threats such as phishing scams, hackers, viruses, and worms. No matter what size your business is, it's crucial for you to protect your computer network and to protect your data from loss or theft. Windows Vista Business improves on prior versions of Windows to help you affordably safeguard your information, privacy, and PC security.

You probably don't even want to imagine what it would be like to lose the information on your PCs. You know it's essential to back up your data, but it can seem too complicated. The Windows Backup and Restore Center provides a comprehensive backup experience in one convenient place and gives you a choice between Automatic Backup and Complete PC Backup.

We've all experienced a moment of panic when a document became corrupted or we've accidentally deleted a file we're working on. Now you can quickly retrieve and restore a previous version. Shadow Copy automatically creates and archives copies of files as you work. Simply right-click a single file or a whole folder and select Restore. You can easily preview a read-only version of each file to determine the one you need.

If you're concerned about sensitive information and data being shared outside of your institution, you can use the Encrypting File System to password-protect shared documents.

With all the hackers and scammers out there, it's good to know that you can stop malicious software before it has a chance to infiltrate your PCs. Your first line of defense in Windows Vista is Windows Firewall, which helps provide protection as soon as your computers are turned on.

Add further protection with Windows Defender, which not only detects, removes, and alerts you to suspicious software but also automatically updates its definitions of spyware to keep up with constantly evolving threats.

Not all threats to your PCs come from outside the institution, however. Sometimes, people make mistakes that can be harmful. Now, you can lessen the risk that employees will install unauthorized software and make unapproved system changes. When you set up separate standard user accounts with User Account Control, the system will prompt users for the administrator account password if they attempt to make harmful changes to their PCs.

Online security threats change all the time, so you want to be able to know that your institution has the most up-to-date security software and the strongest security settings. Windows Security Center helps you easily monitor security components such as your firewall, Automatic Updates, antivirus solutions, Internet security settings, and even security products from multiple companies.

Future ready

Ready to grow when you are

Windows Vista Business gives your small business PCs a good foundation for growth. Along with being easy for you to set up and manage, the computers can be easily moved onto a larger network if necessary.

And when you're trying to grow, the last thing employees need to be doing is spending a lot of time setting up their new PCs. Watch how quickly they will be able to transfer data and settings from their old PCs to newly purchased PCs running Windows Vista with the help of Windows Easy Transfer.

You want to focus on your mission, so you'll appreciate new features that can help make networking easier, safer, and more reliable. And with the Network and Sharing Center, you have a central place to visually check the connection status of PCs and devices and troubleshoot connection problems without additional IT support.

Clearly, the less time you spend managing PCs the better. Now, you can simplify network administration tasks with User Account Control and enhanced Group Policy capabilities that make it easier for you to better protect, update, and maintain your institution�s PCs.

Better connected

Your workplace unplugged

If your institution relies on mobile PCs, you'll appreciate the many features that can help you do work when and where it's convenient. You can get the most out of your institution's laptops with less fuss trying to get connected and keep in sync.

Do you use one computer at work and another on the road or at home? When you're not at work, you still need access to various institutional applications and resources. When you use Remote Desktop Connection, it's much easier to access your PC remotely, whether across your institution network or through the Internet from your home PC.

Along with a PC, are you constantly using a mobile phone or PDA? If you're using more than one mobile device, it can be challenging to keep all your information in sync. Now you have a convenient central location, Sync Center, to help you manage synchronization between PCs, between PCs and servers, and between PCs and devices.

How about this scenario: you dashed out of work without your power cord and you know your battery won't last through the two-hour meeting. Now you can easily check battery status and manage other mobile settings in one place with Windows Mobility Center. You can quickly adjust wireless status, display and presentation settings, and power options for maximizing battery life.

You know how important collaboration can be for your institution, and you look for ways to make it easier for people to work together on projects. For example, it can be particularly difficult to share files without network access. Now you can use Windows Meeting Space to create ad hoc wireless networks when you're meeting with small groups of colleagues or constituents who are Windows Vista users. Discovering and joining sessions is easy with the built-in Sessions Near Me feature.

You can use the Network and Sharing Center to recognize and automatically connect to wireless networks and network devices, such as displays and projectors.

