Excellent Product, But Are You Ready?

UPDATE 4/5/09: Please note that Windows 7 is expected to release in the fall. Despite the positive review below, at this point, I recommend anyone considering an upgrade to Vista wait for the release of Windows 7. I have used the 7 beta and can say it is worth the wait. Thanks!

Express Section: Overall, I have to give Vista five stars simply because I am finding it so helpful every day I use my computer. It has lots of upgrades from XP that make for a really great computing experience. Then again, you need a big chunk of cash, a fast computer, and a bit of patience to get it installed and working correctly. If you're working on mission-critical projects, I would wait for a less busy time to attempt the upgrade, as you will probably run into a few kinks. Still, once you get it up and running, Vista is well worth the effort.

Background: I bought Vista less than six months after its release to the public. I have kept it updated and will write from the perspective of someone using a fully up-to-date version of Vista as of Dec. 12 2007. Just yesterday, I downloaded a beta version of Service Pack 1, but since that service pack is not yet supported, I will not include it in my review. I own the Home Premium version (64-bit), and as such will write my review about that version. Still, most of the things in this review will apply to all versions except Starter, and I will note when I review a feature that does not apply to all versions.

I believe product reviews should not only tell a potential user about a products strengths and weaknesses, but also share any experience the reviewer has with that product to help new users get the product working for them faster and with less frustration. Therefore, I'm going to start by reviewing the features of Vista and how well they improve upon Windows XP. Then, I'll tell you how to decide whether or not to upgrade to Vista and how to choose the best version for you. Finally, I'll quickly go over the Vista installation process. If you want to upgrade to Vista but aren't sure how to go about doing it, skip down to my "Guide" section below.

*****The Review*****

Packaging: The retail version of Vista come in a really neat plastic box that is much stronger than most software boxes. You don't have to worry about your copy of Vista being damaged in shipping. The CD key is located on the back of the inner compartment of the box. When you actually see the box, you'll know what I mean by that. It's really hard to explain.

Vista comes on a DVD instead of multiple CDs. This is a good thing, as DVDs install faster than CDs and require less physical discs. Vista would probably need five or six discs if it was on CDs. I once saw a program that needed eight! One or two DVDs are a much nicer solution, since almost everyone has a DVD drive these days. If your computer is old enough to not have a DVD drive, it is probably too old to run Vista. (The complete system requirements, by the way, are included in my installation guide below).

Included in the retail box are the CDs, 64-bit CDs if you have the Ultimate Edition, and a small installation manual.

The OEM version of Vista (described in the guide below) does not include the fancy box and manual.

Installation: Installation takes longer than Windows XP but requires less input from the user. 80% of the installation takes place in one large autonomous chunk, during which you can leave the computer and do other things. Overall, the installation takes about an hour to complete. Installation is easy and only requires the user to answer a few basic questions.

Aesthetics: What? An aesthetics section in a software review? Yes, because Vista comes with a brand new look. In fact, if you bought any edition higher than Home Basic, you get to enjoy the 3D interface know as Aero. Aero is a DirectX-based desktop interface that treats each individual window as a 3D graphical object.

The first thing you'll notice about Aero is that, compared to the default XP theme, it looks pretty cool. If you describe XP as "cartoony", you'll describe Vista as "cutting-edge". The shiny black taskbar contrasts with the light-green-and-yellow default background image and light-blue window title bars. Overall, I think Vista looks pretty nice.

The Aero interface brings many subtle but nice features to the look of Vista. Window titles are slightly transparent, and they become less transparent when you select them. Windows have shadows, making them look like actual 3D objects. Windows do a really cool fade-and-shrink motion when you minimize them.

One of the best features of the Aero interface, however, is Flip 3D. You can access this special feature by holding the Windows key and Tab down together. Your Windows will arrange into a rolodex form in the middle of the screen. You can continue pressing Tab to cycle through the windows until the one you want is in front. Releasing the Windows Key will bring you to that window. The advantage of this feature is that, instead of seeing an icon for each window, like with the old Alt-Tab feature, you can actually see a live view of each window, making it easier for you to find the one you want. For a multitasker, this feature is a godsend.

