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Since there's dozens of Vista threads now, I figured I'd start another. 
Gonna use this one to consolidate some of the advice given in other threads, and add some tricks and tips that haven't been posted yet. Feel free to add to the list, and if it's worthwhile enough, maybe we can get it stickied for awhile.
I don't take credit for any of these, just stuff I've pulled off the web, mostly here.
Flip3d
WinKey+Tab opens the Flip3d task switcher, then use your mousewheel to scroll through the open programs while continuing to hold down WinKey+Tab.
WinKey+CTRL+Tab leaves the the Flip3d task switcher open after you release the keys, handy for showing off Vista or just keeping an eye on things.
RUN command
WinKey+R opens the RUN command box, which is now nested inside the All Programs menu. If you really miss it though, you can add it back to the Start Menu:
Right click on the Start button, and click Properties.
In the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog, click Customize.
Scroll down and in the list you shall find Run command. Check the box next to it.
Close any open dialogs by pressing OK.
Also, typing in a program name in the Start Search box in the Start Menu and hitting ENTER will execute the program, just like the RUN command line, and even accepts switches. Try it, you might like it.
Display Windows Explorer Classic Menus
You may have a bit of a hard time adjusting to Windows Vistas new Windows Explorer window style, which doesnt include the menu.
There are two ways to bring it back, one is temporary and the other is more permanent:
If you want to view the menu but not have it always displayed, simply press the Alt key. The menu will fade into view.
If you want the menu to always be turned on, click the first button on Layout configuration button (first button on the top most bar in Windows Explorer). From the drop down list, check Classic Menus.
Desktop Icons
You can resize the large Vista desktop icons by right clicking on the Desktop, View, and selecting one of three sizes, Large, Medium, and Classic.
But wait, there's more! You can variably adjust the size of the icons by left-clicking on the desktop, then holding down the CTRL key while spinning your mouse wheel up and down. Little tip here, if you're going for small icons, you may want to bump the mousewheel up one more notch after you've hit the smallest setting. That leaves the icons at the same size, but retains things like shadows and perspective, at the absolute smallest setting the icons are "flat".
Turning off Aero
You can toggle Aero on and off by using the Ctrl+Shift+F9 keyboard shortcut.
Add another time zone to your clock
One nice addition to Windows Vista is the ability to display the time in other time zones.
Click on the clock.
Click Date and Time Settings.
Click on the Additional Clocks tab.
Check the box labelled Additional Clock #1″, and from the drop down menu choose a time zone.
Give the clock a name, such as Microsoft or Texas.
Press OK.
You can repeat this for the second additional clock as well.
To add a location to the Places bar (left hand pane in Windows Explorer)
In Windows Vista, there is a new pane on the left hand side of Windows Explorer which contains links to items you wish to access quickly. It works a bit like the left hand pane in the Mac OS X 10.3+ Finder. In previous builds, you could not really customize the Places bar but now you can! Simply drag and drop a folder onto the plane, and voila!
Use the Search box in Windows Explorer to filter a file view
Did you know you can easily filter the list of documents and folders in a folder using the Search field in Windows Explorer? For instance if you have a folder containing a lot of folders and documents and you are specifically looking for Vista, all you need to do is type Vista, or even just part of the word, such as Vis to limit the list of files shown.
Disable DEP / NoExecute Protection to fix Random Windows Explorer crashes
Due to the way Windows Vistas boot editor has been created, it is now harder to disable DEP / No Execute Protection. However, after some amount of research, it would seem that some of the random Windows Explorer crashes that users are experiencing is caused by this technology. You will need to disable it and reboot, which should cure some of the crashes:
Click Start, All Programs, Accessories, right click on Command Prompt, and click Run as administrator.
If asked for permission to run Windows Command Processor, click on Allow.
At the command prompt, type in bcdedit.exe /set {current} nx AlwaysOff (without the quotes).
You should receive a message saying Operation Completed Successfully.
Restart the computer, DEP / No Execute should now be disabled.
Prevent network flooding and connection drops
The new networking stack contained in Windows Vista has some issues. This build seems to like dropping connections and in rare cases, blocking all traffic on wireless routers, requiring a restart of the router itself. To fix these problems, complete the following instructions:
WARNING: Please note that this will disable IPv6 connectivity as well as the Windows Firewall security, and is not recommended unless you are experiencing these issues. This will also invalidate any network related bug reports you file against Windows Vista.
Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
Under Network and Internet, click on View network status and tasks.
In the left hand pane, click on Open connections.
Right click on your network connection (for example: Local Area Connection 3), and then click Configure.
If asked for permission to open Network Connections, click on Allow.
Highlight the following items and press the Uninstall button:
Link-Layer Topology Discovery Mapper I/O Driver
Link-Layer Topology Discovery Responder
Uncheck Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6)
Next, click on the Configure button under the name of your network adapter.
Click on the Power Management tab.
Disable all power management items listed on the Power Management tab.
Press OK.
To stop Windows Vista from flooding your network with traffic:
Press WinKey+R.
Type services.msc (without the quotes)
If asked for permission to open Microsoft Management Console, click Allow.
Double click on each one of the following services and change its startup type to Disabled.
Base Filtering Engine
IKE and AuthIP Keying Modules
IP Helper Service
IPSec
Windows Firewall
Close the Services window and restart Windows.
Enable System Restore
The System Restore service is one cause of performance issues, and for some people, it doesnt even work and is disabled by default in this build. You may wish to enable it, as it is a very useful feature if it works for you.
Click on the Start button.
Hover over Computer, right click on it and then click Properties.
On the left hand side, click Advanced Settings.
If asked to permit the action, click on Allow.
Click on the System Protection tab.
Check any checkboxes listed for your hard drives that you wish to include
Press Apply. You can now create your first restore point.
Disable UAP
This one is controversial. UAP is undoubtedly annoying in this build, seeming to pop up even when you scratch your family jewels. But it does provide a very robust security solution, something XP and earlier versions were lacking. The good news is, MSFT will be making this MUCH less annoying in later builds.
But for the here and now, you can totally disable it (and loose almost ALL of the extra security strength offered by Vista) pretty quickly.
There are multiple ways to do this, but one of the most simple is to hit WinKey+R, type MSCONFIG, ENTER, and once MSCONFIG is open, go to the TOOLS tab, scroll down to "Disable UAP", click it and then click the Launch button. A little command prompt box will open, and that's it, it's disabled, but you'll need to restart for the change to take effect. You should also notice that the "Enable UAP" command is there also, in case you decide to turn it back on.
Disable un-needed Services
There are some services in this build that can be disabled without impacting any features (except the Security Center service, some people may find this annoying).
Disable the following:
IIS Admin Service - if you dont plan on using IIS, you dont need this enabled.
Offline Files Disabling this helps to speed up Windows Explorer when performing network tasks.
Peer Name Resolution Protocol
PRNP Auto Registration
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) if your computer isnt going to be running as a mail server, you dont need this.
Tablet PC Input Service If you do not use a Tablet PC or youre on a desktop computer, you dont need this.
Interface Performance
One of the biggest issues you may encounter with this build after is the user interface performance.
If you're experiencing performance issues with the interface, the first thing you will want to do is disable a few options. Click on the Start button, right click Computer, and click Properties. Then, click on the Advanced tab, and under Performance, click the Settings button.
You will need to uncheck the following items for baseline improvements:
Animate windows when minimizing and maximizing
Fade or slide menus into view
Fade or slide ToolTips into view
Fade out menu items after clicking
Show translucent selection rectangle
Show window contents while dragging (this is up to you)
Slide open combo boxes
Slide taskbar buttons
Smooth-scroll list boxes
Use a background image for each folder type
Once you have modified these settings to your liking, press OK until you have dismissed all of the dialogs.
If you are looking to speed up Windows Explorer and are not concerned with some of Windows Vistas new features, then you may wish to disable the new previewing capabilities. To do this, click the Start button, and then click on Run (alternatively, you could press the Windows Flag key + R on your keyboard). Type control folders, and press Enter on the keyboard or OK in the Run dialog.
In the General tab, under Tasks, choose Use Windows classic folders. Now, switch to the View tab, and make the following modifications:
Check
Always show icons, never thumbnails
Always show menu bar in Windows Explorer
Uncheck
Automatically search for network folders and printers
Show pop-up description for folder and desktop items
Show rich previewers in preview pane
Use domain folder sharing wizard
Press the OK button to dismiss the dialog.
