Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit English 1pk
by Microsoft Software
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Software Reviews of Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit English 1pk
Customer Review: Comparing 32bit to 64 bit Vista
Summary: 5 Stars
I first got the 32 bit Vista with a new computer for fear that the 64 bit Vista won't be compatible with old stuff. I used it about a year because sheer curiosity got me to get the 64 bit Vista too just to see what's different.
First thing I noticed, my favorite sidebar Gadget called Screen Snaper no longer works, even though it is written just for Vista. That's slightly disappointing, but I can live without it.
The benefit I notice is that the computer runs slightly faster and quite a bit better. That is, it doesn't freeze and crash as much. Like Internet Explorer used to freeze up quite a bit, but not now. Same with Snipping Tool which I use to write handwritten emails (I have a tablet PC). It used to freeze and crash occasionally so that my whole page is lost. Also, it had trouble erasing; took a while every time I erase, and the more I erased the longer I had to wait. Now it erases smoothly.
I was dismayed however, when I found out that I can't use the printer. My 2 year old Canon printer's driver plainly says, 32 bit only, thank you! And Canon's 64bit software "module" for my old printer I downloaded from their website doesn't do a thing. Then it occurred to me that I should download the 64 bit driver of a new Canon printer that looks like mine and try that. It works! Then I remapped the port to the network printer, so I can print via the desktop instead of plugging the printer to the Tablet all the time. So, everything is good!
So far, the following old programs of mine work:
1. Firefox (that's not old), and the flash and what not works too.
2. Corel word processing from 2004 (I like Corel better than Word. I do!)
3. Microsoft Street and Maps from 2002. (It's old, but it's cool.)
The 64 bit Vista is also cool in that you can keep a ton of programs open and it still runs without going slow. I have 3GB of ram, and even at running 10 big programs, including the sims game, only 50% of the ram is being used. So that's neat, although I can't say why anyway wants to run that many programs at once.
With both the 32 bit and 64 bit Vista, sometimes the volume button doesn't work. You click it to adjust the volume and nothing happens. You try to load the windows Mobility center and it loads in 10 minutes. I don't know if it my computer's fault or Windows fault. Everything works after a restart, though. For a while, anyway. Restarting Vista is very slow, much slower than XP.
But even then, I like Vista. I like the pretty transparency effects of Aero. I also like the fact that you can adjust power settings with one click, so most of the time I run my Tablet at 5% processor speed. I'm typing most of the time and don't need it to go faster. If I run it at normal speed, my Tablet gets burning hot (and probably will burn out in a year or so.) But whenever I need it to go fast, one click and I'm back to full power. That's one feature Vista has over XP, and for laptops that care about power consumption, it's very handy to have.
So, get the 64 bit Vista! Just be ready to work around its problems. It's tough to write something this big without problems. The benefits are worth it.
Customer Review: I wouldn't buy it again!
Summary: 1 Stars
Having been somewhat seduced by the corporate hype, I expected a lot better than what I got. the software doesn't read half my files....is slower on the internet than the previous OS. Trying to sort and move files around is a bloody nightmare on occaision....certainly not straightforward nor simple. It doesn't recognize certain photo or video formats. I don't really understand who this was configured for?? It's back to XPS for me.Customer Review: vista?
Summary: 2 Stars
I got Vista which was supposed to be compatible. If you are using Visual Studio, creating ASP.Net applications and connecting to Oracle databases you are out-of-luck. No solutions to that one.
Customer Review: Got a Palm? It won't sync
Summary: 2 Stars
I just got off the phone with Palm -- they have absolutely no products that will be compatible with this Microsoft 64 bit technology. No patches at all, either. So if you have a Palm -- watch out -- it will NOT work with this. Palm says Microsoft issue. You will not be able to use any Palm software at all. That means if you have a palm PDA, it will forever be stuck in the PDA and not go onto your computer at all, if you get this software.Customer Review: "Such-and-Such Program Has Stopped Working"
Summary: 2 Stars
...and that's all she wrote, folks.
Vista is the worst investment I ever made. I would gladly switch back to Windows XP at any time, but then my 8GB of Ram won't be detected and the computer definitely wouldn't run to it's full capacity. Perhaps that's the only appeal of Vista at this point...being able to run so much Ram that no one is actually going to need for another 4 years (and yes I'm guilty of it too). I have had nothing but problems with this OS since the day it was installed.
If you're looking to purchase the 64-bit Windows Vista package, make sure that you don't need your computer for anything important. I can get nothing to work on this computer at all. Everything you have probably heard about Vista's compatibility issues is true...virtually everything I've tried to use so far has not worked. This includes important peripherals and necessary programs. With my previous computer dying of old age and the tremendous deal on OEM parts on NewEgg, I figured Vista was definitely the way to go. I am so badly regretting that decision now. We use my wife's 5 year old Dell laptop as the primary computer now since my Vista desktop is basically only good for gaming and nothing else.
Here's a list of all the things that are thus far incompatible with Vista. This is all from first-hand experience:
- Dell Printers
- Limewire
- Olympus Digital Cameras
- Canon Digital Camera
- Various types of USB optical mouse
- Dell Jukebox MP3 Players
- I-Pods
- I-Tunes
- Digital Camcorders
- Roughly 80% of games created pre-2006 (that I've tried)
- Various Dell Scanners
- Various HP Printers and Scanners
- Various USB-related devices
- Various speaker systems
- And more every day
I had Vista professionally installed...I don't know what I'm doing when it comes to installations like that so I wanted to have it done by someone who knows what they are doing. When I gave the person the parts and Vista, I thought he was joking when he said "I'll see you again in about a month when you want to downgrade back to XP." If I had only known then what I know now. In one month of owning Vista i've had nothing but frustration and anger. The only thing it does well is run World of Warcraft, and my wife is thrilled at the amount of space we have for her Real Arcade games.
I probably sound like I'm just whining...well, I'm one of the many who have had nothing but problems with Vista. As badly as my old computer was running before it just died, it still was compatible with everything I owned. Since I "upgraded" to Vista 64 with my new computer, I haven't been able to print, scan, load pictures onto my computer, or do anything else that any home office NEEDS.
Don't be an idiot like me and get Vista because you want 8 gigs of ram, which you DO NOT NEED for any logical reason. XP 64 works just as good, and you won't have to deal with Vista's rampant issues. Just think of Vista as the Next "Windows 2000". Since the new Windows is launching in 2009, Vista is just another Microsoft stumbling block that's costing us too much money and wasted time. I'm glad I bought this trash product OEM and didn't pay full price. This is the worst OS I have ever used. Go with XP and stay away from Vista at all costs.