Computer Service and Repair, 4th Edition Page 51 (69 of 992)

Chapter 2 Operating Systems 51
Windows Media Center
Windows Media Center is a collection of
media manipulation utilities or tools. With
Windows Media Center, you can edit digital
movies; modify or adjust digital photos; and
record, copy, and create DVDs. If your PC has
a television tuner card installed, you can also
watch live television. Windows Media Center is
only available in Windows Vista Home Premium
and Windows Vista Ultimate. Windows Media
Center continues to be available in all Windows 7
versions and is available as an add-on feature for
Windows 8.
Windows Mobility Center
Windows Mobility Center provides a central
location for accessing the most commonly
used features for laptops, such as presentation
configurations for a projector and energy
conservation configurations. It also automatically
configures common network connections, such as
for the home, office, or work location.
The Windows Hot Start feature allows a
laptop to instantly start a selected program with
the touch of a single button. There is no need to
wait long periods of time while the program is
located, opened, and loaded into memory. It will
start an application directly out of sleep mode or
hibernation and even when the computer has been
turned off. The feature was designed specifically for
mobile PCs.
Windows Meeting Space
Windows Meeting Space is designed for
collaborating over a network. The meeting can
vary from two to nine persons using personal
computers connected by cables or wireless
devices. The users can share documents,
PowerPoint presentations, audio, video images,
and anything else they might share at a typical
Goodheart-Willcox Publisher
Figure 2-16. Comparison table of common Windows features.
Windows Feature Windows XP Windows Vista Windows 7 Windows 8
BitLocker Drive Encryption No Yes Yes Yes
BitLocker To Go No No Yes Yes
Gadgets No Yes Yes No
Libraries No No Yes Yes
Microsoft User Account No No No Yes
Network Discovery No Yes Yes Yes
Picture Password No No No Yes
Recovery Refresh and Reset No No No Yes
Sync Your Settings No No No Yes
Tablet PC Settings Yes Yes Yes Yes
Windows Aero No Yes Yes Yes
Windows Media Center No Yes Yes No
Windows Meeting Space No Yes No No
Windows Mobility Center No Yes Yes Yes
Windows Ready Boost No Yes Yes Yes
Windows Shadow Copy and Previous
Versions
No Yes Yes Yes
Windows To Go No No No Yes
XP Mode No No Yes No
Note: Some features may only be available in specifi c Windows editions. Also, Window Media Center is available as an add-on for some
editions of Windows 8.

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Chapter 2 Operating Systems 51
Windows Media Center
Windows Media Center is a collection of
media manipulation utilities or tools. With
Windows Media Center, you can edit digital
movies; modify or adjust digital photos; and
record, copy, and create DVDs. If your PC has
a television tuner card installed, you can also
watch live television. Windows Media Center is
only available in Windows Vista Home Premium
and Windows Vista Ultimate. Windows Media
Center continues to be available in all Windows 7
versions and is available as an add-on feature for
Windows 8.
Windows Mobility Center
Windows Mobility Center provides a central
location for accessing the most commonly
used features for laptops, such as presentation
configurations for a projector and energy
conservation configurations. It also automatically
configures common network connections, such as
for the home, office, or work location.
The Windows Hot Start feature allows a
laptop to instantly start a selected program with
the touch of a single button. There is no need to
wait long periods of time while the program is
located, opened, and loaded into memory. It will
start an application directly out of sleep mode or
hibernation and even when the computer has been
turned off. The feature was designed specifically for
mobile PCs.
Windows Meeting Space
Windows Meeting Space is designed for
collaborating over a network. The meeting can
vary from two to nine persons using personal
computers connected by cables or wireless
devices. The users can share documents,
PowerPoint presentations, audio, video images,
and anything else they might share at a typical
Goodheart-Willcox Publisher
Figure 2-16. Comparison table of common Windows features.
Windows Feature Windows XP Windows Vista Windows 7 Windows 8
BitLocker Drive Encryption No Yes Yes Yes
BitLocker To Go No No Yes Yes
Gadgets No Yes Yes No
Libraries No No Yes Yes
Microsoft User Account No No No Yes
Network Discovery No Yes Yes Yes
Picture Password No No No Yes
Recovery Refresh and Reset No No No Yes
Sync Your Settings No No No Yes
Tablet PC Settings Yes Yes Yes Yes
Windows Aero No Yes Yes Yes
Windows Media Center No Yes Yes No
Windows Meeting Space No Yes No No
Windows Mobility Center No Yes Yes Yes
Windows Ready Boost No Yes Yes Yes
Windows Shadow Copy and Previous
Versions
No Yes Yes Yes
Windows To Go No No No Yes
XP Mode No No Yes No
Note: Some features may only be available in specifi c Windows editions. Also, Window Media Center is available as an add-on for some
editions of Windows 8.

