Login   |   What the?

Similar to our approach when Windows 2000 was released, CyberGuru has released this opinion paper on Windows Vista, rather than a full review of the product.

This review will detail our first impressions with the product, the various flavours of the product and pricing. A series of screenshots is also available.

If you would like to ask a question about Windows Vista, we would be more than willing to assist. We will be answering questions through our ask a question form and answer the questions as part of the frequently asked questions of the article and as part of an series of articles on Windows Vista in the CyberGuru Newsletter.
 

First Impressions

I have following the developments of Windows Vista since its announcement through various blogs, publications and technical websites, and experience using Windows Vista in various releases since Beta 2 (the first publicly available beta). At the same time, I have been accessing various beta of Office 2007 as part of the closed beta.

The new look interface is great and looks quite impressive especially with the Aero Theme running. The Start button (now called the Windows button as it lost the "start" text) has been improved and now provides instant access to searching your computer through the Start menu Search box. The Search box can also be used as a shortcut to start programs without going through the menus (you can use any variant of a word, such as "cal" to start Calendar, or "pad" to start Notepad). Search is integrated throughout the operating system as well as in various programs. In addition, there is a sidebar where you can dock gadgets, including clock, weather, RSS feeds and more.

Visuals aside, there is quite a lot of new functionality hiding in the interface, with most features incorporated into "centers", enabling related tasks to be found in the same place. Some centres include the Security Centre, Ease of Access Centre, Welcome Centre and the Sync Centre. Security has improved throughout the product. Firstly, no longer administrators the default type of account. Windows Vista also introduces User Account Control (or UAC), which warns users from performing changes that may harm their computer. In addition, there's improved security via the two-way firewall preventing internet threats (whilst it is configurable cannot be done easily) as well of the new parental controls.

There is also a number of new programs provided, including Windows Backup, Windows Calendar, Windows Contacts (the new Address Book) Windows Mail (the successor to Outlook Express) Windows Meeting Space (NetMeeting's replacement), the Windows Sidebar and the Mobility Centre. There has been an upgrade to a number of the multimedia features, including Windows Media Player 11, Movie Maker and the addition of Windows Photo Gallery and DVD Maker products. These applications integrate with a range of services, including music through Sanity, movies through BigPond Movies and photos through Kodak).

Whilst there's been many reports of hardware being incompatible with the new operating system, I have found that all of my hardware works. I have found that most older hardware, including recent scanner and printers do have drivers but any special software provided by the manufacturer is not compatible.

From the industry perspective, there are concerns raised over how the operating system behaves in comparison to the older versions and the hefty hardware requirements. Many are planning to wait until the first Service Pack is released (which is fairly common amongst most corporations). Further, this gives them time to upgrade to newer and faster performing hardware. CyberGuru strongly recommends at least 1GB of RAM, but works better with 2GB of RAM.

Many are considering deploying Office 2007 before or at the same time as Windows Vista (although Office 2007 can be installed on Windows XP) . Personally, I believe the changes in the new file formats in Office 2007 is probably enough change to handle without upgrading to adopt the changes in Windows Vista too! My own recommendation is that if you are out buying a new PC, get it now, but otherwise hold off until you are next doing so.
 

Flavours

For detailed features of each edition, please visit the official Microsoft Windows Vista website: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/editions/default.mspx and http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/features/default.mspx.
 

Pricing

N/A - Pricing not available or applicable for this product.

This pricing information is based on Microsoft's Estimated Retail Pricing here.
 

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are a selection of questions already asked of CyberGuru about Windows Vista:

Question: What is the new Windows Vista startup sound?
Answer: The new startup sound was developed in collaboration with musician Robert Fripp from King Crimson and can be heard on the Windows Vista Team Blog.

Question: Where can I find out if my hardware will work in Windows Vista?
Answer: The official Windows Vista Hardware Compatibility List will be your best source of finding out whether your hardware will work. There is other good website by RadarSync providing the latest drivers which may also be useful.

Question: Where can I find out if my software will work in Windows Vista?
Answer: Microsoft has developed a list of applications that have earned the "Certified for Windows Vista" logo or the "Works with Windows Vista" logo. This can be found on the Microsoft Knowledge Base.

Question: How can I change the "sleep" button to "shut down" on the Start menu?
Answer: From a Search box, open Power Options, and on the power plan you have selected click Change Plan Settings, click Change Advanced Plan Settings, expand Power buttons and lid, expand Start menu power button, and change the setting from Sleep to Shut down, and then click OK.

Question: I am missing menu bars in some of the programs in Windows Vista. How do I get them back?
Answer: Windows Vista removes most menu bars for the new task driven interface. However, some programs such as Windows Explorer, Internet Explorer and Media Player you can bring them back by pressing the ALT key on your keyboard.

