WINDOWS VISTA - HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF IT
Do I Need Windows Vista?
Well, no you don't. If you have an existing PC running Windows XP for example, I would not recommending buying and installing Windows Vista for the following reasons:
- There are not enough improvements to make the cost of upgrade worthwhile
- If you do upgrade, some of your existing software may not work correctly (if at all)
- It is likely that some of your existing hardware (such as printers) will not work
- Windows XP will be supported by Microsoft "for some considerable time"
- If your PC is more than 2 or 3 years old you may well need to upgrade the components
The problems with the software and hardware are being solved week by week and Vista itself has a number of 'workarounds' available - but, if you don't have to, DON'T.
Have Your Cake and Eat It
If you still want to try Vista (maybe it has some features that you need or you just want to try it) it is possible to set up your PC to 'Dual Boot'. This involves installing Vista on to a PC that already has XP installed - you will be given a choice when you start your PC. This is an advanced task and should normally take 2 to 3 hours and I recommend backing up your data before you start! I stress that this is NOT a normal Windows installation task.
Your data can be made available to the new system but your programs will have to be reinstalled. If they don't work first time, you can use the Vista Compatibility feature to run the program. If that doesn't work, try uninstalling the software and installing it again, but this time use Vista Compatibility on the setup program.
Buying New PCs
From January 2008 you won't be able to buy a new PC with XP installed but, as we speak the vast majority of new PCs have Vista pre-installed. Vista comes in many versions but we only need concern ourselves with 5: two designed for home use (Home Basic and Home Premium) and three for more advanced uses (Business, Enterprise and Ultimate).
For most of us the choice is either Home Basic or Home Premium but my advice is AVOID HOME BASIC. It sounds as if this is the 'basic' version of Vista to which the others have added extras features as required. This is not true - Home Premium is the foundation version. Home Basic is Home Premium with things removed and it is this that causes the problems: I think they got a bit carried away and they have left us with an Operating System that is just too unreliable. BUY HOME PREMIUM.
Using Windows Vista
OK, so now you have Vista on your PC. What do you need to know? In the second half of this article I will give an overview of how Vista deals with security, disk management, file management, internet and system tools.
Security - Firewall
The XP Firewall prevents unauthorised connections to be made TO the PC but without protection for connections FROM the PC we are exposed to a threat from malware that opens a 'backdoor' that it can then use as and when required.
Windows Vista, like Windows XP, has a perfectly good firewall and has improved it: it now offers protection for outbound traffic as well.
Security - Virus and Malware
Unfortunately, Vista does not have anti-virus software so you will need to install one of your own. I will discuss the various options in a later article.
Vista does have Windows Defender which is designed to protect the PC from Malware (Spyware and Adware) as well as controlling which programs are allowed to start when you first start the PC. Unfortunately, the original Defender was only 16% effective! We assume that the latest one is better but I would again recommend installing your own.
File Management - Backup
For the two home versions of Vista there is no real change in the inbuilt backup available. With the other systems Complete PC Backup is provided allowing you to create a complete image of your hard disk. Backups are rarely created as often as they should and I will return to this topic in a later article.
File Management - Defrag
For those of us who have been defragging our disks to improve performance since Windows 3.1 will be pleased at how this has been improved by Vista. This is now performed automatically once a week by default - you can change the schedule as required. I will be talking more about fragmented files in a later article.
Internet
Vista comes with Internet Explorer Version 7 as standard (it also works on XP). Although this is a great improvement on previous versions these features (tabbed browsers etc) have been inspired by Firefox which has had them for years. For usability and security reasons I recommend using Firefox for your Internet browsing on XP or Vista.
Outlook Express has been replaced with Windows Mail which is an improvement.
Performance and Information Tools
In the Control Panel you will find Performance and Information Tools. When you run this it rates your processor, memory, disk and graphics performance and gives you a final score. This score is actually the score of your weakest link. Upgrade or tweak your weakest link to improve your performance. The tools will help identify where improvements can be made.
Final Word
Vista has been given a lot of bad press but, to be fair, it is a considerable improvement on XP in many ways and I, for one, am looking forward to working with it. It is, however, substantially different in look and feel from previous versions of Windows and will take some getting used to. I will discuss in future articles where to find the 'hidden' features and how to get some old friends back.
If it all proves too much, remember you can have your cake and eat it: you can install XP on a Vista PC in a "dual boot" configuration as described above. Again, this will take about 2 or 3 hours and is NOT a normal Windows install.
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