Microsoft Windows Vista Business FULL VERSION [DVD] [OLD VERSION]

Customer Reviews

Vista is Working Fine for Me

2008-03-21
I have XP running on a bootcamp partition on my MacBook and it is doing just fine. I spend most of my working time in Word, hardly ever using any of the other programs in the Office suite. However, I use the Adobe products Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator a whole bunch. Other than that I play solitaire, watch videos and, of course, use both Explorer and Firefox when I go online. That's about it for me, software wise, and XP handles it all without fail, without crashing and without giving me any headaches.

And I will miss it when I upgrade to Vista, however my machine can handle the upgrade, so I'm giving it a try.

Okay, I like the look and feel of Vista, however it's not as snappy as XP or even System X. I like the AERO bit, quite snazzy and one of the reasons my machine runs a bit slower, I suspect, however I'm loath to turn it off as it's so cool.

Word works fine and that's to be expected. My Adobe software runs well too. The browsers, no problem. I did have to upload a printer driver, but that only took a few minutes and I was good to go.

I've read a lot of reviews by people who are having problems with Vista and I'm getting the SP1 upgrade any day and I'll instal it, but I'm not experiencing the problems others appear to be having. Maybe because it's because I only use four or five programs on my Machine. I don't use iTunes or Windows Media as I still listen to my CDs the old fashioned way and only then if I don't have the phonograph record.

A real review

2008-03-18
First off I want to respond to the previous users who have upgraded your pc's from Vista, obviously not a good idea whatsoever, you always want a clean copy of xp or system restore the laptop/desktop if you bought a name brand PC.
People who are experiencing freezing, what are you guys talking about? There is obviously something wrong with your pc's. I have a Sony Vaio with 2GB of RAM and a Core 2 Duo T5600 with Business on it, and the thing works very very well.
Programs not working? Yea, only some of them if they require specific drivers that aren't developed for Vista. People saying Itunes, Firefox and other programs like that don't work, you've got to be extremely dumb not to realize that everything works perfectly. All the programs work listed above and even more now.
Service Pack 1 will be released soon enough to fix any minor issues that haven't yet been fixed.
If you don't know how to turn things off in the control panel, like UAC you probably should have someone do it for you. That is there for your protection.
Windows Aero, can also be turned off if you don't like its little featuers like the popup windows and flipping.
My Background:
I have 6 computers running all versions from Home Premium to Ultimate of Vista and I have only had minor driver issues, with my sound card. THATS IT. Every company that I know of has perfectly stable drivers for most devices. People who say they can't find drivers for their printers and or other devices must be something that company doesn't support anymore and or they haven't looked in the correct places.

Speed? I haven't noticed anything different, but I guess there obviously would be differences because Aero does take more memory to run the 3D interface.

Epilisy? Uhh I suggest you go to a doctor, or stop using computers all together if you have this issue. And by the way its under mouse features.

You will be sorry

2008-03-18
The worst thing you could do to your business is install windows vista on any of you machines. Vista is a bloated, slow, buggy piece of junk that could ruin your business. Stick with XP and don't even think about Microjunk vista. I would give it zero stars as a rating, if I could. May bill gates burn inhell.

VISTA = MILLENIUM EDITION

2008-02-18
Purchase from Amazon went without trouble: Item shipped quickly and arrived complete and safe.

Installation went without trouble on a Intel motherboard based, Dual Core, 2 Gig machine. Be sure to update all of Intel's drivers and software.

I can't tell much about software compatibility issues: This machine is used by my accountant, and only runs Quickbooks and Office. And so far, runs them well.

Microsoft promised A LOT for this version of Windows. However, as far as I can tell, the transition from Windows-XP to Windows-Vista felt almost as Windows-98 to Windows-ME: Some fixes and features were added, many things got broken. Given that, I believe it's over-priced software. And us, users, feel like beta-testers of an unfinished product, which upon fixing, Microsoft will probably sell to us in the future as another new version of Windows.

VISTA- Apple's most compelling secret weapon

2008-02-10
Disgusting! After 5 years in the making, and promises of a super-duper search engine (that they couldn't get to work in the end), this is just creaky non-productive yet indcrediby expensive flash-in-the-pan stuff. I have to rely on Windows to use my business software. For starters, all office machines needed at least 2 GB RAM to run all those decorative see-through windows (who really cares). It's slow, buggy, already needs dozens of fixes and - hopefully - an SP1 release to address the worst. The annoying 'permissions' dialog requires you to sit in front of the computer, particularly if your office is networked; 'activation' is better called 'aggravation' - seems you are stealing their copyrights - and viruses and worms still infest the system because the browser (incrediby, really) was integrated into the operating system, thereby offering a direct pipeline into the kernel innards.

