Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate UPGRADE [DVD] [OLD VERSION]
by Microsoft Software
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Software Reviews of Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate UPGRADE [DVD] [OLD VERSION]
Customer Review: DON'T BUY THIS PRODUCT!
Summary: 1 Stars
Do not -- under any circumstances -- buy Vista. I read all the reviews describing hellish upgrade experiences, and foolishly thought I was tech-savvy enough to avoid them. Two weeks later and I'm still fixing the seemingly endless list of compatability problems caused by this "upgrade". The on-line "tool" provided by Microsoft that supposedly tells you about potential conflicts merely skims the surface. It's only after the upgrade has been completed -- if you're lucky -- that you'll discover most versions of Flash Player aren't compatible with Vista, making web pages flicker and freeze. The literature for Norton Systemworks 2007 claims it's compatible, but it's not. Check the Norton web site and you're told to buy a different product. And so on.
The worst bit is that other than sleeker graphics, Vista offers little to make all this hassle worthwhile. It's no faster and no more stable than XP (though that may change if I ever manage to fix all the problems it causes). Its main advantage is supposedly more robust security, but from what I can see the only thing being protected is Microsoft. Just wait until an automatic update to non-Microsoft software makes the "Genuine Advantage" (pardon my laughter) function think your copy of Vista is illegal. You'll be completely blocked from using your computer, making it impossible to go on the net to figure out what to do next or send Microsoft a nasty e-mail.
Apple couldn't have created a better advertisement for the Mac.
Customer Review: Vista is NOT Slow and NOT Buggy - It's Just Reviewed By the Envious
Summary: 5 Stars
Microsoft has many enemies. That's what happens when you are #1 and many below you wish they could be at the top.
Vista is a solid product. It was not as solid the day it was released, but what is? It's now only been a few months and the updates that apply the moment you install or upgrade to Vista provide you with a smooth experience.
Is the interface different? Oh yea. Is it bad? Is it slow? No. It's fine. Vista runs only SLIGHTLY slower on an older PC with a Pentium III chip or older but why wouldn't you expect that? You can't get more features AND more power and expect a faster machine when your hardware is getting along in the years.
In addition, if you simply don't understand the nature of Vista, then you haven't yet read Greg Perry's "Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft Windows Vista All in One" (Amazon 978-0672328893) and frankly, this is hands-down the best way for a newcomer - even if you are or are not comfortable with XP - to master EVERYthing you REALLY need to know about Vista.
Software is not always obvious. That does not mean it's bad or difficult to use or requires a huge learning curve. Once you get Vista, beg or borrow or buy "Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft Windows Vista All in One" and you will be ready to become a MASTER at the product. I went through what YOU are going through and I know most Vista books and sites DO NOT give you what you need to make this product work well FOR YOU. This book does and I've read all the top-selling Vista books.
Now I don't care if you get "Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft Windows Vista All in One" or not, although you should, but you need to stop listening to the hype of those who have axes to grind with Microsoft. If you want to move FORWARD with your computer you need to have the juice needed which means a moderately recent PC and you need Vista.
The number one reason for getting Ultimate and not a lower Vista product is the BitLocker encryption technology and the ability to make a ghosted image of your disk drive that Vista can restore. If you've used Symantec's DriveImage or Ghost products then you know these alone can run you more than $50. It's thrown in with Vista Ultimate and you'll REALLY use these tools a lot.
Customer Review: Expensive for what it offers, but isn't as bad as its reputation.
Summary: 4 Stars
My system's specs:
AMD Athlon64 X2 4200+ CPU
2GB (DDR400, CAS latency 2.5)
300GB hard drive (three 40GB partitions for Windows and Linux OSes, 160GB for data)
Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS sound
2 DVD+RW/RL drives
BFG Nvidia 8800GTS video with 640MB RAM (recently upgraded from a 7900GS w/256MB card)
What I liked so far:
* Improved disk management subsystem
* More intuitive file copy interface (overwriting files w/duplicate of original, others...)
* Looks and feels more professional; the Mr. Rogers "My computer" and fischer price tinker toy interface was gag-inducing.
