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Lesser-Known Cool Vista Feature

Remember when you used to wish that the help featues in Windows were, well, helpful? I was recently trying to figure out how to change some settings in Vista and the new Control Panel menu wasn't being very helpful. On a whim, I open the new Help and Support link on the Start Menu and was really impressed.

First, help now is fully integrated with online help, so you not only get the information on your system that was there when you installed Vista, but you can now tap into the latest support information available online.

But here's the kicker: Vista help includes a guided tour as well.

Try this: While you're connected to the Internet, open help and type "show known file extensions" in the search field. Then click on the first item in the results list and it should look something like this:

If you click the "Do it automatically" link, Vista will just take care of this for you. If you're like me and want to actually learn how to make this happen, click on the "Show me step-by-step" link. The icon above will move through the UI and walk you through the process if finding what you need.

This is a simle example, but I've started to use the Help and Support on a more regular basis now that I've seen what it can do. It beats Google! :)

Print | posted on Friday, April 06, 2007 12:19 AM

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# re: Lesser-Known Cool Vista Feature

left by Dan at 4/6/2007 7:04 AM Gravatar
So if I want to "show or hide file name extensions" and I tell Vista to "do it automatically", what am I telling Vista to do? Show or hide them? Somebody needs to reword that.

# Vista has help that's actually helpful

left by TechBlog at 4/6/2007 9:45 AM Gravatar
As Larry Magid and I worked on our Vista book -- which is now almost finished, except for proofing its laid-out pages -- we kept commenting to each other about just how helpful Vista's help files really are. If you've...

# re: Lesser-Known Cool Vista Feature

left by Denny at 4/6/2007 9:33 AM Gravatar
Hey, Dan. I agree: The wording is a bit confusing when you first look at it, but it's a context driven, so whatever the current setting is, it will set the opposite value.

I guess at the end of the day, engineers still write a lot of the documentation for software, so little contradictory items like this are bound to make their way into the UI now and again.

# re: Lesser-Known Cool Vista Feature

left by Denny at 4/6/2007 9:38 AM Gravatar
Hey, Dwight. Thanks for your comment. I'll look for your book. Any timeline as to when it'll be available?

# re: Lesser-Known Cool Vista Feature

left by Dwight Silverman at 4/6/2007 3:27 PM Gravatar
Actually, Denny, that's a trackback from the entry I did that included your entry...

But, the publication date is May 14. Should be available sometime after that.

# re: Lesser-Known Cool Vista Feature

left by Denny at 4/6/2007 3:30 PM Gravatar
Of course, Dwight. I saw that and appreciate it. Sorry for the misnomer in my reply.

I look forward to seeing your book.
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