Windows Vista contains a range of new technologies and features that are intended to help network administrators and power users better manage their systems. Notable changes include a complete replacement of both the Windows Setup and the Windows startup processes, completely rewritten deployment mechanisms, new diagnostic and health monitoring tools such as random access memory diagnostic program, support for per-application Remote Desktop sessions, a completely new Task Scheduler, and a range of new Group Policy settings covering many of the features new to Windows Vista. Subsystem for UNIX Applications, which provides a POSIX-compatible environment is also introduced.
Setup
The setup process for Windows Vista has been completely rewritten and is now image-based instead of being sector-based as previous versions of Windows were. The Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE) has been updated to host the entire setup process in a graphical environment (as opposed to text-based environments of previous versions of Windows), which allows the use of input devices other than the keyboard throughout the entire setup process. The new interface resembles Windows Vista itself, with features such as ClearType fonts and Windows Aero visual effects. Prior to copying the setup image to disk, users can create, format, and graphically resize disk partitions. The new image-based setup also reduces the duration of the installation procedure when contrasted with Windows XP; Microsoft estimates that Windows Vista can install in as few as 20 minutes despite being more than three times the size of its predecessor.
Windows XP only supported loading storage drivers from floppy diskettes during initialization of the setup process; Windows Vista supports loading drivers for SATA, SCSI, and RAID controllers from any external source in addition to floppy diskettes prior to its installation.
At the end of the setup process, Windows Vista can also automatically download and apply security and device-driver updates from Windows Update. Previous versions of Windows could only configure updates to be installed after the operating system installation.
System recovery
The new Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) detects and repairs various operating system problems; it presents a set of options dedicated to diagnostics including Startup Repair, System Restore, Backup and Restore, Windows Memory Diagnostics Tool, Command Prompt, and options specific to original equipment manufacturers. WinRE is accessible by pressing during operating system boot or by booting from a Windows installation source such as optical media.
Startup Repair Startup Repair (formerly System Recovery Troubleshooter Wizard) is a diagnostic feature designed to repair systems that cannot boot due to operating system corruption, incompatible drivers, or damaged hardware; it scans for corruption of operating system components such as Boot Configuration Data and the Windows Registry and also checks boot sectors, file system metadata, Master Boot Records, and partition tables for errors and whether the root cause for failure originated during an installation of Windows. Microsoft designed Startup Repair to repair over eighty percent of issues that users may experience. Windows Vista Service Pack 1 enhances Startup Repair to replace additional system files during the repair process that may be damaged or missing due to corruption.
Component Based Servicing Package Manager, part of the Windows Vista servicing stack, replaces the previous Package Installer (Update.exe) and Update Installer (Hotfix.exe). Microsoft delivers updates for Windows Vista as files and resources only. Package Manager, Windows Update, and the Control Panel item to turn Windows features on and off, all use the Windows Vista servicing stack. Package Manager can also install updates to an offline Windows image, including updates, boot-critical device drivers, and language packs.
Windows Vista introduced Component-Based Servicing (CBS) as an architecture for installation and servicing.
Deployment
The deployment of Windows Vista uses a hardware-independent image, the Windows Imaging Format (WIM). The image file contains the necessary bits of the operating system, and its contents are copied as is to the target system. Other system specific software, such as device drivers and other applications, are installed and configured afterwards. This reduces the time taken for installation of Windows Vista.
Corporations can author their own image files (using the WIM format) which might include all the applications that the organization wants to deploy. Also multiple images can be kept in a single image file, to target multiple scenarios. This ability is used by Microsoft to include all editions of Windows Vista on the same disc,Windows Vista Deployment Enhancements and install the proper version based on the provided product key. In addition, initial configuration, such as locale settings, account names, etc. can be supplied in XML Answer Files to automate installation.Windows Automated Installation Kit (WAIK)
Microsoft provides a tool called ImageX to support creation of custom images, and edit images after they have been created. It can also be used to generate an image from a running installation, including all data and applications, for backup purposes. WIM images can also be controlled using the Windows System Image Manager, which can be used to edit images and to create XML Answer Files for unattended installations. Sysprep is also included as part of Windows Vista, and is HAL-independent.
Also included in Windows Vista is an improved version of the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard now known as Windows Easy Transfer which allows settings to be inherited from previous installations. User State Migration Tool allows migrating user accounts during large automated deployments.