Even without Flip 3D, the old Alt-Tab feature has been improved. Using it will now show you a miniature picture of each window instead of an icon.

Yet another way to multitask is with the improved taskbar. Now, hovering the mouse over a window title will show a miniature picture of that window, allowing you to determine if it really is the window you need.

Onscreen fonts now use ClearType by default to smooth the edges. If you still have an old CRT monitor, this may result in slightly blurry text, so you may want to use the "personalize" icon in the control panel to turn it off.

Performance: Here we come to a somewhat mixed aspect of Vista. Vista is much larger than XP and uses almost twice as much memory. Therefore, if you don't have a gigabyte or more of memory, you may notice a slower system after installing Vista. If your computer is fast enough, however, Vista can speed up your computing in many ways.

SuperFetch: SuperFetch is a new feature in Vista that aims to put wasted resources to use. In older versions of Windows, you often had a large amount of free memory in your system. Vista attempts to put this extra memory to use. While your CPU is idle, Vista will load the programs that you use the most into free memory. This way, if you decide to start those programs, they will start very fast since they are already in memory. Vista will determine your favorite programs as you use them. Oh, and don't worry; if a program suddenly needs the extra memory that SuperFetch is using, it will instantly free it up. If you use the same programs over and over again, SuperFetch can really make a difference in your computing experience. If you would like to see it in action, press Ctrl-Alt-Del and click toe "performance" tab. Look for the memory value that says "cached". That is the memory that SuperFetch is using. Since SuperFetch uses extra memory, the amount of "free" memory in your computer will usually be almost zero. This is not a bad thing in Vista.

ReadyBoost: The folks at Microsoft realized that many people have 8GB flash drives and never use 100MB of that space. If you're one of these people, you'll like Vista's ReadyBoost feature. This feature allows Vista to use USB flash drives as extra space for SuperFetch cache. It's almost like you're using part of your flash drive as extra memory. If you have less than 2GB of memory, this feature can really make a difference in the speed of your computer. If you don't have extra flash drive space to devote to ReadyBoost, it makes an easy and inexpensive upgrade. All you have to do is plug a flash drive into your computer. Vista will ask you if you would like to use it with ReadyBoost.

Sleep Mode: Vista has a new power mode called "sleep" that is a combination of standby and hibernation. In sleep mode, Vista keeps power flowing to the memory but also copies everything in the memory to the hard drive. This way, you get the instant wakeup of standby combined with the data protection of hibernation. If the power goes out when Vista is in sleep mode, you'll still be able to resume where you left off the next time you start your computer.

Performance Index: Windows Performance Index benchmarks your computer and turns off extra features such as Aero if it doesn't think your computer can handle them. Also, most Microsoft games now include performance index numbers that allow you to quickly tell if your computer can run the game. Finally, Performance Index can tell you where your computer's weakest spot is so you know which component you need to upgrade for the biggest performance boost.

Features: Vista includes lots of helpful new features that can improve your computing experience.

Side Bar: The Side Bar is a bar on the right side of the desktop that includes several "gadgets" (yes, this is a variation of Apple's "widgets") such as a clock, notepad, and calendar. You can add as many gadgets as you want to the side bar, as countless numbers of them are available online. I don't find the Side Bar very helpful, but the notepad gadget comes in handy every now and then.

Explorer: Windows Explorer gets three new features in Vista. On the left, you'll see a folder tree and favorite links (both existed in XP but not in the same panel). On the top, where the address bar used to be, you'll see what's commonly referred to as "the Breadcrumb Bar". The Breadcrumb Bar is very helpful, and I find myself using it all the time. I can best describe it by showing you an example. Let's say I'm in the folder C:\Users\All Users\Documents\Utilities. The Breadcrumb Bar will show that as "-> Users -> All Users -> Documents -> Utilities". I can do two things with the bar. First, I can click the name of a folder to go back to it. For example, I can click "documents" to go back to the documents folder. Second, I can click one of the arrows to see a list of other folders in that folder. For example, if I click on the arrow to the right of "documents", I will see a list of all folders inside the documents folder. So, let's say I wanted to go to "C:\User\Administrator". In XP, I would have to click the back button three times to get back to "users", then double-click the administrator folder. In Vista, I just click the arrow to the right of "users" and choose "administrator" from the list that appears. It makes navigating folders much easier.

