There are several different types of DVD writable drives available in the market as follows:

DVD-R: Can write to a blank disc once. The discs are compatible with most recent DVD video players.

DVD-RW: Can be written and rewritten to. The discs are compatible with most recent DVD video players.

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The Home versions of Vista suffer from some stricter limitations on available main memory and peer-to-peer networking than the non-Home versions. I ’ll summarize these limits as follows:

•  32-bit Vista versions will always be limited to 4 GB of RAM, due to limitations of x86 processors.

• 64-bit Vista versions have dramatically different limitations in the various editions:

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The differences between 32-bit Vista (usually referred to as the x86 version in honor of the 32-bit architecture of Intel’s 80386, 80486, and Pentium processors) and 64-bit Vista are more complex. The good news is that, if you’re buying a new PC with Vista preinstalled, it will probably come with 32-bit or 64-bit processing already enabled, depending on the chipset that powers your machine.

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In order to make it easy for users to find new gadgets that will run on both the Windows Sidebar and desktop, Microsoft has created a few Web communities. The first is called, appropriately enough, Microsoft Gadgets (http://microsoftgadgets.com/). The second, which is available from the link Get more gadgets online in the Sidebar’s Add Gadgets window, is called Gadgets for Windows Vista (http://gallery.microsoft.com/Results.aspx?vista=landing&rdm=113828&l=1&ti=2)

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Windows Sidebar should launch automatically when you boot into Windows Vista. If you disable the Windows Sidebar’s autorun functionality, you’ll have to go digging for it in the Start menu. It’s somewhat hidden in Start->All Programs->Accessories. This is made all the more confusing because Microsoft has changed the way the Start menu expands; instead of the submenu system employed in previous versions, the submenu expands and contracts in place right within the Start menu now. When Windows Sidebar starts, you’ll see a subtle black shadow appear on the right side of the screen.. Additionally, a blue Sidebar icon appears in the tray notification area next to the system clock. Depending on how your system is configured, you should also see one or more gadgets, or mini-applications, displaying in the Sidebar itself.

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In previous Internet Explorer versions, it was difficult to delete various data related to Web browsing, such as temporary Internet files, cookies, web history, saved form data, or saved passwords. In Internet Explorer 7, this information can all be deleted from a single dialog, either individually or all at once.

Although a Restore computer option appears in Backup and Restore Center, you can’t actually trigger an entire PC restoration from within Windows. Instead, you will need to reboot your system and utilize the Windows Recovery Environment, which should be installed on your system, or the Windows Vista installation DVD. The reason for this is that the recovery process literally overwrites all of the data on your hard drives. Obviously, you will want to be sure you’ve backed up any crucial data before attempting this process.

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You can apply folder templates and custom images to folders.

To customize a folder:

1.  In Windows Explorer, open the folder that you want to customize.

2.  Right-click an empty area of the file list and choose Customize This Folder.

or

Choose View > Customize This Folder (press Alt if the View menu isn’t visible).

3.  Choose a folder template from the drop-down list (Figure 5.33), and specifywhether you want the template applied to all subfolders as well. The All Items template is for generic folders. Other templates are designed for

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