• Review: Windows Vista

  

  Written by bug 1 Comment
  Last Updated:: August 6, 2007

  Attempting to install and use the so-called newest, latest and greatest version of Microsoft Windows is like having a migraine headache, combined with sleep deprivation, and intense hunger, all while having a rare South American strain of the flu. Even if you are someone who is somewhat familiar with installing a Windows operating system, consider yourself a n00b when attempting to install Windows Vista. Sure, it looks flashy and nice on the outside, but under the hood lies a beast with sharpened fangs, out to cause you hair pulling frustration.

  Let’s just take a step back, even before the installation attempt. As with previous versions of Microsoft Windows, there are different levels of the operating systems, offering a multitude of options to accommodate your need for the computer. Whether you are the modest home user just browsing the interweb and sending emails, or a powerful business user pushing your computer to its number crunching edge, Windows has been able to accommodate you. Here before you lies the list of Microsoft Windows Vista options, in order from least feature filled, to most: Windows Vista Home Basic, Windows Vista Home Premium, Windows Vista Business, Windows Vista Enterprise, Windows Vista Ultimate. These were developed with different users in mind and as you go higher up the Vista chain, you get more and more features. It’s a sneaky way for Microsoft to create price tiers, without actually saying it.

  Picking out a version shouldn’t be too hard but it does get quite confusing with the plethora of options available between all of the different versions. More bells and whistles obviously means more money spent. Once one purchases their copy of Windows Vista, they then are faced with the daunting task of installing it. This is by no mean a walk in the park. During my trial test of installing Vista on my computer, it took me countless hours spread across a two week time span, crawling through all corners of the internet just to find a piece of software to make Vista see my hard drive. I couldn’t even get past the second step without running into a problem. This was frustration at the “ultimate” level, I somewhat wished my frustration could have been downgraded to business, but Microsoft is not fond of downgrades, only upgrades. Finally, like a diamond in the rough, a suitable driver was found from 1997. For some reason this software worked even though the newer, “Vista Certified” drivers didn’t.. On to the install!

  With Vista finally able to find my hard drive, I was then actually allowed to install Windows Vista Business onto the computer. From then on, only mediocre pain ensued. I got blasted into a dark desktop screen, with sleek looking black menus, taskbar and flashy bubbly looking menus. I soon found out that barely half of my computer’s hardware was actually functioning. No sound. No printer. No external hard drives were working. It is as if I bought a brand new car, but could only find one gallon of gas to drive it with. Troubleshooting this issue, I found out that my current and trusty anti-virus software didn’t work with Vista. I was then on the hunt for a version that would work, because as with any brand new version of an OS it is susceptible to viruses instantly.

  After several hours of searching, I was able to find a suitable anti-virus program that worked. I also tried to install other programs that I use on a daily basis, but only one of them was Vista compatible. The others didn’t even have a release version of the software that would work with Vista. During all of this, Vista kept bothering me, in the form of tossing a transparent black screen up prompting me with annoying questions, as if I was venturing to places in the computer I shouldn’t have been. Are you sure you want to do that? Is this what you meant to do? Do you know that this could cause an error? Don’t you know that this will make the system unsecure? The questions would not stop. Like an annoyingly indecisive friend. Over and over I was slowed down by Vista making sure all my moves were made apparent to me. This was quite aggravating. Dealing with a half working computer, and screens popping up warning me of what I already knew I was doing, I got fed up. I left the project for the night, not touching it again till the next day. I continued to use Windows Vista for a couple of days, and found it to be more of a hassle than an advantage. Sure, it looked fancy and did nice Mac like visual styles, but overall it was the most painful OS install and usage of my life. I would rather go back to Windows Millennium, and we all know how horrible of an OS that was. I won’t even go there.

  As with all Windows products, they regularly release updates that get applied to the software that fixes problems, adds features, and makes it more secure. With Windows XP, about one year after its launch, Microsoft released “Service Pack 1”. It was a collection of all the updates, and then some, that Microsoft released over the year. This was a massive update, and enhanced Windows XP greatly. In the case of Windows Vista, Microsoft has already released information that it will be releasing “Service Pack 1” shortly. There are versions of this service pack floating around the internet, and it should be released to the public soon. Quite sad when the latest OS needs a service pack so shortly after it’s fumbled and rush release to the public. Nonetheless, a few days after I installed Windows Vista, I wiped it clean, and installed a fresh copy of Windows XP Professional in under 45 minutes. Quite superior, for an aging Microsoft product reaching the end of its life cycle.

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