|
|
 |
|
|
|
Windows Vista Ultimate with SP1 Review (continued)
More User Submitted Windows Vista Ultimate with SP1 Reviews
Date: 2008-07-07
Works great, looks good
Best things:
Instance search - Can start typing in a program and it makes it easy to find what I'm looking for
Media Center - Connects with my Xbox 360 for sharing media great
Gadgets - Neat way to view traffic/weather/personal pictures
Aero - User interface looks pretty slick and cool
Solutions - When something breaks (video card has crashed several times for me), it will tell you which component broke and also will give potential solutions
Not so great things:
Can actually run on older hardware (Have installed on 5+ year old laptop), but when done so it lacks the cool aero effects
Needs 1Gb of RAM to function well
User access control is a bit annoying (asks you when you want to install something). However, I found that after I got my system first set up I rarely see that prompt
Overall, I like it quite a bit. I wouldn't run XP if I had the hardware to do an upgrade, although I would say that I would just buy a new computer rather then perform an upgrade.
Date: 2008-07-05
Microsoft Still Has Further to Go
While my husband and I have enjoyed getting some of the latest gadgets and software, operating systems have not been one of the items we were willing to try as soon as they came out. The first versions of past Windows operating systems have always fallen short, only require service packs to fix their shortcomings. Usually the first or second service pack bring the operating system closer to what it should have been upon release. That's why I was looking forward to getting Windows Vista Ultimate with Service Pack 1.
Yet, I still find that Windows Vista has a ways to go even after the first service pack. While it seems to be reasonably stable - I have had fewer crashes with this software that with the completely up to date Windows XP Professional that was up there before - but there are still some irritants and problems. First, there is the constant request for permission to complete operations I initiated, which, while I am sure I can disable, I never think of at a convenient time. Second, I have a Microsoft keyboard with fingerprint reader to automate password entry for certain websites and to log onto the computer and it is not supported in Windows Vista, even though the keyboard is relatively new. Third, I cannot get Yahoo! Music to install, giving an error saying in effect that Windows XP or later is required. (Hopefully, Yahoo! Music's merger with Rhapsody will resolve this). Fourth, my laser printer (HP 1012) doesn't have a driver for (and thus does not work with) Windows Vista. Finally, even with much more than the required memory, the system still seems to run quite slow.
All in all, Windows Vista with Service Pack 1 might be worth getting if you have the a new system with the latest hardware, a lot of memory, and no older programs that are important to you. To me, it doesn't seem worth spending the money to upgrade to Windows Vista at this time - maybe with the next Service Pack.
Date: 2008-07-03
Watch what you get
Amazon apparently either doesn't know or doesn't care about the differences between 32-bit vs 64-bit, OEM vs retail, and who knows what else because they lump all these categories together in big listings like this one, with no indication what you're going to get when you open the box--if yours came with a box, which incidentally mine didn't.
I followed a link to this page from an old retail version I was viewing. The link said this version was newer. I scoured the page for any details about 32/64 bit, and whether it was OEM...all there was was a picture of a box of Windows Vista Ultimate--with multiple product images to view! so I figured that's what would be coming in the mail.
Wrong. I got "promotional" (read: OEM) 32-bit only DVDs in paper sleeves, no box at all. Gee Amazon, thanks for the lovely pics though.
I guess they really don't know the difference, otherwise why not have these listed under different product categories according to type.
Date: 2008-06-25
It's better than you think (and I'm a Mac user)
Windows Vista Ultimate (now at SP1) has gotten a LOT of bad press. Yes, some of this negative press has been earned. There are good things here though. The best feature about Vista is an important one, security. Microsoft actually maintains a blog about Vista security. One post there really convinced me that security alone is reason to move from XP to Vista if you're going to stay in the Windows world. (http://blogs.msdn.com/windowsvistasecurity/archive/2008/01/23/windows-vista-security-one-year-later.aspx)
I'm a Mac user though, and I've got Vista running very well on my machine. Like it or not, there are times even Mac people want to run some Window's software and I've got an entire internal hard drive dedicated to Vista. My personal set up has been to install Vista using BootCamp on a 2nd hard drive in my MacPro. I've done this because it gives me the option to run Vista and give it the full power the hardware will provide.
The majority of the time I use Vista though is through VMWare Fusion. This allows me to run my Windows environment without needing to leave my Macintosh environment. Vista is just another window on my desktop. It works really well. This is how I load maps onto my GPS device and do the accounting for my business in QuickBooks Pro, since the Windows version seems to be superior.
Good things:
Security is much stronger than in XP.
It's got a nice looking interface.
Bad things:
It is does run slower than Windows XP when running on the same machine, probably due to the nice looking interface I gave as a "good" thing.
Start up time for the OS seems pretty long.
I've got the "Ultimate" version of Vista but choosing which version of Vista to buy seems far too confusing.
