Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 26-30 of 104
 Convinced us to go 100% Apple April 15, 2008
Julie Neal (Sanibel Island, Fla.)
3 out of 6 found this review helpful
My husband and I started our business back in 1985, shortly after the first Apple Macintosh came on the scene. Right away people told us the IBM PC Jr. was better. Today I don't know if anyone remembers the PC Jr., but of course we're still using Macs. Every few years we try out a PC, but each time it just ends up sitting in a corner. With this new Windows Vista system, I think we are to that point again.
It's not that it was that hard to install, but I'm just tired of bothering with it. There are so many versions of Vista, and no matter which one we try it doesn't seem to be much of an improvement over XP. It hogs up tons of memory, requires lots of software upgrading and no matter what we do we always seem to be missing a driver.
And everything, frankly, pales to the Mac world (just my opinion here, I'm not trying to convert anybody), at least in all the fields we use a computer for (writing, photography, publishing, bookkeeping, database management, video, music and our daughter's school work).
Maybe it's just that we are so used to a Mac, but every time we decide to try a PC as a side computer, we just get confused, get frustrated and give up.
With a business to run and a daughter headed to high school, we just don't have the time anymore.
If you're happy with the PC world and starting from scratch with a brand-new machine, Vista probably offers a lot. But not for me.
 Runs Flawlessly... on a Mac Pro! April 18, 2008
Krishna M. Sadasivam (Tampa, FL USA)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
I've read the reviews, trade articles, and press on Vista. I was fully expecting the worst when I received the Ultimate edition for review. But, on my Mac Pro (2008 model), Vista has been running flawlessly. Out of the box, the installation took 25 minutes, in addition to prepping the drive via Apple's Boot Camp software. I've lived with the OS for about 30 days before writing this review.
Every device I connected was instantly recognized - my Canon digital camera, my Canon 4400F scanner, and even my Brother 2070N laser printer. I've installed Maya Unlimited as well, and it seems to launch and work fine without any issues.
The user authentication issues doesn't bother me that much - and isn't as annoying as others seem to indicate. My recommendation is to run as a User, not Admin - for security purposes.
Aero is a bit distracting, but thankfully I can revert back to the classic Windows look (and free up the GPU for more important tasks).
Don't let the hype fool you. Vista is not difficult to use - in fact, I much prefer it over Windows XP.
Perhaps running it on a Mac has something to do with it?
It has some perks over regular Vista, but Ubuntu is still better May 15, 2008
Mad Max (Seattle, WA USA)
3 out of 6 found this review helpful
Let me begin by saying we've recently upgraded our computers, and in the process tried Vista Home Premium w/ SP1 ($200), Vista Ultimate w/ SP1 ($300), Ubuntu, tried installing Mac OSX Leopard on our PCs ($129), and Ubuntu (free).
I must admit we were impressed with the look, feel, and some of the features of Vista Ultimate, but our bottom line is that it had way too many glitches, it was way too expensive, the rights management is absolutely ridiculous, it's way too bulky and clunky, and the free version of Ubuntu is a much better operating system. I've also posted a product review for Windows Vista Home Premium with SP1, and I'll be repeating myself on several issues. So let me begin by commenting on the features unique to Vista Ultimate:
From my experience, the biggest perks for the Ultimate version are the "Meeting Space" features (for collaboration & sharing documents), XBox compatibility (which doesn't matter for us), backup features which are pretty helpful, hardware failure protection (which doesn't really matter since you are not allowed to reinstall Vista more than once), remote desktop accessibility, and business networking features. Some of these are pretty good features, but nothing here really impresses us deeply. Most of these things can be downloaded as individual programs or plug-ins ...they are nice features to have in an operating system, but it in no way warrants putting up with all the other bugs and glitches in Vista, nor does it warrant the price.
Even though this version comes with a service pack, it still seems like a beta product. It really does take a lot of time to figure out how to install it, how to migrate your programs and information to Vista (I've read some nightmare stories about trying to uninstall it, too), and how to use it. I really don't see how Windows can compete with Ubuntu, which is free! Overall I would strongly suggest either 1.) keeping your previous version of Windows (I'm using XP on one machine, and NT or 2000 on our other machines, which remains the lightest, most functional version of Windows); 2.) installing Ubuntu instead; or 3.) getting a Mac.
The new Internet Explorer 7 is a clear benefit over previous versions. It has much better security (though still not as good as Mozilla Firefox or Mac browsers), and it has more functionality. But you don't need to buy Vista to get it - you can upgrade free online.
Also, it has some new gadgets & wizards which are useful, such as transparent layering windows and 3D layout (Aero), tablet interface, and others. But this is not enough to impress me - either these things are available already through Ubuntu or Mac OS, or these are things you can download with your other peripherals/accessories (such as the tablet interface).
But I quickly run out of nice things to say about Vista. The DRM precautions (digital rights management) are ridiculous - there are way too many issues to mention here, so you'll have to google it to get the full story. My biggest problem with the "rights management", perhaps, is that you cannot reinstall this more than once... even with the disc! Yes, that means if you have a bad install, then you only get one more shot at installing it. That also means if you have to migrate to a new PC or
hard drive, you are out of luck! This is a ripoff - absolute nonsense, and I would recommend against this OS for this reason alone.
My second biggest problem is that this is a huge, clunky OS which takes an enormous amount of disk space. I have a pretty nice system at home, but its a couple years old and Vista slows me down to a snail's pace. It's ironic, because when we decided to install Ubuntu instead of upgrading our systems (keeping the old hardware), everything ran twice as fast. Microsoft simply doesn't get it. They seem to be adding a whole bunch of features and new stuff instead of making the OS lighter, more efficient, &/or easier to use.
