Windows Vista: More little things in the December CTP

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In August I mentioned some of the little improvements in Windows Vista Beta 1 that made using my computer more enjoyable.  Now that I've installed the December CTP (released yesterday), here are some screenshots of a few new things that instantly jump out at me:


Finally! A decent calendar and clock when you click the time in the Taskbar.


A separate dialog enables you to change the date and time. The shields indicate actions that require elevated privileges. These are now used pretty consistently throughout the UI.


Start menu searching has more enhancements, although you still can't search the control panel from here... (grumble, grumble...)

The new standard Save dialog caught me off guard, but clicking "Browse Folders" gives a familiar experience.


The Control Panel now has a Recent Tasks section in the lower left corner. That's handy!

Speaking of the Control Panel, it has several new areas, including:
(Click on the thumbnails for larger images.)

A cool Network Map:

AutoPlay settings:

A handy Performance Center:

Also, be sure to check out the December CTP for the Microsoft Visual Studio Blah Blah Blah WinFX Development Tools.  It's an add-on for Visual Studio 2005 that includes a first peek at "Cider," the WPF designer for Visual Studio!