ClickOnce is a deployment technology for "smart client" applications that enables self-updating Windows-based applications that can be installed and run with minimal user interaction, and in a fashion that does not require administrator access.
The ActiveX Installer Service is an optional component included with the Business, Enterprise and Ultimate editions that provides a method for network administrators in a domain to authorize the installation and upgrade of specific ActiveX controls while operating as a standard user. ActiveX components that have been listed in Group Policy can be installed without a User Account Control consent dialog being displayed.
Event logging and reporting
Windows Vista includes a number of self-diagnostic features which help identify various problems and, if possible, suggest corrective actions. The event logging subsystem in Windows Vista also has been completely overhauled and rewritten around XML to allow applications to more precisely log events. Event Viewer has also been rewritten to take advantage of these new features. There are a large number of different types of event logs that can be monitored including Administrative, Operational, Analytic, and Debug log types. For instance, selecting the Application Logs node in the Scope pane reveals numerous new subcategorized event logs, including many labeled as diagnostic logs. Event logs can now be configured to be automatically forwarded to other systems running Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008. Event logs can also be remotely viewed from other computers or multiple event logs can be centrally logged and managed from a single computer. Event logs can be filtered by one or more criteria, and custom views can be created for one or more events. Such categorizing and advanced filtering allows viewing logs related only to a certain subsystem or an issue with only a certain component. Events can also be directly associated with tasks, via the redesigned Event Viewer.
Windows Error Reporting
Windows Error Reporting has been improved significantly in Windows Vista. Most importantly a new set of public APIs have been created for reporting failures other than application crashes and hangs.WER APIs Developers can create custom reports and customize the reporting user interface. The new APIs are documented in MSDN. The architecture of Windows Error Reporting has been revamped with a focus on reliability and user experience. WER can now report errors even when the process is in a very bad state for example if the process has encountered stack exhaustions, PEB/TEB corruptions, heap corruptions etc. In Windows XP, the process terminated silently without generating an error report in these conditions.
A new feature called Problem Reports and Solutions has also been added. It is a Control Panel applet that keeps a record of all system and application errors and issues, as well as presents probable solutions to problems.
Diagnostics and performance Windows Vista introduces major diagnostic capabilities, which include new feature additions for monitoring performance and for reporting issues: A new Performance Information and Tools Control Panel applet includes details and features related to performance. A new Resource Monitor includes System Stability Reports that graph daily events such as application crashes and hangs, device driver and hardware issues, software installations, and system crashes on a System Stability Chart so that users can view system performance over time. Generic details on the chart are signified by an information sign; errors are denoted by a red hazard symbol and potential issues are denoted by a yellow caution symbol. System Stability Reports assign a daily System Reliability Index, with a value of 10.0 indicating no problems; if an issue occurs, the daily value of a system will decrease, but it will gradually increase with each subsequent day where no issue has occurred. Users can view the history of System Stability Reports. The Resource Monitor uses system statistics from the Reliability Analysis Component (RAC). A Program Compatibility Assistant automatically detects known application compatibility issues (such as conflicts with User Account Control) and presents options for problem resolution; the Program Compatibility Wizard that allows for manually changing compatibility settings is still available. Client performance degradation such as application or driver interference with power transitions, increased boot, hibernation, or resume times, and reduced system performance due to system visual settings are monitored and reported to the user with options for problem resolution. Disk Diagnostics detect impending hard disk drive failures and prompt the user to perform backups, and to repair or replace the hard disk drive after Windows Vista detects a hard disk problem. Memory Diagnostics (comprising the Windows Memory Diagnostics Tool) check for issues caused by random access memory modules. Network Diagnostics, part of an extensible Network Diagnostics Framework, check for network connection problems and repair most of them automatically; options for resolution are presented when a problem is not repaired automatically. With the release of Service Pack 1, Network Diagnostics can also solve the most common file sharing problems. Resource Exhaustion Prevention can detect when memory is low and determine which applications are causing this. A memory leak diagnostic can provide information about application that may have memory leaks. Performance Monitor includes several new performance counters and various tools for tuning and monitoring system performance and resources. It shows the activities of the CPU, disk I/O, network, memory and other resources in the "Resource View". It supports new graph types, the selection of multiple counters, the retrieval of counter values from a point on the graph, the saving of graphed counter values to a log file, and the option to have a line graph continuously scroll in the graph window instead of wrapping-around on itself.