While Windows Vista

Windows Vista

Windows Vista is an operating system released in several variations developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, and media center PCs...

 contains many new features

Features new to Windows Vista

Windows Vista has many new features compared with previous Microsoft Windows versions, covering most aspects of the operating system.This article discusses the changes most likely to be of interest to non-technical users...

, a number of capabilities and certain programs that were a part of previous Windows versions up to Windows XP

Windows XP

Windows XP is an operating system produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops and media centers. First released to computer manufacturers on August 24, 2001, it is the second most popular version of Windows, based on installed user base...

 were removed or changed - some of which were later re-introduced in Windows 7.

The following is a list of features which were present in Windows XP but were removed in Windows Vista.

Windows Explorer

Windows Explorer

This article is about the Windows file system browser. For the similarly named web browser, see Internet ExplorerWindows Explorer is a file manager application that is included with releases of the Microsoft Windows operating system from Windows 95 onwards. It provides a graphical user interface...

• Even after setting the ForceCopyAclwithFile and MoveSecurityAttributes values as documented in KB310316, permissions are not retained/copied when Windows Explorer is used to copy or move objects across volumes or in the same volume.
• Thumbnails can no longer be forced to regenerate by right-clicking the image and selecting Refresh thumbnail.
• The Explorer thumbnail handler and metadata handler for .AVI files (Shmedia.dll) has been removed.
• Ctrl+Enter on the selected folder no longer opens it in a new Explorer window.
• Tiles view only shows the name, type and the size of items. It no longer shows information depending on the criteria by items are sorted.
• The Version file properties tab has been replaced by a Details tab that omits custom version information strings, does not show all of the same information as the Version tab and does not support copying any of the displayed information to the clipboard.
• Various properties are not visible anymore from the Details tab, such as Audio sample rate and Audio sample size and Channels for certain audio files.
• The column by which items are sorted is not highlighted unlike Windows XP. Only the column header is highlighted.
• The address bar dropdown displays recently visited folder or file paths typed into the address bar and websites but does not show the complete top level file hierarchy.
• The context menu commands shown for items in the navigation (folders) pane, the files pane and in the top-left corner of the window are different, the latter being the same as the menu shown upon left click. The top-left corner of the window also no longer acts like a clickable/draggable icon representing the folder.
• The Desktop.ini Sharing=0 parameter which could prevent a particular folder from being shared is not supported.
• The Toolbar button in Explorer to go up one folder from the current folder has been removed. The link to the parent folder in the Other places task pane has also been removed. Viewing the parent folders is now accomplished by clicking the folder or its dropdown arrow in the breadcrumbs bar
  Breadcrumb (navigation)
  Breadcrumbs or breadcrumb trail is a navigation aid used in user interfaces. It allows users to keep track of their locations within programs or documents. The term comes from the trail of breadcrumbs left by Hansel and Gretel in the popular fairytale....
  
   or by pressing the Alt + Up key combination.
• As a result of the Up button being removed, the Ctrl+Up key combination to open the parent folder in a new window does not work.
• It is not possible to turn off full row selection in List view.
• It is not possible to turn off autorefresh/autosorting of files and folders as sorting is treated as a state instead of as a verb. As a result, any file modification activity such as copy-paste, creation, rename or deletion makes items move continually to obey the sort order instead of the items appearing at the end and getting sorted only when the view is refreshed.
• It is not possible to set NTFS security ACLs, ownership and audit permissions on more than one selected item using Windows Explorer because the Security tab has been removed from the Properties for multiple selected items. Microsoft states that this feature was removed as the UAC prompt which may need to be displayed to gain ownership and reset permissions cannot accommodate the names of multiple selected files. However, this justification would also apply to all other batch actions on multiple selected files such as setting attributes, using NTFS compression or Encrypting File System where a different UAC prompt is displayed and the batch action is not disallowed.
• The IColumnProvider shell extension interface (column handler) has been removed. Shell extensions that display information in Explorer's columns will therefore fail to work. The replacement for column handlers, Property Handlers, cannot be registered for all files.
• It is no longer possible to add a background to folders via a desktop.ini.
• Icons of any 16-bit
  16-bit
  -16-bit architecture:The HP BPC, introduced in 1975, was the world's first 16-bit microprocessor. Prominent 16-bit processors include the PDP-11, Intel 8086, Intel 80286 and the WDC 65C816. The Intel 8088 was program-compatible with the Intel 8086, and was 16-bit in that its registers were 16...
  
   files including New Executable
  New Executable
  The New Executable is a 16-bit .exe file format, a successor to the DOS MZ executable format. It was used in a special version of MS-DOS, Windows 1.0, Windows 2.x, and Windows 3.x...
  
  s or DLLs are not extracted by Explorer (or any other 32-bit process) even in 32-bit versions, and therefore are not displayed. The shell's Change icon dialog cannot browse 16-bit icon libraries and DLLs.
• The collapsible File and Folder Tasks pane actions have been replaced by the Organize menu which requires an additional click after selecting items.
• The navigation pane (tree view) can only be toggled through the Organize menu. The Folders button has been removed.
• The Favorites menu has been removed from Explorer and replaced by Explorer-specific Favorite Links in the navigation pane (tree view). The collapsible Details task pane from Windows XP has been replaced by a horizontal details pane at the bottom that can only be toggled through the Organize menu.
• The ability to view and edit metadata
  Metadata
  The term metadata is an ambiguous term which is used for two fundamentally different concepts . Although the expression "data about data" is often used, it does not apply to both in the same way. Structural metadata, the design and specification of data structures, cannot be about data, because at...
  
   at the file system level — such as description, author, tags, rating etc. stored in a file's secondary stream — through the "Summary" tab of the file's "Properties" dialog was removed. Metadata is now stored inside files; however, developers must write a Property handler for any file format in order for users to be able to edit and view its metadata.
• There are limitations to opening more than 15 selected files in a single operation, i.e. by selecting more than 15 files and pressing Enter. The "Open" verb is not present in the context menu when more than 15 files are selected.
• Single click to rename after selecting an item is not available in the navigation (left) pane.
• Arrows indicating subfolders in the left pane cannot be set to always show. They disappear when dragging and dropping if the user clicks in the right pane before starting to drag to the left pane.
• A folder tree does not expand automatically while collapsing the previous one in the navigation pane even after turning on "Display simple folder view".
• It is not possible to display the full path in the title bar
  Title bar
  In computing, the title bar consists of that part of a window where the title of the window appears. Most graphical operating systems and window managers position the title bar at the top of the application window as a horizontal bar....
  
   when Aero Glass
  Windows Aero
  Windows Aero is the graphical user interface and the default theme in most editions of Windows Vista and Windows 7, operating systems released by Microsoft. It is also available in Windows Server 2008, but is not enabled by default. Its name is a backronym for Authentic, Energetic, Reflective and...
  
   is enabled. When Aero Glass is disabled, the full path can be displayed in the title bar. The full path can be shown in the address bar regardless of the status of Aero, by clicking to the right of the breadcrumbs
  Breadcrumb (navigation)
  Breadcrumbs or breadcrumb trail is a navigation aid used in user interfaces. It allows users to keep track of their locations within programs or documents. The term comes from the trail of breadcrumbs left by Hansel and Gretel in the popular fairytale....
  
   or pressing Alt+D.
• The ability to customize the standard toolbar's layout and buttons was removed.
• Users can no longer make the menu above all other toolbars.
• Ability to add a password to a ZIP file (compressed folder) has been removed. Though this has no effect on third-party compression tools, such as WinZip
  WinZip
  WinZip is a proprietary file archiver and compressor for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X, developed by WinZip Computing...
  
   or 7-Zip
  7-Zip
  7-Zip is an open source file archiver. 7-Zip operates with the 7z archive format, but can read and write several other archive formats. The program can be used from a command line interface, graphical user interface, or with Microsoft Windows shell integration. 7-Zip began in 1999 and is actively...
  
  , Windows Explorer can no longer open ZIP files that are protected with a password.
• Filmstrip view is replaced by the Preview pane; however the state of the preview pane is not saved per folder. It can be globally enabled or disabled. Also, the preview pane does not show previews for folders whereas filmstrip view showed the preview of images within a folder if a folder was selected. Other functions available in filmstrip view such as rotating photos and navigating using Next and Forward buttons are only available in Windows Photo Gallery
  Windows Photo Gallery
  Windows Photo Gallery is a photo management, tagging, and editing tool developed by Microsoft, and is included with all editions of Windows Vista...
  
  .
• Support for enabling a folder for web sharing with Internet Information Services
  Internet Information Services
  Internet Information Services – formerly called Internet Information Server – is a web server application and set of feature extension modules created by Microsoft for use with Microsoft Windows. It is the most used web server after Apache HTTP Server. IIS 7.5 supports HTTP, HTTPS,...
  
   via the Windows Explorer interface was removed.
• The "Computer Description" field is no longer shown on the Explorer view of a workgroup. It can be viewed from the command line using net view.
• The Status bar does not show file information shown in the infotips when the file is selected. It no longer shows the total space used by a folder when displaying a folder's contents. Some file information is displayed in the Details pane.
• The drive mapping dialog box no longer allows a network path
  Path (computing)
  A path, the general form of a filename or of a directory name, specifies a unique location in a file system. A path points to a file system location by following the directory tree hierarchy expressed in a string of characters in which path components, separated by a delimiting character, represent...
  
   to be mapped without assigning a local drive letter to it.
• It is not possible to view the Properties of an item in the left pane of Windows Explorer using Alt+Enter.
• Users can no longer browse a domain or workgroup through a tree view. All computers on the network are displayed in a unified list. The list can be "filtered" to display only computers from the desired domain, but the list is still populated with all computers on the network, slowing the process.
• The ability to show accurate file timestamp
  Timestamp
  A timestamp is a sequence of characters, denoting the date or time at which a certain event occurred. A timestamp is the time at which an event is recorded by a computer, not the time of the event itself...
  
  s down to the seconds for recently accessed, recently modified or recently created files is removed. Windows Vista and later only show timestamps in hours or minutes in the Properties of recent files (e.g. 3 hours ago, 23 minutes ago).
• The ability to undo more than one delete operation has been removed from the Explorer context menu. Only the last delete operation can be undone or redone.
• The file transfer dialogs for copying, moving or deleting do not show the actual file name which is being copied, moved or deleted at that instant.
• The File Types tab has been removed from Folder Options. This feature was available from Windows 95 up to Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. The File Types tab allowed users to change the file association
  File association
  A file association associates a file with an application capable of opening that file. More commonly, a file association associates a class of files with a corresponding application .-Associations and verbs:A single file extension may have several associations for performing various actions, also...
  
  s for various types of files. It allowed configuring which application would open when a user clicked on a certain type of file, or allowed manually defining a new file extension, defining/editing custom secondary actions, showing extensions only for specific file types, or customizing the file icon. While there is a more simplified option to change the file association
  File association
  A file association associates a file with an application capable of opening that file. More commonly, a file association associates a class of files with a corresponding application .-Associations and verbs:A single file extension may have several associations for performing various actions, also...
  
  s, called Default Programs in the Windows Vista Control Panel, this option only allows users to change the default action that occurs when they double click a file. It does not allow users to choose which application would load if the user were to right click on a file and then choose a secondary option such as Edit. Manual registry editing or third-party software is now required to choose default programs, change file type icons, and other advanced tasks. The Open With dialog box in Windows Vista also uses the corresponding Default Programs API which limits only one registered application to be set as the default program.
• The option on the File Types tab to configure particular file types to confirm open after download and others to open without confirmation after downloading has been removed.

Taskbar

Taskbar

In computing, a taskbar is a bar displayed on a full edge of a GUI desktop that is used to launch and monitor running applications. Microsoft incorporated a taskbar in Windows 95 and it has been a defining aspect of Microsoft Windows's graphical user interface ever since. Some desktop environments,...

