Vista Tips
Vista’s still brand-spanking new, but there are already some things you can do to make it perform better
PLAY ARMCHAIR AUDITORGenerate Problem Reports
and Look for SolutionsVista keeps a meticulous record of every
error that’s ever caused a program to
stop working or presented a compatibility
problem, but even better, you can make
Windows check for solutions and save
yourself a recurring headache. You’ll fi nd
the Problem Reports and Solutions Wizard
under System and Maintenance in the
Control Panel. In the left-hand pane under
Tasks, click “See problems to check” to
bring up a list of applications; put a check
mark next to any or all of them and click
“Check for solutions.”GALLOP WITH A GUIAccess Advanced Options
with Tweak VIOptimize nearly every nook and cranny in
Windows Vista through an intuitive GUI
by installing Tweak VI (free, http://tinyurl.
com/24yz6q ). Tweaks run the gamut from the
strictly visual to performance boosts—and
include everything in between. Setting up a
PC for the kids? Confi gure Tweak VI to hide a
bevy of confi guration options to prevent them
from accidentally mucking up a system, and
then password protect Tweak VI to keep curi-
ous fi ngers from undoing changes.EASY AS 1-2-3Open Quick Launch
Programs with theWindows Key
Using the Windows key in combination with
the numbers 0 through 9 will open up the cor-
responding sequential programs in the Quick
Launch toolbar. Make sure the Quick Launch
toolbar is visible (if not, right-click the taskbar
and select Quick Launch from the Toolbars
menu) and then rearrange the fi rst 10 pro-
grams however you see fi t.SNIP IT, SNIP IT GOOD!Take Better Screen Captures with the Snipping Tool
Vista’s built-in Snipping Tool does
for screen captures what Bruce Lee
did for kung fu movies, but without
the cheesy sound effects. Just type
Snipping into the search box and
start taking screenshots like you’ve
never taken them before. Draw a
perfect box around the area you want
to capture or use the free-form tool,
then highlight or draw over the cap-
ture before saving it as a JPEG, PNG,
GIF, or MHT fi le.SLEEPLESS IN VISTAForce the Sleep Button to Function as Shut Down
Vista’s Start menu marks a departure from the familiar theme found in XP, and one
such change includes swapping the Shut Down button for a Sleep icon. With a little
bit of digging, you can bring back the Shut Down button. Navigate to the Control
Panel, then System and Maintenance, then Power Options. Under the selected
power plan, click “Change plan settings,” and then click “Change advanced power
settings.” Expand “Power buttons and lid” and then “Start menu power button.”
Highlight Setting and choose Shut Down from the pull-down menu.HEAR YE, HEAR YEEnable DirectSound3D Hardware Acceleration
Vista giveth DirectX 10 and taketh away DirectSound3D, killing off hardware
acceleration and EAX effects for the legacy format. But don’t despair, because
Creative came up with a
workaround for Audigy
and X-Fi owners. Install
Creative’s ALchemy
software (free, http://
tinyurl.com/29ghqj ), let it
automatically detect any
installed DS3D games,
and then click the arrow
to move them to the
right-hand pane, so
they’ll be translated into
OpenAL.WINDOWS TIPS34 MAXIMUMPC | MAR 08 | http://www.maximumpc.com