Should I upgrade to Microsoft Vista
When Microsoft introduced Windows XP it took them over three years to get it mostly bug free. So, the short answer is NO. I would wait until at least a year and several upgrades before considering it.
Microsoft has extended retail sales of XP for five more months until June 2008. The new end-of-availability pushed back to June 30, 2010. Shows what the market is demanding.
Sales of Vista have been lackluster, so maybe the buying public is making a statement? Only time will tell.
– Price. Very expensive. $399 new, or $299 for the upgrade to Windows Ultimate? The cheapest version, Basic ($199 full, $100 upgrade), isn't worth the trouble. The extra hardware needed is even more daunting. You need to check first which version you intend on upgrading to? You might need 2GB RAM, a very, very fast CPU and even an integrated graphics chip with it's own onboard RAM (not found in many laptops).
– Not much new. It looks pretty, but do you care about photo tagging and 3-D window flipping? Not me!
– It's annoying. Most Vista users have turned off User Account Control, which nags you with an "Are you sure?" prompt every time you try to do anything beyond run the calculator.
– Many, many missing drivers. Who wants their scanner or printer to stop working? Lots of software won't run on Vista, so one of your important applications might not run.
– It's confusing. Everything that XP could do, Vista can do… only it's buried under a different menu and it has a new name. Sigh!
– It's doesn't work that well. There are many bugs and flaws with the design of Vista and it needs a Service Pack. So, you should wait for one or maybe two.
On the other side I expect over time Microsoft with it's vast resources will fix the problems and you will get to the good stuff. AERO: Transparent windows, tasteful animation, elegant design. 2. SEARCH: Fast, smart, and you can create virtual search folders to revisit your searches with a single click. 3. NETWORK MAP: Finally, Microsoft gets networking right; it's a great way to get an overview of your network and its devices. 4. WIRELESS NETWORKING: Connecting to multiple wireless networks and hotspots is a simple affair. 5. SECURITY: You get a firewall with outbound filtering, a better browser, and a lot under the hood offering better protection. Maybe in 2008 or 2009 Vista will be something worth considering.
If you have decided to upgrade it is not simple a matter analizing your computing habits and then figuring out which of the seven versions of Vista meets your needs. Windows 9X, ME and 2000 cannot be upgraded without performing a clean installation. Various versions of XP can be only upgraded to various versions of Vista per the following article:
You should also note that Micrsoft has set up the Vista Upgrade to install only if your hard drive already has Windows XP or Windows 2000 already loaded. According to Microsoft, only the full retail license of Windows Vista can be transferred to new devices. OEM versions are ostensibly tied to motherboards, and upgrade versions are now technically tied to previous installations.