1st time on vista

Yes, the CP is similar with add\remove programs.
Yes, networking is under CP.
You will see a glossy, dumbed down version of XP with intense security features that block a lot. Control panel in advanced takes some getting used to, there is more there. To disable that security, its under user accounts (took me a minute to find it). A lot of it can be toned down to be more
"XP like" but sadly, for the masses, Vista is a good thing.

Overall, you will be fine if you know XP, though there may be pauses here and there where you need to just look a bit for what you want. Take your time in these spots, what you want is right in front of you, less knowledgeable people should not be in the control panel for many things, so if you go advanced in cp, make sure you revert it to standard view when you leave

Check his memory. I installed it here on a 2 gig system and it was different on a 3.0 gig Emachines with 512 megs, a lot of the toys were disabled, like the sidebar (which might humor those who get in trouble downloading bad stuff for a while). IMHO, without checking specs, 1 gig should be the new minimum, 2 gigs should be the target with 3 for hardcore users. With XP, I felt 1 gig was sufficient, unless you massively multitask like me and needed 2 gigs.

Ok, more then you needed, hope it helps.