Microsoft’s newest operating system, Windows Vista, has been out just over a year. I’m happy to report that I’ve been pleasantly surprised. Of course, Service Pack 1 (SP1) could account for my experience.
Microsoft made SP1 available in March and I’ve been running it the entire time I’ve had Vista. All of the complaints I heard about Vista were before the release of SP1, and it has been reported to be a fix for many bugs.
Upgrade benefits
Windows Vista offers substantial new capabilities in security, performance, reliability, and manageability. It was built from the ground up with a focus on secure development, an enhanced user experience, and optimization around hardware advancements. Plus much of it is just plain cool and looks beautiful, not to mention that the desktop experience is more informative, intuitive, and helpful.
Microsoft’s Aero Glass interface features visually engaging 3D rendering, animation, and transparencies. The translucent icons, program windows, and other elements not only look great, they also add depth and context to the interface. If you have a modern video card and plenty of memory, you’re going to love the way it looks. The visual sophistication of Vista helps streamline the computing experience by refining common elements so you can better focus on the content on the screen rather than how to access it.
When you start using Windows Vista, you will recognize familiar elements such as the Start menu, which is now faster, streamlined, and more helpful than in previous versions of Windows.The Start menu features integrated desktop search through a new feature called Instant Search which can help you find and launch almost anything on your PC. Just type in a word, name, or phrase, and Instant Search can find the right file for you.
The new Start menu also makes it very easy for you to navigate across all of the installed applications on your PC. Microsoft has eliminated the slow performing, cascading “All Programs” view, so the new Start menu can help get things started more quickly.