Windows Vista Product Editions . While the exact breakdown of the Windows Vista editions had been the subject of much speculation, this list closely matches the editions list I first published on the Super. Site for Windows in 2. Since then, in February 2. Microsoft finally revealed what the final product line- up would look like and- -no surprise- -it's almost identical to what I posted several months earlier. Here's how the Windows Vista product editions break down, according to both the very latest internal Microsoft documentation and what the company's said publicly. Windows Vista product edition categories. If you see an exclamation mark on Network icon it may mean that your Windows PC has Limited Network Connectivity. Learn how to troubleshoot & resolve the issue. Welcome to Creative Worldwide Support. Get technical help for your Creative products through Knowledgebase Solutions, firmware updates, driver downloads and more. Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 SP1 and SP2, and Windows Server 2003 R2 retired content. The content you requested has already retired. There will be two general categories of Windows Vista editions, which map closely to the two that exist today for XP (. In Windows Vista, the two categories are Home and Business. In the Home category, Microsoft will create four product editions: Windows Vista Starter, Windows Vista Home Basic (and Home Basic N for the European market), Windows Vista Home Premium, and Windows Vista Ultimate (previously known as . These edition names are now finalized, though the final feature set for each could change in the coming months. Windows Vista product editions. Here's how the product editions look, along with a preview of Microsoft's marketing message for each version. Windows Vista Starter. Aimed at beginner computer users in emerging markets who can only afford a low cost PC. As with the XP version, Windows Vista Starter (it was briefly going to be called Windows Starter 2. Vista Home Basic, and will ship in a 3. This version will only be sold in emerging markets. Windows Vista Starter is lacking a number of unique features found in most of the other Vista product editions. There is no Aero user interface, for example, and no support for Microsoft's new domain- like home networking scheme. Other missing features include DVD Maker, gaming common controller support, and image editing with enhanced touchup. The marketing message: For beginner computer users in emerging markets who can only afford a low cost PC, Windows Vista Starter provides a more affordable and easy introduction to personal computing because it is lower priced, tailored to the needs of beginner personal computer users, compatible with a wide range of Windows- based applications and devices, and tailored to each market. Windows Vista Home Basic. A simple version of Windows Vista that is aimed at single PC homes. Windows Vista Home Basic is the baseline version of Windows Vista, and the version that all other product editions will build from. It will include features such as Windows Firewall, Windows Security Center, secure wireless networking, parental controls, anti- spam/anti- virus/anti- spyware functionality, network map, Windows Search, Movie Maker, Photo Library, Windows Media Player, Outlook Express with RSS support, P2. P Messenger, and more. Windows Vista Home Basic is roughly analogous to Windows XP Home Edition. This version is aimed at general consumers, Windows 9x/XP Starter Edition upgraders, and price sensitive/first- time buyers. Like Vista Starter, Vista Home Basic will not support the new Aero user interface. The marketing message: For mainstream Windows customers, Home Basic is where it all begins. Here, Microsoft will be pushing . Home Basic is secure by default and easy to keep secure. The connection is limited How to Troubleshoot and Resolve "Limited or No Connectivity" Errors First, start with this How to Fix Common Internet Connection Problems guide. Same Day private MRI Scan from Vista Diagnostics. Vista MRI news. You will mostly see this pop-up notification in the system tray at the bottom right corner of the computer screen. This notification appears with an exclamation mark. Check out my Windows Vista Activity Center for a cool front-end to all of the Windows Vista/Longhorn-related content I've created! ![]() You can trust Windows with your most important tasks and data and complete everyday tasks faster. For a look at Windows Vista Home Basic, see my screenshot gallery. Windows Vista Home Premium. As a true superset of Home Basic, Windows Vista Home Premium will include everything from Home Basic, as well as Media Center and Media Center Extender functionality (including Cable Card support), DVD Maker DVD authoring, Tablet PC functionality, Mobility Center and other mobility and presentation features, auxiliary display support, P2. P ad- hoc meeting capabilities, Wi- Fi