Windows Vista Ultimate with SP1

You cannot beat the market dictatorship run by Intel together with Microsoft. AMD has created a much better processor than Intel and introduced it faster into the market, but the AMD Turion X2 64bit is not 100% supported by Microsoft. When I tried to install the Windows Vista 64bit, after 70% done the installation failed and when I tried the Windows Vista 32bit, it failed after 96%. 96% supported does not make it work. So I had to throw away my AMD-based laptop and had to buy an Intel-based laptop instead. I figured out my fight is doomed and I had lost enough money and time already resisting the Wintel monopoly. Very sad.
The money I spent on Vista, wasted as well. HP warns about Windows XP not actually running on the AMD processores unless using HP fixes, but I needed to upgrade to Vista. So do not buy HP with AMD processors if you want to use them more than a year.

Alas many service packs later and bugs ironed out, Microsoft moves on to another money-maker as Windows XP was finally becoming a very reliable operating system. Vista does have many nice new features, especially designed for the net administrator wannabe or average Joe who wants to try to setup a mini network in his basement. I am by no means an expert on the subject, as I am the type of person who knows computers just enough to be dangerous. That said, I do have some thoughts on this operating system I hope will be helpful.

First off, I see Vista as XP with some bling. Unfortunately there's a price. Its called compatibility. Be careful if you are a PC gamer and wish to still play your older games (this meaning a game from a year ago or more), or have your video graphics card perform exactly as it did before, etc. I still can't get games (First person shooters) to work quite as smoothly since my upgrade, regardless of having the latest graphics driver, etc. I've even heard that some people can't get their printers to work yet when it comes to hardware plug-and-play I've been quite fortunate with Vista and have had no issues. Some suggest to create a dual-boot machine where you can use XP for some programs and Vista for another, but I think most people aren't familiar with how to do that or should even have to go through the trouble. So apart from incompatibility issues if you are upgrading an existing system or using older software, we can now move on to the bling. As far as a visual interface for daily Windows activity be it internet browsing, exploring your files, using media, etc. Vista is beautiful. However, it turns out you can download the look of Vista on an XP operating system if you want. So why should you buy Windows Vista and why do I give it 4 stars? Well, no matter how happy you may have been with, say, Windows 98... you don't really have a CHOICE when it comes to Microsoft operating systems should you continue to use the internet or buy new software, unless you are going to go Linux or some other OS. So to be up and current with the world is not a bad thing for sure when it comes to your operating system. Plus you'll have the latest protection with Vista's security, despite whatever anti-virus software you get. Another reason I give Vista 4 stars is I haven't had any real issues be it crashing or anything, so far it has been quite stable. If you have XP and are happy with it, I think you could stick around for the next OS release, as I hear it's coming much sooner than the long gap we had while XP dominated the market. If you want a simple way to have a slick look for your day-to-day tasks, "the latest thing" then go for Vista.

Vista is leaps and bounds over XP. From its increased security, faster start-up times and faster intall times.

I have been dealing with it since Beta 1 and have had zero issues. My machine is used for everything from gaming to development to multi-media. Vista performs as well as, or in some cases better than XP.

I generally recommend that people upgrade to Vista.

With any product, there are of course some downfalls. Some of Vista's include:

Increased resources - although this doesn't come as surprise, as every version has demanded more, I think Vista's resources came as a bit of a shock. It generally runs well, even on slightly low end hardware, I do not recommend anything less than 1GB of RAM, preferably 2GB. You will need a decent size hard drive as well. If you have a low end processor, you will want to stick with XP.

Price - the price is insanely more money than any previous version of Windows. In this, MS seems to be keeping with the trend, as every new piece of hardware and software this generation has almost doubled in price.

In closing, don't believe all those negative ads on TV or internet forums. Vista is truly the best OS to come out of Redmond yet. Go and try it for yourself.

I was unable to complete installation due to inadequate room on my hard drive. The only reason I'm giving it such a high review is that it has been well received by other people I know who have been able to install theirs, and I will continue to hold onto it until I get an upgrade on my own pc.

There are many pros and cons to Microsoft Vista. If you are buying a new computer, then Vista is a good option. The computer manufacturer will have installed Vista, with all of the correct drivers. The modern computer will also likely be fast enough to run Vista. However, if you are looking at buying this product, then you are likely installing Vista on an existing computer.

I installed Vista on a Dell with Intel hyper threading. This computer now runs about 80% as fast as it did before. I needed to perform screen shots with Microsoft's latest, so this was a good upgrade for me. However, for most computers, that are already running just fine, I do not see why Vista really adds that is worth the performance sacrifice that it will likely exact from older hardware.

Vista does have many features beyond what XP provides. The screens are much cleaner and visually appealing. Security is improved. Though you will frequently get security pop-up's asking if its okay to do something. The improvements to Vista, for the vast majority of users, are mostly cosmetic. It may not be worth the hassle of finding drivers and slowing down your computer just to run Vista.