If you use a Tablet PC for your mobile computing on the job, you'll appreciate Tablet PC enhancements that improve pen navigation and the new touch screen experience that lets you control, navigate, and enter information with your fingers.

Windows Vista Ultimate

If you use the same computer at home and for your daily work, Windows Vista Ultimate is an excellent choice. You can smoothly shift between the things you want to do and the things you need to do. For fun, you'll love the extensive options you get for music, images, live and recorded TV, and online entertainment. For work, you'll find improved document sharing and networking support. If your PC is a laptop, you'll appreciate how easily you can manage and extend your battery life. And you'll get the most advanced, layered security protection of any Windows release yet.

Easier

See what you're doing, find what you need

The first things you'll notice about Windows Vista Ultimate are its elegant looks and how it helps you with essential tasks. It's easier to work with and visualize your information with Windows Aero. You can conveniently arrange and manage your open windows using Windows Flip and Flip 3D. And you won't have to click to see your content because live taskbar thumbnails reveal it.

Every day you have to hit the ground running at full speed. Now, with Instant Search, you have a faster way to find whatever you need on your PC, on your network, or on the Internet. Whatever you�re looking for you only need to start typing in the Search box on the Start menu.

It's easier and faster to find anything, no matter where you may have saved it, with the consistent, streamlined menus, toolbars, and preview panes in the improved Explorers in Windows Vista. Explorers include Search boxes too, so you can search within a particular type of information, such as all your documents.

You can organize your files any way that you want and immediately sort and filter information based on file type, saved date, or the name of the file creator. Watch this demo to see how Windows Vista helps you find and organize information.

Back up without fuss, roll back file changes

If you've used a PC for long, chances are good that you know the sick feeling you get in your stomach after you've accidentally deleted a picture or a document you spent hours writing. And you know you can avoid that feeling by routinely backing up your files. But you can find yourself procrastinating because it seems like it will take a lot of time and trouble.

Now you can avoid the procrastination because you can easily use the Windows Backup and Restore Center. If you want to back up just your files and data, you can choose Automatic Backup. Or you can choose Windows Complete PC Backup and Restore, which can get your entire PC back to normal in one easy step if you experience a catastrophic hardware failure.

What do you do if you've made a lot of changes to a document and realize you want to go back to a previous version? In the past, you had only the version you'd most recently saved. Now, Shadow Copy automatically creates and archives copies of your files as you work on them. So if you accidentally saved over a document or a document becomes corrupted, you can easily retrieve any previous version of that file.

Use multiple languages

Windows Vista Ultimate is available in 35 languages-simultaneously. If you have a multilingual household or are learning a new language, you can install as many languages as you want and even switch between them as easily as logging off and back on again. Each user can use his or her preferred language to interact with any shared PCs.

Easily fax and scan

You have flexible, integrated faxing and scanning capabilities in one convenient location with Windows Fax and Scan. And if you have a locally connected or network-connected scanner, you can scan documents and images with a single click.

Enjoy easier setup and simplified maintenance

If being an IT support person isn't your idea of fun, you can relax. For one thing, you can get up and running fast using Windows Easy Transfer to automatically copy your files, photos, music, e-mail, and settings from your old PC to your new Windows Vista-based PC.

After your computer is set up, you will be pleased that system disruptions are kept to a minimum with little or no effort on your part. Built-in diagnostics alert you to disk failure, defective memory, and other potential issues so they can be resolved before affecting your everyday tasks.

Behind the scenes, new self-healing technology can automatically identify and fix problems as they occur. And your system's performance is more consistent with Windows SuperFetch, which tracks when you use programs and ensures that you have faster access to them.

Smaller home and business networks can use the Network and Sharing Center to visually check the connection status of PCs and devices and troubleshoot connection problems. No additional IT support is required.

Safer

Benefit from advanced security features

It is likely that safety is one of your chief concerns. We have worked very hard on this area in the years since we developed Windows XP, and the result of that work is the most secure version of Windows yet.

You know that there are thousands of advertisers and spammers out there, so it's good to know that you can take steps to help protect your PC from many types of malicious software. Your first line of defense in Windows Vista is the more easily configured, automatically running Windows Firewall. And Windows Defender can help you reduce the number of pop-up ads and lessen the security threats caused by spyware and other unwanted software.