• The Power icon on the taskbar only appears for laptops and desktop computers with a USB-based UPS
  Uninterruptible power supply
  An uninterruptible power supply, also uninterruptible power source, UPS or battery/flywheel backup, is an electrical apparatus that provides emergency power to a load when the input power source, typically mains power, fails...
  
  .
• The Network icon on the taskbar does not give direct access to the connection settings, connection status, firewall settings, or disabling the connection.
• The taskbar
  Taskbar
  In computing, a taskbar is a bar displayed on a full edge of a GUI desktop that is used to launch and monitor running applications. Microsoft incorporated a taskbar in Windows 95 and it has been a defining aspect of Microsoft Windows's graphical user interface ever since. Some desktop environments,...
  
   cannot be resized to zero height, hiding it manually (inexperienced users were often unable to continue using Windows after resizing the taskbar to zero height accidentally).
• Toolbars such as "Quick Launch" can no longer be "dragged off" the taskbar as floating minibars or docked to another edge of the screen, though physical folders can be dragged onto the desktop edge in a similar manner. The Language Bar is the only toolbar that can float on the desktop.
• Double clicking on the Printer icon in the notification area while printing does not open the printer's status window that allows managing print jobs.

Start menu

Start menu

The Start Menu and Start Button are user interface elements used in the later versions of the Microsoft Windows operating systems and in some X window managers...

 

• Neither the new nor the Classic Start menu shows infotips for folders stored inside the folder's desktop.ini.
• It is not possible to expand the All Programs menu in the Vista Start menu into flyout cascading menus.
• Subfolders inside the All Programs menu in the Vista Start menu cannot be opened in Windows Explorer by double clicking as was possible with the XP Start menu or Classic Start menu. They also do not expand automatically if the mouse hovers over them (unless working in Windows Classic mode).
• Holding down the SHIFT key while clicking an item to retain the Start menu is not possible in the Vista Start menu.
• The program list in the Vista Start Menu cannot be set to anything other than the "scroll programs" option seen in previous versions of Windows.
• The Vista Start Menu does not allow expanding Connect To and Printers for quick access to network connections or print/fax devices.
• The Log Off confirmation on the classic Start menu has been removed.
• Many of the above features function as expected when using the classic style start menu, however the classic style start menu emulates older versions of Windows, so new features from Windows Vista and Windows XP, such as the search box or most recent start menu items, are not available.

Other Windows shell

Windows Shell

The Windows shell is the main graphical user interface in Microsoft Windows, and since Windows 95 hosted by Windows Explorer. The Windows shell includes well-known Windows components such as the Taskbar and the Start menu...

 features

• The setting to configure Recycle Bin maximum allocated size globally (across all drives) has been removed and the equivalent Group Policy is not supported. Recycle Bin maximum size must be configured individually for each drive in MB.
• Some functionality of the shell namespace extension for the Downloaded Program Files folder which hosts ActiveX controls is broken. ActiveX controls no longer show "Update" and "Delete" context menu verbs when right clicked. As a result, they can no longer be updated or deleted using the Downloaded Program Files folder.
• Folders on the Send To menu do not expand as submenus.
• AutoPlay settings cannot be configured per-device; they are set globally.
• It is not possible to list fonts by similarity based on PANOSE
  PANOSE
  The PANOSE System is a method for classifying typefaces solely on their visual characteristics, developed by Benjamin Bauermeister. It can be used to identify an unknown font from a sample image or to match a known font to its closest visual neighbor from a font pool...
  
   information or hide font variations such as Bold, Italic, etc. in the Fonts folder.
• Menus cannot be set to slide anymore using the user interface. Only the fade effect is available.
• Some functions such as shell execute hooks and named exports have been deprecated or removed from shell32.dll
  Windows Shell
  The Windows shell is the main graphical user interface in Microsoft Windows, and since Windows 95 hosted by Windows Explorer. The Windows shell includes well-known Windows components such as the Taskbar and the Start menu...
  
  .
• The Windows Script Host
  Windows Script Host
  The Microsoft Windows Script Host is an automation technology for Microsoft Windows operating systems that provides scripting capabilities comparable to batch files, but with a greater range of supported features...
  
   WshShell.SendKeys method, as well as the SendKeys function in development environments such as Visual Basic 6, no longer work on Vista when UAC
  User Account Control
  User Account Control is a technology and security infrastructure introduced with Microsoft's Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 operating systems, with a more relaxed version also present in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2...
  
   is enabled. Version 3.0 of the .NET Framework
  .NET Framework
  The .NET Framework is a software framework that runs primarily on Microsoft Windows. It includes a large library and supports several programming languages which allows language interoperability...
  
   has been updated to work around the issue.
• It is no longer possible to copy text fragments and other similar objects from a document, and paste them to a folder as a file (called a scrap, but actually an OLE object).
• Active Desktop
  Active Desktop
  Active Desktop was a feature of Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0's optional Windows Desktop Update that allows the user to add HTML content to the desktop, along with some other features. This function was intended to be installed on the then-current Windows 95 operating system...
  
   functionality has been removed. As a result, animated GIF files can no longer be set as the desktop background. No other dynamic web content such as HTML
  HTML
  HyperText Markup Language is the predominant markup language for web pages. HTML elements are the basic building-blocks of webpages....
  
   or HTA
  HTML Application
  An HTML Application is a Microsoft Windows program whose source code consists of HTML, Dynamic HTML, and one or more scripting languages supported by Internet Explorer, such as VBScript or JScript. The HTML is used to generate the user interface, and the scripting language is used for the program...
  
   files can run on the desktop, although Windows DreamScene
  Windows DreamScene
  Windows DreamScene is a utility that allows videos and other optimized animations to be used as desktop wallpapers. It is one of the Windows Ultimate Extras. Prior to its official announcement, DreamScene was rumored to be in creation under the names Motion Desktop and Borealis...
  
   (released only for Windows Vista Ultimate) allows using videos as the background and dynamic web content can run as part of Sidebar gadgets
  Microsoft Gadgets
  Microsoft Gadgets are lightweight single-purpose applications, or software widgets, that can sit on a Microsoft Windows user's computer desktop, or are hosted on a web page...
  
  .

Search

• Unlike Windows XP search, when searching with Windows Search
  Windows Search
  Windows Search is an indexed desktop search platform released by Microsoft for the Windows operating system....
  
  , there is no indication on the status bar of the location it is searching
• It is not possible to perform a case sensitive search using Windows Search
  Windows Search
  Windows Search is an indexed desktop search platform released by Microsoft for the Windows operating system....
  
  .
• Windows Search
  Windows Search
  Windows Search is an indexed desktop search platform released by Microsoft for the Windows operating system....
  
   no longer searches an item's NTFS
  NTFS
  NTFS is the standard file system of Windows NT, including its later versions Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista, and Windows 7....
  
   Alternate Data Stream unlike Windows XP's Search feature.
• The Search Assistant is no longer available.

Internet Explorer

Internet Explorer

Windows Internet Explorer is a series of graphical web browsers developed by Microsoft and included as part of the Microsoft Windows line of operating systems, starting in 1995. It was first released as part of the add-on package Plus! for Windows 95 that year...

 

• The About Internet Explorer dialog no longer displays the latest installed cumulative update in the "Update Versions" field.
• The ability to customize the toolbar layout is removed. The position of the address bar and the 'command bar' cannot be readjusted.
• Internet Explorer is no longer integrated with Windows Explorer
  Windows Explorer
  This article is about the Windows file system browser. For the similarly named web browser, see Internet ExplorerWindows Explorer is a file manager application that is included with releases of the Microsoft Windows operating system from Windows 95 onwards. It provides a graphical user interface...
  
  . This can also be seen in Internet Explorer 7
  Internet Explorer 7
  Windows Internet Explorer 7 is a web browser released by Microsoft in October 2006. Internet Explorer 7 is part of a long line of versions of Internet Explorer and was the first major update to the browser in more than 5 years...
  
   on Windows XP and Windows Server 2003.
• Image toolbar has been removed. Most of the commands that were on this floating toolbar—Save Picture, E-mail Picture, Set as Background, etc.—are now in the context menu that appears when an image is right-clicked. This is same for users with Internet Explorer 7 or higher on other supported Windows versions.
• Offline Favorites, a feature that automatically synchronized and stored web pages for later perusal when not online, was removed in favor of using RSS
  RSS
  -Mathematics:* Root-sum-square, the square root of the sum of the squares of the elements of a data set* Residual sum of squares in statistics-Technology:* RSS , "Really Simple Syndication" or "Rich Site Summary", a family of web feed formats...
  
   feeds.
• The maximum size for the "Temporary Internet Files
  Temporary Internet Files
  Temporary Internet Files is a folder on Microsoft Windows which holds browser caches. The directory is used by Internet Explorer and other web browsers to cache pages and other multimedia content, such as video and audio files, from websites visited by the user. This allows such websites to load...
  
  " folder (downloaded files cache) is limited to 1024 MB in Internet Explorer 7. This is also true for Internet Explorer 7 on other Windows versions.
• Several old and little-used technologies have been removed: DirectAnimation
  DirectX Media
  DirectX Media is a set of multimedia-related APIs for Microsoft Windows complementing DirectX. It included DirectAnimation for 2D/3D web animation, DirectShow for multimedia playback and streaming media, DirectX Transform for web interactivity, and Direct3D Retained Mode for higher level 3D graphics...
  
   support, CDF
  Channel Definition Format
  Channel Definition Format is an XML file format used in conjunction with Microsoft Active Channel and Smart Offline Favorites technologies...
  
  , view-source protocol handlers and 40-bit SSL ciphers
  Encryption
  In cryptography, encryption is the process of transforming information using an algorithm to make it unreadable to anyone except those possessing special knowledge, usually referred to as a key. The result of the process is encrypted information...
  
  .

User accounts and Winlogon

Winlogon

In computing, Winlogon is the component of Microsoft Windows operating systems that is responsible for handling the secure attention sequence, loading the user profile on logon, and optionally locking the computer when a screensaver is running...

• Protected Storage (PStore) has been deprecated and therefore made read-only in Windows Vista. Microsoft recommends using DPAPI
  DPAPI
  DPAPI is a simple cryptographic application programming interface available as a built-in component in Windows 2000 and later versions of Microsoft Windows operating systems...
  
   to add new PStore data items or manage existing ones. However existing applications such as Outlook 2002
  Microsoft Office XP
  Microsoft Office XP is a productivity suite written and distributed by Microsoft for their Windows operating system. Released on March 5, 2001, it is the successor to Office 2000 and the predecessor to Office 2003, and was known as Office 10 in the early stages of its development cycle...
  
   which used PStore are unable to save passwords as a result. Any application that tries to create new PStore data items will fail.
• Although classic logon and Ctrl+Alt+Del enforcement can be enabled through Group Policy
  Group Policy
  Group Policy is a feature of the Microsoft Windows NT family of operating systems. Group Policy is a set of rules that control the working environment of user accounts and computer accounts. Group Policy provides the centralized management and configuration of operating systems, applications, and...
  