The third feature of explorer - a search box in the upper-right corner - is part of Instant Search, which I will review next.

Instant Search: another feature of Vista that I find especially helpful is Instant Search. On the Start Menu, you will find a search box. You can type anything into the box and get a list of matches inside your personal folders (that's anything inside the users folder, which is the former documents and settings folder) within a few seconds. You can even use natural language to limit your search, and Vista will search inside documents. For example, if I type in "work word document", I will (within five seconds) get a list of word documents that contain the word "work", with those containing "work" in the title showing up at the top of the list. You can do this with files and folders as well as programs, as long as it is in the users folder. Most files that a user would need to access are in the users folder, so that isn't an issue. Instant Search is so powerful, I find myself often using it even when I know where a file is, since it will find it for me faster than I can navigate to it. I can just type the name of a file, press enter, and see the file open on my screen, all within a few seconds.

In the upper-right corner of each Windows Explorer window, you'll find an instant-search box that is specific to the folder that you have open. If that folder is in the users folder, the search will be instant. If it is not, the search may take a minute or so to find all matches.

How does Instant Search work? It indexes the files and folders inside your users folder while your processor is idle. The indexer in Vista is much better than the one in XP and will not decrease the performance of your system, so I recommend you leave it on. If you keep personal files in folders other than the users folder, you can use the control panel to add those folders to the indexer. Don't add anything you don't need, however, as the index becomes ineffective when it gets too large.

Backup: Windows Home Business includes a full-fledged backup utility with many features. Other editions include a basic backup utility like the one found in XP.

Windows Mail: Windows Mail replaces Outlook Express in Vista, and it should, too. It is a much better email program than Outlook Express, and the spam filter actually works well. If you use an email program you'll be pleasantly surprised with Windows Mail.

Other Features That I Cannot Remember Right Now: I'm sure there's something that I'm forgetting. When I remember it, I will update this review and put it here.

Security: Security is, in my opinion, the best improvement in Vista over XP. Microsoft has completely rethought the security system in Vista.

The big thing about Vista is that it no longer operates in administrator mode during normal use. This is a godsend to security, as it prevents malware from installing itself, putting itself in your startup, altering system files, copying itself, or accessing the Internet. In fact, without special permission, a program cannot access anything other than the files in the users folder.

But wait, you say! If Vista doesn't run in administrator mode, how do I install programs and access system files when I need to? That's where UAC comes in:

UAC: UAC is probably the best new feature in Vista and also the least understood new feature in Vista. I will do my best to explain it and how it helps the security of your computer.

UAC stand for User Account Control. As I said, Vista no longer runs in administrator mode, even if you log in as an administrator. Instead, it runs in limited account mode, which means that nothing can access system files and folders. Effectively, malware doesn't stand a chance, since it cannot access the computer without completely compromising the kernel of the operating system first. So, how does Vista provide this sort of security while still allowing you to install programs and change settings when you need to? UAC answers this question.

Whenever any program or user attempts to do something that requires administrative privileges, Vista will present you with a UAC dialog. The rest of the screen will darken, and you will be asked to confirm the operation that is about to take place. The dialog will tell you what program wants administrative privileges and what it wants to do with them. You can then either accept or deny the operation.

The idea is that you should know when you've initiated an action and when you haven’t. For example, if you try to install a program and see a UAC dialog that says that program needs administrative privileges, you should allow the program to continue. If you visit a web page and see a message saying that some unknown program wants to add itself to your startup, however, you should deny the UAC dialog since you didn't initiate the action.

In this way no program, good or bad, can access your computer unless you explicitly give it permission to do so. You should only confirm UAC dialogs that you expected; in other words, if you see a UAC dialog that says a program wants to do something that you didn't want it to do, you should deny the dialog. Therefore, no virus or spyware program can ever access your computer, since you obviously aren't going to give it permission when it asks you for it.