auto- config and roaming, unified parental controls that work over multiple PCs, backup to network functionality, Internet File Sharing, Offline Folders, PC- to- PC sync, Sync Manager, and support for Microsoft's upcoming Quattro Home Server, a Windows Server 2. R2- based server product aimed at the home market. Windows Vista Premium is similar to XP Media Center Edition, except that it adds numerous other features and functionality, including Tablet PC support. My guess is that this will be the volume consumer offering in the Windows Vista timeframe (today, XP Pro is the dominant seller). This version is aimed at PC enthusiasts, multiple- PC homes, homes with kids, and notebook users. The marketing message: Home Premium turns it up a notch. In addition to the baseline functionality offered in Home Basic, this version focuses on such things as integrated entertainment (movies, memories, and more), mobility (media and productivity on the go), and connected living (connect with family, friends, and home). Home Premium supplies whole- home entertainment and personal productivity throughout the home and on the go. For a look at Windows Vista Home Premium, see my screenshot gallery. Windows Vista Business. A powerful, reliable and secure OS for businesses of all sizes. Windows Vista Business will include domain join and management functionality, compatibility with non- Microsoft networking protocols (Netware, SNMP, etc.), Remote Desktop, Microsoft Windows Web Server, and Encrypted File System (EFS). ![]() Additionally, Vista Business will include Tablet PC functionality. Windows Vista Business is roughly analogous to XP Pro today. This version is aimed at business decision makers and IT managers and generalists. The marketing message: Vista Business is a powerful, reliable, and secure operating system. It helps PC users be more effective at work and offers improved connectivity and access to information, so that companies can realize better return on their IT investment. For a look at Windows Vista Business, see my screenshot gallery. Windows Vista Enterprise. Optimized for the enterprise, this version will be a true superset of Windows Vista Business, available only via volume license to Software Assurance (SA) customers. It will include unique features such as single- instance Virtual PC, the multi- language user interface (MUI), and the Secure Startup/full volume encryption security technologies (. There is no analogous XP version for this product. It is the client OS that is optimized for the enterprise. Windows Vista Ultimate is a superset of both Vista Home Premium and Vista Business, so it includes all of the features of both of those product versions, plus adds Game Performance Tweaker with integrated gaming experiences, a Podcast creation utility (under consideration, may be cut from product), and online . Microsoft is still investigating how to position its most impressive Windows release yet, and is looking into offering Vista Ultimate owners such services as extended A1 subscriptions, free music downloads, free movie downloads, Online Spotlight and entertainment software, preferred product support, and custom themes. There is nothing like Vista Ultimate today. This version is aimed at high- end PC users and technology influencers, gamers, digital media enthusiasts, and students. The marketing message: Vista Ultimate is the . It provides the best performance, most secure and complete connection to the office, and is optimized for the individual. Everything you need for work or fun is included. It is the best operating system ever offered for the personal PC. For a look at Windows Vista Ultimate, see my screenshot galleries. N Editions. Finally, I should note that Microsoft is planning to offer so- called N Editions of Windows Vista for the European market, in order to meet the requirements of an antitrust ruling there. Windows Vista N Editions- -Vista Home Basic N and Vista Business N- -will mirror the Vista Home Basic and Vista Business versions, respectively, but will not include Windows Media Player and other media- related functionality. Features breakdown. Many people are curious about which features will be made available in each product edition. Here's a partial list. Key to the table: Str - Windows Vista Starter. Home N - Windows Vista Home N (Europe only)Home B - Windows Vista Home Basic Home P - Windows Vista Home Premium Bus N - Windows Vista Business N (Europe only)Bus - Windows Vista Business. Ent - Windows Vista Enterprise. Ult - Windows Vista Ultimate. Fundamentals. Feature. Str. Home NHome BHome PBus NBus. Ent. Ult. Safe. Docs backup and restore No Yes Yes Yes Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Backup (scheduled) No No No Yes Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Backup (network- based) No No No Yes Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Shadow copy client No No No. No. