1.) The Start Menu button defaults to "Sleep" instead of "Shut Down". That's fine if you want your PC to sleep until wakened by another device such as a Media Extender. If you usually power down the PC at the end of the day you can change the default. Open Control panel and go to Power Options. CLick Change Plan Settings. In the Advanced section look for the Power Buttons and Lid. Change the setting to Shut Down after clicking Start Menu Power Button.
2.) Windows Defender is just protecting you from Spyware and Malware. The Software Explorer section allows you to control Start Up programs! You can also see a list of programs using the network stack.
3.) The System Health report is a new feature in Vista that can be incrediably useful when tracking down performance issues. Look for it in the Control Panel under System and Maintenace > Performance and Information Tools. Click Advanced and generate a report.
4.) You can resize your hard drive paritions during installation of Vista.. but did you know you can do it from inside the OS as well? Most new computers come with one large parition. Splitting out some of the unused space to store backups and important information is a good way to organize your system and data.
a.) Click Start, and then right-click Computer. Select manage.
b.) In the Storage section, select Disk Management.
c.) Right-click the partition and expand or shrink! If you shrink the primary parition, you can then create a secondary partition in the now unused space!