  , the classic logon prompt cannot be made to appear by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del at the Welcome screen twice. This makes it impossible to logon to a hidden user account while the Welcome screen is enabled (when Classic Logon is not enforced through Group Policy).
• Because of the classic logon being removed, domain
  Windows Server domain
  A Windows domain is a collection of security principals that share a central directory database. This central database contains the user accounts and security information for...
  
   names are no longer populated on the logon screen and cannot be selected from a drop down list.
• The ability to run a Control Panel applet as a different user by using Shift+Right click has been removed.
• It is not possible to override Autologon and Startup items by pressing the SHIFT key before logon. The IgnoreShiftOverride registry value is ignored.
• 16-bit
  16-bit
  -16-bit architecture:The HP BPC, introduced in 1975, was the world's first 16-bit microprocessor. Prominent 16-bit processors include the PDP-11, Intel 8086, Intel 80286 and the WDC 65C816. The Intel 8088 was program-compatible with the Intel 8086, and was 16-bit in that its registers were 16...
  
   applications launched with administrator-level privileges always run in their own memory space, even if launched via "Start /Shared" on the command line or if the CREATE_SEPARATE_WOW_VDM flag is specified with the CreateProcess API; 16-bit inter-process communication
  Inter-process communication
  In computing, Inter-process communication is a set of methods for the exchange of data among multiple threads in one or more processes. Processes may be running on one or more computers connected by a network. IPC methods are divided into methods for message passing, synchronization, shared...
  
   therefore only works for non-elevated processes, as these can still be configured to run in the same memory space.
• The RunAs
  Runas
  In computing, runas is a command in the Microsoft Windows line of operating systems that allows a user to run specific tools and programs under a different username to the one that was used to logon to a computer interactively...
  
   feature in the shell has been replaced with "Run as administrator" of User Account Control. The RunAs feature does not allow a local administrator-equivalent command shell to be started except for the Administrator account.
• Internet Explorer can no longer be launched from a command prompt started with alternate credentials using RunAs. This is also true for Internet Explorer 7 running under Windows XP (it can, but you must type the complete path to the executable, not just IEXPLORE or IEXPLORE.EXE).
• When User Account Control
  User Account Control
  User Account Control is a technology and security infrastructure introduced with Microsoft's Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 operating systems, with a more relaxed version also present in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2...
  
   is enabled, any process started with Administrator-level privileges does not inherit the drive mappings of the interactively logged on user, despite the same account being used. This can lead to Catch-22
  Catch-22 (logic)
  A Catch-22, coined by Joseph Heller in his novel Catch-22, is a logical paradox arising from a situation in which an individual needs something that can only be acquired with an action that will lead him to that very situation he is already in; therefore, the acquisition of this thing becomes...
  
   scenarios where non-UAC processes such as Windows Explorer have access to an application on a network drive, but insufficient permissions to execute it; conversely, the UAC-elevated process has sufficient local permissions, but cannot see the network application.
• The GINA
  Graphical identification and authentication
  The graphical identification and authentication library is a component of some Microsoft Windows operating systems that provides secure authentication and interactive logon services....
  
   library and support for GINA-based authentication has been replaced with Credential Providers so that authentication plug-ins are moved out of the Winlogon
  Winlogon
  In computing, Winlogon is the component of Microsoft Windows operating systems that is responsible for handling the secure attention sequence, loading the user profile on logon, and optionally locking the computer when a screensaver is running...
  
   process space to the fullest extent possible in order to provide more reliability and consistency. Consequently, third-party GINA modules must be ported to the Credential Provider model. Credential providers however do not allow customization which GINA allowed. For example it does not support programmatically using Fast User Switching
  Fast user switching
  Fast user switching is a feature on some modern multi-user operating systems such as Windows XP and newer, Mac OS X, Linux. It allows users to switch between user accounts on a single PC without quitting applications and logging out. Analogous functionality was first developed on consumer level...
  
  .
• Winlogon
  Winlogon
  In computing, Winlogon is the component of Microsoft Windows operating systems that is responsible for handling the secure attention sequence, loading the user profile on logon, and optionally locking the computer when a screensaver is running...
  
   Notification Packages are no longer supported in Windows Vista.
• The logon screen does not show the number of running programs or unread email messages when using Fast User Switching
  Fast user switching
  Fast user switching is a feature on some modern multi-user operating systems such as Windows XP and newer, Mac OS X, Linux. It allows users to switch between user accounts on a single PC without quitting applications and logging out. Analogous functionality was first developed on consumer level...
  
  .
• The All Users wallpaper can no longer be changed. All Windows Vista machines now show the same wallpaper at the logon screen.
• Due to security concerns, the All Users screen saver can no longer be changed. (Replacing the screen saver was a common method of unauthorized privilege escalation
  Privilege escalation
  Privilege escalation is the act of exploiting a bug, design flaw or configuration oversight in an operating system or software application to gain elevated access to resources that are normally protected from an application or user...
  
   in earlier versions of Windows.)
• Due to security concerns, system services can no longer natively interact with the user's desktop in Windows Vista. This is a change from all previous NT releases.
• Cached roaming profiles
  Roaming user profile
  A roaming user profile is a concept in the Microsoft Windows NT family of operating systems that allows a user with a computer joined to a Windows Server domain to log on to any computer on the same network and access their documents and have a consistent desktop experience, such as applications...
  
   cannot be deleted directly from the file system as this renders the account unable to logon to the workstation again, even if the account is also removed from "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList". The only supported method of manually deleting a roaming profile is via the System applet of the Control Panel
  Control Panel (Windows)
  The Control Panel is a part of the Microsoft Windows graphical user interface which allows users to view and manipulate basic system settings and controls via applets, such as adding hardware, adding and removing software, controlling user accounts, and changing accessibility options...
  
   or via the commandline DelProf utility, which uses the DeleteProfile API.
• The "Network Configuration Operators" built-in group no longer delegates permissions to manage system network connections; only system-wide administrator-level permissions can now be used to achieve this. Operations like the "Repair" action of a network connection can therefore be carried out by an administrator only.
• The ability to change the stored password of a domain
  Windows Server domain
  A Windows domain is a collection of security principals that share a central directory database. This central database contains the user accounts and security information for...
  
   in Stored User Names and Passwords while the computer is connected to a workgroup has been removed.
• The Stored User Names and Passwords credential manager does not accept the \* syntax which allowed users to wildcard all passwords in a domain.

Win32 console

Win32 console

Win32 console is a text user interface implementation within the system of Windows API, which runs console applications. A Win32 console has a screen buffer and an input buffer, and is available both as a window or in text mode screen, with switching back and forth available via Alt-Enter...

 

• The Windows Display Driver Model
  Windows Display Driver Model
  Windows Display Driver Model is the graphic driver architecture for video card drivers running Microsoft Windows versions beginning with Windows Vista....
  
   (WDDM) does not support all DOS video modes and therefore DOS-based and Win32 console
  Win32 console
  Win32 console is a text user interface implementation within the system of Windows API, which runs console applications. A Win32 console has a screen buffer and an input buffer, and is available both as a window or in text mode screen, with switching back and forth available via Alt-Enter...
  
   programs cannot run in full screen mode. If Windows XP Driver Model graphics drivers are installed, console programs can be run full-screen, however, Windows Aero
  Windows Aero
  Windows Aero is the graphical user interface and the default theme in most editions of Windows Vista and Windows 7, operating systems released by Microsoft. It is also available in Windows Server 2008, but is not enabled by default. Its name is a backronym for Authentic, Energetic, Reflective and...
  
   is not available.
• In previous versions of Windows, it was possible to save different settings for each console window. Windows would ask the user whether to apply settings for the current window or the shortcut that started the window. Windows Vista, however, saves settings for all console windows without asking the user.
• Dragging and dropping a folder or file into a Win32 console
  Win32 console
  Win32 console is a text user interface implementation within the system of Windows API, which runs console applications. A Win32 console has a screen buffer and an input buffer, and is available both as a window or in text mode screen, with switching back and forth available via Alt-Enter...
  
   window no longer pastes the path of the folder or file. This no longer works as a result of User Interface Privilege Isolation
  User Interface Privilege Isolation
  User Interface Privilege Isolation is a technology introduced in Windows NT 6.0 to combat shatter attack exploits. By making use of Mandatory Integrity Control, it prevents processes with a lower "integrity level" from sending messages to higher IL processes...
  
  .

Graphics

• When using Windows Aero
  Windows Aero
  Windows Aero is the graphical user interface and the default theme in most editions of Windows Vista and Windows 7, operating systems released by Microsoft. It is also available in Windows Server 2008, but is not enabled by default. Its name is a backronym for Authentic, Energetic, Reflective and...
  
  , all GDI
  Graphics Device Interface
  The Graphics Device Interface is a Microsoft Windows application programming interface and core operating system component responsible for representing graphical objects and transmitting them to output devices such as monitors and printers....
  
  , GDI+ and DirectDraw applications run in the new compositing window manager
  Compositing window manager
  A compositing window manager is a type of window manager. A window manager is software that draws a graphical user interface on a computer display – it positions windows, draws additional elements on windows , and controls how windows interact with each other, and with the rest of the desktop...
  
   known as Desktop Window Manager
  Desktop Window Manager
  Desktop Window Manager is the window manager in Windows Vista and Windows 7 that enables the Windows Aero graphical user interface and visual theme. The Desktop Window Manager requires video cards supporting DirectX 9.0 and Shader Model 2.0. DWM is not included with Windows Vista Starter edition...
  
  . the GDI or DirectDraw render paths are redirected through DWM; however GDI or DirectDraw are not hardware-accelerated
  Hardware acceleration
  In computing, Hardware acceleration is the use of computer hardware to perform some function faster than is possible in software running on the general-purpose CPU...
  
   when they are redirected.
• The Windows Display Driver Model
  Windows Display Driver Model
  Windows Display Driver Model is the graphic driver architecture for video card drivers running Microsoft Windows versions beginning with Windows Vista....
  
   specification does not support horizontal and vertical desktop spanned modes, that is, stretching the desktop across multiple monitors. although Dual View is still available.
• In Windows Vista, the Windows Display Driver Model
  Windows Display Driver Model
  Windows Display Driver Model is the graphic driver architecture for video card drivers running Microsoft Windows versions beginning with Windows Vista....
  
   (WDDM) does not support two different display adapters. When using two display adapters, both must use the same WDDM driver. Although Windows Vista still supports XPDM drivers, a WDDM driver is required for the Windows Aero
  Windows Aero
  Windows Aero is the graphical user interface and the default theme in most editions of Windows Vista and Windows 7, operating systems released by Microsoft. It is also available in Windows Server 2008, but is not enabled by default. Its name is a backronym for Authentic, Energetic, Reflective and...
  
   user experience.
• Windows Vista restricts the amount of memory DPMI
  DOS Protected Mode Interface
  In computing, the DOS Protected Mode Interface is a specification introduced in 1989 which allows a DOS program to run in protected mode, giving access to many features of the processor not available in real mode...
  
   programs can have to 32 MB (33,554,432 bytes). The limitation applies to DPMI programs running inside NTVDM
  Virtual DOS machine
  Virtual DOS machine is Microsoft's technology that allows running legacy DOS and 16-bit Windows programs on Intel 80386 or higher computers when there is already another operating system running and controlling the hardware.-Overview:...
  
  . The same is not true for previous versions of Windows.

Audio

• The ability to choose a different hardware or software MIDI synthesizer other than the default Microsoft GS Wavetable SW Synth has been removed from the user interface for audio configuration in Windows Vista. A different output MIDI synth or output device port can be selected only by editing the registry
  Windows registry
  The Windows Registry is a hierarchical database that stores configuration settings and options on Microsoft Windows operating systems. It contains settings for low-level operating system components as well as the applications running on the platform: the kernel, device drivers, services, SAM, user...
  
   or using third party MIDI default output device configuration tools. Even though the default MIDI output device is changed, not all programs that use waveOut MME use the selected MIDI synth; they continue to use the default MS Software Synth. Also, not all MIDI synths are compatible with Windows Vista and later Windows versions.
• As DirectMusic
  DirectMusic
  DirectMusic is a deprecated component of the Microsoft DirectX API that allows music and sound effects to be composed and played and provides flexible interactive control over the way they are played. Architecturally, DirectMusic is a high-level set of objects, built on top of DirectSound, that...
  
   was based on DirectSound
  DirectSound
  DirectSound is a software component of the Microsoft DirectX library for the Windows operating system. DirectSound provides a low-latency interface to the sound card driver and can handle the mixing and recording of multiple audio streams....
  
   which was hardware accelerated, DirectMusic also is software-emulated in Windows Vista . As a result, MIDI playback which is greatly sensitive to latency, timing and CPU usage can be choppy.
• Sounds cannot be played for balloon notifications any more.
• Sounds do not play for Classic Start menu although sounds have been assigned to "Menu command" and "Menu popup" events in Sound control panel.
• Some SAPI 5.1 and SAPI 5.2 voices and applications do not work in Windows Vista and later. Only SAPI 5.3 compatible voices and applications work.
• It is not possible to minimize the volume control window or change its size using Ctrl+S. It is also not possible to double click the Volume icon in the notification area to show the volume mixer. The controls to adjust per channel volume have been moved to the Sound control panel.
• In Windows XP
  Windows XP
  Windows XP is an operating system produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops and media centers. First released to computer manufacturers on August 24, 2001, it is the second most popular version of Windows, based on installed user base...
  
