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I would consider myself an advanced user--someone who has always been proficient with programs, computer hardware and software upgrades, and the like. When Vista became available, I couldn’t wait to get my computers on the new platform and see what took 5 years to develop. Even with my considerable experience, I have spent the last few days working on “issues” relative to Microsoft Vista upgrades. I bought Vista Ultimate version for a laptop and Vista Home Premium version for a desktop. The installs were a series of stops and starts, having to uninstall a number of items before proceeding. I spent about 3 hours for the first full installation. After I finished the upgrade, I had a sound card driver incompatibility on a 7 month old Fujitsu Tablet PC, and a few programs that didn’t want to work. We were able to run the programs in what is called “Compatibility Mode”, meaning Windows has found a way to allow programs not written for Vista to still run as if they were running on XP.
So hours later, and after fighting some problems (some laughingly with Office 2003), the laptop was ready to go. The first thing that is striking is the overall aesthetics of the program. Windows Aero provides a graceful look, with a smoother, sleeker look and easier transitions. The fonts are more pleasing and the Windows Sidebar is a handy built in feature. So I wondered if it was all about beauty and less about functionality. What really surprised me were the speed of boot up and power down, as well as the impressive wireless internet speed. All of those things are critical for laptop functioning, given the power needs when running on battery. The wireless functions are highly improved and intuitive. It is extremely easy to locate and connect to a wireless network, and again I experienced amazing speed in connecting to another network. Another great improvement is the battery management feature. You can quickly mouse over and see how much time you have remaining, and can very easily adjust power settings on the fly. These are critical improvements for mobile realtors!
The desktop computer upgraded a bit more quickly (maybe because I was more experienced?) but still had compatibility issues. There was nothing that I wasn’t able to fix, but it took time nonetheless. On the surface, nothing seemed different than the Vista Ultimate install. It wasn’t until I started digging through the functionality that I found the differences.
Vista Home Premium is a great home program, with the new Flip and Flip 3D functionality, making it easier to find files and navigate through open programs. What I like the best about it is the ability to run your mouse along the open windows at the bottom, and you get a thumbnail image of the actual window, so you don’t waste time expanding a window you don’t need. The new windows media center is quite impressive, allowing you to edit your own high definition movies and even send content to another TV in your home through devices like your Xbox 360.
Windows Ultimate provides all that Home Premium offers, and more. Some of the other features available are built in backup functionality, advanced business networking and remote desktop capabilities, and drive encryption, which are mainly for business use. Ultimate provides an optional feature called BitLocker Drive Encryption. What this does is allows you to create an encryption key and save it to a USB Flash drive. Then each time you boot up your computer, you plug in your flash drive so that you can access the computer. If the flash drive is not installed, the computer won’t allow access. I am sure this was an answer to the stolen laptops we read about in the news, and it certainly would prevent anyone from accessing your private data. If you choose to upgrade or buy a laptop with Windows Vista Ultimate, be sure to read all the instructions and understand what you need to do with this feature, as doing it incorrectly could render your computer inoperable.
Windows sidebar is available on all versions, and is a great tool. On the right hand side of my screen, I have my desktop weather, calendar, sticky notes, RSS feeds, and a CPU usage meter. This is all fully customizable by you, and although the gadgets are somewhat limited I know there will be many more available in the coming months. This is an extremely slick feature that has loads of possibility for the future.
So should you upgrade? I say yes if you are a mobile user and have the computer that can handle the software. I would also say yes to any of you that might have heavy multimedia needs. But I would say no to any user whose needs are currently met with your current programs and operating system. And for any of you that get easily frustrated, you might want to wait it out until you need a new computer. Because any new computer purchased now is going to come with Windows Vista, certainly not Windows XP - that is unless you run out right away and find one sitting on the shelf.
One last word if you do choose to upgrade. Use the Windows Compatibility Tool before starting, to ensure that you aren’t going to have critical hardware issues (hello, sound card drivers????). It is actually an option available on the upgrade menu of the CD. And be sure to have all your software CDs handy, as you will have to uninstall and reinstall some programs, such as your virus scanning software and perhaps some programs that aren’t compatible.
Windows Vista is a glimpse of what the future of computing is really all about. I was not at all surprised with the bugs, given the enormity of ensuring compatibility with every piece of hardware and software used by the Microsoft Windows community. All in all, I think they did a pretty good job. And one or two service packs later, this will undoubtedly be the coolest thing that we Microsoft users have ever experienced.
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