How Microsoft® Windows Vista™ Works

Part I: What Windows Vista Is—and What It Does

WHAT Is Windows Vista?

At its most basic, Windows Vista is an operating system for personal computers and servers. Like all operating systems, Vista serves as the interface between your computer software and hardware, and provides a means for you to control and manage basic computer operations, such as copying files and burning CDs.

That’s not an adequate description, however, since practically any operating system—from DOS to Linux—performs those same functions. That is, after all, what an operating system does; it’s a system that operates your computer.

It is more useful, perhaps, to compare Windows Vista with previous versions of Windows. That way, you can get a sense of what makes Vista unique ...