  , essentially, audio would be "broadcast" to all the audio endpoints at once. However, the new audio engine in Windows Vista changes this behaviour. Basically, audio can be sent only to the specific endpoint that the system has set by default, or which the user has configured via the Control Panel
  Control panel (computer)
  Many computer user interfaces use a control panel metaphor to give the user control of software and hardware features.-Computer History:The term control panel was used for the plugboards in unit record equipment and in the early computers of the 1940s and '50s...
  
  setting. Although this new audio behavior provides more flexibility and separate Digital Signal Processing
  Digital signal processing
  Digital signal processing is concerned with the representation of discrete time signals by a sequence of numbers or symbols and the processing of these signals. Digital signal processing and analog signal processing are subfields of signal processing...
  
   (DSP) capabilities, it is limiting in cases where audio has to be streamed locally or across the network to multiple devices (analog to one and digital to another).
• The ability to customize the Windows startup sound has been removed, although the logon and logoff sounds can still be customized.
• Windows Media Center
  Windows Media Center
  Windows Media Center is a digital video recorder and media player developed by Microsoft. It is an application that allows users to view and record live television, as well as organize and play music and videos...
  
   drops support for the Caller ID
  Caller ID
  Caller ID , also called calling line identification or calling number identification or Calling Line Identification Presentation , is a telephone service, available in analog and digital phone systems and most Voice over Internet Protocol applications, that transmits a caller's number to...
  
   and Windows Messenger
  Windows Messenger
  Windows Messenger is a client by Microsoft that is included in the Windows XP operating system. Designed for use by corporate users as well as home users, it was originally created as a streamlined and integrated version of MSN Messenger...
  
   features.
• In the Sound Control Panel applet, the ability to preview a sound from the Browse dialog box has been removed.
• The option to enable or disable digital CD audio
  Red Book (audio CD standard)
  Red Book is the standard for audio CDs . It is named after one of the Rainbow Books, a series of books that contain the technical specifications for all CD and CD-ROM formats.The first edition of the Red Book was released in 1980 by Philips and Sony; it was adopted by the Digital Audio Disc...
  
   is not available in the CD/DVD drive's properties in Device Manager
  Device Manager
  The Device Manager is a Control Panel applet in Microsoft Windows operating systems. It allows users to view and control the hardware attached to the computer. When a piece of hardware is not working, the offending hardware is highlighted for the user to deal with...
  
  .
• The ability to change the recording device to mono mixer or stereo mixer has been removed.

Windows Media Player

Windows Media Player

Windows Media Player is a media player and media library application developed by Microsoft that is used for playing audio, video and viewing images on personal computers running the Microsoft Windows operating system, as well as on Pocket PC and Windows Mobile-based devices...

 features

• The List Pane no longer allows deleting or editing items by right clicking items.
• Categories in the player library such as Music, Pictures, Videos, Recorded TV show limited media information (metadata) columns, relevant only to their content type. In previous versions, all possible metadata columns were shown for all category types.
• Buttons to always show full-screen controls, show or hide the playlist while in full-screen mode and directly close Windows Media Player from full-screen have been removed.
• Auto sorting in the media library (similar to auto sorting in Windows Explorer) cannot be turned off.
• Grouping cannot be turned off. Library content is always grouped by the criteria by which it is sorted.
• The ability to add media to the library for searching local or network files and selectively adding only new files or existing files has been removed. Media can only be added from monitored folders.
• The seek slider cannot be always shown when playing media. The mouse must be hovered over the progress bar above the playback controls to reveal the seek slider.
• The sort order is not preserved in the library like Windows Media Player 10 as long as the player is open.
• The file list of selected files has been removed from the Advanced Tag Editor.
• Next and Previous buttons to cycle through visualizations have been removed.
• Most Auto Playlists included by default in Windows Media Player 10 have been removed.
• Library options to configure what action to take when double clicking files (Add to List, Play All, Play Selected Items) have been removed.
• The total playlist time is no longer shown in the Now Playing list or in the Library without selecting items. It is only shown in the Library for selected items.
• Total number of tracks is also only shown after selecting all tracks. The total size in MB is not shown in any view.
• The expandable tree view was removed from the navigation pane/left side of the media library.
• The Quick Access Panel, located next to the "Now Playing" tab in Windows Media Player 10 which enabled browsing the library via a pop-up/dropdown menu, has been removed. As a result of this, the library cannot be browsed through a menu and without having to switch to library view.
• It is not possible to change the media player's background to black. Instead, the background is a near-white shade of the color chosen in the color chooser.
• In previous versions of Windows Media Player, the keyboard shortcut "Ctrl + I" could be used to capture the frame of video being displayed at the time the shortcut was initiated. This feature was removed for Windows Media Player 11.
• The License Management tool available in prior versions of Windows Media Player has been removed since version 11. It is not possible to back up and restore licenses. This prevents users of music download services from directly using Windows Media Player to back up their licenses and restore them to another computer. The user now must depend on the download service being able to assist with re-acquiring that license. Not all services support this so in some circumstances the user could lose the ability to play media which they've purchased for use with Windows Media Player 11. e.g. Walmart states: "Important Note: In many cases, we cannot replace song and license files if they are lost. We strongly suggest you back up your music by creating an audio CD or CDs using Windows Media Player 11"
• Windows Media Player 10, which is downloadable for Windows XP and part of Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005
  Windows XP Media Center Edition
  Windows XP Media Center Edition is a version of the Windows XP operating system designed to serve as a home-entertainment hub. The last version, Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, was released in October 2004.-Versions:...
  
   includes the Fraunhofer
  Fraunhofer
  Fraunhofer, , may refer to:*Joseph von Fraunhofer , German physicist*Fraunhofer , a lunar crater*Fraunhofer Society , a large German research organization with 59 institutes throughout Germany...
  
  MP3
  MP3
  MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
  
   ACM codec for ripping to MP3 format. Because of licensing restrictions, Windows Media Player 11 includes only an MP3 decoder, not an ACM encoder.
• The HighMAT
  HighMAT
  HighMAT is a media format jointly developed by Matsushita and Microsoft for personal CD authoring with music and photo content. Currently, burning photos and music content onto CD generally involves organizing the photos/music into directories...
  
   burning capability integrated into Windows Media Player 10 is not available in Windows Media Player 11.
• Display Anchor window when in skin mode option has been removed.
• Enable picture support for devices option has been removed.
• The Ambience, Bacteria, Particle, Plenoptic, Spikes, and Musical colors visualizations have been removed.
• The options to use the legacy renderer, overlay mixer, video mixing renderer (VMR-7) or high quality mode (VMR-9) are not available in the Windows Vista version of Windows Media Player 11. The Windows Vista version can use only the Enhanced Video Renderer (EVR).
• Support for live scrubbing or live seeking, that is, the ability to show the video frame after seeking with the mouse or after clicking with the mouse while paused is not available in the version of Windows Media Player 11 in Windows Vista and later but is supported in Windows Media Player 11 on Windows XP.
• The configuration tab to associate with media file types has also been removed from Windows Media Player 11 options in Windows Vista.
• On Windows Vista the ability to remove or reinstall Windows Media Player 11 is not present, as it is integrated with the operating system.
• Windows Media Player 6.4 (mplayer2.exe) has been removed. The MCI
  Media Control Interface
  The Media Control Interface — MCI for short — is a high-level API developed by Microsoft and IBM for controlling multimedia peripherals connected to a Microsoft Windows or OS/2 computer, such as CD-ROM players and audio controllers....
  
   version of Media Player (mplay32.exe) has also been removed.

DirectX

DirectX

Microsoft DirectX is a collection of application programming interfaces for handling tasks related to multimedia, especially game programming and video, on Microsoft platforms. Originally, the names of these APIs all began with Direct, such as Direct3D, DirectDraw, DirectMusic, DirectPlay,...

 features

• Since Windows Vista features a rewritten audio stack and does not inherit the Hardware Abstraction Layer for audio that was present under prior versions of Windows, there is no hardware acceleration of DirectSound
  DirectSound
  DirectSound is a software component of the Microsoft DirectX library for the Windows operating system. DirectSound provides a low-latency interface to the sound card driver and can handle the mixing and recording of multiple audio streams....
  
  and DirectSound3D APIs. DirectSound and DirectMusic are emulated entirely in software. As a result, hardware acceleration and 3D spatialization utilizing DirectSound3D is no longer supported.
• Direct3D
  Direct3D
  Direct3D is part of Microsoft's DirectX application programming interface . Direct3D is available for Microsoft Windows operating systems , and for other platforms through the open source software Wine. It is the base for the graphics API on the Xbox and Xbox 360 console systems...
  
   Retained Mode (D3DRM) has been removed.
• DirectPlay
  DirectPlay
  DirectPlay is part of Microsoft's DirectX API. DirectPlay is a network communication library intended for computer game development, although its general nature certainly allows it to be used for other purposes....
  
   Voice and DirectPlay's
  DirectPlay
  DirectPlay is part of Microsoft's DirectX API. DirectPlay is a network communication library intended for computer game development, although its general nature certainly allows it to be used for other purposes....
  
   NAT
  Network address translation
  In computer networking, network address translation is the process of modifying IP address information in IP packet headers while in transit across a traffic routing device....
  
   Helper have been removed.
• Some DirectInput
  DirectInput
  In computing, DirectInput is a Microsoft API for collecting input from a computer user, via input devices such as the mouse, keyboard, joystick or other game controllers. It also provides a system for action mapping, which allows the user to assign specific actions within a game to the buttons and...
  
   functionality (action-mapper UI) has been removed as well.
• DirectPlay
  DirectPlay
  DirectPlay is part of Microsoft's DirectX API. DirectPlay is a network communication library intended for computer game development, although its general nature certainly allows it to be used for other purposes....
  
   has been deprecated.
• The DirectMusic
  DirectMusic
  DirectMusic is a deprecated component of the Microsoft DirectX API that allows music and sound effects to be composed and played and provides flexible interactive control over the way they are played. Architecturally, DirectMusic is a high-level set of objects, built on top of DirectSound, that...
  
   kernel mode synthesizer that supplies the DirectMusic components with a high-resolution timer has been removed.
• Support for the DirectX 7 and DirectX 8 interfaces for Visual Basic
  Visual Basic
  Visual Basic is the third-generation event-driven programming language and integrated development environment from Microsoft for its COM programming model...
  
   6.0 is not available on Windows Vista.

Media features

• Windows XP Media Center Edition
  Windows XP Media Center Edition
  Windows XP Media Center Edition is a version of the Windows XP operating system designed to serve as a home-entertainment hub. The last version, Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, was released in October 2004.-Versions:...
  