But can't a virus simply answer the UAC prompt for you? No, because Vista stops all operations and stops responding to any inputs except the keyboard and mouse during a UAC prompt. That way, a malicious program won't be able to respond to a UAC prompt before you.

Many reviews will tell you to disable UAC because it is very annoying. The problem is, these people are telling you to disable almost all of the security advantages of Vista to avoid a few dialog boxes. Yes, during the first week or so of using Vista, when you are installing all of your programs and changing settings left and right, you will see tons of UAC dialogs. I saw at least twenty-per-day on the days after I installed Vista. You may be tempted to turn the feature off at this point, but just wait a few more weeks. Once you're done tweaking everything, you'll hardly ever notice UAC anymore. I now use my computer at least 4 hours per day and only see one or two UAC prompts per week. That is well worth the enormous security benefits UAC provides.

Another myth about UAC is that it is only a safeguard to prevent new users from messing up their computers by changing important settings and deleting important files, so experienced users don't need it and can turn it off. The truth is that, yes, this is a nice side benefit of UAC, but the real reason it exists is to prevent malware from accessing your computer. No one can completely prevent malware, so, everyone should leave UAC on.

Overall, I think UAC is very important and should be left on. After a few weeks, you won't even notice it, anyway.

UAC isn't the only security benefit in Vista, even though it is the biggest. Some others include:

Windows Firewall: Windows Firewall is improved in Vista. You can even enable outgoing connection filtering if you really feel like you need it. It you don't know what it is, you probably don't feel like you need it, so don't worry about it. It's just an extra layer of security for those who have extra-sensitive data on their computers.

Windows Defender: Windows Defender is an anti-spyware program included with Vista that automatically scans your computer every Wednesday morning at 3:00 AM. Even if your computer is in sleep mode, it will wake it up, do the scan, and put it back in sleep mode when finished. Defender is a great program and really can detect a lot of spyware, so I recommend leaving it enabled. Even so, I still recommend using a third-party anti-spyware program, and you definitely still need an anti-virus program.

BitLocker: BitLocker is a feature found only in Vista Ultimate Edition that allow you to encrypt the data on a USB flash drive or external hard drive. I don't have Vista Ultimate, so I cannot really describe BitLocker in detail.

Compatibility: The compatibility of Vista with older programs is very good. Virtually all programs that ran on XP will run on Vista, and Vista still includes "compatibility mode" for those that don't. One thing to note here is that many older programs will either not install or fail to properly save data under Vista. If you experience this, you must right-click the installation file and choose "run in administrator mode". You must also do this the first time your run the program. Following those steps should clear up any compatibility issues.

Drivers are another story. XP drivers will not work with Vista. You must get Vista drivers for all of your devices for them to work in more than a basic mode. Fortunately, since Vista has been out for a little while now, most hardware companies now offer Vista drivers. Still, if you have an older piece of hardware that is no longer supported by its manufacturer, you may be out of luck getting it work with Vista.

So, that's it for the review. As I said in the "express section" above, I think Vista is an excellent product. If you're still wondering whether you should upgrade, which edition you should get, or how to upgrade smoothly, read the upgrade guide that I have put together below.

*****The Guide*****

Should I Upgrade? As I said in my conclusion (express section), Vista is a great product, but it is not for everyone. The first decision to make is whether you should even upgrade to Vista at all. Before upgrading, you must ask yourself three questions:

Can my Computer Handle It? Compared to XP, Vista is a resource-hog. The extra resources go to good use, but you must have a fairly fast computer to run Vista smoothly. Here are the recommended system requirements for Vista Home Basic (the most basic edition, which also has the lowest system requirements):

-1 GHz Processor
-512 MB of RAM
-20 GB of free hard drive space
-DirectX 9 Graphics Card with at least 32 MB of memory
-DVD-ROM Drive (Vista comes on a DVD)
-Internet Access

If your system does not meet these requirements, forget about upgrading to Vista right now. There are also "minimum system requirements" above which Vista will run, but if you do not meet the recommended specifications, Vista will run too slow to be worth the upgrade.

