Software Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate UPGRADE [DVD] [OLD VERSION]
Rating:  -
These days if you want to run a mix of games, multimedia and office functionality, there is only one option - Microsoft Windows. Now I don't want to debate about whether that is a good thing or a bad thing but rather comment on this product, as for most people there is not any other option and so at some point the majority of people will end up with Vista anyways.
I had some genuine fears about installing this product. I thought that it would be a bothersome upgrade, that it would take quite some time to get it customized the way I wanted it, but more so, I thought that it would be a bloated piece of software that would slow down my system. I also run a network with 5 machines on it through a wireless router - how would that go?
The PC that I installed it on: 2.8 Prescott, 2 GB RAM, 512MB 7800GS Graphics with two 250MB SATA drives.
I installed to a fresh drive setup as a dual boot, employing a nifty trick whereby the upgrade will install over itself. I left XP on the other drive in case of problems. Install was done in 20 minutes which surprised me. Performance was smooth and just as responsive as XP was. So far I was very impressed. At this point though I was wondering what was really different, other than Flip3d and the pretty interface. Over the next week or so I found that it was almost completely different than XP.
I was frustrated with the documents arrangement at first. After a week though of familiarizing myself with the way Vista worked, I concluded that it was a ten times better way of arranging things. From previous reviews it seems that some have struggled trying to do things with Vista in the same way that one used to with XP. This will cause frustration, and once you have learned the new way of filing things - which is easy - you'll wonder why we didn't ever do it this way before. Thumbs up to Vista for its document arrangement, a definite improvement over its predecessor.
While Flip3D is visually impressive (as is Vista all around - dark and handsome and the most visually attractive OS on the market) I initially thought it was gimmicky. This turned out not to be the case. I configured Flip3D to the middle mouse button and the Windows workflow is brilliant now. Having had to use Mac for many years at work, I was never entirely happy with how the OSX workflow functioned. Expose was interesting but I was always spending needless mouse clicks trying to maximize documents to use the screen to its fullest - an approach which makes the Mac irritating to use for me, particularly at work. Apple often tries to be too clever and often makes things irritating as a result. The windows workflow has always been the closest expression of how I want to interact with a comoutter and in Vista this is enhanced further. Once running multiple documents Flip3d and the new Alt-tab and remarkably useful and make Vista a pleasure to use rather than having to fight the OS. Not only this, it doesn't struggle even with many programs running - it remains very responsive, far more so than Expose, which I found sluggish under load. For usability and responsiveness I give it high marks as well.
The UAC! One of the more controversial areas of Vista. The Ultimate version includes the secpol.msc feature which makes administering this pretty painless and if you have the Ultimate edition then you will want to use it, particularly across a network. At first I found this a pain, but after a month it never bothers me anymore other than when you want to change a system setting or install software. This is something that on reflection is probably a good thing. A person who is knowledgeable on computers is not going to need UAC, but for beginners - which I have using my network, then this is a good thing.
Further reflections: For the first two months of using it I was constantly finding new things. Whether it was icons, Windows Media Centre, adding additional languages, usability features, running games, networking, doing video and picture editing etc - I keep having surprises and find myself saying "that's neat" including vastly improved networking and backup features. Indeed Vista is stock full of very cool stuff, which for some reason they don't mention it their very subdued advertising. The OS is not perfect though, as with all. For some reason the Games folder is slow to open the first time, Windows Media Center doesn't come with a signal strength indicator for the TV and other minor niggles. The worst problem though is the price, it is way too expensive for a what it is. The Ultimate upgrade price should be the full price and even Home Premium is too expensive and there are too many editions - silly. The OEM pricing is a better bet and so for many people getting Vista with a new PC or laptop will be the way to go.
Last thoughts: Vista is a joy to use, efficient and responsive and offers enough to be worth the change. Is it perfect - no, is it better than its competition - yes. Like previous versions of Windows you can do pretty much anything on it and it offers a constant process of evolution. It is beautiful to look at and fun to use, unlike the simple, but stark and unfriendly world of OSX, and it offers some impressive networking utilities so that I can easily phase out the Linux boxes on my network. Overall the definitive OS to date and highly recommended.
Rating:  -
Do not -- under any circumstances -- buy Vista. I read all the reviews describing hellish upgrade experiences, and foolishly thought I was tech-savvy enough to avoid them. Two weeks later and I'm still fixing the seemingly endless list of compatability problems caused by this "upgrade". The on-line "tool" provided by Microsoft that supposedly tells you about potential conflicts merely skims the surface. It's only after the upgrade has been completed -- if you're lucky -- that you'll discover most versions of Flash Player aren't compatible with Vista, making web pages flicker and freeze. The literature for Norton Systemworks 2007 claims it's compatible, but it's not. Check the Norton web site and you're told to buy a different product. And so on.