   2005 digital media components such as Windows Audio Converter, Windows Dancer, Windows CD Label Maker, Party Mode, Plus! screensavers and Windows Media Player skins and visualizations have been removed.
• Video content support is removed from Windows Image Acquisition
  Windows Image Acquisition
  Windows Image Acquisition is a Microsoft driver model and application programming interface for Microsoft Windows Me and later Windows operating systems that enables graphics software to communicate with imaging hardware such as scanners, digital cameras and Digital Video-equipment...
  
   for Windows Vista in favor of the newer Windows Portable Devices API. As a result, the Windows Vista version of Windows Movie Maker
  Windows Movie Maker
  Windows Movie Maker is a video creating/editing software application, included in Microsoft Windows Me, XP, and Vista. It contains features such as effects, transitions, titles/credits, audio track, timeline narration, and Auto Movie. New effects and transitions can be made and existing ones can be...
  
   or other analog video capture software which used WIA no longer supports importing video from an analog video source such as a VCR, an analog camcorder
  Camcorder
  A camcorder is an electronic device that combines a video camera and a video recorder into one unit. Equipment manufacturers do not seem to have strict guidelines for the term usage...
  
   or from a Web camera
  Webcam
  A webcam is a video camera that feeds its images in real time to a computer or computer network, often via USB, ethernet, or Wi-Fi.Their most popular use is the establishment of video links, permitting computers to act as videophones or videoconference stations. This common use as a video camera...
  
  . Windows Explorer also does not therefore display a webcam preview.
• Legacy Video for Windows
  Video for Windows
  Video for Windows was a multimedia framework developed by Microsoft that allowed Microsoft Windows to play digital video.-Overview:...
  
   and ACM codecs (Indeo Video, Microsoft H.261, H.263, ACELP.net, G.723.1
  G.723.1
  G.723.1 is an audio codec for voice that compresses voice audio in 30 ms frames. An algorithmic look-ahead of 7.5 ms duration means that total algorithmic delay is 37.5 ms...
  
  ) are not included.
• The Device Manager no longer allows showing and configuring properties for VCM
  Video for Windows
  Video for Windows was a multimedia framework developed by Microsoft that allowed Microsoft Windows to play digital video.-Overview:...
  
   and ACM codecs.
• The Windows Media source filter has been removed resulting in MMS: WMV files being unable to be streamed using GraphEdit
  GraphEdit
  GraphEdit is a utility which is part of the Microsoft DirectShow SDK. It is a visual tool for building and testing filter graphs for DirectShow. Filters are displayed as boxes, with a text caption showing the name of the filter. Pins appear as small squares along the edge of the filter...
  
   or other DirectShow applications.

Setup and servicing

• Windows Vista can no longer be installed on a volume with the FAT
  File Allocation Table
  File Allocation Table is a computer file system architecture now widely used on many computer systems and most memory cards, such as those used with digital cameras. FAT file systems are commonly found on floppy disks, flash memory cards, digital cameras, and many other portable devices because of...
  
   file system, although reading and writing FAT data volumes is still supported.
• It is not possible to install hotfixes/updates in unattended mode while displaying the progress bar. Updates can only be installed in silent unattended mode. The /passive switch is not supported.
• Because of setup design changes for faster installation, it is not possible to slipstream
  Slipstream (computing)
  In computer jargon, to slipstream updates, patches or service packs means to integrate them into the installation files of their original software, so that the resulting files will allow a direct installation of the updated software....
  
   service pack
  Service pack
  A service pack is a collection of updates, fixes or enhancements to a software program delivered in the form of a single installable package. Many companies, such as Microsoft or Autodesk, typically release a service pack when the number of individual patches to a given program reaches a certain ...
  
  s or hotfix
  Hotfix
  A hotfix was originally the term applied to software patches that were applied to live i.e. still running systems. Similar use of the terms can be seen in hot swappable disk drives...
  
  es into the core operating system files as was possible with Windows XP
  Windows XP
  Windows XP is an operating system produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops and media centers. First released to computer manufacturers on August 24, 2001, it is the second most popular version of Windows, based on installed user base...
  
  , Windows Server 2003
  Windows Server 2003
  Windows Server 2003 is a server operating system produced by Microsoft, introduced on 24 April 2003. An updated version, Windows Server 2003 R2, was released to manufacturing on 6 December 2005...
  
   and Windows 2000
  Windows 2000
  Windows 2000 is a line of operating systems produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, business desktops, laptops, and servers. Windows 2000 was released to manufacturing on 15 December 1999 and launched to retail on 17 February 2000. It is the successor to Windows NT 4.0, and is the...
  
  . Microsoft released an updated Windows Vista disc media that integrates Service Pack 1. However, the updated media is available only to certain enterprise customers, MSDN subscribers and new customers who buy the operating system after the release of SP1; it is not available to pre-SP1 end-users of Windows Vista. As an alternative, Windows Automated Installation Kit
  Windows Automated Installation Kit
  Windows Automated Installation Kit is a collection of tools and technologies produced by Microsoft designed to help deploy Microsoft Windows operating system images to target computers or to a VHD . It was first introduced with Windows Vista.- History :Windows AIK Version 1.0 was released with...
  
   (WAIK) can be used to alter the image.
• Because of setup design changes, it is not possible to perform an in-place repair reinstall of Windows Vista and later over an existing installation of Windows Vista or later. Any existing data is moved to Windows.old, Users.old folders and previously installed programs need to be reinstalled.
• Windows Vista uses Package Manager (Pkgmgr.exe) and Windows Update Standalone Installer (Wusa.exe) to install software updates and hotfixes. However, these do not support the various command-line switches like Windows XP's Package Installer (Update.exe) did. Much of the functionality from Update.exe is missing. For example, there is no way to skip backing up uninstall information for hotfixes using the /nobackup or /n switch. Windows Vista backs up files before installing hotfixes to the %Windir%\WinSxS folder. Since the backing up of files cannot be skipped, this folder's disk usage can increase considerably over time.

File system, drivers, memory and hardware

• The driver-signing policy post installation is always set to Warn, eliminating the Ignore and Block options that were available in Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, and Windows 2000.
• For Plug-and-play
  Plug-and-play
  In computing, plug and play is a term used to describe the characteristic of a computer bus, or device specification, which facilitates the discovery of a hardware component in a system, without the need for physical device configuration, or user intervention in resolving resource conflicts.Plug...
  
   hardware which is plugged in after Windows Vista is installed, it is not possible to choose from a list of available staged or on-disk device drivers in the Found new hardware wizard which starts automatically. The Found new hardware wizard automatically searches for the driver and fails if it does not find a driver in the driver store or Windows Update. Only the Update Driver wizard which can be invoked from Device Manager
  Device Manager
  The Device Manager is a Control Panel applet in Microsoft Windows operating systems. It allows users to view and control the hardware attached to the computer. When a piece of hardware is not working, the offending hardware is highlighted for the user to deal with...
  
   then allows manually choosing a driver from a list.
• Windows Management Instrumentation
  Windows Management Instrumentation
  Windows Management Instrumentation is a set of extensions to the Windows Driver Model that provides an operating system interface through which instrumented components provide information and notification...
  
   Driver Extensions to WDM
  Windows Driver Model
  In computing, the Windows Driver Model — also known at one point as the Win32 Driver Model — is a framework for device drivers that was introduced with Windows 98 and Windows 2000 to replace VxD, which was used on older versions of Windows such as Windows 95 and Windows 3.1, as well...
  
   are no longer supported.
• Unsigned
  Digital signature
  A digital signature or digital signature scheme is a mathematical scheme for demonstrating the authenticity of a digital message or document. A valid digital signature gives a recipient reason to believe that the message was created by a known sender, and that it was not altered in transit...
  
   64-bit
  64-bit
  64-bit is a word size that defines certain classes of computer architecture, buses, memory and CPUs, and by extension the software that runs on them. 64-bit CPUs have existed in supercomputers since the 1970s and in RISC-based workstations and servers since the early 1990s...
  
   kernel-mode
  Ring (computer security)
  In computer science, hierarchical protection domains, often called protection rings, are a mechanism to protect data and functionality from faults and malicious behaviour . This approach is diametrically opposite to that of capability-based security.Computer operating systems provide different...
  
   device driver
  Device driver
  In computing, a device driver or software driver is a computer program allowing higher-level computer programs to interact with a hardware device....
  
  s can no longer be installed.
• Advanced settings for PS/2
  PS/2 connector
  The PS/2 connector is a 6-pin Mini-DIN connector used for connecting some keyboards and mice to a PC compatible computer system. Its name comes from the IBM Personal System/2 series of personal computers, with which it was introduced in 1987...
  
   mice such as sample rate, input buffer length and fast initialization are not available in Mouse properties in Device Manager
  Device Manager
  The Device Manager is a Control Panel applet in Microsoft Windows operating systems. It allows users to view and control the hardware attached to the computer. When a piece of hardware is not working, the offending hardware is highlighted for the user to deal with...
  
  .
• Offline Files (Client Side Caching) has been rewritten for Vista, dropping API support for various support tools such as CscCmd.exe and CacheMov.exe in the process. Furthermore, if the cache is encrypted (per the default setting), then multiple users of a machine can no longer make the same file available offline, as the cache is now encrypted by user-specific EFS
  Encrypting File System
  The Encrypting File System on Microsoft Windows is a feature introduced in version 3.0 of NTFS that provides filesystem-level encryption...
  
  .
• Offline Files cannot be set to automatically synchronize at logoff. This was removed for performance reasons.
• Administrator-level access and a reboot are now required to point files pinned in the Offline Files cache to a new location following any change in the UNC path to a network share.
• USB devices no longer turn off their indicator light after being safely removed with the icon from the notification area. The USB port to which a device is attached but safely removed still remains powered.

Boot, shutdown, power management

• The Startup Hardware Profiles feature in System Properties has been removed.
• There is no progress bar indicating the hibernation
  Hibernate (OS feature)
  Hibernation in computing is powering down a computer while retaining its state.Upon hibernation, the computer saves the contents of its random access memory to a hard disk or other non-volatile storage...
  
   status on Windows Vista. After users choose to hibernate, Windows Vista simply turns off the screen before saving the data to disk and turning off the computer. Also, when resuming, Windows Vista displays an indeterminate progress bar instead of the determinate progress bar used in previous versions of Windows.
• Although it is possible to customize the action Windows takes when the hardware Power button is pressed, it is no longer possible to set power options to ask the user every time what action to take upon pressing it. Therefore, selecting a different power action in each case is not possible.
• The Shutdown menu has been removed from Windows Task Manager
  Windows Task Manager
  Windows Task Manager is a task manager application included with the Microsoft Windows NT family of operating systems that provides detailed information about computer performance and running applications, processes and CPU usage, commit charge and memory information, network activity and...
  
  .
• The shutdown command-line tool limits the delay option (-t) to 600 seconds (10 minutes).
• The uninterruptible power supply
  Uninterruptible power supply
  An uninterruptible power supply, also uninterruptible power source, UPS or battery/flywheel backup, is an electrical apparatus that provides emergency power to a load when the input power source, typically mains power, fails...
  
   (UPS) service which monitors a UPS connected through a COM port is no longer available.

Windows applications and features

• The ScriptPW.Password COM automation object to mask passwords from the command line is removed.
• System Restore
  System Restore
  System Restore is a component of Microsoft's Windows Me, Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7, but not Windows 2000, operating systems that allows for the rolling back of system files, registry keys, installed programs, etc., to a previous state in the event of system malfunction or failure.The...
  
   no longer supports configuring its settings through the registry.
• File types and directories can no longer be included or excluded from monitoring by System Restore by editing %windir%\system32\restore\Filelist.xml as was possible in Windows XP. This file no longer exists in Windows Vista.
• The Disk Cleanup
  Disk Cleanup
  Disk Cleanup is a computer maintenance utility included in Microsoft Windows designed to free up disk space on a computer's hard drive. The utility first searches and analyzes the hard drive for files that are no longer of any use, and then removes the unnecessary files...
  
   handler to compress old files has been removed.
• Block sender is not available in Windows Mail
  Windows Mail
  Windows Mail is an email and newsgroup client included in Windows Vista, that was superseded by Windows Live Mail. It is the successor to Outlook Express. Microsoft previewed Windows Mail on Channel 9 on October 10, 2005....
  
   for newsgroups; it is only available for e-mail.
• Help and Support content does not have an index.
• Help and Support no longer supports dual pane navigation.
• Favorites, History and advanced search options from the Windows XP Help and Support Center are not available in Windows Vista Help. It is not possible to share and install help content to and from other Windows computers or to install or switch to help for other operating systems.
• The graphical representation and progress indicator of the defragmentation process or its analysis have been removed from Windows Disk Defragmenter
  Windows Disk Defragmenter
  Disk Defragmenter is a utility in Microsoft Windows designed to increase access speed by rearranging files stored on a disk to occupy contiguous storage locations, a technique called defragmentation. Defragmenting a disk minimizes head travel, which reduces the time it takes to read files from and...
  
