Windows Vista Improves 'Fundementals'

Microsoft officially released the first beta of Windows Vista on Wednesday as expected, ending what seemed like a never-ending series of delays and moving the Redmond company closer to the release of its long awaited next generation operating system.

Over 10,000 testers will get first dibs at the OS, with thousands more gaining access to the beta through the MSDN program and Microsoft TechNet.

Microsoft says that the next version of Windows improves the fundamentals of the operating system: "security, deployment, manageability and performance."

New security functions within Vista include anti-malware features similar to what the company currently provides through its Windows AntiSpyware product. When upgrading to Vista, the software will scan and clean the user's hard drive, allowing the OS to be installed in the cleanest environment available.

Internet Explorer 7, which will ship with Windows Vista, will also provide greater security by detecting malicious sites and malware, as well as protect against phishing-attacks.

Microsoft says that Windows Vista will install faster and easier thanks to new methods of compression that will speed up the installation process. Also, users will be able to ensure hardware and applications work before installing, thus catching potential issues before the operating system is upgraded.

Users will benefit from an improved task scheduler that will automate many tasks behind the scenes based not only on time, but on certain events. For example, disk cleanup could be activated when hard drive space falls below a certain level.

Finally, improvements to the performance of the operating system will be among the most noticeable changes. Vista will feature "quick startup," where the operating system will boot first and continue to load scripts and applications in the background while the user works.