For some time Vista, users have been hearing the hype about the next Microsoft operating system, Windows 7. Everyone seems to have gotten on the ‘Vista is terrible bandwagon’. Even Apple in its “I’m a Mac, and I’m a PC” commercials has a relatively new ad out in which PC tells Mac, that Windows 7 is out and it will solve all of the problems that PC users experienced with Vista. We have been told that it is so much better than Vista. It will solve “all” of the problems inherent in Vista, yadda, yadda, yadda!
Vista did not have near the amount of issues that people claimed. Many of the reviewers who were speaking doom and gloom were testing Vista on machines designed to run XP. Many people have been operating a Vista system with a processor that has the power and enough memory to run it, and have very few problems.
That said, Vista is a resource hog. Those who did not switch to Vista, and still run XP have the minimum system resources needed to run Windows 7. They just might not be able to take advantage of all of the bells and whistles.
Now, let’s look at some of the problems that really do exist with Vista. As previously mentioned, it is a resource hog. Every application that you open uses video memory, even when minimized. With Windows 7, only visible apps use this memory. So essentially, it will run faster.
Many Vista users got a headache from dealing with the User Access Control (UAC) Every time you want to use a System Utility; you get a dimmed screen, and then a box asking if you want to use the utility. Well, duh! Wasn’t that why you clicked on it? Not only that but every program you install, every upgrade that is done to your system (even the automatic ones) gives you the same message box. Microsoft has heard the complaints and changed this in Windows 7. So if you are one of the folks that is sick and tired of the UAC monster – Upgrade today!
Another issue with Vista is the difficulty in setting up file sharing between two computers in your home network. Even with two identical computers, you practically need to be a Network Engineer, to get it to work. This is much improved in Windows 7.
Microsoft has come up with HomeGroup. This feature is automatically set up when you upgrade your first computer, and then it is a breeze to add other computers in your home wireless network to share files and peripherals.
On the other hand, if none of the issues mentioned here are a concern to you then don’t make the switch. You should remember however, that Microsoft will eventually end support for Vista. It has already ended support for Windows XP.
Many people waited for a long time before even upgrading to Vista in the first place. Some only tried it because it was included as the OS in a new computer. Therefore, if you purchase a new computer, you may end up with Windows 7 after all.
Ultimately, the choice is yours.