The software license for Vista Ultimate edition does allow for running the software under emulation, so if you plan on doing a similar thing as I do, such as running Vista on your Mac, with Vista Ultimate you can definitely do that. I haven't tried "lesser" versions running on a Mac, but I'm sure you can find information about that online.
Date: 2008-06-19
Is Vista finally ready for primetime?
As an IT Specialist, I want the best version of an OS possible - hence my choice of the Ultimate edition of Vista. I spent a couple of months working with Microsoft Vista Ultimate SP1 in end-user mode. First, I did two clean installs on the same PC (HP Compaq 7800 with 4GB of RAM, onboard video/audio/Ethernet, DVD drive, and 150GB SATA hard disk), and each time Vista loaded quickly and without a hitch. In both instances I easily achieved Internet connectivity using the PC's onboard Ethernet and downloaded the available updates from Microsoft's website. After the second OS install I activated Vista via the Internet right at the 30-day deadline, added Office 2003, "upgraded" the video card to a stodgy 128MB GForce FX 5500 PCI, and put on Doom 3 just for fun. Then I used the Vista PC for typical stuff, like surfing the web, doing email with Internet Explorer 7 (love the tabbed browsing), tapping MS Office for some basic tasks, and (ahem) spending some quality time testing Doom 3. Finally, I installed an HP Deskjet 5650 printer via USB. Vista SP1 handled all this stuff with a minimum of hassle.
Even so, I had some minor run-ins with the OS. First and foremost, I don't like being prompted multiple times to make sure I want to install a program. Thankfully, that annoyance is easily corrected using the User Account Control under the User Accounts icon in the Control Panel. On the other hand, I appreciated it when Vista warned me that an older program (for example, Nero OEM Suite 3) had known compatibility issues with the OS, and offered to look for online solutions. And Vista SP1 even had drivers for the video card and deskjet printer I mentioned above. But I was forced to hit HP's web site to download sound drivers for the onboard audio...on another PC, since using the Autodetect function via IE crashed the browser on Vista, thus forcing me to get the install file using an XP PC and then copy it over with a flash drive. In addition, I had to download two driver install packages from HP to get rid of yellow question marks in Device Manager on some PCI devices. These issues aside, Vista Ultimate SP1 pretty much did what I told it to do. So what's not to love?
Despite my success in creating a usable desktop, there doesn't seem to be any compelling reason for me to adopt Vista. I support Windows XP SP2 in an enterprise-wide environment, and it's the platform for the various applications I use to manage my daily workflow. The six-year-old Gateway PC I gave to my brother still functions well enough with Windows XP, even though I've had to reinstall everything from scratch a couple of times due to the software mayhem wrought by his two sons. For my own computing needs at home I've relied upon a Macintosh iBook G4 running OS X Tiger since 2004. It's been more or less bulletproof, and it works great with Office 2004, my 4GB iPod Nano, and my 8GB iPhone - the best cell phone I've ever owned, by the way (NOTE: Last week my iBook's hard drive crashed, so I replaced it with a new MacBook laptop running OS X Leopard. It seems that even Macs aren't immortal...).
With all this in mind, who would benefit from any flavor of Vista SP1? Frankly, there's no real reason to upgrade unless you lust for the cutting edge (which can also be the bleeding edge, if you get my drift), or you have a killer app/game that requires Vista. Corporate and end-user rebellion against Vista has forced Microsoft to extend its support for Windows XP. Indeed, my employers will hang onto Windows XP until Vista adoption becomes a business necessity. Even so, one can't become complacent in the IT field. I'm working with Vista now to get familiar with it, and also to gear up for yet another Microsoft certification test (I've been a Microsoft MCP since the Windows 95/NT days, and have also earned the MCSA and MCDST certs in years past). If I was still a PC nut, the release of SP1 would've been my signal to adopt Vista. But my Windows XP install CD wouldn't leave my sight, and a solid Vista-compatible anti-virus program would be the first program installed.
However, Vista's problematic debut made a bad first impression in the IT and end-user worlds that may have crippled it for life. Yes, I was able to get Vista Ultimate SP1 working with no real angst, and I could see myself adopting it if I was the Microsoft devotee and PC gamer that I used to be years ago. You could do the same; according to a PC Magazine podcast in February 2008, SP1 adds around 15,000 new drivers, increases USB data transfer rates, and fixes some security issues. And more and more updates and vendor device drivers are becoming available online. But it may be too little, too late. The massive PR damage has most likely relegated Vista to the role of a Windows Me-style stopgap until Microsoft comes out with its Next Big OS That You Can't Live Without. Too late for me though. I've made the move to Macintosh, and I have no plans to switch back. So I'll save Vista Ultimate SP1 for my next PC - if I ever get one.
|
|
|
|