There is no instruction manual other than pages of denial of user rights. Customer service is "help yourself" via the (highly technical) Knowlege Base ... you've got to be a bit of a geek to start messing in the registry after digesting those pages of legalese that fully protect the company, but offer no warranties for the hapless consumer.

Enough said - Apple's Bootcamp now lets you install and run both Mac and Win operating systems (go back to XP/SP2!), elegantly executing the occasional Windows program such as Quicken or games. Leopard now is a de facto dual operating system product. Goodbye Bill Gates, hello Steve Jobs!

the worst thing that happened to microsoft

2008-07-10
What is Windows Vista? A faied Mac-wannabe. Honestly, I you're tryin to copy something. At least do it good! Windows Vista is slow with a whole bunch of annoying things that pop out at the most annoying tims. DO NOT buy it. I like XP much better....

Accurate Review from a Masters-Level, 20-Year IT Professional

2008-07-07
Do NOT believe all the knee-jerk garbage you're hearing about Vista, as 90% of it is pure crap that people are pulling out of thin air.

This same thing happened when Windows 2000 was released in 1999 and again when XP was released in 2002. Everybody hated each of them until the next version of Windows came along. Then, suddenly, they LOVED the older version and tried to cling to it. Not only pathetic, but now very predictable.

Time to set a few things straight.

Fact: Windows Vista was in development a whole year before Windows XP was even released. Microsoft has been working feverishly on this OS for 6 years. Nearly EVERY Microsoft product that comes out was extensively tested by a public usability testing program. Microsoft doesn't let anything out the door until all the usability testers (the general public that come to visit the Microsoft facility in Redmond, Wa) say they like it. Vista was OK'd by both internal and external beta testers in addition to the usability test program, or it never would have been released. I have personally done usability testing at Microsoft 18 times now, and I know how this process works. Microsoft releases software by consensus, and Vista is what the people themselves ASKED FOR.

Fact: For its entire life, the virus magnet that is known as Windows XP has been solely responsible for the onslaught of spyware, malware and waves of viruses. Not Mac. Not Linux. Not DOS. Not Unix. It was Windows XP. Even loaded with antispy and antivirus software, WinXP STILL gets infested and slows to a blue-screening crawl. As you read this on your XP box, I guarentee that you have spyware on your system (and probably viruses too). Run a scan and see for yourself.

Fact: Though complaints about Vista's UAC are many, the Internet is not filled with Vista users begging to be saved from viruses and spyware they can't recover from. Those poor souls are pretty much all XP users.

Fact: OF COURSE Vista is going to be slightly slower than XP on the same machine - just like Windows XP was slower than Windows 2000, which was slower than Windows NT4, which was slower than Windows 98, which was slower than Windows 95, which was slower than Windows 3.1. This is the natural way thigns are SUPPOSED TO BE AS HARDWARE GETS FASTER AND FASTER. C'mon, what do you honestly expect? New operating systems are about new features, not "running faster" (anybody that knows anything about operating systems knows that new versions are NEVER faster than the previous version, no matter what operating system it is - just take a look at any Linux distro, which has long since been a textbook example of slow, ever-increasing bloatware). It's up to HARDWARE to make things run faster, not the OS. Your system not fast enough? GET FASTER HARDWARE LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE DOES. Has everyone forgotten that today's hardware is anywhere from 4-10 times faster than than the hardware that was available when XP was first released? And that Vista runs at virtually the same speed as XP once booted up only with tons of new features? And that soon you will need a new OS to even be able to operate the dual quad and dual octo-core systems in the horizon? C'mon, people, get a grip.

Fact: Since SP1 came out, Vista runs GREAT. I can run pretty much any Win32 program I want in Vista. Some of the few remaining software products currently being described as "Non-Vista compatible" can be made to work under Vista if you do a little reading and tweaking.

Fact: Turn UAC (User Access Control) off if you want Vista to behave like XP and not prompt you for everything. It's as easy as un-checking a checkbox in Control Panel (User Accounts). Note: This will drop Vista security down to the same "virus magnet/pants down" level as Windows XP.