  . It is also not possible in the RTM release to manually specify which drives to defragment from the GUI without using the command line defrag.exe utility. Windows Vista Service Pack 1 includes the ability to control which volumes the disk defragmenter runs on. The ability to view any volume-related information such as its file system
  File system
  A file system is a means to organize data expected to be retained after a program terminates by providing procedures to store, retrieve and update data, as well as manage the available space on the device which contain it. A file system organizes data in an efficient manner and is tuned to the...
  
  , capacity, free space, percentage of free space, cluster size, contiguous files, file and volume fragmentation information in the analysis report of a volume is also absent. It is also impossible to save or print the analysis report or pause and resume the defragmentation mid-way.
• In the Windows Vista version of the Backup application, it is not possible to specify what files and folders to back up and what files and folders are to be excluded. Users can select only document categories to back up. Files from a specific path or over the network also cannot be backed up due to this reason. Backup also does not present a list of files that will be backed up. Also, Encrypting File System
  Encrypting File System
  The Encrypting File System on Microsoft Windows is a feature introduced in version 3.0 of NTFS that provides filesystem-level encryption...
  
   (EFS) files are skipped over and not backed up. Windows Vista Service Pack 1 adds support for backing up EFS-encrypted files. Also, tape drive
  Tape drive
  A tape drive is a data storage device that reads and performs digital recording, writes data on a magnetic tape. Magnetic tape data storage is typically used for offline, archival data storage. Tape media generally has a favorable unit cost and long archival stability.A tape drive provides...
  
  s cannot be used to back up data.
• Windows Vista Backup does not have all the features and command line parameters supported by NTBackup
  NTBackup
  NTBackup is the built-in backup application introduced in Windows NT around 1997 and part of all subsequent versions up to and including Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. It uses a proprietary backup format to back up files. Files can be backed up to tape, ZIP drives, floppy...
  
  . It does not support the NTFS archive bit
  Archive bit
  The archive bit is a file attribute used by Microsoft operating systems and by OS/2. Typically it's state indicates whether or not the file has been backed up....
  
   and granular restores.
• Sound Recorder in Windows Vista can no longer open audio files. Moreover, it cannot save in lossless
  Lossless data compression
  Lossless data compression is a class of data compression algorithms that allows the exact original data to be reconstructed from the compressed data. The term lossless is in contrast to lossy data compression, which only allows an approximation of the original data to be reconstructed, in exchange...
  
   (uncompressed) WAV
  WAV
  Waveform Audio File Format , is a Microsoft and IBM audio file format standard for storing an audio bitstream on PCs...
  
   format when run without using any switches; instead, it saves in lossy 96 kbit/s WMA
  Windows Media Audio
  Windows Media Audio is an audio data compression technology developed by Microsoft. The name can be used to refer to its audio file format or its audio codecs. It is a proprietary technology that forms part of the Windows Media framework. WMA consists of four distinct codecs...
  
   format. Only the version of Sound Recorder from the N editions of Windows Vista saves audio in WAV
  WAV
  Waveform Audio File Format , is a Microsoft and IBM audio file format standard for storing an audio bitstream on PCs...
  
   format by default. Also, all the basic audio processing features such as format conversion, sample rate conversion
  Sample rate conversion
  Sample rate conversion is the process of converting a signal from one sampling rate to another, while changing the information carried by the signal as little as possible...
  
  , adding echo, reversing the audio, changing volume and playback speed, splitting, inserting and mixing audio have been removed. The graphical viewing of the sound wave spectrum has been replaced with a level meter.
• Support for Microsoft Office Word documents (*.DOC) has been removed from WordPad
  WordPad
  WordPad is a basic word processor that is included with almost all versions of Microsoft Windows from Windows 95 upwards. It is more advanced than Notepad but simpler than Microsoft Works Word Processor and Microsoft Word. It replaced Microsoft Write....
  
  . Microsoft recommends the freely downloadable Word Viewer for viewing these documents.
• The wizard for transferring photos from the camera had some of its functionality removed in Windows Photo Gallery
  Windows Photo Gallery
  Windows Photo Gallery is a photo management, tagging, and editing tool developed by Microsoft, and is included with all editions of Windows Vista...
  
   such as the ability to choose which images to transfer from the camera; users had to copy all images even if they had been previously downloaded. However, the previous behavior with options to choose and automatically organize photos into folders is available in Windows Live Photo Gallery
  Windows Live Photo Gallery
  Windows Live Photo Gallery is a photo management and photo sharing application released as a part of Microsoft's Windows Live initiative. It is an upgraded version of Windows Photo Gallery, which is a part of Windows Vista....
  
  . Also, users can still manually copy specific images from the camera by exploring the connected camera from Windows Explorer.
• Selective pages of multi-page TIFF files cannot be printed from Windows Photo Gallery
  Windows Photo Gallery
  Windows Photo Gallery is a photo management, tagging, and editing tool developed by Microsoft, and is included with all editions of Windows Vista...
  
  ; all pages are printed.
• TIFF annotations cannot be edited or created in Windows Photo Gallery
  Windows Photo Gallery
  Windows Photo Gallery is a photo management, tagging, and editing tool developed by Microsoft, and is included with all editions of Windows Vista...
  
   or Windows Live Photo Gallery
  Windows Live Photo Gallery
  Windows Live Photo Gallery is a photo management and photo sharing application released as a part of Microsoft's Windows Live initiative. It is an upgraded version of Windows Photo Gallery, which is a part of Windows Vista....
  
  .
• Support for animated .GIF files has been removed in Windows Photo Gallery
  Windows Photo Gallery
  Windows Photo Gallery is a photo management, tagging, and editing tool developed by Microsoft, and is included with all editions of Windows Vista...
  
   which replaced the Windows Picture and Fax Viewer
  Windows Picture and Fax Viewer
  Windows Photo Viewer is an image viewer developed by Microsoft that is included with Windows 7. It was also included with Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 under the name of Windows Picture and Fax Viewer. It was temporarily replaced with Windows Photo Gallery in Windows Vista, but has been...
  
  . Only the first frame of the GIF animation is shown in Windows Photo Gallery. Animated GIF files display properly in Internet Explorer
  Internet Explorer
  Windows Internet Explorer is a series of graphical web browsers developed by Microsoft and included as part of the Microsoft Windows line of operating systems, starting in 1995. It was first released as part of the add-on package Plus! for Windows 95 that year...
  
  . Support for WMF
  Windows Metafile
  Windows Metafile is a graphics file format on Microsoft Windows systems, originally designed in the 1990s. Windows Metafiles are intended to be portable between applications and may contain both vector graphics and bitmap components....
  
   and EMF
  Windows Metafile
  Windows Metafile is a graphics file format on Microsoft Windows systems, originally designed in the 1990s. Windows Metafiles are intended to be portable between applications and may contain both vector graphics and bitmap components....
  
   formats has also been removed from Windows Photo Gallery
  Windows Photo Gallery
  Windows Photo Gallery is a photo management, tagging, and editing tool developed by Microsoft, and is included with all editions of Windows Vista...
  
  .
• It is not possible to share Microsoft Office Outlook contacts with Windows Contacts
  Windows Contacts
  Windows Contacts is a contact manager which is included in Windows Vista and Windows 7 which replaced and retained most of the functionality of Windows Address Book. Windows Mail integrates with it. Windows Contacts uses a new XML-based schema format where each contact appears as an...
  
  , whereas in Windows XP, configuring the "UseOutlook" value in the registry allowed sharing Outlook contacts with the Windows Address Book
  Windows Address Book
  Windows Address Book is a component of Microsoft Windows that lets users keep a single list of contacts that can be shared by multiple programs. It is most commonly used by Outlook Express. It was introduced with Internet Explorer 3 in 1996 and improved in subsequent versions. The Windows Address...
  
  .
• The ability to send email as plain text (without HTML
  HTML
  HyperText Markup Language is the predominant markup language for web pages. HTML elements are the basic building-blocks of webpages....
  
  ) only to a specific contact is not available in Windows Contacts
  Windows Contacts
  Windows Contacts is a contact manager which is included in Windows Vista and Windows 7 which replaced and retained most of the functionality of Windows Address Book. Windows Mail integrates with it. Windows Contacts uses a new XML-based schema format where each contact appears as an...
  
  .
• The following MDAC
  Microsoft Data Access Components
  Microsoft Data Access Components is a framework of interrelated Microsoft technologies that allows programmers a uniform and comprehensive way of developing applications that can access almost any data store. Its components include: ActiveX Data Objects , OLE DB, and Open Database Connectivity...
  
  /Windows Data Access Components have been deprecated: 16-bit
  16-bit
  -16-bit architecture:The HP BPC, introduced in 1975, was the world's first 16-bit microprocessor. Prominent 16-bit processors include the PDP-11, Intel 8086, Intel 80286 and the WDC 65C816. The Intel 8088 was program-compatible with the Intel 8086, and was 16-bit in that its registers were 16...
  
   ODBC
  Open Database Connectivity
  In computing, ODBC is a standard C interface for accessing database management systems . The designers of ODBC aimed to make it independent of database systems and operating systems...
  
  , Jet
  Microsoft Jet Database Engine
  The Microsoft Jet Database Engine is a database engine on which several Microsoft products have been built. A database engine is the underlying component of a database, a collection of information stored on a computer in a systematic way...
  
   and Replication Objects (JRO), Remote Data Services
  Remote Data Services
  Remote Data Services is a Microsoft technology used in conjunction with ActiveX Data Objects that allowed the retrieval of a set of data from a database server, which the client then altered in some way and then sent back to the server for further processing...
  
   (RDS), AppleTalk
  AppleTalk
  AppleTalk is a proprietary suite of protocols developed by Apple Inc. for networking computers. It was included in the original Macintosh released in 1984, but is now unsupported as of the release of Mac OS X v10.6 in 2009 in favor of TCP/IP networking...
  
   and Banyan Vines
  Banyan VINES
  Banyan VINES was a computer network operating system and the set of computer network protocols it used to talk to client machines on the network. The Banyan company based the VINES operating system on Unix, and the network protocols on the archetypical Xerox XNS stack...
  
   SQL Network Libraries, OLEDB
  OLE DB
  OLE DB is an API designed by Microsoft for accessing data from a variety of sources in an uniform manner. It is a set of interfaces implemented using the Component Object Model ; it is otherwise unrelated to OLE...
  
   Simple Provider (MSDAOSP), ODBC
  Open Database Connectivity
  In computing, ODBC is a standard C interface for accessing database management systems . The designers of ODBC aimed to make it independent of database systems and operating systems...
  