Help

50 Computer Service and Repair
command.com
produces an MS-DOS command
prompt, whereas
cmd.exe
produces a 32-bit console
application. Both
command.com
and
cmd.exe
are
executable files. An executable file has an
.exe
or
.com
file extension. Executable files are complete
software programs that run when the file name is
entered at the command prompt. Similar results
occur when a program is selected from the
Start
menu or when clicking a desktop shortcut that
represents a program.
Command.com
can be run in Windows Vista,
Windows 7, and Windows 8 when required for
legacy programs. It is run as a DOS interpreter
inside a Windows NT virtual machine. The
Windows NT virtual machine is not a physical
machine. A virtual machine or computer only
exists in the computer’s memory but appears
to the user as a real machine or computer. This
command interpreter contains many of the same
DOS internal and external commands, plus
additional commands.
Windows Features
The most important Windows features are
introduced in this section. Not all of the features
are available to all versions of Windows. You can
use the table Figure 2-16 to quickly identify which
version of Windows has the feature integrated
into the operating system. Features unique to
Windows 8 are covered in the following section.
For a more detailed list of Windows operating
system features, check the Microsoft website.
You can conduct an Internet search using the key
terms ”Microsoft Windows feature comparison.”
Be sure to add the operating version or versions in
the search key terms.
The A+ Certification requires knowledge of
a variety of Windows operating systems and
features. Always check the CompTIA website
for a list of operating systems that are covered
on the exams.
A+ Note
Windows Aero
Windows Aero is an enhanced user interface.
It is much more sophisticated than the user
interfaces of operating systems previous to
Windows Vista. It is designed to have a glass-like
appearance with various degrees of transparency,
Figure 2-17. The Windows Aero feature is one
of the main reasons a greater amount of RAM
and a quality 3-D graphics card or motherboard
is required. Windows Aero is also one of the
main reasons for the slow performance of
Windows Vista when compared to Windows XP
loaded on a similar PC.
BitLocker Drive Encryption
BitLocker Drive Encryption is an encryption
feature. Encryption is the process of rendering
the contents of a file unreadable by people other
than those who are allowed to read it. It differs
from earlier versions of file encryption in that it
encrypts the entire volume, including the system
files required for startup and logon, rather than
just data files. BitLocker ensures that data remains
encrypted even when the operating system is not
running. For example, if someone removes a hard
drive and then attempts to access the data from
another computer using a different operating
system or software utility, BitLocker prevents
the data from being accessed because the data
remains encrypted.
BitLocker is transparent to the user after
it is activated. It is designed to be used with a
computer that has a Trusted Platform Module
(TPM) or firmware that can read a USB flash
drive. The TPM is a microchip designed to work
with the BitLocker software. The TPM ensures
that encryption is intact throughout the boot
sequence of the computer. If the TPM is missing
or has changed, the user is required to supply
a password to access the encrypted data. If
BitLocker is configured on a system that does
not have a TPM, a startup key is required when
it is first configured. A typical startup key is a
software program loaded on a USB flash drive.
The software program contains the encryption
key used to access the encrypted drive.

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52 Computer Service and Repair
Windows Shadow Copy and Previous
Versions
The Windows Shadow Copy feature
automatically makes a copy of files that have
changed and have been saved. This feature allows
a user to open an earlier version of a file using
the Previous Versions feature. To restore a file
using the Previous Versions feature, open the
Properties
dialog box of the folder that held that
file or of the current version of that file. Click the
Previous Versions
tab. Previous versions of the
file will be listed. Select the desired file and then
click Restore. Notice that in Figure 2-19 there are
four earlier versions of the document titled CSR
Chapter 2 Revision 2012 that can be restored.
Windows Shadow Copy was first introduced
in Windows Server 2003. It is only available in
Windows Vista Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate
editions and in Windows 7 and Windows 8.
Windows Ready Boost
Many software programs require a great
deal of RAM to operate efficiently. Otherwise,
the program responds slowly or may not
meeting. Windows Meeting Space is also referred
to as People Near Me. Windows 7 continues to
support People Near Me, but with the introduction
of Windows 8, collaboration activities are designed
more as a cloud activity.
Network Discovery
Network Discovery was introduced with
Windows Vista and continues to be supported by
Windows 7 and Windows 8. It makes setting up
and configuring a network easy as it automatically
detects and configures a network and sets up
a share and Internet connection. It also allows
files to be shared much easier in a peer-to-
peer network, while still providing security
from the Internet. The main exception arises if
there is a router or gateway being used that is
not compatible with the automatic networking
features.
Figure 2-18 shows the Network and Sharing
Center. Notice the
Network discovery
option in
the
Sharing and Discovery
section of the dialog
box. This option lets you enable and disable the
Network Discovery feature.
Figure 2-17.
The Windows Vista
Aero feature provides
an adjustable
transparency for
Windows dialog boxes.

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