* Works with Kaspersky Internet Security
* Unreal tournament 2004, Doom3, and others work fine
* Most RAM reported in use is for file caching rather than being a hog on its own (I am looking to find ways to manually disable needless services)
* Activation of Vista (and Office) surprisingly a breeze (I dual boot with XP and Linux; I expected Vista to wreak havoc with everything, and it didn't.)
* The new resource monitor. Very fetching in its breakdown of system tasks.
* I can play a movie and it would be my desktop wallpaper. If I cared.
* Display animation is much smoother (as the Nvidia 7900GS chipset is given a high 5.8 rating, I suspect most video cards DX9 capable WILL work without hiccups.)
* DirectX 10
* The Sidebar.
What I need to verify:
* OS load times (Vista seems slightly faster)
* Application load times (no apparent change)
* Overall speed & fluidity (it seems the same)
I don't care for - the regrets, perhaps:
* Default settings: 600MB (of 2GB seen) is in use by the OS. A lot of it is due to file caching (appx 300MB worth)
* Once activated, I cannot switch between 32- and 64-bit versions. (so I've been told)
* The built-in defragmenter is way, way too slow - a real disappointment
* all the animated glowing neon stuff. It looks slick, but why?
* UAC seems redundant - a nice attempt to warn me if somebody tries to run a component behind my back, but once UAC is hacked, it becomes useless. It is superficially annoying, but being nagged for admin privs is no different in Linux and Max OS X.
* Activation. If I did swap the mobo or HD down the road; I may have re-activation problems. I know piracy is a problem, but the real pirates are not in America.
* The upgrade forcing me to have a qualifying OS already installed. Fortunately I have a legal copy of Win2000; so I sacrificed it. :(
* Sidebar 'gadgets' aren't many in number, but the number grows with each passing day. So expect some fluff to be found along with the gems.
Now, I want more control as to what gets cached. Vista actively caches more system and file data (as do Linux, Mac OS X, openbsd.org, et al), but for all the improvements I wish the Resource manager showed cached data in a different color when compared to program data - like how the other OSes show it.
Most video cards won't have problems with the Aero glass interface. Indeed, for my gripes on the needless glossy animation, I do have to say the UI itself is well organized, doesn't look like a rejected fischer price toy design anymore, and the patronizing "My computer" icons have been renamed to something professional at least. THANK YOU! Indeed, having used Mac OS X, Linux, WinXP, and Vista, I see no justification to the claims Microsoft stole from Apple. (any screenshots on the internet would prove how different both OSes look and feel, and given how OS X = openbsd.org (a free OS download), it's safer to say everybody borrows from everybody else, always did, always will do. There are better arguments.)
What bugs me most is the price - given how many features, including the much vaunted WinFS, were dropped, the MSRP prices are a tad high. I got Vista for clearance price from CompUSA shutting down. It was worth THAT price ($155).
Overall, I think it is a good upgrade, if not a tad high priced. I think service pack 1 will resolve most peoples' problems; I have nothing major to discredit Vista with. But in all fairness, I think some people are giving Vista bad reviews solely because it's Microsoft.
Customer Review: Problematic
Summary: 3 Stars
got Vista Ultimate on a brand-new HP media PC, main purpose is to use as tv dvr and surfing.
Ran into a few things that wouldnt work, like my USB scanner install failed, Nero7 not compatible, and cannot for the life of me get Youtube to work. It seems the flash install is somehow blocked by Vista's security.
The change to windows file explorer is pretty radical and it is very hard now to find stuff on the drives. If you are used to using windows explorer as the main way to start apps by clicking on their names, you might be confused for a few days as to how to get to them.
And now my Vista taskbar keeps flashing once a second onscreen in a very annoying way.
Otherwise the TV DVR setup went fine and I enjoy the aesthetics. The photo viewer is a very nice addition.
Customer Review: Window Vista Ultimate
Summary: 5 Stars
NOTICE, YOU NEED AT LEAST 2GB RAM NOT 1GB AND VISTA IT IS FOR YOU!!