Since the Home Premium, Home Business, and Ultimate editions of Vista include the Aero desktop interface, you must have the following in addition to the requirements above:

-1 GB of RAM
-40 GB Hard Drive (still only 20 GB must be free)
-DirectX 9 Graphics Card with 128 MB of memory

If you don't meet these requirements, you can still use the higher versions of Vista, but you won't be able to use the Aero interface.

So, assuming you meet the recommended system requirements, the next question you must ask yourself is:

Do I Have the Time? To upgrade to Vista, you must have some free time. The amount of time it took me to upgrade was:

-2 days of preparation time (you can do other work during this time)
-1 day of installation time (getting Vista installed, updated, and set up)
-1 day of problem-hammering time (getting compatibility problems fixed so your system is in complete working order)

That makes two days of partial free time followed by two days of complete free time (think weekend). If you are unable to make this amount of time for upgrading to Vista, do not upgrade. You may get lucky and not run into problems, but as with most things in computer world, you must expect the unexpected.

Assuming you have free time, you still should not upgrade to Vista when you are working on important projects and absolutely need your computer in complete working order after finishing. There is a small chance you will run into larger problems that will take more than one day to fix.

If you have the time, the final question you must ask yourself is:

Is it Worth it to Me? Vista is expensive, and an upgrade can be somewhat time-consuming. Also, there is a small learning curve as you get used to the changes in the new operating system. If you're completely happy with XP and cannot see yourself benefiting from Vista's new features (see above for my review of those), or if there is a specific bug in Vista that you cannot live with (see above), you shouldn't upgrade. There is no reason why you should waste time and money doing something that won't benefit you in the long-run.

Assuming you've decided you can and want to upgrade, you must start by making a few decisions:

64-Bit or 32-Bit? Each edition of Vista comes in two versions: 64-Bit and 32-Bit. Don't know what that means? 64-Bit is an enhanced processing mode that has been available on AMD and Intel processors for several years now, and every new processor made today (that is powerful enough to run Vista) has 64-bit capabilities. For a long time, nothing used these extra capabilities, but the release of Vista in a 64-bit version is starting to change that. The operating system can now take advantage of the extra speed and security found in 64-bit processors. The advantages of 64-bit Vista include:

-Better stability - I don't know why, but many users have found the 64-bit Vista to be more stable than the 32-bit Vista. My guess is that Vista was written in 64-bit first and then ported down for the 32-bit version. Anyway, I myself run the 64-bit version and it is rock-solid stable, while I often hear horror stories of daily crashes and data loss from users of the 32-bit version.
-Better memory management - Vista 32-bit can only see and use up to 3 GB of RAM, and even then, it gets somewhat inefficient in using more than 2 GB. Vista 64-bit can use up to 8 GB of RAM effectively. If you have more than 2 GB of RAM, this is a huge advantage.
-Improved Security - This is a two-fold advantage. First off, 64-bit processors make possible several security features that protect the operating system against attack. For example, the 64-bit Vista includes a feature that prevents unsigned drivers from being installed, while the 32-bit version does not and cannot offer the same protection. Second, the Mac-factor applies here. Since few people use Vista 64-bit, very few viruses are written for it.
-Ability to work with 64-bit applications - Several popular applications that use a lot of CPU power are available with 64-bit accelerations. These applications will run faster under 64-bit Vista than 32-bit Vista. If you use one of these applications (you'll know it if you do), you will notice a difference in speed.

The disadvantages of 64-bit include:

-Decreased compatibility - Drivers must be written specifically for 64-bit Vista to work with it. Also, because of the extra security features, drivers must be signed to be used with 64-bit Vista. Many devices do not have signed 64-bit drivers available.
-Less support - Some software technical support companies do not offer support for Vista 64-bit
-Requires 64-bit processor: Obviously, if you have an older 32-bit processor, you cannot run Vista 64-bit.

So, which version should you run? My advice is to check to make sure all of your devices have 64-bit drivers, all of your often-used applications offer 64-bit support, and you have a 64-bit processor. If you meet these three criteria, you should buy the 64-bit version of Vista and enjoy its extra benefits. Otherwise, buy the 32-bit version.

