Windows Vista
The retail boxes of Windows Vista and Office 2007.
Windows Vista was released on January 30, 2007. Windows Vista is the upgrade edition from Windows XP.
Windows Vista is based on the NT6.0 kernel, build 6000. Windows Vista was the new version of Windows 6 years after Windows XP.
Windows Vista is based on the NT6.0 kernel, build 6000. Windows Vista was the new version of Windows 6 years after Windows XP.
Development / History
Windows Vista development started in May 2001, months before the Windows XP release. The codename for Windows Vista was Longhorn. The developers for Longhorn took features from Blackcomb (codename for Windows 7), but in 2004, Microsoft stopped them and said that they are going to Applications for a initial release of an OS. Longhorn was supposed to be released in 2004 (3 years is the typical release schedule), but major viruses came up and thus delayed Vista several times to 2007, 3 years later.
Windows Vista Ultimate. (C) 2007.
The Review
My opinion of Windows Vista is, its new, and includes new things here and there. There is many people that dislike Windows Vista, and I have no reason why. It works great for what I do, and then there's enhancements that improve my daily lifestyle. Everything I did could have worked with Windows XP, but I wanted to use Vista to get off XP for a bit. All my computers ran Vista fine, so thats what I used on all of them, but just in case, I had a XP computer laying around.
Features
Whats so new about Vista that isn't in XP? Well, the first thing you notice off the bat is the new GUI (graphical user interface). It uses a new approach with glassy themes. One thing I do dislike about it, is the 128MB grpahics requirement. This leaves my late-2005/early-2006 Dell Latitude D600/XPS m140 out for aero. But besides that limitation, I think it looks great! Another new thing is the screensavers. There are some new-modern screensavers that look cool. I like the fact that they included a "Windows Logo" screensaver, like Windows XP. Windows 7 still said goodbye to it. O'well. Next up is the sidebar. The sidebar is cool because I could get a quick glance at my CPU and RAM, along with the weather for the day. But, the sidebar was shunned and doesn't include very many sidebar apps. Another great feature is the new games. I would waste time in Mahjong Titans or Inkball. Pinball isn't with Vista, just like 7. Among those new features, there is great multimedia apps, like Media Center, DVD maker, Windows Photo Gallery, Windows Media Player 11, and many, many other multimedia items! On the downside, Windows Vista includes UAC (user account control), which can be very annoying at times. Windows 7 greatly improved this.
Windows Vista GUI.
Windows Vista screensaver.
Some Windows Vista games.
What does Vista run well on?
Our virtual machine tests we were using 4GB RAM and 2 cores out of a AMD Phenom II 1090T BE 6-core. So, Vista ran optimally. I have ran Vista on a 800MHz Intel Pentium III, and it ran great! And with 512MB of ram, I saw no problems! If you want to do some video editing, or anything from Adobe, we recommend a Core 2 Duo with 2GB of ram. That should get you on your merry way!
System Requirements
1GHz Intel Pentium 4 or AMD Athon XP
1GB DDR RAM (2GB for x64)
20GB Free HDD Space
DirectX 9 with WWDM 128MB for Aero
Keyboard/Mouse
Internet Connection (Optimal)
1GB DDR RAM (2GB for x64)
20GB Free HDD Space
DirectX 9 with WWDM 128MB for Aero
Keyboard/Mouse
Internet Connection (Optimal)
The Summary
Windows Vista is great if you want a little upgrade over Windows XP. Windows XP is still good today, and could do everything that I needed to. Vista just includes a few more things here and there and overall, it does enhance my productivity with everything that I need to do. Some users claim that Windows Vista is bad, but I see no problem with it. Windows Vista does require some horsepower! If you have a PC with a 2GHz Pentium 4 and 1GB of RAM, I would stick to XP. But if you want new features and a new GUI, Windows Vista is definitely up and ready to that task!
Prices & How to Buy
Windows Vista does come with a cost! This was another downside to users when purchasing. Windows Vista Basic had an upgrade price of $120. Thats the same now as a Windows 7 Home Premium upgrade from Vista! Home Premium for Vista was $150 at launch. Business and Ultimate were still really pricey.
Buy Windows Vista
Click on the images below to buy Windows Vista, your software for 2007-2009!
Buy Vista on ebay!
Buy Vista on Amazon!
Review Info:
DyNiForm
12/22/2011 2:01AM PST
DyNiForm
12/22/2011 2:01AM PST