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Encrypted File System (EFS) No No No Yes Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Supports migration from XP No Yes Yes Yes Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Productivity. Feature Str. Home NHome BHome P Bus N Bus. Ent. Ult. Desktop Window Manager (DWM) No Yes Yes Yes Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Aero glass, animations, visual effects No No No Yes Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Productivity features (rolodex, tab previews, task bar previews) No No No Yes Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Unlimited screen resolution support. Tips to Troubleshoot Windows Vista Networking Issues. Introduction. In this article, I will cover 5 things you can do to troubleshoot your Windows Vista networking issues; including automated diagnoses, command line tools, and a strong troubleshooting methodology. Windows Vista is no different than any other operating system in that, sooner or later, you will have networking issues. This could be caused by the OS (Vista in this case), misconfiguration by the user or IT Admin, network issues, or other causes. Thus, it is not a question of if you will need to perform Vista network troubleshooting, it is a question of when will you need to perform Vista network troubleshooting. In this article, I will walk you through my 5 tips that I recommend you use to troubleshoot Windows Vista networking issues. Let us start with the first tip.#1: Use the Bottom Up Approach. I recall reading my first Cisco networking book and learning about the 3 different approaches to network troubleshooting (see my article How to use the OSI Model to Troubleshoot Networks). The 3 approaches to network troubleshooting are the bottom/up, top/down, and divide & conquer models. In the case of Vista Network troubleshooting, my #1 tip is to use the “bottom up approach” to network troubleshooting to attempt to solve your network issue prior to going into real “vista OS” troubleshooting. So what is the “bottom up approach”? If you look at the OSI Model, you will see that it is a layered model that represents all the different parts which make up a network. The “bottom” layer is usually the physical layer. Think of physical layer as the cabling, NIC interfaces, switches, and electric signals that go across the wire. If you start your troubleshooting at that bottom layer (the physical layer) and move up the OSI model you will go through the Data- Link layer (usually the Ethernet protocol), the Network Layer (usually the IP Network), Transport Layer (TCP), and all the way up to the Application layer (layer 1). My point is to start your troubleshooting by checking for physical connectivity. Here are some questions to ask yourself: Is my network cable connected? Do I have a link light on the NIC? Does Windows see my NIC and see it as connected? Does the Ethernet switch have power and show a link light? Whether you have a wired or wireless connection, the questions are the same (or similar). Take for example this Vista Wireless network connection status: Figure 1: Vista Wireless Connection Status. You want to look at the “media state”. In this case, the media is wireless but the important thing is that it is enabled. If you are attempting to connect to a wireless network, make sure that you are actually connected to a network. You can click on Connect to a Network to either connect or disconnect from a wireless or dialup network. On a computer with a physical Ethernet connection, you are going to look for the same thing. Take for example this Windows 2. Server with an Ethernet NIC: Figure 2: Windows 2. Media Stat. On this server, you can see that the Ethernet media on the wired LAN connection is enabled and you can see that the speed is 1. Gbps. If you can verify these things, more on up the OSI model until you find the issue. The old network admin joke about the OSI model is that the non- existent 8th layer of the model is the “end user” and that they are many time the issue. Many of these other things will fall into the category of testing various layers of the OSI model but, as with most networking tools, they apply to the testing of the Network & Transport layers which cover TCP/IP.