Gaming and DWM
If you are trying to play any DirectX games under Vista with an LDDM compatible video card with Aero Glass enabled, you may notice that the game performance is slow or laggy, but you can disable DWM temporarily when the game executable has run. To do this, follow these instructions:
1. Locate the shortcut for the game you are wishing to play, or the executable file (which can usually be found somewhere within X:\Program Files, where X is the drive letter you have installed Windows Vista to. You can find the target executable file from right clicking on its shortcut and clicking Find Target.
2. Right click on the shortcut or the executable, and from the context menu, click on Properties.
3. Click on the Compatibility tab.
4. Under Settings, check Disable the Desktop Window Manager, and then press OK to dismiss the properties dialog.
This will temporarily disable DWM while running you game, and it should give you a performance boost with the application. Once the application or game has quit, DWM will be re-enabled.
Disable Hibernate
Due to the new Power Options control panel applet not having an option to disable the Hibernation feature, used in previous versions of Windows to store the data from RAM when the machine was put into hibernation mode, we end up with an oversized hiberfil.sys file on the root of the hard disk or partition that Windows Vista is installed on. To remove this and disable hibernation, simply click the Start button, and then click on Run. Type in CMD.EXE (without the quotes), and then click OK or press Enter.
In the command prompt window, type in the following command:
powercfg -h off
After this command has been run, you can close the command prompt window.
Forcing Aero on Non-WDDM Compatible Cards.
Have an older video card but want to play around with Aero?
WARNING: This tweak may cause a blue screen loop or constant flicker depending on your video card. Use with extreme caution, this tweak is really only here for documentary purposes only.
From the Start menu, click All Programs and then expand Accessories.
Right click on Command Prompt and click Run as Administrator.
Click on Allow from the Windows Security dialog.
In the Command Prompt window, type regedit (without the quotes) and press Enter.
Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\DWM (if this key doesnt exist, create it)
Create a new DWORD (32-bit value) of UseMachineCheck, and set its value to 0.
Limit the number of windows shown in Flip3D
If Flip3D is too slow for you or if you have too many windows open, you can easily limit the number of windows displayed in Flip3D. As you tab or scroll through them, other windows will appear.
Press WinKey+R on your keyboard.
Type regedit.exe without the quotes.
If asked for permission to launch the Registry Editor, click Allow.
Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\DWM
Right click on the right hand side of the registry editor, and under New, click on DWORD (32-bit).
Name the new DWORD value Max3DWindows (without the quotes)
Double click on the DWORD value and set it to the maximum number of windows you want displayed in Flip3D. A good number is 5 for low-end cards and 10 for other cards.
Click OK and exit the Registry Editor.
Press Ctrl+Shift+F9 to shut down DWM, and then press the key combination again to restart it.
Press WinKey+Tab to display Flip3D.
User Agent String
If you are having issues with certain websites (especially banking and other secure websites), you might want to try this out. It fools the websites into thinking you are running Internet Explorer 6.0.
Copy and paste the following code into Notepad, and save it to your desktop as IE7UserAgent.REG.
Double-click the file to merge it into the Windows Registry, and then restart Internet Explorer for the change to take effect. If UAP is turned on, permit the operation to take place.
If you are having issues with certain websites (especially banking and other secure websites), you might want to try this out. It fools the websites into thinking you are running Internet Explorer 6.0.Copy and paste the following code into Notepad, and save it to your desktop as IE7UserAgent.REG.Double-click the file to merge it into the Windows Registry, and then restart Internet Explorer for the change to take effect. If UAP is turned on, permit the operation to take place.
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\5.0\User Agent]
Version=MSIE 6.0
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\User Agent\Post Platform]
SV1″=-
You can easily undo this change by copying and pasting the following code into Notepad, and then saving it as IE7Undo.reg and merge it into the Windows Registry. If UAP is turned on, permit the operation to take place.
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\5.0\User Agent]
Version=-
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\User Agent\Post Platform]
SV1″=
You can test these changes using a simple page that checks the User Agent. We recommend: http://www.fiddlertool.com/useragent.aspx.
The Favorites Center
In Internet Explorer 7, the older style Explorer bars have been replaced and the menus have been hidden by default. What happened to my favorites, then? you may wonder. Simple. You will notice a round orange circle with a white star in the center of it. Click on it, and all of your favorites will appear. You will also find your subscribed feeds and history are available from the Favorites Center as well. To close the Favorites Center quickly just press Esc on your keyboard.
