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37 out of 40 people found this review helpful
3.0 stars
"Not Ready For Prime-Time"
Pros: Nice visual improvements. Reminds me a lot of a Mac.
Cons: Many programs won't work. Amazing lack of drivers.
Summary: I have the business version of Vista and have been running it for about a month now. I did a clean install just to make sure there were no remnants of XP. Installation was very smooth and took about 40 minutes.
First the good: I really like Aero and the other visual changes. The desktop is much sharper and I assume that's because it takes advantage of my video card's capabilities (I have a GeForce 6800GT). I received a 3.2 rating on my AMD Athlon 2400+ system with 1GB RAM, so that's not too bad. Even though there's more running it seems to be smoother. The sidebar is pretty nice and unobtrusive. Vista will keep a list of any problems it encounters and will search for solutions on the web. Nice touch.
Unfortunately, at this time, I think the bad outweighs the good. Several programs that I have installed no longer work on Vista. Nero is one of them and that makes creating CD's/DVD's much more difficult. Vista does have burning software, but it's so basic that it's practically worthless. The "new" Windows Explorer is nice, but it seems a direct copy of the Mac.
The worst problem is drivers. It took me hours to get the right combination of drivers to get my scanner working again. I'm pretty upset that my HP 5150 printer software no longer works. The driver works fine, but the software that allows me to clean the inkjets fails so now I have horrible looking printouts. You'd think with all the time Vista has been in development that this wouldn't be an issue. My Logitech mouse driver doesn't install and, believe it or not, it didn't even install the software for my Microsoft keyboard. I had to search Microsoft to find it.
Another weirdness is the Games component. At first I was pretty impressed that it scanned my system and not only put in the games I had installed (which, btw, do work fine so far), but changed the icon to match the game box and had the manufacturer info on it. The weird thing is that it only seemed to do that the very first time I scanned. I've installed 2 new games since and can't get them to show up like the others.
Overall, I do like the OS, but I don't think it's ready for the general public yet. Like XP before it, I think it would be worth waiting until all the kinks are worked out of it. I'm very very surprised that, given all the testing, Vista is just as bad off as XP was when it was first released. I've been a loyal MS user for years, so it's not easy for me to admit that they missed the mark this time.
- 6 replies to this review
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I've used Microsoft from Windows 95. Vista-any version-reminds me of ME which was just a stopgap until the next version was ready. Like you, I found that I had to change/upgrade hardware and software,making Vista the most expensive Windows yet. I'd advise anybody thinking of an upgrade from XP to think twice. Maybe 'Vienna' will be better. Vista should be avoided at all costs-pardon the pun.
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I am using a new notebook computer with Windows Vista Business pre-installed. I am also having all kinds of problems in reloading old programs that worked fine with XP Home Edition. Each time the suggested help note is that I must contact the software publisher to make their program work with Vista. And the software publishers want me to buy their upgraded version at much higher price. It seems only logical solution is to uninstall Vista and put the XP back on.
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Should have checked the system out better before trying it. They warned of problems with older units.
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Vista is prime time ready period. It is not Microsofts responsibility to make you HP printer drivers to work properly. It is HP responsibility and HP responsibility only. It is not Microsofts responsibility there are no drivers for your mouse. It is Logitechs only. Microsoft has published detailed info on how to make drivers and software compatible with Vista. They had the beta and release candidates out for a long time plenty of time for non Microsoft I repeat non Microsoft companies to get their stuff right. Microsoft has done everything they possibly can do to help other companies make their products compatible. So if HP sits on their rear with drivers for your printer it is HP fault not Microsofts. Learn to blame the right people.
As far as Nero. They have a free update that makes Nero 110% compatible with Vista. -
Very nice, balanced review. It is refreshing to read a review that is so thoughtful and objective.
Thanks,
Miguel Angel -
"Unfortunately, at this time, I think the bad outweighs the good. Several programs that I have installed no longer work on Vista. Nero is one of them and that makes creating CD's/DVD's much more difficult. Vista does have burning software, but it's so basic that it's practically worthless. The "new" Windows Explorer is nice, but it seems a direct copy of the Mac.
The worst problem is drivers. It took me hours to get the right combination of drivers to get my scanner working again. I'm pretty upset that my HP 5150 printer software no longer works. The driver works fine, but the software that allows me to clean the inkjets fails so now I have horrible looking printouts. You'd think with all the time Vista has been in development that this wouldn't be an issue. My Logitech mouse driver doesn't install and, believe it or not, it didn't even install the software for my Microsoft keyboard. I had to search Microsoft to find it."
You gotta remember that the nero version you had installed is a win xp version, not 7.7.5.1 which is vista compatable.
now the drivers thing, you cant blame MS for the drivers issue because they dont make the drivers for 3rd party components. its logitech and hp fault there is no proper driver. it took me 6 months to get proper drivers to work w the pc i had @ the time when i got XP.
Where to buy
Windows Vista Ultimate:
$187.96 - $339.00
| store | price | in stock? | rating |
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$219.87 | Yes |
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$187.96 | Yes |
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ComputerSoftwarePlus.com
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