Is your computer ready for Windows Vista? Do you care?

We are less than a week away from the consumer launch of Windows Vista...the next generation of Microsoft's operating system that runs on 95% of the world's computer.

Do you need the upgrade? The short answer is "NO".

Will you have a choice if you buy a new computer? No, unless you choose to buy an Apple computer.

Is the new Windows Vista that much better than Windows XP? No. In fact there are very few new features in Windows Vista. The only feature that has been added that has some value is the Instant Search built in to the operating system. This allows you to search for documents or programs from almost any screen on your computer. Interesting fact, however, is that this is possible now with tools like Google Desktop Search, Yahoo Desktop Search, and Microsoft's own Live Search for Windows XP. Other than that, much of Windows Vista is more aesthetics and visual fluff than actual usability and productivity.

Is Windows Vista faster than Windows XP? Again, the short answer is "No". Because Vista is so much bigger in physical size than XP, it takes much more computer horse power to run it than XP. Tests conducted by computer labs have documented that Windows Vista is anywhere from 10% to 30% slower than XP doing the same tasks.

If you are still interested in upgrading to Windows Vista on your current computer, download and use the Microsoft Windows Vista Advisor (this program will ONLY run on a Windows XP machine). After you download it, you need to double-click the downloaded file to install the program, then double-click on the desktop icon that the install creates. After a short time, you will get a personalized report telling you what version of Vista might work on your computer. The advisor will also give you a summary of what hardware, software and peripherals will work and which won't on your computer. (see the summary of my laptop illustrated at the end of this tip.

Note that any computer built prior to 2002 has no where near the power to even consider a Vista upgrade. 

I've been testing Windows Vista for more than four months and have seen very little to get excited about with this upgrade. In fact, if you have a Windows XP computer that you have purchased in the last four years, I think you can use that same computer for at least another two to four years. Instead of putting out the cash to upgrade to a new computer, give your computer new oomph by spending just a little money on a RAM (memory) upgrade. 

Call us on any Saturday and ask us your Vista questions or questions on how to get the most out of your Windows XP computer.

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