Pros: A very worthwhile upgrade if your system can handle it.
Cons: Pricey, possibly requires upgrading memory and graphics hardware.
The Bottom Line: Vista is safer and easier to use, and the new Aero interface makes it a worthwhile upgrade, even if the price is a little steep for an operating system.
randomaccess's Full Review: Microsoft Windows® Vistaâ„¢ Home Premium Edit...
As a Computer Tech, I like to stay a little ahead of the curve when I can, so when Vista Home Premium became available earlier this month, I jumped right on the bandwagon, picking up a copy at my local Staples the first night.
Vista comes in a number of flavors, Home Basic, Home Premium, Business, and Ultimate. Each covers a specific need, and comparative charts showing the differences between the editions can be found at most shopping sites, along with the hardware requirements for each edition.
Microsoft also has an Upgrade Advisor available on their site. This program analyzes your current hardware and software configuration to see if your system is Vista-capable and will warn you of any software conflicts. This is well worth the download.
My test system is a 3 year old home built Pentium 3.06 GHZ, with 1 GB of RAM, an ASUS P4B533 mainboard, and an NVIDIA 7600GS video card (AGP). The install will be in a new, clean hard drive.
The packaging for Vista is a little different. Once you break the seal there is a little tab you pull and the plastic insert holding the DVD slides out. The Product Key is labeled inside the package, so it is not returnable, and the Staples people made sure to ask if I understood the hardware requirements to run Vista before I made my purchase.
I pulled my old drive from the system, installed the new drive, and powered up with the Vista DVD in my drive. The system booted up from the DVD to a setup screen which confirmed which Flavor of Vista I was installing and asked for the Key. I chose not to enter the key yet, because I wanted to make sure the system would run without a problem.
The installation ran unattended for about 45 minutes, and restarted several times, also unattended, and after the initial startup, I was pleased to find that Vista found all the hardware, except my Network adapter, for which I had to upgrade the driver manually.
Once note here, if you do plan to upgrade, download the latest drivers for all your hardware, and burn them to a CD or save on a USB plug, so you have them handy. The generic Microsoft drivers tend to be a little behind the manufacturers drivers.
Vista has a very nice look and feel, very intuitive. The AERO interface is very slick, windows open and close nicely, and you can get a quick 3D view of all your open windows with one mouse click.
Power users will need a little time to find there way around to all the system utilities, but the control panel is much more efficient and powerful then the old XP control panel.
Vista is a worthy upgrade, security is enhanced, there is more of an emphasis on ease of use. If you are not computer savvy, and your system is a little older, you might consider a new system with Vista pre-installed.
Many stores also offer free or very low cost in-store installation on your existing system.
My system is very stable with Vista, and the overhead of the new operating system is minimal. Normal Web and Office type programs seem to run about 5-10% slower. Games are running about 10-20% slower, but as graphic drivers improve, both numbers will improve.
UPDATE: 3 weeks later--I am happy with my upgrade. I installed an additional 1GB of RAM to increase my total to 2GB, and added a 1GB flash drive. Windows used the flash drive to access files that might take longer to load from the hard drive.
Both of these upgrades made a difference to the "feel" of how Vista was running. The additional memory cuts down tremendously on disk access.
Windows Vista Home Premium edition is the operating system for home users with advanced computer needs. From digital entertainment to connectivity and...More at SoftwareMedia.com
Buy now. Get An upgrade. Window 7 click here Here it is: the preferred edition of Windows for home desktop and mobile PCs. Windows Vista Home Premium ...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.