The Villan's instruction (08 Jan 08 - 02:09 PM) for selecting "Classic View" will get you to most of the desktop setup as I'm using it now on my Vista machine.

There is no "Tools" in my Word 2007 on the Vista machine, so I can't check out the instructions at 08 Jan 08 - 03:08 PM, but they were good in other versions.

If you have an LCD (flat panel) monitor, the resolution should be set at the default resolution specified for your monitor, unless you have a necessary specific reason for doing something else. The default usually is the maximum resolution the monitor can run without "approximating" what it's asked to do.

Options available for changing font and icon sizes may vary with which of the several "display modes" you choose. Most of the "most-advertised" choices will only run on computers with "more than usual" hardware capabilities, and are available only in "higher priced" Vista versions.

Regarding "which version?":

If you happen to have acquired "Windows Vista Home Basic" the consensus opinion of informed advisors (Microsoft is not necessarily included in this group) is that you should IMMEDIATELY look for an upgrade coupon or other upgrade path to move your installation to Vista Home Premium. (The second option suggested by some is that you should junk the computer with Vista Home Basic and get an iPod and a typewriter.)

The "next cheapest" (?) version appears to be "Windows Vista Business." This version depends on you being connected to what amounts to an "Enterprise Network" that can feed your computer all the network setup - and possibly some "program on demand" software from a server - needed for useful application of the computer. It generally IS NOT SUITABLE for home users, even if you happen to have a simple network setup with other computers capable of handling set up for a home network.

"Windows Vista Home Premium" is the only potentially useful version available for most users, and is the version that comes preinstalled on most computers being sold now, so far as I've seen anything advertised.

(I haven't seen any computers advertised with anything other than "Home Premium," but it may be possible to get one with Home Basic. Advice: DON'T get one with Home Basic if you see an offer, unless - perhaps - if the offer includes a "free upgrade" to Home Premium for which you can confirm the terms and conditions for the upgrade in advance.)

"Windows Vista Enterprise Edition" contains everything likely to be wanted by a large business setup with lots of computers. It is available only to businesses with a "Microsoft Software Assurance" or "Microsoft Enterprise Agreement," that none of us can afford. Either of these packages gives you a license to run the same version on multiple machines. The minimum number of machines you can license appears to be either 10 or 15, depending on which of a couple of conflicting Microsoft sites you look at. (It's not clear whether this version may also omit some "advanced Multimedia" capabilities available in some other versions.)

"Windows Vista Ultimate" theoretically contains "everything." We might have a very few people here who could be interested in a mix of features not available in one of the other versions, but it seems extremely unlikely.

There is a "Windows Vista Starter Edition" that will be available ONLY IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. ("Emerging Markets" is another term used.) You should NOT see this version offered for sale anywhere mudcat members are very likely to be. It appears to offer pretty much just support for a "typewriter keypad with wireless connection," along the lines of the (in)famous "hundred dollar computer."

There are two separate versions, indicated by an "N" appended somewhere - available outside the US. These are "like versions above" but with some Multimedia features left out to satisfy EU "antimonopoly" restrictions. I don't have a description of which US versions correspond most closely with these, or even what the full names are; but it should be obvious if you're where one is offered. Most likely, Microsoft will market them under the same names as used in the US, but you'll automatically get the "N-appended" version where it's appropriate.

A "Windows Vista Multimedia" version was listed in some early Microsoft publicity; but appears to have disappeared. Knowledgeable sources don't mention it, and I haven't searched at Microsoft to see if it still exists.

It probably is safe to presume that anyone mentioning Vista here will be using the "Windows Vista Home Premium" package, with or without the "N" suffix for a European version. If anyone has a different version, it should be made clear in discussions.

Having found virtually no useful support at Microsoft or in Vista Help, I'm now pursuing research via a couple of O'Reilly books on Vista. I've generally found O'Reilly to be consistently useful, and have found quite a bit of "interesting" information, but I'm only on page 20. (It's slow because I do make notes.) Perhaps I'll be able to offer more help by the time I get through the other 900 pages.

John