Windows Vista

Windows Vista is the first new Microsoft operating system in over five years, and the successor to Windows XP. But it's not worth running out to buy. If you desperately need to buy a new PC, then by all means do so, there is nothing wrong with Windows Vista. But there is a weight function in Windows Vista that cries out for change, neither the enhanced graphic capabilities (Aero) or properties improved system performance. With regard to safety, improvements in Microsoft's Windows Vista in the enterprise or 64-bit editions, editions most users will not run. Windows Vista is not the killer Apple Mac OS X 10.4, you'd expect. There are no special programs for large packages name written exclusively for Windows Vista - most software available today is compatible with Windows XP and Windows Vista. But the extensive tie-ins to Microsoft.com and Live.com, and the many, many interdependencies in Internet Explorer 7 left us desperately want more alternatives. Core Microsofties who live and breathe in the MSN, Live.com, and Microsoft desktop software ecosystem will rejoice with the release of Windows Vista, but for the rest of us who are product agnostic, who use Firefox, Google Desktop, ZoneAlarm, GMail, and Corel WordPerfect, Windows XP SP2 will be well enough until a killer program requires that all upgrade to Windows Vista.

There are six major editions of Windows Vista, we examine four. We chose not to review Windows Vista Enterprise and Windows Vista Starter. Windows Vista Ultimate includes everything, and it is this version to get the most promotion from Microsoft. It is not the version most people are wrapped up in their shiny new PCs or will end up with an upgrade of existing hardware. 

Features

There are too many individual features of Windows Vista Ultimate Edition to call - seriously. But our guess is the important bells and whistles are designed for enterprise customers, not the private user. Has a wide range of functions, not to be confused with actually providing significant value to all users in general. We would have preferred fewer features performed very well, rather than an uneven mix of this and that one size fits all OS. And we disagree with Microsoft's seemingly arbitrary division of features within individual editions. 

Common to all editions of Windows Vista are ad hoc backup and recovery, instant search, Internet Explorer 7 browser, Windows Media Player 11, Windows Mail e-mail client, Windows Calendar, Windows Photo Gallery, performance tuning and car diagnostic Internet protocol, IPv6 and IPv4 support, Windows Ready Drive, a maximum of 4 GB of RAM to support 32-bit editions (up to 128GB RAM on some 64-bit versions), Windows Sync Center for Mobile Devices, Windows Mobility Center presentations on the road, protect the User Account Control security, improved Windows Security Center, Windows AntiSpyware Defender, Windows Firewall, Windows Meeting Space for ad hoc wireless meetings, Remote Desktop for working from home, XPS document support for PDF files, improved peer-to -peer networks, VPN support and improved power management. Included in certain editions (and thus also with the Ultimate edition) are Windows Media Center, Windows Tablet PC, Windows Movie Maker, Windows DVD Maker, Parental Controls, Windows SideShow for remote gadgets, domain combination of Windows Small Business Server, Group Policy support , Client-side file caching, roaming user profiles for remote server access, Windows Fax and Scan, Windows Shadow Copy to create file backups, Windows Rights Management Services to protect documents, Windows BitLocker hard drive encryption, integrated management of smartcards, and more Windows Ultimate Extras to be named later. Despite many feature changes in Windows Vista, Microsoft said in its original marketing promise to provide users with clear, secure and connected solutions. 

Performance 

After installation, Windows Vista rates overall hardware performance of each system, with the final result to reflect the lower rating of their individual system. This is very convenient. For example, if you suspect that everything is running a little slow, may find that your disk is returned the lowest score. Windows Vista will then recommend a hard drive or a faster hard drive with better compatibility. But first and foremost, the graphics card will be painful for most users. There is also an event log viewer to show, for example after a specific software install your system performance started to degrade and to remove the software may restore your overall performance. 

Under the hood, Microsoft has moved device drivers for DVD burners and printers out of the central system, Microsoft says that most system failures can be traced back to incorrectly installed device drivers third. Thus Windows Vista hopes to overcome the dreaded Blue Screen of Death common to earlier versions of Windows. Indeed, after testing several early builds, we found Windows Vista to be very stable and robust. 

The good: 

Windows Vista Ultimate does not improve some features of Windows XP if the system crashes in Windows XP, Windows Vista offers better built-in support options. 

The bad: 

Windows Vista Ultimate does not put Search on the desktop, only optimized for the Microsoft Windows ecosystem, there is too much and not everything is implemented correctly, without any new software written exclusively for Windows Vista, and there are many versions of Windows Vista.