Is Vista really that bad?

Vista wasn’t very good at launch. It still isn’t particularly good.

So what’s going on and what can you do about it?

Last year we wrote an article about the shiny and new Windows Vista. It had just been launched after $10billion Microsoft dollars had been spent developing it (Plus who knows how much on the launch, but hey, it’s like Monopoly money to Bill). It looked so pretty, just like Apple’s MAC OSX which was a pure coincidence I’m sure. We were all sucked in.

Now before this turns into too much of a rant I must say that all operating systems are rubbish when they first appear. It is down to all of us to test in the real world before they can iron out the rough spots. That takes time and is fair enough. However, 18 months later and a full service pack (bunch of software updates to make it more reliable and secure) and the experience is not far off what it was when it first appeared.

I won’t go into full details as I don’t think you want/need to hear them but suffice to say; it is not quicker, it doesn’t give us anything of real value that XP doesn’t (Is very pretty though), it is not necessarily more secure AND it demands 3 times the space, lots of memory & the latest hardware to run anywhere near smoothly.

Remind me why I upgraded again? Oh yes, I have to as I work in IT. We need to understand the nooks and crannies so we can give you valuable advice, BUT I would argue that you don’t. I imagine most people want their PC to ‘just work’.

Is Apple MAC OSX any better?

It’s not the panacea we would all like and if you want seamless connectivity with 98% of the rest of the business community then no, it is not any better.

What about Linux? Or any other flavours?

Same answer as above. Windoze is our only ‘easy’ option for the now.

We recommend that if you want your computer to ‘just’ work, stay with Windows XP and let’s see if Windows 7 (Vista’s successor) is any better.

However……Here are some simple Top Tips should you do want to try Vista…

1. Buy powerful hardware with decent graphics capability

2. Install at least 2gb RAM (4gb better)

3. Learn how to use System Restore & Backup regularly!