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Personal Tech

Great features, but Vista may not work for all

By JOHN TORRO
Published January 29, 2007

There is plenty to like about Vista. Microsoft has improved many areas, such as usability, performance and security, but it may not be for everyone. At least not right away, as there may be some hurdles to clear for anyone wanting to move from XP to Windows Vista. Here what you need to know:

What's new?

Windows Aero: This new user interface scales its capabilities and features based on your level of hardware. It provides dramatic visual effects, such as glass-like interface elements that you can see through. Not all graphic adapters will be capable of running the Aero interface and new software drivers will be needed for many of the ones that do.

Desktop search: You can find one of the best new features in the Start menu. In XP, it was hard enough for most people to even find the search function, let alone understand all the confusing choices they had to make once they got there. The new search is straight-forward and will search across all items on your computer, including e-mail.

Gadgets: Similar to Active Desktop, applications on your desktop can use Web services to deliver live information, such as weather, news, traffic maps, Internet radio streams and many more that will become available. They are organized in the new Windows Sidebar like a floating transparent toolbar on your desktop.

Search folders: The new folder type contains the results of a previous file search. Every time you open the folder, Windows populates it automatically with the original search criteria.

Networking: A much simplified, easy-to-understand wizard will help you, step-by-step, set up and secureg your wireless home network.

Security: Many security enhancements improve existing versions of Windows Firewall, User Account Control, protection from malware and spyware and Internet Explorer. Internet Explorer 7 has undergone significant changes that make it the safest browsing choice and incorporate a tabbed interface - a long overdue addition. Although you can download Internet Explorer 7 for XP, only on Vista will Explorer run in Protected Mode, a feature that makes it more difficult for malicious software to be installed on your computer.

PERFORMANCE: Windows ReadyBoost is one of the most significant performance features. This allows you to use a USB thumb drive to act as additional random access memory, or RAM, without opening your PC to add traditional memory. While not as fast as internal memory, it is orders of magnitude faster that using your hard drive as virtual memory.

Is it for you?

So how do you know if it's right for you? My first rule of computing is "if it's not broke, don't fix it." So unless you're receiving a free upgrade to Vista as the result of a recent PC purchase, you may want to stand pat, at least for a while.

Vista has some intriguing features, so if you do make the move, your first stop needs to be the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor.

This program, which can be downloaded at www. microsoft.com/windowsvista/getready/upgrade advisor, will evaluate your PC's hardware and software and give you a detailed task-oriented report on what you need to do to achieve a successful upgrade.

Make sure you have all your peripheral equipment (printers, scanners, etc.) connected to your PC while the program is running. For items that show up as a potential problem, you'll need to visit that vendor's Web site to check to see if they have Vista drivers or program updates. Most PCs more than a year old may have some work to do in order to be compatible with Vista.

Microsoft recommends a minimum 1-gigahertz processor, 1-gigabyte RAM (memory), Windows Aero-capable graphics card and at least a 40-gigabyte hard drive with a minimum of 15 gigabytes of free space.

The memory and graphics requirements may be the sticking point for many PCs, but, for the ones that do make the cut, Vista includes a much-improved version of the File and Settings Transfer Wizard, now called Easy Transfer, to help make the transition from old to new much easier.

John Torro can be reached at personaltech@sptimes.com

Fast facts

Keeping XP? Support remains

Microsoft Corp. is extending the period in which it will offer support for the Windows XP operating system. Consumers who own Windows XP machines were entitled to service on the software until April 2009, a date that reflects Microsoft's policy of curtailing support for an edition of Windows two years after a new version hits the market. But Microsoft said consumers who have Windows XP running after April 2009 will be entitled to five more years of "extended support." In the extended plan, consumers will still get security fixes, but instead of free service from the Microsoft help desk, they will have to pay for most assistance.

[Last modified January 29, 2007, 05:59:49]