Zoom
In previous versions of Internet Explorer, you could use Ctrl+-, Ctrl++, or Ctrl+Scroll Wheel to change the zoom and text size of a page. In Internet Explorer 7, there is a new zoom function which not only allows you to zoom text, it also zooms everything else on the page; making pages, images, and items larger for those with sight problems. To use this feature, locate the little magnifying glass in the bottom right hand corner of the Internet Explorer status bar. Click on it, and select a zoom percentage.
Quick Tabs
Internet Explorer comes with a new feature known as Tabs. Other browsers have had this for a while and now it is time for Internet Explorer to catch up. When you have multiple tabs open, instead of clicking through each tab to see what it contains, you can use Quick Tabs. To do this, you can either press the Quick Tabs button next to the Favorites Center & Add Favorite buttons, or you can press Ctrl+Q.
Installing Vista
I'll let other folks add most of this section.
Dual booting
This only applies if you're ALREADY dual-booting with XP, and then install Vista as another OS, getting you down to just 1 boot screen.
I copied the F:\Windows\System32\winload.exe (Vista Installation) file to
C:\Windows\System32 (XP Installation)
Then I edited the boot.ini file as follows:
Original boot.ini:
[boot loader]
timeout=10
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0 )partition(1)WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partiti on(1)WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home
Edition" /FASTDETECT /NOEXECUTE=ALWAYSOFF
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partiti on(2)WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows Longhorn"
/NOEXECUTE=ALWAYSOFF /FASTDETECT /USENEWLOADER
New Boot.ini:
[boot loader]
timeout=10
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0 )partition(1)WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partiti on(1)WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home
Edition" /FASTDETECT /NOEXECUTE=ALWAYSOFF /USENEWLOADER
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partiti on(2)WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows Longhorn"
/NOEXECUTE=ALWAYSOFF /FASTDETECT /USENEWLOADER
As you can see I just added the /USENEWLOADER switch to the XP Installation.
More in future posts.
Gonna use this one to consolidate some of the advice given in other threads, and add some tricks and tips that haven't been posted yet. Feel free to add to the list, and if it's worthwhile enough, maybe we can get it stickied for awhile.
I don't take credit for any of these, just stuff I've pulled off the web, mostly here.
Vista Interface
Flip3d
WinKey+Tab opens the Flip3d task switcher, then use your mousewheel to scroll through the open programs while continuing to hold down WinKey+Tab.
WinKey+CTRL+Tab leaves the the Flip3d task switcher open after you release the keys, handy for showing off Vista or just keeping an eye on things.
RUN command
WinKey+R opens the RUN command box, which is now nested inside the All Programs menu. If you really miss it though, you can add it back to the Start Menu:
Right click on the Start button, and click Properties.
In the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog, click Customize.
Scroll down and in the list you shall find Run command. Check the box next to it.
Close any open dialogs by pressing OK.
Also, typing in a program name in the Start Search box in the Start Menu and hitting ENTER will execute the program, just like the RUN command line, and even accepts switches. Try it, you might like it.
Display Windows Explorer Classic Menus
You may have a bit of a hard time adjusting to Windows Vistas new Windows Explorer window style, which doesnt include the menu.
There are two ways to bring it back, one is temporary and the other is more permanent:
If you want to view the menu but not have it always displayed, simply press the Alt key. The menu will fade into view.
If you want the menu to always be turned on, click the first button on Layout configuration button (first button on the top most bar in Windows Explorer). From the drop down list, check Classic Menus.
Desktop Icons
You can resize the large Vista desktop icons by right clicking on the Desktop, View, and selecting one of three sizes, Large, Medium, and Classic.
But wait, there's more! You can variably adjust the size of the icons by left-clicking on the desktop, then holding down the CTRL key while spinning your mouse wheel up and down. Little tip here, if you're going for small icons, you may want to bump the mousewheel up one more notch after you've hit the smallest setting. That leaves the icons at the same size, but retains things like shadows and perspective, at the absolute smallest setting the icons are "flat".
Turning off Aero
You can toggle Aero on and off by using the Ctrl+Shift+F9 keyboard shortcut.