Fact: Are you a gamer? Then you already know that DirectX 10 is Vista-only. All you XP gamers can sit in your own drool if you want to. Meanwhile, we Vista users are walking around in the same games you are - only with DirectX10, which turns it into walking around in a movie.

Fact: Think you don't like Vista? Waiting for Windows 7 to come out in Q1 of 2010? You might be interested in knowing that Windows 7 is merely a re-packaging of Windows Vista - just like Windows XP was a re-packaging of Windows 2000 because 2000 didn't sell well (see for yourself at the command prompt - type "ver" and take note that Windows 2000 is Windows version 5.0 and Windows XP is version 5.1). Windows Vista is version 6.0. Dig up all the screen shots of Windows 7 you can find on the internet - take note that the version number is Windows version 6.1, and that it's still very much Windows Vista. So get used to Vista. Better yet, GET Vista, or you'll eventually be two Windows versions behind when 7 comes out - which won't be until 2010, and then that version of Vista will be around for 5 years until the next version.

Vista's here to stay, folks. You have a choice of slipping into obsolescence with XP or you can move forward with Vista and Win7.

For me personally, Vista has been spoiling me rotten. Every time I get up from my Vista machines and sit down on my XP machines, it feels like I'm sitting down on a machine in "Safe Mode". Vista makes XP feel old, limited and inadequate. The search functions of Vista alone remove all need for clicking through layers of start menus - this alone makes XP feel like an antique. I wont even get into how cool the Aero interface is, or SuperFetch, ReadyBoost, or the other many new features that make Vista MUCH faster than XP.

BTW: No, I do not work for Microsoft. I'm the CIO of an Internet 3D media development company that makes it's living by looking and moving forward. Clinging to the past and fearing change would get us nowhere and eventually bury us.

It Really Is That Bad

2008-07-06
I wouldn't have bought it voluntarily, but a few months ago I needed a new notebook and had a hard time finding what I wanted with XP installed on it. So I took a chance on one with Vista. What I found is that the negative commentary about Vista is all too true; if anything, Vista's critics are too kind. What can you say for a new OS in which one of the most basic functions---Search---is literally unable to find files by their exact names? I've never found one file on my notebook using Search. And although Vista's graphical interface is undeniably attractive (this explains my 2 stars), most notebooks don't come with the memory to run it. I upgraded to 2 GB in order to make it usable. Even though I'm aware that Microsoft and their PC manufacturer hostages always pull this trick, it still rankles when an expensive new business notebook is pretty much useless for basic word / email / spreadsheet programs with 1 gb of ram installed. Even with 2 GB I had to do a lot of streamlining, tuning, and tweaking to get Vista to run smoothly. Forgive me for clinging to the antiquated idea that this is the software designers' job, not mine. Thankfully there is a lot of information online showing how to do all of this, but it shouldn't be so necessary.

I'm not sure why anyone would pay for Vista as an upgrade or stand alone OS installation if they have a choice. Maybe by SP3 the people at MS will have this thing straightened out, but of course by then they'll have moved on to their next OS nightmare, expecting all of us to come along too. What fools we all are.

Like anyone would trust this

2008-04-14
It's one thing to make the mistake of buying VISTA for home use but I work at controls and we would never upgrade our systems (WIN XP SP2) to VISTA....not untill it has the same passable reliability as XP. Why don't companies just switch to Apple Leopard and Leopard Server, it works.....it's easier to use, fully reliable and most of all as said before it works....there can be no better trump card than Leopard works, windows doesen't.

Vista on Mac

2008-03-25
I've installed Vista on Mac using "Boot Camp" for the purpose of running one business software that I own. Vista works flawlessly both native and Virtual on the IMac 2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Extreme 4GB RAM allocating only 32GB to the partition - I would recommend about 80 GB. Running Visa in Virtual - i think - is awesome and you can easily allocate addtional RAM on the fly.
I would admit that vista is slightly buggy compared to xp and installing a wireless Lexmark commercial printer was a breeze using vista. It was almost as quick as the Mac and xp takes about 45 minutes to set up. Point is, vista is a great improvement over xp. I purchased an OEM product for about 100.00 less.
Final word - Is it worth updating xp? For my purposes it would not help me in anyway, but when I order more Macs, I will most certainly install Vista on all of them. OEM software is great because it does not come with any, nada, nothing, no junk software and it is about half the price at NewEgg.