Vista Good for me??

India
June 22, 2007 3:21pm CST
hi all, i am using windows xp sp2 .....from the time of its release ....i am planning for a upgrade....should i buy the vista or stick on with xp or wait for some time make some more money and go for an apple laptop??so i can use mac !!!! please suggest...?? i want some opinions about these operating system(windows vista) as of 1.security 2.usability 3.resource hog....any ways to minimize.... thanks
1 person likes this
7 responses
@darkness01 (1300)
22 Jun 07
I will keep this to the point and answer the three questions you provided: 1. Security wise Vista is not great at the moment. I would never use a new operating system for my home pc until its about one year old, this gives the company time to patch it of its biggest errors and bugs. 2. Usability wise i would go for a Mac of a Windows operating system because in my experience its easier to use software and programs created for the mac than windows but this is just my personal experience. However, you need to take into consideration that there is a lot more software available for windows operating systems than Mac. 3. Vista has a very high minimum system requirement specification and this is mainly down to the fancy graphics, which are not very good anyway. To reduce the load put on your pc when using vista just try and keep to one task at a time and not have several applications running at once because this will slow down your pc and its operating speed. Maybe if you let me know what pc spec you have i can tell you whether you will have problems or not.
1 person likes this
@santuccie (3384)
• United States
22 Jun 07
After a great response from darkness01, I choose not to add one of my own. I would just like to add a couple things: Because of Vista's content protection, it may never support Blu Ray or HD DVD. I don't have either of these yet myself, but I intend to, and would like my system to support them when I do. Also, I like to go by the philosophy, "If it's not broke, don't fix it!" XP is quite good enough IMO.
22 Jun 07
Thankyou for your comments Santuccie. I absolutely agree with you that if its not broke dont fix it and thats why i have no intention of using vista for at least a few years if at all, it offers nothing i dont have with Xp.
• India
23 Jun 07
oh Sorry i forgot to mention the system config....its a Intel Core 2 Duo e6300 2GB 667 DDR RAM , Intel 965RY Mother board and 7300GT Graphics Card is that enough information ....i just want to escape from windows xp hangs and stucks....thats also a reason why i desperately what to quit win xp....i saw on my friends system that when he was working with the open window of his D drive ....suddenly it freezed ...i thought like in xp we should have to wait...but i was taken aback...just like a linux os it was very responsive , when he hit the close button he was presented with a menu asking him what to do .....The windows is not responding .....wait till the process responds....immediately terminate....etc..etc....wow...that changed my mind.....a lot.....
@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
22 Jun 07
I'm not a fan of Vista, but I'll be like that first guy and try to stick to answering your questions. 1. It is the most secure version of Windows. The security however, cuts both ways. You have to constantly approve everything you tell the computer to do including simple things like Disk Cleanup or even editing photos sometimes. 2. If by usability you mean user-friendly, I'd say it's about as user-friendly as Windows XP. There are some changes, but nothing more extreme than the changes from Windows 98 to Windows 2000. If by usability you mean "Can it do everything I want it to?", then I'd say no. There is still limited hardware and software compatibility. I've found that I can tweak it to make most softwares work, but if there aren't Vista drivers for your hardware, you're out of luck. 3. It is the biggest resource hog in the known universe. Windows XP uses around 192MB of RAM while idling with no programs open. 256MB is enough to surf the web without major slowdowns, 512MB is enough to do almost anything without slowdowns, 1GB is enough to do even the heaviest gaming with little to no problems. Windows Vista uses around 725MB of RAM while idling with no programs open. You need at least 1GB even if the only thing you do is surf the web. For gaming and such you'd best have at least 2GB.
1 person likes this
@santuccie (3384)
• United States
22 Jun 07
Another good response! And yes, Vista is more secure out of the box than XP, though still not as secure as Mac or Linux (UNIX), much less OpenBSD, considered the safest of them all. But one advantage XP has over everyone else is that there is soooo much third-party security software available, even for free, that you can actually make it even tougher. Using a NIPS (Network Intrusion Prevention Systems) firewall like Sunbelt or BlackICE (or even the free version of Sunbelt), you can block virtually any attack from the Internet at the network level, before the malicious code has the chance to compile in memory and try to execute. I could write a whole article about the pros and cons of various antivirus and antispyware products, but just to get to my point, all one needs is an ordinary, SPI (Stateful Packet Inspection) firewall to keep hackers from accessing your files, a freebie like Arovax Shield to block changes to browser and system settings, and advanced file security permissions (accessible from Safe Mode) to lock the core in system32 to read-only. Using these three tricks, I get perfect scores across the board in PC Security Test 2006 ( http://www.mylot.com/w/image/1488078.aspx ). I leave the OUGO autobrowser running all night, every night while I'm in bed, then clean up my temp files each morning and continue like nothing ever happened. Ever hear of an invincible Windows PC? Now you have. ;) Salute!
• Philippines
27 Jun 07
yet window vista is became the next level of operating system that will arrived. but for me i'm not recommended this any one because theres a need of requirements before you install vista in you pc. think you should have. at least 3 ghz processor with 1 gig memory and 256 mb graphic card in order to run this kind of operating system.
• Philippines
22 Jun 07
for me stay in win xp if your system fast i think vista large in space of harddisk and memory thats my own opinion
@Sherifm (27)
• Egypt
28 Jun 07
Personally, i am now using windows xp pro sp2, uninstalled windows vista ultimate. look i recommend that you shoudl not buy windows vista, its not worth that much, still compatibility problems, you will need to run severe hardware upgrade for the computer to run windows vista fluently. My brother owns and Apple iMac, and i use it alot. 1. Security: Windows XP/Vista require additional programs to help increase security and they fail every once in a while. in a iMAC on the same network, spams and trojans was forced onto the computer through various websites, NOTHING EFFECTED THE MAC. 2. Usability: usage of vista abit weird, and hard to get used to. using the iMAC, it took abit of time to get used to it but very easy and obvious to use. 3. Resource Hog: PC uses alot of memory for startup programs which keeps slowing down the computer most of the time. iMAC- boots in less than 30 secs up and running with everything open. Look i might sound bias towards the Apple iMAC, but actually i was one of those people who were totally against them. After i used one, i fight alot with my brother so i can use the iMAC. P.S. don't believe the vista upgrade advisor. I recommend that you wait and reward yourself with an Apple Comp. very fluent. You won't regret it. Good Luck.
@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
3 Jul 07
I'm not going to get all anti-Mac on you, but you can't promote Macs while complaining about Vista's compatibility issues. Macs still have limited hardware capabilities and can only run software designed specifically for Mac. Mac equivalents of most PC software cost more money. I bought an old G3 blue and white Mac a couple weeks ago for $30. It's a cute little machine and despite being about 8 years old and going through at least two owners before me, it runs well and does boot faster than most modern PCs. I don't really like the Mac interface, but that's mostly personal preference. I think the worst thing about Mac's interface is the inability to maximize a window to full screen. Why bother having a maximize button if the window won't fill my screen?
@nokia6233 (937)
• India
29 Jun 07
It depends on your requiremnet and your system soecifications... If you need a good looking OS and have a powerful system,you can go for Vista or else i think its better to stick around with XP...
@Corezz (1013)
• Netherlands Antilles
22 Jun 07
I am using Windows Xp Sp2 to! I don't tried Vista, bacause I've got used To Xp :D. ANd most of the poeple use Xp sp2 so I wouldn't change it now, probably when most people will use it I'll try it then. I've heart it's a litle unstabile, and it looks more futureistic, that's all security is the same as Windows Xp SP2.