Everyone talks about what's wrong with the Microsoft Vista operating system.  Now that most of the hardware and software incapability issues with Vista have been resolved, let's instead look at some of Vista's hidden treasures.

One of the best unseen benefits of Windows Vista is that it is much more secure than any previous version of Windows. Vista has a more robust firewall, better user account security, an anti-spyware program, and better over-all security. It also lets the user monitor its security functions better through a new Windows Security Center. On top of that, Vista comes with Internet Explorer 7, which is more secure than any previous version of Internet Explorer.

If you enjoy photos, music, videos, and television, the new Windows Media Center will be a favorite feature. Both the most popular Home Premium and the Ultimate version of Vista have this entertainment center built-in. (It is not available in Home Basic, Enterprise, or Business editions.) The Media Center lets you easily create custom slide shows, browse your music collection by cover art, and organize and create albums of your photos. Most people don't realize this, but with the Media Center,  if you add an inexpensive TV tuner device to your computer you can also watch, pause, and rewind live TV and schedule and record TV shows and movies. This is just like having a TiVo or a digital video recorder (DVR), but without the monthly fees.  You can even tell the computer to record your favorite television series with just a few clicks. If you like, you can add a remote control and use your computer to do all of your television watching. Or you can hook your computer to your television and watch your recorded shows on the big screen just as you would a TiVo or DVR. The Media Center even has built-in support for archiving TV shows directly to DVDs.

Perhaps one of the most useful features found in all versions of Vista is the updated Search. Just click on the Windows key on your keyboard or the Start button to bring up the search function. Put in any search term and Windows will find it for you. If you enter the name of a program on your computer, Windows will find that program for you. It will also find files and folders, as well as text and phrases within files. This is extremely useful and time-saving. If you have ever searched through the programs on your PC without being able to find the one you are looking for because it is listed under the name of the company rather than the name of the program, you will know exactly what I mean.

Computer-savvy users know that they should defrag their computer hard disks regularly to help the computer perform better. Well, you don't have to worry about defragging with Vista. It actually does the defragging for you. The Vista Disk-defragging software runs automatically at regular intervals when the computer processor has some extra time on its hands. You don't have to do a thing, and your computer is constantly defragged. If you like you, can also start the defragger manually, but in most cases you won't have to.

If you are a parent or grandparent, you will find that Parental Controls have been improved in Vista. Although no system is perfect, Vista lets you control the time that kids can spend on the computer as well as the programs they use, and the websites they visit.

Vista also has a floating panel, called the Side Bar that appears on the computer desktop with small automatically-updated visual objects called gadgets.  These gadgets include a clock, calendar, stock ticker, weather reporter, address book lookup, photo slideshow, news headlines and more. There are many gadgets available. They give you the  information you need at a  glance.  

Those of you who use the ALT+Tab key-combination to scroll through and switch between open applications in Windows XP will be happy to know that this functionality has been improved in Windows Vista. It now gives a more visual representation of each program. In Vista, pressing the Windows key and the Tab key at the same time gives a result similar to the ALT+Tab combination, only better. It shows you a graphical revolving set of open windows. Even if you don't use this on a regular basis, you should try it just to see how cool it is.

Every version of Vista, except for Home Basic, also has the new Aero interface. This is the new graphical interface that makes Vista much more visually appealing. There are transparencies, live icons, and small animations that are quite pleasing. Although, just eye candy, the new Vista screen savers that feature color-changing bubbles and colorful zig-zagging ribbons are much more fun to look at than the old screen savers that came with Windows XP.

Last, but not least, when you get a Vista computer, be sure to check out the games. Mahjong and Chess have been added and both are exceptional. They have new photorealistic and 3D imagery and are really quite challenging. They are especially impressive when played in full-screen mode. Even the Solitaire game has been improved. Cards are more vivid and the effects are smoother and more animated. Vista gives you a reason to take a break and play a game.

Vista may not be perfect, but it sure has some great features!