The power management feature does not seem to work. The operating system is constantly scanning your computer, so the features contradict themselves, making it a rather inefficient operating system for desktops or laptops. This can take a toll both on the environment and on your electric bill.
The security features in Vista seem too little, too late. Yes, these features might help, but they pop up for the dumbest reasons (i.e., plugging in a USB drive or an external hard drive - is it warning me that my drive has a virus on it?, or that my drive *may* have a virus on it?, or that someone may be stealing my files? It's not clear). Also, as I said earlier, the new IE7 (bundled here) has clear advantages to the previous versions, but if security is a concern (as it should be - studies show that 90% of computers in the US have some sort of malware or virus on it), then get a Mac or upgrade to Ubuntu instead.
Vista, for the first time in Windows, introduced a recording tools program (again, better versions come standard in Ubuntu or Mac), and upgraded their windows media player - and again, made it clunkier instead of lighter. Media player, by the way, remains a huge security risk.
In terms of drivers, I couldn't get either of my printers to work with Vista (Dell Color Laser, and an old ALPS micro dry printer). These took me a LOT of time to set up in XP, and frankly, I gave up trying to get them to work with Vista. The legacy of "plug and pray" continues with Vista.
There is a lot more I could say about Vista, but I should probably "bottom line" it for you ... who should get Vista? This does have some nice business & conferencing features not available in Ubuntu or Mac OS. So if these are really important to you, then maybe you should check it out...though I would definitely suggest trying to find individual programs to meet your needs instead of switching to a whole new operating system just for these features. If you do get it, expect to fork out another $300 next time your computer crashes (I cannot warn you enough about what a cost and inconvenience this will be for users), and expect to spend a LOT of time tinkering (something I suspect a lot of business users don't have time for).
This OS Rocks your world! July 9, 2008
Ericson Mar (Woodside, NY United States)
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
I installed the 64-bit version. It's great because it recognizes all the 4GB I have (vs. those people that only got like 3.2GB or so in 32-bit). 64-bit lets you upgrade > 4GB TOTAL RAM (system RAM + graphics card + other devices). It's pretty cool because Vista SuperFetch uses all the extraneous RAM as disc-cache and it makes my system really fast. Like as I used my computer, it learns what programs and files I use so it just gets faster to load them because it pre-copies them to RAM and launches them from RAM instead of the HD. That's such an awesome technology unique to Vista!
It also defaults the turn-off to "S3 sleep" instead of shutting down so when I turn the computer on, it takes like 5 seconds to come on and I'm back to exactly where I was. I read it only uses like 2 Watts in that state so it's pretty practical. And it doesn't have to re-cache everything to my extra RAM...unlike rebooting the computer. I'm thinking about going 8GB to make it even better now since RAM is dirt cheap!
The instant search is pretty useful and fast since it indexes everything you want to be able to search in. I'm getting used to "googling" (so to speak) my apps and files instead of going through menu trees like usual. You can even choose what to index and not index so it reduces the extraneous information.
I only had a few problems with old apps. I easily found newer versions or substitutes. For some old games, I got them all to work by some internet searching. It's amazing that people found solutions to run games that shouldn't work. With either some adjustments, or replacement 64-bit files, etc they worked! Hey, I guess some people can't live without their favorite game to figure all this out! :)
The voice recognition feature is pretty cool. It takes an hour or so to go through the tutorial and maybe some more time to remember all the commands but it's actually pretty decent. Controlling the computer is a bit clumsy since you can do it faster with a mouse, but I guess if you have your hands tied... But when you get it recognize most of your voice it can be faster than typing a document or email and it's pretty accurate too.
The new task manager called "Reliability and Performance Monitor" rocks. It shows so much more stuff that the XP one.
Direct 3D 10 is pretty nice. It makes a lot of graphics effects possible and looks a whole lot better.
One disappointing is the Vista Ultimate Extras. They never really come out with anything new for a long time. And when they do it's pretty useless, unless you like to play those little games they have. But I guess it's a matter of preference. I suppose the main feature is the drive encryption if you have a laptop with secrets and stuff.
Overall, I'd have to say that this OS makes me never want to use XP ever again...much more than XP made me not want to use 2000. If you are building a new system with new certified components, get this OS in 64-bit! You might not think so now, but as RAM gets cheaper and cheaper...and new powerful apps come out (esp. 64-bit)...you will find yourself upgrading your RAM. I suspect that I will have 16 GB of RAM before moving to Windows 7! ;)
Defective bloatware. March 26, 2008
T. Bux (Barnesville, PA United States)
2 out of 7 found this review helpful
This product would be great if you bought a new computer or very recently purchased computer already had Vista home basic installed. But as far as upgrading a computer from Windows XP, I would stick with XP.
The installation runs somewhat smoothly, the Vista upgrade advisor said all was well and I proceeded.
I really didn't have any problems with installing the operating system, I had problems when it came time to run the program. Despite my laptop saying Built for XP and the update advisor saying that the update would be ok, I found the computer ran painfully slow. Boot time was almost doubled and the time it took to load simple programs also greatly increased.
Windows XP had a lot of changes under the hood from previous versions of Windows NT, with minor cosmetic changes that added to the experience. Vista seems to make many changes under the hood with cosmetic changes that detract from the experience. Many features have been moved and are more difficult to find. The constant nag screen asking permission for actions gets old rather quickly.
I do like the Windows sidebar with gadgets and improved search are great ideas I'd love to see included in newer versions of Windows. These features are already refined and have been available in OS for some time now.
Overall, I think Windows VIsta shows some promise. Some. XP had some bugs when it was first unveiled. Those were minor in comparison to Vista, even after the first service pack.
The graphics are nice, though they slow your system down, gadgets and instant search are great. I would wait for a service pack 2 before I even think of buying this to upgrade your system.
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