It has been a while since I have posted and that is due to a number of different reasons (personal and work related), but my life seems to be slowly returning to a state of normalcy. Well if you haven't heard yet, there is no doubt you will soon about a new piece of software called Windows Vista. After being in development for some 5 years now, Microsoft is ready to sell its latest operating system at retail tomorrow; but the question is are you ready for it.
Windows Vista is definitely an impressive operating system, but is it something that you should rush out and stand in line for; that you will have to answer for yourself. (I already stood inline enough times the last few months to get a Nintendo Wii.) I tend to take my time when moving from one operating system to another and for good reason. The issues with upgrading or replacing one operating system with another can be down right painful at times because you will most likely encountered issues with your existing hardware and software that you use on a daily basis. To help you figure out if you will have problems when updraging (and even then there are no guarentees everything will go smoothly), Microsoft has release what is known as the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor. The Upgrade Advisor checks to see if the hardware that you are running can handle Windows Vista and also the software that is currently installed on your computer. It also tosses in a bit of marketing as well while you wait for the scanning to complete.
While my laptop that I ran it on is fairly new (a year old), there was hardware that the advisor couldn't tell me if it would operate correctly after the upgrade which is never a good thing. 2 out of the 7 I know I use on a daily basis and those being my HP LaserJet 2200 printer and a video capture device by Pinnacle were flagged as potential problem devices; granted that isn't too bad out of everything that is configured for this one machine. However, software is a much bigger problem as 2 out of 25 of my programs must be removed before even considering to upgrade to Vista... one of Windows is McAfee SecurityCenter and the other is my backup software.
The other 23 programs are things like AutoCAD 2005, 2006, 2007, Visual Studio 6.0 and 2005 (Microsoft products), Messenger, Dragon NaturallySpeaking 9, among others. All of these programs range from free to several thousands of dollars and are flagged as having some sort of potential problems. While new is almost always better, be cautious about just running out and installing the latest operating system as it can take time to get all the problems ironed out between hardware and software. To learn more about Vista, check out some of the links below:
Windows Vista's Home Page - Microsoft
Microsoft Vista: Should you buy now? - CNNMoney.com
Vista's legal fine print raises red flags - Toronto Star
4 Reasons Why Windows Vista Is Just Not Worth It - Daily Techno-Babble
Let me know what you think, as I am curious to know if others are taking the lets wait and see how things shake out approach like I am. I will most likely pick up a copy for one of my computers though, but not for all my PCs out of the gate.
Sincerely,
Lee
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