Migrating from XP or another operating system to Vista can be a little like moving into a new house (but maybe with a few more unexpected headaches). You’re already attached to the old dings and dents in your wallpaper, and you know where all the pots and pans are in your kitchen. You are beginning to realize there are a lot of kinks to this new place, and you’re not sure where everything is or how it functions. To make this difficult transition smoother, these are some shortcuts that will help you improve your Vista experience so you can move in a bit more comfortably (if that’s possible).

1 The Flip 3D feature ─ Windows Flip 3D renders thumbnail images of the windows you have open, making it easier to cycle through the programs on the taskbar to find the one you want. To use this feature click on:

Windows button + TAB to cycle through programs.

2 The Ease of Access Center ─ The Ease of Access Center in Windows Vista includes accessibility programs to make it easier to hear, see and use your computer. It’s a helpful tool for individuals with vision or hearing difficulties, or fine motor problems with hands or arms. To use this feature, click on:
Windows button + U and the Ease of Access Center will open in a separate window.

3 Lock your computer ─ Need to lock up in a hurry? No problem. Whether you’re slipping out for lunch or heading into an extended meeting, just click on the following:
Windows button + L will lock your computer until you’re ready to use it again.

4 Search for files or folders ─ Need to find something quickly? Click on
Windows button + F to open the search box where you can search for a file or folder anywhere.

5 Surfing the internet ─ Are you a frequent surfer? To get to Explorer quickly, or open more than one session easily, just click on:
Windows button + E to get to Internet Explorer.

6 Shut down and restart ─ Need a quick way to shutdown or restart? It’s a little tricky but once you get used to hitting the arrow key, it’s quicker than quick! The "w" is the right-arrow key.
To shutdown: + www + U
To restart: + www + R

7 Quick launch ─ Launch up to 10 programs in the quick launch area using the Windows key + 1, 2, 3…etc.

For example: my first five quick launch icons are Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Adobe Acrobat. If I press + 2, Word will start up. If I press + 4 PowerPoint will start up…etc.

8 The Windows Sidebar ─ For gadget junkies, there’s an easy way to get to your gadgets on the windows sidebar so you can check your calendar, get the time, or open your web browser to get a map all at your fingertips. To get the sidebar, click on:

+ Spacebar to show the windows sidebar.

9 The start menu ─ The Vista start menu lets you type what you want instead of pointing at it. Here’s what happens when I press the key, and then type in the word "project”. As I type, Vista’s start menu displays real time, full-text search across multiple locations: the start menu, my user folder, my favorites and browser history, etc.

10 Expanded Right-Click Options ─ Vista’s right click menu has two modes: standard and expanded. If you hold the Shift key down as you right-click on most files in Windows Explorer, the menu expands to show several new options, such as adding the file to the Quick Launch bar, or copying the file path to the clipboard.

The Vista experience may not be going so well for everyone, so in order to ease the difficulties, these tips and shortcuts make it a bit more manageable.