Add another time zone to your clock
One nice addition to Windows Vista is the ability to display the time in other time zones.
Click on the clock.
Click Date and Time Settings.
Click on the Additional Clocks tab.
Check the box labelled Additional Clock #1″, and from the drop down menu choose a time zone.
Give the clock a name, such as Microsoft or Texas.
Press OK.
You can repeat this for the second additional clock as well.
To add a location to the Places bar (left hand pane in Windows Explorer)
In Windows Vista, there is a new pane on the left hand side of Windows Explorer which contains links to items you wish to access quickly. It works a bit like the left hand pane in the Mac OS X 10.3+ Finder. In previous builds, you could not really customize the Places bar but now you can! Simply drag and drop a folder onto the plane, and voila!
Use the Search box in Windows Explorer to filter a file view
Did you know you can easily filter the list of documents and folders in a folder using the Search field in Windows Explorer? For instance if you have a folder containing a lot of folders and documents and you are specifically looking for Vista, all you need to do is type Vista, or even just part of the word, such as Vis to limit the list of files shown.
Performance Tweaks
Disable DEP / NoExecute Protection to fix Random Windows Explorer crashes
Due to the way Windows Vistas boot editor has been created, it is now harder to disable DEP / No Execute Protection. However, after some amount of research, it would seem that some of the random Windows Explorer crashes that users are experiencing is caused by this technology. You will need to disable it and reboot, which should cure some of the crashes:
Click Start, All Programs, Accessories, right click on Command Prompt, and click Run as administrator.
If asked for permission to run Windows Command Processor, click on Allow.
At the command prompt, type in bcdedit.exe /set {current} nx AlwaysOff (without the quotes).
You should receive a message saying Operation Completed Successfully.
Restart the computer, DEP / No Execute should now be disabled.
Prevent network flooding and connection drops
The new networking stack contained in Windows Vista has some issues. This build seems to like dropping connections and in rare cases, blocking all traffic on wireless routers, requiring a restart of the router itself. To fix these problems, complete the following instructions:
WARNING: Please note that this will disable IPv6 connectivity as well as the Windows Firewall security, and is not recommended unless you are experiencing these issues. This will also invalidate any network related bug reports you file against Windows Vista.
Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
Under Network and Internet, click on View network status and tasks.
In the left hand pane, click on Open connections.
Right click on your network connection (for example: Local Area Connection 3), and then click Configure.
If asked for permission to open Network Connections, click on Allow.
Highlight the following items and press the Uninstall button:
Link-Layer Topology Discovery Mapper I/O Driver
Link-Layer Topology Discovery Responder
Uncheck Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6)
Next, click on the Configure button under the name of your network adapter.
Click on the Power Management tab.
Disable all power management items listed on the Power Management tab.
Press OK.
To stop Windows Vista from flooding your network with traffic:
Press WinKey+R.
Type services.msc (without the quotes)
If asked for permission to open Microsoft Management Console, click Allow.
Double click on each one of the following services and change its startup type to Disabled.
Base Filtering Engine
IKE and AuthIP Keying Modules
IP Helper Service
IPSec
Windows Firewall
Close the Services window and restart Windows.
Enable System Restore
The System Restore service is one cause of performance issues, and for some people, it doesnt even work and is disabled by default in this build. You may wish to enable it, as it is a very useful feature if it works for you.
Click on the Start button.
Hover over Computer, right click on it and then click Properties.
On the left hand side, click Advanced Settings.
If asked to permit the action, click on Allow.
Click on the System Protection tab.
Check any checkboxes listed for your hard drives that you wish to include
Press Apply. You can now create your first restore point.
Disable UAP
This one is controversial. UAP is undoubtedly annoying in this build, seeming to pop up even when you scratch your family jewels. But it does provide a very robust security solution, something XP and earlier versions were lacking. The good news is, MSFT will be making this MUCH less annoying in later builds.
But for the here and now, you can totally disable it (and loose almost ALL of the extra security strength offered by Vista) pretty quickly.
There are multiple ways to do this, but one of the most simple is to hit WinKey+R, type MSCONFIG, ENTER, and once MSCONFIG is open, go to the TOOLS tab, scroll down to "Disable UAP", click it and then click the Launch button. A little command prompt box will open, and that's it, it's disabled, but you'll need to restart for the change to take effect. You should also notice that the "Enable UAP" command is there also, in case you decide to turn it back on.
