Archive for the ‘Vista’ Category

Is Vista really that bad?

Monday, May 19th, 2008

Microsoft Windows Vista

If you are involved, or at all interested, in computing then no doubt you have heard of Windows Vista. Microsoft’s latest Operating System has received nothing but criticism since its retail release back in January 2007. Users of Vista seem to constantly be complaining about slow performance, system crashes and most of all, incompatibility issues with various hardware and software. 

Huge companies such as Dell seem to be leaning more towards Windows XP still, as not so long back they decided to scrap the idea of selling their machines with Vista only and giving customers the optional choice to have Windows XP installed. Even with the cut off date for retail and OEM versions of Windows XP approaching fast (30th June 2008), Dell are still supplying XP with their machines in the form of a ‘Downgrade’ CD which will enable users to install XP past Microsoft’s sell by date. With reports of Vista SP1 (Service Pack 1) causing more problems than it resolved the future of Vista seems very bleak indeed!

So with all this in mind, is it time for you to bite the bullet and upgrade to Vista? If you’d have asked me this question a few weeks back I’d have just laughed in your face (and maybe slapped you with a wet fish). That was until I actually had time to play around with it fully and dig up a few articles on how to properly configure Vista so you receive a smooth, problem free experience. One article I found particularly interesting was this posted on ZDNet written by Ed Bott

Ok so you still need a good enough spec machine to run Vista. But if you have a ‘Vista Compatible’ machine (and if you’re unsure of this then you can download this from Microsoft’s Website. The Vista Upgrade Advisor) and you have Vista correctly configured as described in the provided article, then your Vista experience should be a good one.

Which Version Of Windows Vista?

Monday, October 8th, 2007

There are a few different versions of Windows Vista, and to help choose the right package we've put together a quick summary, some information we found useful and some links so you can find out more.

There are 5 main versions:

  • Vista Home Basic

Basic operating system for home users who don't need the bells and whistles 

  • Vista Home Premium

For home users who want entertainment, media player, games, TV, DVD and movie editing. 

  • Vista Business

Advanced data recovery, remote desktop, and other professional features.

  • Vista Enterprise

Cost effective option for large organisations, very similar features to Business, but licensed for a larger amount of users.

  • Vista Ultimate

All the business features, plus the entertainment bells and whistles that you get with home premium.

Windows Vista Versions

Extreme Tech produced a handy table (adapted from the Microsoft site) which helps show the differences between the versions at a glance.

Vista Edition Vista Home Basic Vista Home Premium Vista Business Vista Enterprise Vista Ultimate
Fancy Aero "Glass" User Interface No Yes Yes Yes Yes
User Account Control (UAC) Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Windows Firewall/Defender Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
IE7 with phishing filter, protected mode Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Instant Search Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Maximum supported RAM (32-bit version) 4GB 4GB 4GB 4GB 4GB
Maximum supported RAM (64-bit version) 8GB 16GB 128GB 128GB 128GB
Number of logical CPUs (cores) supported Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited
Number of physical CPUs supported 1 2 2 2 2
Backup and recover Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Scheduled backup No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Volume Shadow Copy No No Yes Yes Yes
BitLocker (drive encryption) No No No Yes Yes
SuperFetch Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
"Premium" Games No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Media Player 11 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Photo Gallery Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Media Center (with HDTV/cablecard support) No Yes No No Yes
Windows Movie Maker (with HD support) No Yes No No Yes
Windows DVD Maker No Yes No No Yes
Remote Desktop Limited Limited Yes Yes Yes
Offline Files/Folders No No Yes Yes Yes
IIS Web Server No No Yes Yes Yes
Meeting Space Interaction Limited Yes Yes Yes Yes
Rights Management Services No No Yes Yes Yes
Tablet PC Functionality No Yes Yes Yes Yes
SideShow No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Speech Recognition Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Fax and Scan No No Yes Yes Yes
Ultimate Extras No No No No Yes

You can find more information on the Vista section of the Microsoft Site; or see their official comparison chart.