The worst bit is that other than sleeker graphics, Vista offers little to make all this hassle worthwhile. It's no faster and no more stable than XP (though that may change if I ever manage to fix all the problems it causes). Its main advantage is supposedly more robust security, but from what I can see the only thing being protected is Microsoft. Just wait until an automatic update to non-Microsoft software makes the "Genuine Advantage" (pardon my laughter) function think your copy of Vista is illegal. You'll be completely blocked from using your computer, making it impossible to go on the net to figure out what to do next or send Microsoft a nasty e-mail.
Apple couldn't have created a better advertisement for the Mac.
Rating: -
Microsoft has many enemies. That's what happens when you are #1 and many below you wish they could be at the top.
Vista is a solid product. It was not as solid the day it was released, but what is? It's now only been a few months and the updates that apply the moment you install or upgrade to Vista provide you with a smooth experience.
Is the interface different? Oh yea. Is it bad? Is it slow? No. It's fine. Vista runs only SLIGHTLY slower on an older PC with a Pentium III chip or older but why wouldn't you expect that? You can't get more features AND more power and expect a faster machine when your hardware is getting along in the years.
In addition, if you simply don't understand the nature of Vista, then you haven't yet read Greg Perry's "Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft Windows Vista All in One" (Amazon 978-0672328893) and frankly, this is hands-down the best way for a newcomer - even if you are or are not comfortable with XP - to master EVERYthing you REALLY need to know about Vista.
Software is not always obvious. That does not mean it's bad or difficult to use or requires a huge learning curve. Once you get Vista, beg or borrow or buy "Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft Windows Vista All in One" and you will be ready to become a MASTER at the product. I went through what YOU are going through and I know most Vista books and sites DO NOT give you what you need to make this product work well FOR YOU. This book does and I've read all the top-selling Vista books.
Now I don't care if you get "Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft Windows Vista All in One" or not, although you should, but you need to stop listening to the hype of those who have axes to grind with Microsoft. If you want to move FORWARD with your computer you need to have the juice needed which means a moderately recent PC and you need Vista.
The number one reason for getting Ultimate and not a lower Vista product is the BitLocker encryption technology and the ability to make a ghosted image of your disk drive that Vista can restore. If you've used Symantec's DriveImage or Ghost products then you know these alone can run you more than $50. It's thrown in with Vista Ultimate and you'll REALLY use these tools a lot.
Rating: -
I was highly skeptical about moving to Vista at all, having read the negative publicity, reviews, and always wary of hardware resources. However, always needing the productivity edge in my business, I decided to take the plunge. There were certain things that attracted me to the platform, such as better window handling and task management, prefetch, tight Cardspace integration, centralized device synchronization, improved security, etc. Granted, there are all the add-ons in the market place that one could add to accomplish the same things, but I run a business and need to focus more on that, rather than systems administration tasks.
My words of advice for *anyone* considering an upgrade from XP to Vista:
1)Run Microsoft's compatibility checker. It is your friend, and is overall pretty accurate.
2)*IF YOU RUN ANY, AND I MEAN ANY, VERSION OF ACTIVESYNC, ****BE ABSOLUTELY SURE TO REMOVE IT COMPLETELY FROM YOUR WINDOWS XP INSTALLATION BEFORE UPGRADING*** * You will be very sorry if you do not. (I speak from hours of painful experience, and extensive Googling)
3)Be sure you have the hardware to handle it. Vista is not for everyone, nor is it for every machine -- by any means. I run an HP DV9000 with 2GB and Intel 1.66 DUO. In this configuration, it runs great and is highly productive, even fully loaded with VMWare, all Office 2007 applications running, etc.
4)Be sure you have the time. I suggest starting the upgrade about 2 hours before dinner. After dinner and before bed, answer the final questions and let it churn during the night. In the morning, come back, answer the final few questions, and let the final installation tasks complete. Your mileage will vary, but my upgrade took a good 5+ hours. (Not sure of exact time during the night, but before bed it had churned well over 3 hours.) Following this model will allow you to still do your primary work during the day, and come back to an all or at least mostly configured system the following day. The upgrade time requirement was probably my biggest surprise, having gotten used to sub-30 minute installations of XP, Linux, and Server 2003.
5)Understand that like any computing platform, a Vista upgrade is a commitment to new technologies, and new ways of doing things. New drivers, in some cases new hardware, in other cases, new (or upgraded) software programs. To those people that have expressed disdain for incompatibilities, I can only say that you have not been in the computing world long enough. Many reviews I have read here and in other venues could have been written verbatim when Windows NT 3.1, Windows 3.1, Windows 95, Windows 2000, Windows XP, OS/2, Linux, etc. were released. New platforms bring change to systems, hardware, and most importantly business and personal process. If you are not expressly ready for these components of change, then stay with what you have and are comfortable with.