#2: IP Addressing. Let us say that you checked your media state and your link light and you have physical network connectivity. Moving on up the OSI model, we will skip the datalink layer (layer 2) as Ethernet MAC addressing is usually not an issue and move to IP addressing (layer 3). At this point, you need to check your IP addressing in to ensure that: You have a real IP address (not an automatically assigned IP address)Your IP address is correct and matches your network & default gateway addresses. You have default gateway and DNS Server IP addresses defined. To do this, open the Network and Sharing Center and assuming you have a connection, click on the View Status for your connected network interface. Figure 3: Viewing the Status of your Connection. Then click on Details to see the IP address, subnet mask, default gateway, and DNS Servers. If you take a look at the details for the connection in Figure 4, notice that this connection has no default gateway or DNS servers. Figure 4: Connection without a default gateway or DNS Servers. Lack of these will certainly prevent you from really using your network connection as normal. Of course, neither of these are required but most of us want to communicate outside of our local LAN. A default gateway is required for that. Also, most of us want to communicate with servers by name (such as using www. DNS Server IP’s are required for that. Of course, you can also do an IPCONFIG /ALL to check all your IP settings, like this: Figure 5: Results of IPCONFIG /ALLPerhaps you did not receive these settings because your adaptor is not using DHCP. Even if you do have a valid IP address, default gateway, and DNS Servers, you should ping these to ensure that you can really communicate with them.#3: Windows Vista Diagnose and Repair. Fortunately for those who do not want to get into troubleshooting, Vista does offer the automatic Diagnose and Repair of network connections. Us IT Adminstrators can also use this as the “shotgun approach” to solving our problem quicker without getting into trying all sorts of things. To use diagnose and repair, just open the Network and Sharing Center and click on Diagnose and Repair. Figure 6: Diagnose and Repair. Note: Vista help also calls diagnose and repair “Network Diagnostics”. This tool will go through and check your network connection to identify problems. Firewalls are used to filter inbound and outbound network connections. Firewalls could be local on your Vista computer or they could be out on the network, filtering inbound or outbound connections to/from the Internet. Of course if the firewall is out on our LAN that is beyond the scope of this article. As for firewalls on your local Vista computer, you can even have more than one but the first one (if you installed a 3rd party firewall). However, the first thing that you want to check is the Windows Vista Firewall that is installed and enabled by default. It is unlikely that the Vista Firewall is blocking all network access. It is more likely that it is blocking just certain inbound or outbound network connections for specific applications. While it is risky on a public shared network to disable your firewall, one of the first things that I usually do when I get to this point is to just turn off the Vista Firewall to see if your problem is resolved. If it is, you can re- enable the Vista Firewall and then troubleshoot it to determine what port you need to allow your network traffic through. To disable or add exceptions for the Windows Firewall, just click on Windows Firewall inside the Network and Sharing Center. At this point, you can view its status. Figure 7: Checking the Windows Firewall. We can see that the Windows Firewall is enabled and that means that inbound connections that do not have an exception will be blocked. We can see that we should get a notification when a program is blocked. To try disabling the firewall or creating an exception, click Change Settings and you will see this: Figure 8: Changing Windows Firewall Settings. Here you can turn the firewall Off, view/modify exceptions with the Exceptions tab, or look at advanced features. Besides the Windows Firewall, if you are having trouble accessing computers on your local network, you need to check your Network Discovery settings. To do this, go to Network and Sharing. Center and scroll down to the Sharing and Discovery section. Check your settings for things like Network Discovery, File Sharing, and others. Figure 9: Sharing and Discovery#5: Use Common Sense Network Troubleshooting. While I have offered a number of technical troubleshooting tools, one of the things that more often than not is missed, is just using what I call “common sense” when it comes to troubleshooting network issues. Here are some common sense tips: Did you or someone else change something that could have caused this new networking issue? Are you even connected to the network? Are you assuming that all network connectivity is lost when really it is just one server or application that is not functioning? And if you change one thing that does not fix your issue, change that thing back to where it was before changing something else. Conclusion. You WILL be troubleshooting Vista Networking issues if you use Vista. It is not a matter of “if” but a matter of “when”. I recommend that you keep these 5 Tips to Troubleshoot Windows Vista Networking Issues handy for the next time you have a Vista networking issue.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
November 2017
Categories |