Question: I am running Windows Vista Business Edition but I can't seem to find the games. Do they come with this edition?
Answer: Yes, they do come with this edition but not installed by default. From a Search box, open Programs and Features, Turn Windows Features on or off, accept the prompt for an administrator password or confirmation (User Account Control prompt) and check the box next to Games, or choose individual games (eg. Chess Titans), and then click OK.

Question: What editions of Windows Vista come with DVD Maker and Media Center?
Answer: Unfortunately, only Home Premium and Ultimate editions of Windows Vista come with DVD Maker and Windows Media Center.

Question: How can I get new gadgets for Windows Sidebar?
Answer: Microsoft promotes the Windows Vista Sidebar page as the place to get gadgets.

Question: Where is Windows Live Messenger?
Answer: Windows Live Messenger is not installed by default in Windows Vista. You can download it from the Welcome Center or directly from the Windows Live Messenger website.

Question: I don't want to send my problem reports to Microsoft when a program crashes. How can I stop this from happening?
Answer: From the Search box, open Problem Reports and Solutions, click Change settings, and select "Ask me to check if a problem occurs".

Question: User Account Control is annoying me. How do I turn it off?
Answer: Please note that it is not recommended that User Account Control is turned off, however if you need to turn it off temporarily don't forget to turn it back on! From a Search box, open User Accounts, click Turn User Account Control on or off, accept the prompt for an administrator password or confirmation (User Account Control prompt). Uncheck the checkbox next to Use User Account Control (UAC) to help protect your computer check box to turn off UAC, and then click OK.

Question: Windows Aero is missing. How can I download or install it?
Answer: In order to run Windows Aero, you need to be running at least Windows Home Premium (not Home Basic). You also need at least a 1GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, and 128MB graphics card that supports DirectX 9 (which has Windows Display Driver Model Driver, Pixel Shader 2.0, and 32 bits per pixel). If you meet these requirements, then from a Search box, open Personalisation. Then make sure that the colour settings is set to 32-bit and monitor refresh rate is greater than 10 hertz and also ensure that colour scheme is set to Windows Aero and window frame transparency is on.

Question: Apart from price, what's the difference between Windows Vista Home Premium and Home Premium Academic. Also if I was to get an OEM version but down the track had to replace my board or hard drive would registering the program after reloading again still work?
Answer: Unfortunately, these questions go well into the End User Licence Agreement from Microsoft and I would recommend though you call or email Microsoft for formal legal and technical advice.

Question: In Windows XP I was able to create a language bar with the letters EN inside it and change it to Japanese (JP) and then write in three different styles. Can I still do this in Windows Vista?
Answer: The short answer is yes you can. However, rather than duplicating by documenting the steps from Windows Help and Support, please visit the following page which you may find useful: http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/Help/cc452fac-0858-4baf-bc01-005ef3c901751033.mspx.

Question: What is your opinion about the Windows Vista Sidebar?
Answer: Personally, I have mixed feelings about the Windows Vista Sidebar. I find the ability to add small gadgets useful (such as the Feed Headlines to view news from various sources), but I its usefulness is limited for much else. It is a hog both on system resources and screen (particularly if you don't have a wide screen).

Question: How can I stop Windows Live Messenger from automatically starting when you log in to Windows?
Answer:
1. Ensure Windows Live Messenger is running.
2. On the Tools menu (If you do not see the menus, press [Alt] which will display them, as they automatically hide by default), click Options….
3. On the General tab, deselect the checkboxes "Open Windows Live Messenger main window when Windows Live Messenger starts" and "Automatically run Windows Live Messenger when I log on to Windows".
4. Click OK.
5. From your next reboot, Windows Live Messenger will not automatically start when you log in to Windows.

Question: I was playing with the Ease of Access features, and turned on contrast. Now I can't turn it off either directly or using the [ALT]/[Space]/[Print Screen] combination. Help! I hate the high contrast.
Answer: I have heard of some reports of users experiencing the issue of being unable to turn off the high contrast using the keystroke combination you mention. Firstly, make sure you using the left ALT key when using this combination.

However, if you find this still doesn't work then the following will change the High Contrast colour scheme:

1. Right-click an empty part on your desktop, and click "Personalize".
2. In the Personalization window, click "Window Color and Appearance"
3. In the Window Color and Appearance window, click "Open classic appearance properties for more color options".
4. In the "Color scheme" options, select a colour scheme other than one of the "High Contrast" items (Windows Aero is the default).
5. Click OK.

Screenshots

A range of Windows Vista screenshots we have taken are available here. By popular demand, we have uploaded all of the screenshots in thumbnails and in larger versions.

Ask a question!

Please note that due to a large backlog of questions, CyberGuru is not able to respond to any any further questions at this time. Please check out the Windows Vista Help and How-to page for detailed information and support directly from Microsoft.

Last updated: 26 November 2008