Disable un-needed Services
There are some services in this build that can be disabled without impacting any features (except the Security Center service, some people may find this annoying).
Disable the following:
IIS Admin Service - if you dont plan on using IIS, you dont need this enabled.
Offline Files Disabling this helps to speed up Windows Explorer when performing network tasks.
Peer Name Resolution Protocol
PRNP Auto Registration
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) if your computer isnt going to be running as a mail server, you dont need this.
Tablet PC Input Service If you do not use a Tablet PC or youre on a desktop computer, you dont need this.
Interface Performance
One of the biggest issues you may encounter with this build after is the user interface performance.
If you're experiencing performance issues with the interface, the first thing you will want to do is disable a few options. Click on the Start button, right click Computer, and click Properties. Then, click on the Advanced tab, and under Performance, click the Settings button.
You will need to uncheck the following items for baseline improvements:
Animate windows when minimizing and maximizing
Fade or slide menus into view
Fade or slide ToolTips into view
Fade out menu items after clicking
Show translucent selection rectangle
Show window contents while dragging (this is up to you)
Slide open combo boxes
Slide taskbar buttons
Smooth-scroll list boxes
Use a background image for each folder type
Once you have modified these settings to your liking, press OK until you have dismissed all of the dialogs.
If you are looking to speed up Windows Explorer and are not concerned with some of Windows Vistas new features, then you may wish to disable the new previewing capabilities. To do this, click the Start button, and then click on Run (alternatively, you could press the Windows Flag key + R on your keyboard). Type control folders, and press Enter on the keyboard or OK in the Run dialog.
In the General tab, under Tasks, choose Use Windows classic folders. Now, switch to the View tab, and make the following modifications:
Check
Always show icons, never thumbnails
Always show menu bar in Windows Explorer
Uncheck
Automatically search for network folders and printers
Show pop-up description for folder and desktop items
Show rich previewers in preview pane
Use domain folder sharing wizard
Press the OK button to dismiss the dialog.
Gaming and DWM
If you are trying to play any DirectX games under Vista with an LDDM compatible video card with Aero Glass enabled, you may notice that the game performance is slow or laggy, but you can disable DWM temporarily when the game executable has run. To do this, follow these instructions:
1. Locate the shortcut for the game you are wishing to play, or the executable file (which can usually be found somewhere within X:\Program Files, where X is the drive letter you have installed Windows Vista to. You can find the target executable file from right clicking on its shortcut and clicking Find Target.
2. Right click on the shortcut or the executable, and from the context menu, click on Properties.
3. Click on the Compatibility tab.
4. Under Settings, check Disable the Desktop Window Manager, and then press OK to dismiss the properties dialog.
This will temporarily disable DWM while running you game, and it should give you a performance boost with the application. Once the application or game has quit, DWM will be re-enabled.
Disable Hibernate
Due to the new Power Options control panel applet not having an option to disable the Hibernation feature, used in previous versions of Windows to store the data from RAM when the machine was put into hibernation mode, we end up with an oversized hiberfil.sys file on the root of the hard disk or partition that Windows Vista is installed on. To remove this and disable hibernation, simply click the Start button, and then click on Run. Type in CMD.EXE (without the quotes), and then click OK or press Enter.
In the command prompt window, type in the following command:
powercfg -h off
After this command has been run, you can close the command prompt window.
Reg tweaks, use at your own risk
Forcing Aero on Non-WDDM Compatible Cards.
Have an older video card but want to play around with Aero?
WARNING: This tweak may cause a blue screen loop or constant flicker depending on your video card. Use with extreme caution, this tweak is really only here for documentary purposes only.
From the Start menu, click All Programs and then expand Accessories.
Right click on Command Prompt and click Run as Administrator.
Click on Allow from the Windows Security dialog.
In the Command Prompt window, type regedit (without the quotes) and press Enter.
Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\DWM (if this key doesnt exist, create it)
Create a new DWORD (32-bit value) of UseMachineCheck, and set its value to 0.
Limit the number of windows shown in Flip3D
If Flip3D is too slow for you or if you have too many windows open, you can easily limit the number of windows displayed in Flip3D. As you tab or scroll through them, other windows will appear.