You may wonder how to get a 64-bit version of Vista. If you buy OEM (I will explain that a few sections later), you must buy the 64-bit specific version. If you buy retail (boxed version), you can request a 64-bit DVD from Microsoft at their website (you must pay a small shipping fee). If you buy the Ultimate edition of Vista, it already comes with a 64-bit DVD.

The next decision is:

Which Edition Should I Buy? Vista comes in four editions: Home Basic, Home Premium, Home Business, and Ultimate. The differences between the editions are:

-Home Basic does not include any extra features and also does not include the Aero interface, laptop support, or Windows Meeting Space

-Home Premium includes the Aero interface, a media center program, a movie maker program, a DVD maker program, and a few games

-Home Business includes the Aero interface, a comprehensive backup utility, a fax and scan utility, and a remote access utility

-Ultimate includes the Aero interface, everything in Home Premium and Home Business, hard drive encryption, and a game manager utility

So, how do you decide which edition you need? First off, see if you meet the recommended system requirements to run the Aero interface. If not, you might as well stick with Home Basic.

Otherwise, decide if you want the Aero interface. It is a cool-looking 3D desktop environment that helps you multitask more efficiently (and impress your friends). I like it and recommend it. If you want it, upgrade to Home Premium.

Next, decide if you need the extra business features of Home Business. If so, upgrade to it.

Finally, decide if you need the entertainment features of Home Premium and the business features of Home Business. If so, upgrade to Ultimate.

I chose Home Premium, and it is the edition I recommend unless you need the special features found in Home Business or don't meet the recommended system requirements.

Microsoft's Instant Upgrade feature is very helpful if you cannot decide if you need the extra features of the higher editions. You can start with any edition (I would start with Home Premium) and upgrade to a higher edition later by paying the difference in price. The extra features of whatever edition you upgrade to will be automatically enabled without you having to download anything. This works because all four editions of Vista are included on the CD - the extra features simply aren't installed unless you pay for the upgrade.

After choosing an edition, you must choose upgrade or clean install:

Upgrade or Full Version? Each edition of Vista is available in two versions - the upgrade version and the full version. Both versions include the same operating system and the same files, but each will act differently when you install it. The full version will erase everything on your hard drive and install a copy of Vista. The upgrade edition will uninstall your old operating system and install Vista while attempting to keep your old files, settings, and programs.

I recommend installing the full version (often referred to as a "clean install") for several reasons, including:

-Any dangerous viruses, spyware, and other programs will be removed. The upgrade version may copy these programs over.
-You will get to start over with a fresh system. If your computer is slow right now, installing the upgrade version of Vista will keep whatever is making it slow on the system.
-A full install of Vista does not require much extra work. You'll just have to reinstall programs and backup your data before you start. Besides, even with the upgrade version, you'll probably have to update most of your programs anyway.
-The full version makes recovering from a computer crash much easier. Let's say you get a bad virus on your computer and need to erase (reformat) the hard drive and reinstall the operating system. If you have the full version, you simply pop in the disc and restart your computer. If you have the upgrade version, you'll have to find your old Windows XP disc (or whatever version of Windows you're upgrading from), install it first, and then install Vista on top of that.

Now that I've convinced you to buy the full version, I'll show you how you can get it for cheaper than the upgrade version:

OEM or Retail? The version of Vista that you see in a box on the store shelf is called the retail version. This is the version that most people will buy. Another version exists at online stores, however, called the OEM version. OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer and is a cheaper version of Vista meant for system builders. Anyone can buy it, however, at many popular online software stores. The differences between the OEM version and the retail versions of Vista are:

-There is no upgrade OEM version, only the full version
-The OEM version does not include a box or manual
-The OEM version does not include technical support from Microsoft
-If you upgrade to a new computer, you cannot reinstall the OEM version onto it (this shouldn't be an issue, however, since any new computer today has Vista already installed).

If you can stand these disadvantages, do what I did and buy the OEM version. It costs less than half of the retail version! All you have to do is go to an online software site and buy the OEM version along with any piece of hardware (the license requires this). Look for something you need, or buy a $5 flash drive to use as a ReadyBoost (see above) drive for your new Vista operating system.