Feel safer on the web

The news stories about phishing scams, hackers, viruses, and worms may leave you feeling that your PC is a constant target. But you can help decrease these online security threats by taking advantage of the new capabilities in Windows Internet Explorer 7 that provide:

• Anti-phishing technology, which helps protect your personal information from fraudulent websites.

• Dynamic security protection that helps lower the risk of your system being damaged or disrupted.

• Internet Explorer protected mode, which helps reduce the likelihood of hackers taking over your browser and delivering malware to your system.

Help protect your users and your PC

If your institution shares your PCs among users, you probably have concerns that users could accidentally install malicious software or change something important. With User Account Control, you can set up a user account for each user, so a user will be prompted for a password when attempting to change system settings, install any additional software, or to use certain websites. And each user can have their own set of favorites and desktop layouts.

Help protect confidential information

If you have confidential information on your laptop, you want to do everything possible to safeguard it with the help of multiple layers of protection in Windows Vista Ultimate. For one thing, to help prevent sensitive business information and data from being shared outside of your company, you can password-protect shared documents with the Encrypting File System.

And you can help ensure the integrity of valuable information on your PC with Windows BitLocker Drive Encryption. Your entire hard drive is encrypted so that only you can access that information-even if your PC is lost, stolen, or decommissioned.

Help protect your institution

Windows Vista Ultimate includes support for joining a network domain-a standard networking feature that enables improved security and manageability for institutional PCs. An updated Group Policy infrastructure helps system administrators save time and reduce security risks by configuring wireless network settings, removable storage devices, printers, Internet Explorer, and even power-management settings centrally and automatically.

In addition, Windows Vista Ultimate includes the essential IT infrastructure features found in Windows Vista Business so that your PCs and IT infrastructure can grow along with your institution.

Better connected

Stay productive with your mobile PC

If you're like many people, you have a PC at work and sometimes take it home or on the road with you. You'll appreciate how Windows Vista Ultimate helps you get the most from your mobile PC while you're on the go.

You'll especially appreciate not worrying about battery life. With Fast Sleep and Resume, you can go for extended periods of time without fully shutting down your laptop. Simply press the power button to pause and then resume your computer session in just seconds while conserving your battery life in sleep mode.

If you often have to leave your office for meetings, it can seem like you're constantly managing transitions between being plugged in, using battery power, and using wireless. You can save time and worry by using one location, the Windows Mobility Center, to quickly access and set key mobile system settings. You can even adjust power options to maximize your PC's battery life.

Improved wireless networking and support for the most up-to-date wireless security standards helps you connect to wireless networks in the workplace, at home, or in public hotspots with more confidence, privacy, and ease.

Take your Tablet PC further

If your mobile computing is done on a Tablet PC, you'll notice significant improvements in pen-and-ink functionality, navigation, and handwriting recognition. For instance, pen flicks make it easier to scroll down webpages. You won't have to write out URLs and e-mail addresses you've used before because AutoComplete lists possible matches from previous letters or series of letters. And you'll find built-in support for touch screens.

Access one computer from another one, virtually anywhere

If you use both a desktop PC and a laptop, it's likely that at some point you'll need to get something off your desktop computer when you're on the road with your laptop. You can use the Remote Desktop Connection feature to more easily and securely access your documents and programs remotely. When you're able to gain remote access from across your home network, a work network, or across the Internet from another computer, you can get work done wherever you have a network connection.

Keep in touch, in sync, and informed

You probably depend on network connectivity pretty regularly. Now, keeping connected is easier. If there is a problem with your network connectivity, the new Network Diagnostics tool is designed to help you identify and solve the problem quickly and easily. In fact, most common problems are automatically fixed for you.

When you're collaborating on a project with a small group of Windows Vista users, you can use Windows Meeting Space to meet face to face and share documents over a wired network, a wireless local area network, or an ad hoc wireless network.

If you're like a lot of people, you don't use just a PC. You probably have a cell phone and maybe other devices or servers for your information. So you know it can be a challenge trying to keep all the information synchronized. The new Sync Center in Windows Vista Ultimate offers one convenient place where you can easily keep other PCs, server shares, shared documents, digital media devices, Smartphones, Pocket PCs, and other devices synchronized with your PC.