Aftermath of upgrade: Having completed the upgrade, along with full installations of Office 2007, Visio 2007, Expression Web, etc. (a complete update for me), I can honestly say that everything worked great. The compatibility checker had warned me about everything, except the Active Sync issue mentioned above. Though I have the new 'Windows Mobile Device Center' up and running with my iPAQ, (Mobile Device Center is fantastic once configured) it took quite a bit of doing. I repeat: completely remove your previous versions of Active Sync **before upgrading.**
The system is snappy and smooth. I love the improved graphics, window speed, and using Cleartype within command-line sessions. The new task manager has all but eliminated my need for a desktop switcher and manager, which I will likely be uninstalling by next week. All-in-all, a highly positive experience. I would go as far as to say, that it was the cleanest overall upgrade between any two Windows versions that I have so far experienced. Perhaps that is why it took so long -- the software wanted to be sure -- really sure -- that the upgrade itself was successful, and that no data was lost or damaged.
Best wishes and a safe Vista upgrade!
Rating:  -
My system's specs:
AMD Athlon64 X2 4200+ CPU
2GB (DDR400, CAS latency 2.5)
300GB hard drive (three 40GB partitions for Windows and Linux OSes, 160GB for data)
Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS sound
2 DVD+RW/RL drives
BFG Nvidia 8800GTS video with 640MB RAM (recently upgraded from a 7900GS w/256MB card)
What I liked so far:
* Improved disk management subsystem
* More intuitive file copy interface (overwriting files w/duplicate of original, others...)
* Looks and feels more professional; the Mr. Rogers "My computer" and fischer price tinker toy interface was gag-inducing.
* Works with Kaspersky Internet Security
* Unreal tournament 2004, Doom3, and others work fine
* Most RAM reported in use is for file caching rather than being a hog on its own (I am looking to find ways to manually disable needless services)
* Activation of Vista (and Office) surprisingly a breeze (I dual boot with XP and Linux; I expected Vista to wreak havoc with everything, and it didn't.)
* The new resource monitor. Very fetching in its breakdown of system tasks.
* I can play a movie and it would be my desktop wallpaper. If I cared.
* Display animation is much smoother (as the Nvidia 7900GS chipset is given a high 5.8 rating, I suspect most video cards DX9 capable WILL work without hiccups.)
* DirectX 10
* The Sidebar.
What I need to verify:
* OS load times (Vista seems slightly faster)
* Application load times (no apparent change)
* Overall speed & fluidity (it seems the same)
I don't care for - the regrets, perhaps:
* Default settings: 600MB (of 2GB seen) is in use by the OS. A lot of it is due to file caching (appx 300MB worth)
* Once activated, I cannot switch between 32- and 64-bit versions. (so I've been told)
* The built-in defragmenter is way, way too slow - a real disappointment
* all the animated glowing neon stuff. It looks slick, but why?
* UAC seems redundant - a nice attempt to warn me if somebody tries to run a component behind my back, but once UAC is hacked, it becomes useless. It is superficially annoying, but being nagged for admin privs is no different in Linux and Max OS X.
* Activation. If I did swap the mobo or HD down the road; I may have re-activation problems. I know piracy is a problem, but the real pirates are not in America.
* The upgrade forcing me to have a qualifying OS already installed. Fortunately I have a legal copy of Win2000; so I sacrificed it. :(
* Sidebar 'gadgets' aren't many in number, but the number grows with each passing day. So expect some fluff to be found along with the gems.
Now, I want more control as to what gets cached. Vista actively caches more system and file data (as do Linux, Mac OS X, openbsd.org, et al), but for all the improvements I wish the Resource manager showed cached data in a different color when compared to program data - like how the other OSes show it.
Most video cards won't have problems with the Aero glass interface. Indeed, for my gripes on the needless glossy animation, I do have to say the UI itself is well organized, doesn't look like a rejected fischer price toy design anymore, and the patronizing "My computer" icons have been renamed to something professional at least. THANK YOU! Indeed, having used Mac OS X, Linux, WinXP, and Vista, I see no justification to the claims Microsoft stole from Apple. (any screenshots on the internet would prove how different both OSes look and feel, and given how OS X = openbsd.org (a free OS download), it's safer to say everybody borrows from everybody else, always did, always will do. There are better arguments.)
What bugs me most is the price - given how many features, including the much vaunted WinFS, were dropped, the MSRP prices are a tad high. I got Vista for clearance price from CompUSA shutting down. It was worth THAT price ($155).
Overall, I think it is a good upgrade, if not a tad high priced. I think service pack 1 will resolve most peoples' problems; I have nothing major to discredit Vista with. But in all fairness, I think some people are giving Vista bad reviews solely because it's Microsoft.
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