Windows Vista can automatically schedule file backups that back up your most important documents. It does not, however, give you a wizard to schedule Complete PC backups.

Complete PC backups store your entire hard disk (well, your system volume), so if your hard drive dies at some point, you can do a quick restore and be up and running again in minutes. That’s better than file backups in many ways, because all your applications will be restored, and none of your files or settings will be lost.

It’s so useful, you should schedule automatic Complete PC backups to an external hard disk. Just follow these steps:
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I discovered this trick while looking in my referrer logs. Steve Clayton clues us in that clicking the scroll wheel shows full-screen tiles of all your windows. I like it even better than Alt-Tab. Now, if they would just make it work with multiple monitors…

Your hard drive has died, or your computer has been taken over by spyware or viruses. If you’ve made a Complete PC backup, you can be up and running in less than an hour.
To restore a Complete PC backup, follow these steps:
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Vista comes with a handful of fairly useless gadgets, such as an analog clock (um, there’s a digital clock on the taskbar) and an RSS feed that only shows two or three words from each headline. The good news: you can download more free gadgets from the Windows Live Gallery.
Here’s a filtered list of sidebar gadgets for you to browse. That link’s a little flakey, so if nothing comes up, try refreshing it a few times.
Well, the availability of gadgets is pretty bleak now, but here’s a few I like:

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Update: A real tool is available to do this, and it works in 64-bit Vista, so use that instead.

Microsoft is working on a tool to simplify restoring files from backups you made with Windows XP, but it’s not ready yet. In the meantime, plan on scrapping your old backups–as soon as you get Vista running, do a Complete PC backup, and then schedule nightly backups.

If you really need to restore files from a .BKF file, this thread provides guidance. I’ll copy the steps here for reference: Read more »

New to Windows Vista is the Reliability Monitor, which tracks your system stability over time and gives you quick access to different problems. This should be your first stop if you’re trying to determine whether a recent hardware or software upgrade might be causing problems, because it visually displays historical failures and major changes such as upgrades and installs. Check out the (in)stability of my primary computer above. Mine’s probably worse than average because I’m using a laptop (laptops are way more complicated than desktops) and I use a lot of development and specialized applications.
To open the Reliability Monitor, follow these steps:

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If a program crashes or you have a Stop error (aka., a blue screen) in Windows XP, XP prompts you to send an error report. It works a little different in Vista.

Vista will store your problem reports and manages them in the background. It’ll regularly check with Microsoft to see if an update that fixes your problem has been released, and notify you. So, you really don’t need to do anything to take advantage of Problem Reports And Solutions.

However, you can view problem reports and manually check for solutions by following these steps:

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Just found a new BIOS update for Vista for my Dell Latitude D820 laptop (A05–the second BIOS update for Vista). Usually, when they release a BIOS update for one of their computers, they release them for all their computers. So, if you’ve got a Dell, go see if there’s a BIOS update for you. Maybe it’ll slow down all those hardware problems I’ve been having.

Hint: you can’t just run the updates–you have to right-click them and then click Run As Administrator. If you install other Dell updates (such as Dell’s new audio update for Vista), you’ll need to extract it, then find the Setup file and run it as administrator. Dell’s releasing updates for Vista, so why can’t they make them run properly with UAC enabled?
If you have a different type of computer, check your manufacturer’s website for any updates for Vista. We’ll see pretty frequent driver and BIOS updates for the next six months or so.

You can still change default programs by using Open With after right-clicking a program, but there’s an easier way. Just follow these steps:

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I manually setup this hack in Windows XP. Thoughtfully, it’s built into Windows Vista. Just Shift-click any folder, and then click Open Command Window Here to open a command prompt.

Now if I could just figure out how to always open an Administrator command prompt…

Hold down the control key while scrolling your mouse wheel up or down to quickly zoom in or out. This works on your desktop to make the icons bigger, in your Pictures folder (or any folder with thumbnails) to make the thumbnails larger, and it even works in programs such as Internet Explorer and Microsoft Word to scale the text and graphics.

This is a HUGE help if you have a high-resolution monitor, and i love the huge Recycle Bin.

The Quick Launch toolbar gives you one-click access to your favorite programs. Windows XP had it too, but Windows Vista adds keyboard shortcuts for the first ten programs.

To enable the Quick Launch toolbar (if it’s hidden), follow these steps:

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Two of the best ways to improve your computer productivity are:

• Reduce the number of times you move your hand from your mouse to your keyboard
• Reduce the distance you need to move your mouse for repetitive actions

You can accomplish both of these by programming the special keys that are on most new mice, such as the two buttons on the side of the mouse in the picture above. If you have a Microsoft mouse like I do and you’re using Windows Vista, you’ll need to download the latest version of IntelliPoint. Vista shipped with a beta version of the software.

After you install the software, follow these steps to configure your special buttons:

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One of the best ways to improve your computer productivity is to take advantage of the programmable keys on your keyboard and mouse to save yourself some keystrokes. If you have a Microsoft keyboard like I do and you’re using Windows Vista, you’ll need to download the latest version of IntelliType. Vista shipped with a beta version of the software.

After you install the software, follow these steps to configure your special keys:

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Remote Desktop lets you control another computer across the network. To use it, first enable Remote Desktop on the computer you want to control. Then, follow these steps to connect to it:

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