   Setup, ODBC Cursor Engine and OLE DB Interface Remoting.
• The Faxing components (Fax Console and Fax wizards) have been removed. Windows Fax and Scan
  Windows Fax and Scan
  Windows Fax and Scan is an integrated faxing and scanning application included in some versions of the Windows Vista operating system and all versions of Windows 7. Windows XP includes Fax Console instead.-Features:...
  
   is their replacement, however it is only included in Windows Vista Business, Enterprise and Ultimate editions.
• Unlike Windows XP Fax, Windows Fax and Scan
  Windows Fax and Scan
  Windows Fax and Scan is an integrated faxing and scanning application included in some versions of the Windows Vista operating system and all versions of Windows 7. Windows XP includes Fax Console instead.-Features:...
  
   in Windows Vista and later does not support the V.34bis standard which allows higher fax transfer speeds.
• Windows Fax and Scan
  Windows Fax and Scan
  Windows Fax and Scan is an integrated faxing and scanning application included in some versions of the Windows Vista operating system and all versions of Windows 7. Windows XP includes Fax Console instead.-Features:...
  
   does not support TWAIN
  TWAIN
  TWAIN is a standard software protocol and applications programming interface that regulates communication between software applications and imaging devices such as scanners and digital cameras....
  
   scanners. It only supports WIA
  Windows Image Acquisition
  Windows Image Acquisition is a Microsoft driver model and application programming interface for Microsoft Windows Me and later Windows operating systems that enables graphics software to communicate with imaging hardware such as scanners, digital cameras and Digital Video-equipment...
  
   scanners.
• The Unicode IME has been removed. It will again be included in Windows 7.
• Microsoft Agent
  Microsoft Agent
  Microsoft Agent is a technology developed by Microsoft which employs animated characters, text-to-speech engines, and speech recognition software to enhance interaction with computer users. Thus it is an example of an embodied agent. It comes preinstalled as part of Microsoft Windows 2000 through...
  
   character preview is not supported in the Agent Character file's property sheet.
• ClipBook Viewer
  ClipBook Viewer
  ClipBook Viewer is a utility included in Microsoft Windows that allows users to view the contents of the local clipboard, clear the clipboard or save copied and cut items...
  
   is not included.
• Built-in support for the 32-bit .HLP (WinHelp) help format has been removed to discourage software developers from using the obsolete format and encourage use of newer 32-bit help formats such as Compiled HTML Help. When starting an application which uses the 32-bit .HLP format, Windows will display a warning saying that the format is no longer supported. The viewer for viewing .HLP files is available from the Microsoft Download Center, but some features present in previous versions are disabled. Support for the 16-bit .HLP format remains.
• Context-sensitive help
  Context-sensitive help
  Context-sensitive help is a kind of online help that is obtained from a specific point in the state of the software, providing help for the situation that is associated with that state....
  
   is not available in Windows Vista, since it was dependent on WinHelp. Although the HTML Help technology also supports context-sensitive help (including "What's this" help), Windows Vista dialogs remove the "What's This" button and context sensitive and the "What's This" help functionality.
• The Dr. Watson
  Dr. Watson (debugger)
  Dr. Watson is an application debugger included with the Microsoft Windows operating system. It may be named drwatson.exe, drwtsn32.exe or dwwin.exe, depending on the version of Windows. It is named after Doctor Watson of Sherlock Holmes fame, the idea being that it would collect error information ...
  
   application debugger
  Debugger
  A debugger or debugging tool is a computer program that is used to test and debug other programs . The code to be examined might alternatively be running on an instruction set simulator , a technique that allows great power in its ability to halt when specific conditions are encountered but which...
  
   and crash analysis tool has been removed. It is intended to be replaced by the Problem Reports and Solutions control panel. However, its functionality is different.
• The DirectX
  DirectX
  Microsoft DirectX is a collection of application programming interfaces for handling tasks related to multimedia, especially game programming and video, on Microsoft platforms. Originally, the names of these APIs all began with Direct, such as Direct3D, DirectDraw, DirectMusic, DirectPlay,...
  
   Diagnostic tool (DxDiag
  DxDiag
  DxDiag is a diagnostics tool used to test DirectX functionality and troubleshoot video- or sound-related hardware problems. DirectX Diagnostic can save text files with the scan results...
  
  ) only shows information; it is no longer possible to test the hardware and the various DirectX components.
• Internet Backgammon
  Backgammon
  Backgammon is one of the oldest board games for two players. The playing pieces are moved according to the roll of dice, and players win by removing all of their pieces from the board. There are many variants of backgammon, most of which share common traits...
  
  , Internet Hearts (not to be confused with Hearts), Internet Reversi
  Reversi
  Reversi is a board game involving abstract strategy and played by two players on a board with 8 rows and 8 columns and a set of distinct pieces for each side. Pieces typically are disks with a light and a dark face, each face belonging to one player...
  
  , Internet Spades, and Internet Checkers
  Draughts
  Draughts is a group of abstract strategy board games between two players which involve diagonal moves of uniform pieces and mandatory captures by jumping over the enemy's pieces. Draughts developed from alquerque...
  
   have been removed. Although freely playable online on MSN Games
  MSN Games
  MSN Games is an online games site devoted primarily to casual games, both stand-alone and multi-player online games. Games are available in free on-line versions, trial versions, and full feature pay-to-play versions...
  
  , they now require signing in to a Windows Live ID
  Windows Live ID
  Windows Live ID is a single sign-on web service developed and provided by Microsoft that allows users to log in to many websites using one account...
  
  . Pinball has also been removed. Backgammon, Spades and checkers will be back in Windows 7.
• SerialKeys, an accessibility feature for augmentative communicative devices is no longer supported.
• Many of the screen savers
  Screen Savers
  Screen Savers may refer to:* Screensavers, computer programs intended to preserve CRT monitors from "burn-in"* The Screen Savers, a technology-oriented television program that aired on TechTV and later G4...
  
   introduced in earlier versions of Windows are not included with Windows Vista. This includes most of the OpenGL
  OpenGL
  OpenGL is a standard specification defining a cross-language, cross-platform API for writing applications that produce 2D and 3D computer graphics. The interface consists of over 250 different function calls which can be used to draw complex three-dimensional scenes from simple primitives. OpenGL...
  
   screen savers introduced since Windows 95b, as well as classics such as the Flying Windows
  Flying Windows
  Flying Windows is a screensaver included with the 3.1x and 9x versions of the Microsoft Windows operating system. The screensaver is similar to Starfield, in which the users computer has the view out of the cockpit of a spaceship travelling through deep space at high speed...
  
   screen saver.
• The Resultant Set of Policy snap-in no longer shows the full set of configured Group Policy settings. The command line tool, gpresult.exe has to be used to view all settings.
• Certain command line switches for System Information (MSInfo32) are not supported.

Networking

• Windows Vista no longer automatically creates shortcuts to previously visited network shares in the Network Explorer which replaces My Network Places.
• There is no balloon notification when a new connection is connected or when the wired or wireless adapters have limited or no connectivity.
• IPsec
  IPsec
  Internet Protocol Security is a protocol suite for securing Internet Protocol communications by authenticating and encrypting each IP packet of a communication session...
  
   tunneling when the computer is behind an NAT device is no longer possible.
• The Wireless Provisioning Services feature to automatically configure wireless hotspots by downloading XML files supplied by Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISPs) is not supported.
• Audio (voice) sessions and sending invitations via mailto: are not supported in Windows Remote Assistance.
• The 1-click "Repair" function to perform a series of steps that quickly reset the network connection has been replaced by the Network Diagnostics feature which attempts to perform troubleshooting and offer suggestions.
• The Web Folders client is not included by default in any version in favor of the WebDAV mini-redirector. It is not available for 64-bit versions.
• UPnP IGD devices do not show up in Network Connections or in the notification area. Status information and statistics of the connection through the internet gateway is not available as could be viewed in Windows XP. NAT port mappings can be set up from the gateway device's Properties -> Settings in Network Explorer.
• The Network Setup Wizard and the Wireless Network Setup Wizard have been removed.
• Windows Vista uses the strong host model for networking, instead of the weak host model used by all previous Windows versions. A weak host model can accept locally destined unicast packets from any network and transfer them to other interfaces on that network. In a multihomed
  Multihoming
  Multihoming is a technique used to increase the reliability of the Internet connection for an IP network. As an adjective, it is typically used to describe a customer, rather than an Internet service provider network...
  
   network setup, a strong host model can considerably limit connectivity although it improves security against multihome-based network attacks.
• A single icon in the notification area (system tray) represents network connectivity through all network adapters and/or internet gateways, whether wired or wireless and for all different types of connections. It is not possible to set individual connection status icons on the taskbar or hide some or all network icons altogether.
• The ability to connect automatically to available non-preferred wireless networks in range and to wireless ad hoc networks has been removed due to security reasons. It is also not possible to save the network profile of an ad hoc wireless connection if the connection has been created/initiated by another computer.
• Changing the KeepRasConnections registry key to remain connected after logging off from a RAS client is not supported in Windows Vista.
• The Direct cable connection
  Direct cable connection
  Direct Cable Connection , is a feature of Microsoft Windows that allows a computer to transfer and share files with another computer, via a connection using either the serial port, parallel port or the infrared port of each computer...
  
   feature is not supported in Windows Vista.
• Unlike Outlook Express
  Outlook Express
  Outlook Express is an email and news client that is included with Internet Explorer versions 4.0 through 6.0. As such, it is also bundled with several versions of Microsoft Windows, from Windows 98 to Windows Server 2003, and is available for Windows 3.x, Windows NT 3.51, Windows 95 and Mac OS 9...
  
  , Windows Mail
  Windows Mail
  Windows Mail is an email and newsgroup client included in Windows Vista, that was superseded by Windows Live Mail. It is the successor to Outlook Express. Microsoft previewed Windows Mail on Channel 9 on October 10, 2005....
  
   does not have support for HTTP mail via the WebDAV
  WebDAV
  Web-based Distributed Authoring and Versioning is a set of methods based on the Hypertext Transfer Protocol that facilitates collaboration between users in editing and managing documents and files stored on World Wide Web servers...
  
   protocol (used by older Hotmail
  Hotmail
  Windows Live Hotmail, formerly known as MSN Hotmail and commonly referred to simply as Hotmail, is a free web-based email service operated by Microsoft as part of its Windows Live group. It was founded by Sabeer Bhatia and Jack Smith and launched in July 1996 as "HoTMaiL". It was one of the first...
  
   accounts and Yahoo! Mail
  Yahoo! Mail
  Yahoo! Mail is a web mail service provided by Yahoo!. It was inaugurated in 1997, and, according to comScore, Yahoo! Mail was the second largest web-based email service with 273.1 million users as of November 2010....
  
  ); Windows Live Mail
  Windows Live Mail
  Windows Live Mail is a free of charge email client from Microsoft's Windows Live set of products. It is intended to be a successor for Outlook Express on Windows XP and Windows Mail on Windows Vista...
  
   however supports WebDAV
  WebDAV
  Web-based Distributed Authoring and Versioning is a set of methods based on the Hypertext Transfer Protocol that facilitates collaboration between users in editing and managing documents and files stored on World Wide Web servers...
  
  .
• Unlike Outlook Express, Windows Mail does not allow users to switch Identities or manage multiple identities within one running instance of the program. Instead, identities are now tied to the user account and to create additional users or identities, a new user account has to be created.
• Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
  Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
  Simple Mail Transfer Protocol is an Internet standard for electronic mail transmission across Internet Protocol networks. SMTP was first defined by RFC 821 , and last updated by RFC 5321 which includes the extended SMTP additions, and is the protocol in widespread use today...
  
   (SMTP) and POP3 servers have been removed from the IIS component in Windows Vista.
• rexec, rsh
  Remote Shell
  The remote shell is a command line computer program that can execute shell commands as another user, and on another computer across a computer network.The remote system to which rsh connects runs the rshd daemon...
  
  , finger
  Finger protocol
  In computer networking, the Name/Finger protocol and the Finger user information protocol are simple network protocols for the exchange of human-oriented status and user information.-Name/Finger protocol:...
  
  , and some other command-line tools primarily used to communicate with UNIX
  Unix
  Unix is a multitasking, multi-user computer operating system originally developed in 1969 by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs, including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, Brian Kernighan, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna...
  
  -based systems have been removed from the default installation. The Subsystem for Unix-based applications (SUA) (previously known as Windows Services for Unix
  Microsoft Windows Services for UNIX
  Windows Services for UNIX or Subsystem for UNIX-based Applications is a software package produced by Microsoft which provides a Unix subsystem and other parts of a full Unix environment on Windows NT and some of its immediate successor operating-systems...
  