Press WinKey+R on your keyboard.
Type regedit.exe without the quotes.
If asked for permission to launch the Registry Editor, click Allow.
Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\DWM
Right click on the right hand side of the registry editor, and under New, click on DWORD (32-bit).
Name the new DWORD value Max3DWindows (without the quotes)
Double click on the DWORD value and set it to the maximum number of windows you want displayed in Flip3D. A good number is 5 for low-end cards and 10 for other cards.
Click OK and exit the Registry Editor.
Press Ctrl+Shift+F9 to shut down DWM, and then press the key combination again to restart it.
Press WinKey+Tab to display Flip3D.
Internet Explorer 7
User Agent String
If you are having issues with certain websites (especially banking and other secure websites), you might want to try this out. It fools the websites into thinking you are running Internet Explorer 6.0.
Copy and paste the following code into Notepad, and save it to your desktop as IE7UserAgent.REG.
Double-click the file to merge it into the Windows Registry, and then restart Internet Explorer for the change to take effect. If UAP is turned on, permit the operation to take place.
If you are having issues with certain websites (especially banking and other secure websites), you might want to try this out. It fools the websites into thinking you are running Internet Explorer 6.0.Copy and paste the following code into Notepad, and save it to your desktop as IE7UserAgent.REG.Double-click the file to merge it into the Windows Registry, and then restart Internet Explorer for the change to take effect. If UAP is turned on, permit the operation to take place.
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\5.0\User Agent]
Version=MSIE 6.0
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\User Agent\Post Platform]
SV1″=-
You can easily undo this change by copying and pasting the following code into Notepad, and then saving it as IE7Undo.reg and merge it into the Windows Registry. If UAP is turned on, permit the operation to take place.
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\5.0\User Agent]
Version=-
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\User Agent\Post Platform]
SV1″=
You can test these changes using a simple page that checks the User Agent. We recommend: http://www.fiddlertool.com/useragent.aspx.
The Favorites Center
In Internet Explorer 7, the older style Explorer bars have been replaced and the menus have been hidden by default. What happened to my favorites, then? you may wonder. Simple. You will notice a round orange circle with a white star in the center of it. Click on it, and all of your favorites will appear. You will also find your subscribed feeds and history are available from the Favorites Center as well. To close the Favorites Center quickly just press Esc on your keyboard.
Zoom
In previous versions of Internet Explorer, you could use Ctrl+-, Ctrl++, or Ctrl+Scroll Wheel to change the zoom and text size of a page. In Internet Explorer 7, there is a new zoom function which not only allows you to zoom text, it also zooms everything else on the page; making pages, images, and items larger for those with sight problems. To use this feature, locate the little magnifying glass in the bottom right hand corner of the Internet Explorer status bar. Click on it, and select a zoom percentage.
Quick Tabs
Internet Explorer comes with a new feature known as Tabs. Other browsers have had this for a while and now it is time for Internet Explorer to catch up. When you have multiple tabs open, instead of clicking through each tab to see what it contains, you can use Quick Tabs. To do this, you can either press the Quick Tabs button next to the Favorites Center & Add Favorite buttons, or you can press Ctrl+Q.
Installing Vista
I'll let other folks add most of this section.
Dual booting
This only applies if you're ALREADY dual-booting with XP, and then install Vista as another OS, getting you down to just 1 boot screen.
I copied the F:\Windows\System32\winload.exe (Vista Installation) file to
C:\Windows\System32 (XP Installation)
Then I edited the boot.ini file as follows:
Original boot.ini:
[boot loader]
timeout=10
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0 )partition(1)WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partiti on(1)WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home
Edition" /FASTDETECT /NOEXECUTE=ALWAYSOFF
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partiti on(2)WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows Longhorn"
/NOEXECUTE=ALWAYSOFF /FASTDETECT /USENEWLOADER
New Boot.ini:
[boot loader]
timeout=10
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0 )partition(1)WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partiti on(1)WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home
Edition" /FASTDETECT /NOEXECUTE=ALWAYSOFF /USENEWLOADER
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partiti on(2)WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows Longhorn"
/NOEXECUTE=ALWAYSOFF /FASTDETECT /USENEWLOADER
As you can see I just added the /USENEWLOADER switch to the XP Installation.
More in future posts.