Will it work? Finally, you must make sure Vista will be compatible with your programs and devices. To do this, start by making a list of the model numbers and manufacturers of every device installed on your computer. This includes sound cards, video cards, joysticks, printers, scanners, CD drives, mice, and everything else that requires a driver (monitors, keyboards, and speakers generally do not). Check the website of each manufacturer and see if they have a Vista driver available for your device. If you want the 64-bit version of Vista, make sure they have a 64-bit driver available. Any device that does not have a Vista driver available will not work when you upgrade to Vista. If you run into one of these (generally older) devices, call the manufacturer to make sure they don't offer Vista drivers. If they don't, you'll have to upgrade the device or learn to live without it to upgrade to Vista. Sorry. :(

Yet another item you need to check is your motherboard. Go to its manufacturer's website and make sure the chipset is compatible with Vista. You may need new chipset drivers for Vista to work properly. (Special thanks goes to Epinions user dragon1 for this tip.)

Next, make a list of the programs you use most often. Check the manufacturer's websites and see if they are listed as compatible with Vista. Sometimes, you will need to download an update for Vista compatibility. In this case, programs that do not specifically say Vista-compatible will probably still work with Vista (unlike with drivers). Nevertheless, it’s best to call the manufacturers of the programs you need the most to make sure they will work without problems.

Once you choose, buy, and receive your desired version of Vista, you should start preparations for the upgrade whenever you anticipate having two complete days of free time. If you have free time on the weekend, start preparations Thursday.

Getting Ready: There are several things you must do before upgrading to Vista to make sure your upgrade goes off without a hitch. If you don't follow these steps, you may run into trouble later.

First, download Vista drivers for all of your hardware devices and put them into a folder. Make sure you get 64-bit drivers if you are going to use 64-bit Vista. This step is one of the most important steps, because your computer will not be fully functional until you install new drivers.

Second, download updates to all of your commonly-used programs. Many of these programs had bugs in them when Vista came out that were only recently resolved. Put these along with the drivers onto a CD or flash drive.

Third, get out the installation discs for all of your programs. I recommend you install the full version of Vista, but even if you choose to install the upgrade version, you still may have to reinstall some programs to get them to work correctly. Getting the installation discs ready is always a good idea.

Fourth, back up your data. Once again, do this even if you are going to install the upgrade version. Don't trust Vista to properly transfer over your important data. To start with, backup the Documents and Settings folder. This folder contains the personal files (My Documents, My Pictures, Desktop...etc.) for everyone on the computer. If you know of any other folders where you store personal data, back them up as well. If you're worried you'll forget something when it's too late to get it back, backup the whole hard drive (except the Windows folder, which is huge and will almost never contain personal data).

If you are going to install the upgrade version, you should run virus and spyware scanners to make sure malicious programs aren't copied over to your new operating system. Also, you should defrag the hard drive to speed up the installation.

Installation: Once you're done preparing for Vista (can take a day or two), you're ready to begin the installation process, which I will go over next. This is also where I will start the actual reviewing of this review; I will describe my opinion of the installation process and how easy it is. Since I did a clean (full version) install, it is the only installation I can describe. The upgrade version may install differently. Overall, I think installation is pretty easy. It takes longer than Windows XP, but it also requires less user interaction than XP.

Before you start installing Vista, get out your backup discs and open the files on them to make sure they haven’t been damage. The last thing you want to do is wipe out everything on your hard drive only to discover that you must have accidentally scratched your backup discs. Once you verify that your backups are okay, you can start the installation.

First, put the Vista DVD into your DVD drive and reboot the computer. If all goes well, the system will boot to the Vista disc, and you'll see a progress bar as setup loads the drivers it will need during the installation. If the system does not boot from the CD, you'll need to change the boot priority settings in your BIOS. The procedure for doing this depends on your motherboard.

After about five minutes, you will see a dialog box. You must choose your language, time and currency format, and keyboard layout.

