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To Vista or Not To Vista......

Written by: Bob Unruh

Article Overview: The new Windows Vista operating system(OS) has some nice features. But before you upgrade your system to it, you should check for some possible “hidden” costs. Some tips on things to check before you upgrade.

To Vista or Not To Vista......

The new Windows Vista operating system(OS) has some nice features. But before you upgrade your system to it, you should check for some possible “hidden” costs. Some tips on things to check before you upgrade.

To begin with, if you bought your current computer in the last couple of years and are currently running Windows XP, there is a good chance you will be able to run Vista. But what version? Vista comes in different editions, or versions, each one more powerful than the other, and, therefore, requires more horsepower to run effectively. To find out, (and, again, only if you are running XP), go to the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor at
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/buyorupgrade/upgradeadvisor.mspx and follow the instructions on downloading and running the application. It will give you a report on whether or not you can run Vista, what edition you can successfully use, and whether or not it found any compatibility issues with currently installed hardware and/or software.

If you aren’t currently running XP, or you are using XP Enterprise (which cannot use the Advisor software), then you will have to verify everything manually. If that is the case, then you will need to check out the individual requirements for the various versions of Vista. For that information, go to http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/editions/systemrequirements.mspx.

Whether or not you can utilize the Vista Advisor, you will also want to verify the existence of Vista drivers for any currently used hardware (internal, external, and peripherals) and/or software you plan on utilizing with the new OS. While this will entail some extra time sitting in front of the computer doing research, you may find that it is time well spent. It may be that the applications most important to you have built new drivers for Vista, in which case going with Vista will not pose a significant problem. However, if you can’t find Vista drivers (and I’m talking about ones that have been tested and are in production – not simply Beta versions), then it becomes a financial issue as to whether or not you want to invest the money to replace the software/hardware with a newer, Vista compatible, version – if that is even available. For instance, as recent as June 2007, one popular software for authoring/copying CD’s and DVD’s did not have Vista drivers for their most recently released software edition; and had no estimated time frame for releasing one.

Software in particular is behind the curve when it comes to compatibility. Older software (and each application is different) may not even install under Vista. While some of it may install, but does not have any updated drivers available for use with Vista – basically rendering it useless. Hardware can also be an issue, but probably will not pose as much of an issue as the software does. Both of these, of course, can be replaced with newer versions, but at what cost?

If you are going to purchase a new computer, chances are Vista comes pre-installed on the system and will therefore work with any hardware and/or software that is currently installed on the new computer. If, however, after performing the research mentioned above you find that your currently used application is not compatible, and you still need to buy a new computer, tell the salesperson you will buy the computer, but only if they replace the Vista OS with XP. More and more retailers are finding that this is a service they must provide in order to sell computers. If they refuse to do it, or want to charge you for doing it, then find a vendor or store that will do it free of charge – they are out there and growing in numbers.

Windows Vista has some very nice features over its predecessors; but most are simply “nice to haves”. Whether or not they are worth the investment you may need to make is strictly a dollar and cents decision.

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Article Tags: application, application, Vista, Windows Vista, Windows Vista, Windows XP



Related Forum Posts
Re: Bye Bye Vista - [quote="RussellWebb":3q55cgov]I've been cleaning house...Finally rid myself of this atrocious operating system called Windows Vista. Eeeegads! It's good to have a nice clean computer again - all reformatted and shiny new! Windows XP has been reinstalled and Vista is in the trash can. Vista is a bomb... plain and simple. ..[/quote:3q55cgov] Where do I begin... I love Vista Ultimate on my personal laptop, but when I tried to integrate my Vista Ultimate laptop into the local area network here at work... Let's just say Vista couldn't quite take on the challenge of a network log-on and killed itself. I have since formatted Vista and vowed to keep my Vista at home, XP here at work. I have an XP desktop and I'm having an older laptop of mine reformatted into an XP Pro laptop for when I need to VPN in to work (as it turns out, Vista and my office network don't really like to VPN, as it is currently.) Vista is a lot of fun for personal use, but it's an abysmal atrocity for work use.
Bye Bye Vista - I've been cleaning house...Finally rid myself of this atrocious operating system called Windows Vista. Eeeegads! It's good to have a nice clean computer again - all reformatted and shiny new! Windows XP has been reinstalled and Vista is in the trash can. Vista is a bomb... plain and simple. ..
Recently purchased computer with Vista - My new computer came with Vista and I think it does have to have the bugs worked out of the system first! When I mentioned to the sales manager of the store where i purchased it, that I am leary of buying a computer that has Vita (because I heard so many bad things about it) His reply was less than adequate, as he said: "whether it's bad or not there is nothing you can do about it and all we can do is accept it"...Well, I purchased it anyway, took my chances and am not too satisfied... and YES, there IS something I can do about it! I can have the Vista removed and put in XP! Here's a little heads up for those of you wishing to purchase a new computer and do not wish to have Vista...Had I shopped around a bit, I may have been able to avoid this problem by locating places that offer the choice of having Vista or XP installed, such as Dell. The place I purchased, did not have this option (I asked).
Re: A picture (video) is worth a thousand words.... - Hi David I am with you as far as using XP in preference to Vista. I think that Vista is still giving a lot of problems. MichelleJ
Better wait till 2008 - Vista is still in the first year of its operation. The Million dollar baby is still learning to walk. Not All products may be updated to work on vista ; though many co. are working it out and giving patches, its not fully Vista working. I 2 had installed Vista on my dummy PC to evaluate its working. Its good on ergonomics and looks as well as in speed. But key programs do not work like 1 The DVD is not bootable, it has to be installed like a software. You need XP for this. It’s tough to load Vista directly onto a fresh PC. 2 Adobe Photoshop CS2 3 Internet explorer had bugs. 4 3D Max Pro not supported. 5 Pinnacle studio 10 ( now avid) Not supported. There are bugs all around in the OS. This is yet a soft launch. ( they have left them to get reports and public demands ). Well the success version would be launched somewhere in mid / end of 2008


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