Windows Vista Security: Praxisorientierte Sicherheit für Profis

Installing and Configuring Windows Media Center Using the Wizard

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Installing and Configuring Windows Media Center

Using the Wizard

Windows Vista offers a Setup wizard to help you configure Windows Media Center.

To install Windows Media Center, click Start

➝ All Programs, and then click Win-

dows Media Center. The initial installation screen appears, as shown in Figure 25-1,

requesting that you choose between Express and Custom setup.

Express setup offers the default settings most people use. If you click “Express

setup,” Windows Vista tries to automatically configure everything you need to use

Windows Media Center. Therefore, if you click “Express setup,” you are done as far

as the initial configuration is concerned and you can skip the rest of this section.

Custom setup allows you to select specific applications installed on your computer,

and then customize their settings for use with Windows Media Center. With the wiz-

ard, you can configure your video settings, TV signal, and other settings for optimal

Figure 25-1. Selecting a setup option

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Chapter 25: Mastering Windows Media Center

use. To get started, click the “Custom setup” option, read the Welcome screen, and

then click Next twice. Setup asks you to join the Microsoft Customer Experience

Improvement Project, which helps Microsoft determine how you use Windows

Media Center, and periodically asks you to fill out surveys. Joining this program is

optional, but it does help Microsoft improve product use and enjoyment. Once you

have chosen whether to join the program and you click Next, you are asked for per-

mission to connect to the Internet to retrieve album art information, additional

music information including artist and composer, and other assorted pieces of infor-

mation about the media you have listed for use in Windows Media Center. Click Yes

and then click Next twice. The wizard will inform you that the required part of the

setup is complete.

At this point, you have four options from which to choose (see Figure 25-2):

Optimize how Windows Media Center looks on your display

Selecting this option brings up the Display Configuration screen. Click the

“Watch video” button, and then click either Yes or No to watch a video that

explains the benefits of display configuration. Although you don’t have to

watch the video, doing so will teach you how to eliminate moiré patterns, opti-

mize the colors on your screen, and overcome contrast or brightness issues with

your display.

The next section requests information about the display device connected to

your machine. You have several choices: Monitor, Flat panel, Projector, Televi-

sion, and Built-in display. Select the correct device from the list, and select the

correct cable used to connect the device to your machine. You have three

options to choose from: Composite or S-Video; DVI, VGA, or HDMI; and Com-

ponent cable. Selecting the proper connection helps Windows Media Center

optimize itself to your system by using the best settings for each type of cable

and device connected to your system.

Once you have selected the correct cable type, you must supply information con-

cerning the display width of your computer. You can select from standard or

widescreen format. The standard format uses a ratio of 4:3. The widescreen for-

mat uses a ratio of 16:9, which is the same format as a movie screen. These

choices enable you to optimize your display settings based on the media formats

and device configurations available. After you make your choices, Windows

Media Center displays a final screen listing the settings you have chosen and

saved in your custom configuration.

Set up your speakers

Select this option to set up your speakers for use with Windows Media Center.

You must know how many speakers connect to your system, and then you must

test your speakers. Three speaker selections are available for use with Windows

Media Center: two speakers, 5.1 surround speakers, and 7.1 surround speakers.