Next, you'll see an options screen. Under most circumstances you'll want to click the big "install now" button.

Vista will continue to work in the background for the next minute or two. When it's done, you'll need to enter your product key and read and accept the license agreement. I know you probably won't read the license agreement, but make sure you understand that you can only install Vista onto one computer (it was that way with XP, too, but now Microsoft enforces it).

The next screen asks you which hard drive you want to install Vista to. If you have more than one hard drive, make sure you choose the fastest drive that you never remove from your computer (i.e. don't install Vista to a portable external hard drive). On this screen, I recommend you choose your hard drive and click "advanced options". In fact, in some circumstances, you may have to use advanced options before Vista will install.

On the advanced options screen, click "format". Windows may ask you for a quick format or a full format. The quick format will be fine, and it is a lot faster. Windows will then ask you to confirm that you want to format your hard drive. This is the point of no return. Once you format your hard drive, your files will be virtually gone (completely gone if you do a full format), so check one more time to make sure you have those backup discs, and let Windows format the drive. I recommend formatting your hard drive when doing a clean install to make sure it really is clean and doesn't leave behind a mess of old file fragments.

Now, take a break and do something on your to-do list. Vista will install itself autonomously, which can take up to 60 minutes. It took about 45 minutes for me. While you're gone, Vista will restart itself several times.

When Vista is done installing, it will present you with the account creation screen. This is where you set up accounts for each person who will use your computer. You should also set a password for your (the administrator's) account here. With Vista's new UAC feature, a strong password is very important.

The next few screens will ask you to name the PC (so you can find it on a network), configure Windows Update (I recommend the option that says "recommended options"), choose your time zone and daylight savings settings, and choose the location of your computer for network purposes. When you make it through all of these settings, Vista will thank you for installing it and proceed to start itself for the first time.

While starting for the first time, Vista will measure the performance of your computer (to determine if you can run the Aero interface), ask you to log in with the password you just created, prepare your "personalized settings", and present you with a welcome screen. Congratulations! You just installed Windows Vista! There are still a few things you need to do before you are completely finished, however.

First, you need to get your computer connected to the Internet. There is a button on the welcome screen that will help you do that.

Second, you need to run Windows Update to make sure you have the latest patches. You'll find Windows Update on the start menu.

Third, it's time for the preparation you did to pay off. A normal person would be scouring the Internet for drivers about this time, but since you prepared before hand, you've got it easy! You should now install all of those drivers you downloaded before you started.

Fourth, you can get your computer back to the way it was before you started. Install all of the programs that you need and update them. Get out your backup discs and restore your important files (the documents and settings folder is now called "users", by the way). Change settings such as font, resolution, and background to make your computer feel like it's yours again.

So that's it! Here are some tips for using Vista:

-Do not disable UAC: I cannot stress how important this is. It may be annoying for the first few days, but please, resist the temptation to disable UAC. If you try to disable it, Vista will warn you about five times not to, and it is right. For an explanation of why you should leave UAC enabled, see my review of this feature above.
-Activate Windows as soon as possible: Vista will want you to activate as soon as you can. Do this early do you do not forget and let the activation window expire. It only takes a few seconds on the Internet or a few minutes by phone.
-Install anti-virus and anti-spyware programs right away: Vista is the most secure version of Windows to date, but it still isn't bulletproof. Windows Defender is good, but not as good as a dedicated anti-spyware program. You should install anti-malware programs early to keep Vista clean and fast. I specifically recommend AVG Antivirus and Spybot Search and Destroy Antispyware. Both programs are free and do not bog down your computer and hog memory. The one antivirus program I think you should avoid is Norton. It slows down your computer and is expensive. You do not need to buy a firewall program as the Windows Firewall is sufficient.
-Try out the links in the Welcome Center. They provide information about key new features in Vista that you may find helpful.
-Visit the Help and Support Center on the Start Menu. It is much better than the help center in XP and can actually teach you a lot about what's new in Vista.

And now, 7,320 words later, you’re done! Thanks for reading this review/guide. I hope you found it helpful. Merry Christmas (I'm posting this on Dec. 22) and have a great year with Vista!