CNET'S QUICK GUIDE: Windows Vista's new file system

Different Explorers for different folks

Windows Explorer within Windows Vista is very different from Windows XP and is now context sensitive. For starters, the Windows Explorer toolbar looks like Internet Explorer 7 for Vista (complete with a rather useless refresh button for the file path). The back button is the iconic arrow. Missing are icons to create new folders and move up one level. The Windows Explorer toolbar contains only drop-down menus for Organize, Views, and Burn. New Folder, for example, is now hidden within the Organize menu, along with Cut, Paste, Undo, Redo, Select All, "Change the look of the Explorer window panes," "Change folder and search options," Delete Files, Rename Files, Remove Properties, Add Properties, and Close. The Views menu allows you to change the way the files are displayed, with Tiles, Details, List Small Icons, Medium Icons, Large Icons, and Extra Large Icons. The Burn menu allows you to quickly burn a CD or DVD of any file folder--handy for photo galleries.

The button to move up one level is gone, perhaps replaced by the file path window itself. Gone, too, are the various backslashes, replaced instead by various drop-down menus. For example, the path C: CNET/Documents/New Folder displays within Windows Vista as CNET arrow Documents arrow New Folder. Click CNET to reveal the choices of Contacts, Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Favorites, Links, Music, Pictures, Saved Games, Searches, and Videos; as you progress right, your choices narrow (for example, we have only one folder, New Folder, within our Documents Folder). This makes it very easy to save files on other drives, such as a removable USB drive, eliminating the need in Windows XP to first select My Computer, then the removable drive.

The left navigation on Windows Explorers opens several context-sensitive mini explorers. Under the Pictures Explorer, the toolbar adds Slideshow and will automatically display at full desktop resolution each image within a desired folder. Under Music Explorer, Vista substitutes Play All for Slideshow, allowing you to listen to all songs contained within a given folder.

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