Windows+Vista+Preview+Pane


 * Windows Vista Preview Pane **

Windows Vista is the Preview Pane feature, which is located on the right side of Windows Explorer.  It is a very handy and useful tool for anyone who needs to scroll through the contents of their files. File types like MS Word, MS Excel, Notepad, WordPad, audio or video files, etc. can be seen through the Preview Pane. It also brings some extra features along for the various file types. For example, Excel files can be browsed through with the different tabs contained in the Spread-Sheet and in the case of audio and video files, it presents a mini-embedded Windows Media Player that can be used to view the files. Along with that, you can even copy the contents of the file selectively for the different file types. 

If you are a Vista user, you might have noticed Internet Explorer's Quick Tabs and Preview Pane. Windows Explorer also has its own Preview Pane that extends beyond live icons and you can definitely see this when you are navigating through your folders. Windows Vista has finally merged the interface components from Windows XP, such as the menus, toolbars, navigation pane and the task pane, as you can see in the first picture above.


 * How to Activate the Preview Pane in Windows Explorer: **

 Using Windows Explorer, go to **Organize**, **Layout** and then select the **Preview Pane** option. At the bottom of most Explorer windows, there is a Preview Pane, similar to the one in this graphic:-  This pane dynamically changes, depending on which icons are selected.  If you select a text file, for example, you will see keyword, rating, author and size information, as below:-  <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype',serif;">A music file displays the album title, year, rating, duration, genre and track number, along with an album art representation, just like this graphic shows:- <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype',serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype',serif;">You can resize the Preview Pane as well, which reveals even more data information, as seen in this graphic:- <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype',serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype',serif;">Or, you can place it on the right side of the window by clicking on the **Show/Hide** button and selecting **Show Preview Pane on Right**, just like this: <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype',serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype',serif;">Windows Vista Preview Pane feature just a little bit more.