  ) still provides them as an optional component.
• Windows Messenger
  Windows Messenger
  Windows Messenger is a client by Microsoft that is included in the Windows XP operating system. Designed for use by corporate users as well as home users, it was originally created as a streamlined and integrated version of MSN Messenger...
  
   has been removed in favor of a link to Windows Live Messenger
  Windows Live Messenger
  Windows Live Messenger is an instant messaging client created by Microsoft that is currently designed to work with Windows XP , Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Mobile, Windows CE, Xbox 360, Blackberry OS, iOS, Java ME, S60 on Symbian OS 9.x and Zune HD...
  
  . Windows Messenger support has also been dropped from Windows Media Center
  Windows Media Center
  Windows Media Center is a digital video recorder and media player developed by Microsoft. It is an application that allows users to view and record live television, as well as organize and play music and videos...
  
  .
• TAPI 3.1 Rendezvous IP Telephony Conferencing API for multicast conferences is not available.
• The RTC Client API 1.3 is not included in Windows Vista.
• Support for built-in H.323
  H.323
  H.323 is a recommendation from the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector that defines the protocols to provide audio-visual communication sessions on any packet network...
  
   Voice Over IP (VOIP) capabilities has been removed. NetMeeting
  Microsoft NetMeeting
  Microsoft NetMeeting was a VoIP and multi-point videoconferencing client included in many versions of Microsoft Windows . It used the H.323 protocol for video and audio conferencing, and was interoperable with OpenH323-based clients such as Ekiga, and Internet Locator Service as reflector...
  
  , H.323 and IP Multicast Conference TSPs
  Telephony Service Provider
  A telephony service provider, as defined in Microsoft's TAPI specification, is a software interface to a physical telephony device that can be accessed programmatically to perform actions such as dialing a phone number or logging a call. TSPs can be thought of as a TAPI specific driver for a...
  
   and MSPs
  Media service provider
  A media service provider is an organization that complements its regular business by adding a set of media services including * Access to the Internet* Access to music and video...
  
  , and HyperTerminal
  HyperACCESS
  HyperACCESS is the name for a number of successive computer communications software, made by Hilgraeve.It was the first software product from Hilgraeve, and it was initially designed to let 8-bit Heath computers communicate over a modem. In 1985 this same product was ported to IBM PCs and...
  
   all are no longer included. Windows Meeting Space
  Windows Meeting Space
  Windows Meeting Space is the name of a peer-to-peer collaboration program in Windows Vista that supports 2–10 users. Meeting Space does not exist in any version of Windows 7...
  
   is the replacement for NetMeeting; however, features like microphone support, and ability to set up audio or video conferences, are now removed.
• Call answering, connecting to an internet directory, video call and H.323/conference call features have been removed from Phone Dialer.
• IP over 1394 (FireWire networking) support has been removed.
• The basic firewall/filtering functionality and static IP filter APIs in Routing and Remote Access are not available. The three layers of filtering, TCP/IP port filtering, Windows Firewall
  Windows Firewall
  Windows Firewall is a software component of Microsoft Windows that provides firewalling and packet filtering functions. It was first included in Windows XP and Windows Server 2003...
  
   and IPsec are replaced with a single layer, the Windows Filtering Platform
  Windows Filtering Platform
  Windows Filtering Platform is a set of system services and an application programming interface introduced with Windows Vista that allows applications to tie into the packet processing and filtering pipeline of the new network stack. It provides features such as integrated communication and it can...
  
  .
• NetDDE, a technology that allows applications using the DDE
  Dynamic Data Exchange
  Dynamic Data Exchange is a technology for interprocess communication under Microsoft Windows or OS/2.- Overview :Dynamic Data Exchange was first introduced in 1987 with the release of Windows 2.0 as a method of interprocess communication so that one program can communicate with or control another...
  
   transport to transparently exchange data over a network, is no longer supported. Windows Chat (WinChat) which used NetDDE has also been removed.

Legacy networking components

• The Gopher protocol is no longer supported.
• The Messenger service
  Messenger Service
  Messenger Service is a network-based system notification service included in some versions of Microsoft Windows. This service, although it has a similar name, is not related in any way to the .NET Messenger Service or the Windows Messenger and MSN Messenger/Windows Live Messenger instant messaging...
  
   and the Alerter service
  Alerter service
  The Alerter service is a Microsoft Windows service which is used to send administrative alerts. It alerts users about security, access, and user session problems...
  
   are no longer available.
• Rarely used protocols such as Bandwidth Allocation Protocol
  Bandwidth Allocation Protocol
  The Bandwidth Allocation Protocol, along with its control protocol, the Bandwidth Allocation Control Protocol, is used to add and remove links in a multilink bundle over PPP, and specifying which peer is responsible for making decisions regarding bandwidth management...
  
   and X.25
  X.25
  X.25 is an ITU-T standard protocol suite for packet switched wide area network communication. An X.25 WAN consists of packet-switching exchange nodes as the networking hardware, and leased lines, Plain old telephone service connections or ISDN connections as physical links...
  
   support for SLIP
  Serial Line Internet Protocol
  The Serial Line Internet Protocol is an encapsulation of the Internet Protocol designed to work over serial ports and modem connections. It is documented in RFC 1055...
  
   have been removed. SLIP connections are automatically upgraded to use PPP
  Point-to-Point Protocol
  In networking, the Point-to-Point Protocol is a data link protocol commonly used in establishing a direct connection between two networking nodes...
  
  .
• The SPAP, EAP-MD5-CHAP, and MS-CHAP v1
  MS-CHAP
  MS-CHAP is the Microsoft version of the Challenge-handshake authentication protocol, CHAP. The protocol exists in two versions, MS-CHAPv1 and MS-CHAPv2...
  
   protocols are no longer supported for PPP-based connections, in favor of MS-CHAP v2.
• The NWLink
  NWLink
  NWLink is Microsoft's implementation of Novell's IPX/SPX protocols. NWLink includes an implementation of NetBIOS atop IPX/SPX.NWLink packages data to be compatible with client/server services on NetWare Networks. However, NWLink does not provide access to NetWare File and Print Services...
  
   IPX/SPX
  IPX/SPX
  IPX/SPX stands for Internetwork Packet Exchange/Sequenced Packet Exchange. IPX and SPX are networking protocols used primarily on networks using the Novell NetWare operating systems.-Protocol Layers:...
  
  /NetBIOS
  NetBIOS
  NetBIOS is an acronym for Network Basic Input/Output System. It provides services related to the session layer of the OSI model allowing applications on separate computers to communicate over a local area network. As strictly an API, NetBIOS is not a networking protocol...
  
   Compatible Transport Protocol is no longer supported.
• Asynchronous Transfer Mode
  Asynchronous Transfer Mode
  Asynchronous Transfer Mode is a standard switching technique designed to unify telecommunication and computer networks. It uses asynchronous time-division multiplexing, and it encodes data into small, fixed-sized cells. This differs from approaches such as the Internet Protocol or Ethernet that...
  
   (ATM) has been removed.
• The NetBEUI protocol is no longer supported.
• The NT LAN Manager Security Support Provider
  NTLMSSP
  NTLMSSP is a binary messaging protocol used by the Microsoft Security Support Provider Interface to facilitate NTLM challenge-response authentication and to negotiate integrity and confidentiality options...
  
   service
  Windows Service
  On Microsoft Windows operating systems, a Windows service is a long-running executable that performs specific functions and which is designed not to require user intervention. Windows services can be configured to start when the operating system is booted and run in the background as long as...
  
   has been removed in favor of the newer Kerberos authentication protocol.

Legacy features and other changes

• Object Packager, a legacy tool for packaging non-OLE
  Object Linking and Embedding
  Object Linking and Embedding is a technology developed by Microsoft that allows embedding and linking to documents and other objects. For developers, it brought OLE Control eXtension , a way to develop and use custom user interface elements...
  
   objects and embedding/linking them inside OLE objects, is not included; however, objects can still be inserted in OLE applications such as WordPad
  WordPad
  WordPad is a basic word processor that is included with almost all versions of Microsoft Windows from Windows 95 upwards. It is more advanced than Notepad but simpler than Microsoft Works Word Processor and Microsoft Word. It replaced Microsoft Write....
  
  .
• Program Manager
  Program Manager
  Program Manager is the shell of Windows 3.x and Windows NT 3.x operating systems. This shell exposed a task-oriented graphical user interface , consisting of icons arranged into program groups. It replaced MS-DOS Executive, a file manager, as the default Windows shell.The program derives from the...
  
   has been removed altogether. Previously, in Windows XP Service Pack 2, running the executable did not launch it, but it stored several old icons.
• The Web Publishing Wizard is no longer available.
• The Desktop Cleanup Wizard
  Desktop Cleanup Wizard
  The Desktop Cleanup Wizard is a component included with Microsoft's Windows XP operating system. It aims to reduce the clutter in a user's desktop environment by moving unused shortcuts to a separate directory called "Unused Desktop Shortcuts"....
  
   is no longer available.
• The Windows Classic theme colors (Brick, Eggplant, Rainy Day, Wheat, Pumpkin, etc.) have been removed.
• The graphical world map has been removed from the Date and Time control panel setting in Windows Vista.
• Motherboard support for Advanced Configuration and Power Interface
  Advanced Configuration and Power Interface
  In computing, the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface specification provides an open standard for device configuration and power management by the operating system....
  
   (ACPI) is required for Windows Vista; as a result, older motherboards supporting only Advanced Power Management
  Advanced Power Management
  Advanced power management is an API developed by Intel and Microsoft and released in 1992 which enables an operating system running an IBM-compatible personal computer to work with the BIOS to achieve power management.Revision 1.2 was the last version of the APM specification, released in 1996....
  
   do not work as support for the following HALs has been dropped: "Standard PC", "MPS Uniprocessor PC" and "MPS Multiprocessor PC"
• ACPI 2.0 or later is preferred, as Windows Vista's support of technologies like AMD's Cool'n'Quiet power-saving technology is disabled on ACPI 1.0 enabled motherboards.
• Other "legacy" hardware technologies no longer supported include: EISA
  Extended Industry Standard Architecture
  The Extended Industry Standard Architecture is a bus standard for IBM PC compatible computers...
  
   buses, game port
  Game port
  The game port is a device port found on IBM PC compatible systems throughout the 1980s and 1990s. It was the traditional connector for joystick input devices until superseded by USB in the 21st century....
  
  s, MPU-401
  MPU-401
  The MPU-401, where MPU stands for MIDI Processing Unit, was an important but now obsolete interface for connecting MIDI-equipped electronic music hardware to Personal Computers...
  
  , AMD K6/2+ Mobile Processors, Mobile Pentium II
  Pentium II
  The Pentium II brand refers to Intel's sixth-generation microarchitecture and x86-compatible microprocessors introduced on May 7, 1997. Containing 7.5 million transistors, the Pentium II featured an improved version of the first P6-generation core of the Pentium Pro, which contained 5.5 million...
  
   and Mobile Pentium III
  Pentium III
  The Pentium III brand refers to Intel's 32-bit x86 desktop and mobile microprocessors based on the sixth-generation P6 microarchitecture introduced on February 26, 1999. The brand's initial processors were very similar to the earlier Pentium II-branded microprocessors...
  
   SpeedStep, and COM-port based UPSes; ISAPnP is disabled by default.

See also

• Features removed from Windows 7
  Features removed from Windows 7
  Similar to the transition from Windows XP to Windows Vista, certain capabilities and programs that are present in Windows Vista are no longer present in Windows 7 or have changed...
  
  
• Features new to Windows Vista
  Features new to Windows Vista
  Windows Vista has many new features compared with previous Microsoft Windows versions, covering most aspects of the operating system.This article discusses the changes most likely to be of interest to non-technical users...
  
  
• History of Microsoft Windows
  History of Microsoft Windows
  In 1983, Microsoft announced the development of Windows, a graphical user interface for its own operating system , which had shipped for IBM PC and compatible computers since 1981...
  
  
• Windows Server 2008

External links

• Microsoft's Windows Vista homepage