Brandstar UK Limited

During my review of my Dell Vostro machine I started to head into a Windows Vista rant! So I thought instead I would have a dedicated thread in which to rant about it! Although unlike many people ranting about the terribleness of Vista I am actually very impressed with the latest desktop operating system from Microsoft!

I have heard people advising users to avoid Vista like the plague, mostly saying we should be waiting for Microsoft to release Service Pack 1. In response I would suggest Microsoft have actually put the Vista operating system through far more testing that they did Windows XP. During beta testing Vista was codenamed “longhorn” and went through a number of stages of testing beta 1, beta 2 and RC1. During this time many IT professionals downloaded and installed these test versions of the operating system and submitted any error reports to Microsoft. So in a sense at the time of release Windows Vista was virtually already at “SP1″ stage! - By this I mean that during the extensive beta testing a wider range of hardware configurations were tested compared to the release of XP therefore we should experience less problems, better security and higher reliability.

As I hinted in the Vostro post, Vista has quite heavy hardware requirements if you are to use it properly. This is what a lot of people aren’t happy with, the fact that something new comes out and they have to upgrade their hardware. Well you don’t HAVE to upgrade to Vista! But if you want the latest operating then to cope with the new features you will often need better hardware. Just a fact of life

The general advice I have been offering to clients is the following

• If buying a new machine then Windows Vista is the way to go, but consider the following:
  • Check your external hardware is compatible
  • Check any specific / unique software packages are compatible
  • Decide which version is best for you - Microsoft Windows Vista Compare Editions
  • When it comes to the Hardware side of choosing a new PC for Vista here are some things to consider
    • Firstly the check out Microsofts site for the Microsoft Vista Recommended System Requirements
    • The first choice I tend to make when putting a quote for a machine together is decide on the brand of Processor, AMD or Intel. All I would say is if you go for AMD don’t go for anything lower than the Turion process as from experience the Athlon is a little sluggish (in a mobile solution at least). If you choose to go with an Intel processor then I would choose Intel Core 2 Duo all the way!
    • Memory I am reluctant to specify anything with less than 2GB of memory.
    • The graphics card is the other component that needs to be of reasonable specification. Minimum of 128MB memory on the card if you can.

Obviously if you are an existing Brandstar client or are local and would like us to recommend and supply you with a machine that will meet your needs then please get in touch.

What are the advantages of Windows Vista over XP?

There are many many new features in Windows Vista, so rather than reeling off everything that I know is new in the operating system. I thought I would highlight the 4 main features that I have found useful in the time that I have used it so far. If you want to know about all the features of Windows Vista then take a look visit the Microsoft Site.

• Improved Start Menu - based around the XP start menu but rather than a Start button it is just an orb with the windows flag in it! The menu has some useful items at the top of the left hand side (Internet and Email) by default but more of the programs you regularly use can be added by just dragging the icon from the start menu there. Below that are the most recently used applications that are not listed above! The right hand side has the usual useful links to Documents, Pictures, Computer, Music, Control Panel etc.
• Integrated into the Start menu but deserves a bullet point here of its own is the “Start Search” feature, just start typing. For example hitting the windows key on the keyboard and typing “word” would list any applications you have installed with the word “word” in them. Most likely Microsoft Word and Wordpad! A very useful feature / shortcut.
• Networking and Sharing Center - whilst the networking on Vista is different to XP the Networking Center is useful in managing the new network and gives easy access to things like folder and printer sharing, machine network discovery and media sharing.
• Windows Flip & Windows Flip 3D - When moving through multiple applications in previous versions of Windows you could use ALT + TAB to move through a list. You can do the same thing in Vista but you get a thumbnail of each Window which can be a nice feature if you are using the same program for a number of different files. An even better way though is using Flip 3D where you scroll through a larger screenshot displayed at an angle. Looks very impressive, if you have Windows Vista (not basic) then try opening a few applications and hold down the Windows Key on the keyboard and tap the TAB key to scroll through the windows (see image on right).

So answering those who say “Should I upgrade from XP?” It really depends on your requirements but I wouldn’t say it is a necessity but if you are buying a new machine then I wouldn’t think twice!

Hope that helps, any questions feel free to ask.

Graham.