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When you select a connection in the Network Connection window, the toolbar
options allow you to work with the connection in several different ways. The option
buttons are used as follows:
Diagnose This Connection
Opens Network Diagnostics for troubleshooting the connection
View Status of This Connection
Displays the connection’s Status dialog box, which you can use to get details
about and manage the TCP/IP configuration
Change Settings of This Connection
Displays the connection’s Properties dialog box, which you can use to manage
the TCP/IP configuration
Disable This Network Device
Allows you to disable the network device so that your computer doesn’t try to
use it
Rename This Connection
Allows you to change the name of a selected connection by clicking this button,
typing the new name for the connection, and then pressing Enter
Using People Near Me
The People Near Me feature truly adds some needed functionality to Windows Vista.
With this feature, you are able to manage a profile of yourself for others to see, add a
picture of yourself, and approximate where a person resides in proximity to you.
When you use it in conjunction with other applications such as Microsoft Streets and
Trips or Microsoft MapPoint, you can actually find people close to you with whom
to chat.
Suppose you are sitting in an Internet café and you wonder whether someone around
you has a connection open; with People Near Me, you can check the map to find
people in your proximity. Once you find someone, you can read her profile, check
out her picture to verify that she is who she says she is, and then begin to chat or
share files. People Near Me shares the picture that appears on the Welcome screen
and Start menu.
This feature actually installs a virtual network adapter in the com-
puter to give itself the desired functionality, and it uses this device for
its communications. Please remember that any application allowed
network connectivity has the potential to allow other people to see
and manipulate your data.
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You can configure People Near Me by completing these steps:
1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
2. In the Control Panel, click Network and Internet and then click People Near Me.
This opens the People Near Me dialog box shown in Figure 14-9.
3. In the text box provided, enter the name you want other people to see.
4. If you want to select a picture for your account or make your account picture
viewable, click the “Make my picture available” checkbox and then click the
“Change picture” button. Use the “Change your picture” page in the Control
Panel to select a picture to use with your account.
5. Use the “Allow invitations from” list to select from whom you want to allow
invitations. Choices are Anyone, Trusted Contacts, and No One.
6. To allow display notifications when someone wants to talk to you, select the
“Display a notification when an invitation is received” checkbox.
7. To sign in automatically when Windows Vista starts, select the “Sign me in auto-
matically when windows starts” checkbox.
Figure 14-9. Configuring People Near Me
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You can manually sign in to the People Near Me service by following these steps:
1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
2. In the Control Panel, click Network and Internet and then click “Sign in or out
of People Near Me.” This opens the People Near Me dialog box to the Sign in
tab, as shown in Figure 14-10.
3. To sign in to the service, select “Sign in to People Near Me” and then click the
OK button.
4. When prompted, you’ll need to verify your display name and settings before you
can sign on. If you agree with all of the criteria, click OK again. People Near Me
makes changes to Windows Firewall to allow access and displays a notification
icon in the task tray.
To change your preferences, right-click the icon in the task tray and then select Prop-
erties. This feature also allows you to disconnect from the service by signing out or
exiting the program.
Figure 14-10. Signing in to People Near Me

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