The folks at Microsoft have just released Windows VISTA RC-2... say what? OK, it stands for release candidate 2 and word is that it will be the last or next to the last beta test version before the RTM... whoops, did it again... that's release to manufacturing. Once that happens, the big show begins with a probable date in January for the official kick-off.
So, what should you do about an upgrade? Well, there are a number of things to consider, like, how long will XP be supported? Hard to say, but just recently MS stopped supporting XP SP1, so it's not going to be awfully long before they begin to rumble about SP2 versions, I imagine.
Looks like there will be 5 versions of VISTA to choose from, Home basic, Home premium, Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate. First thing I'd suggest is to visit the VISTA page at microsoft.com and download a small program called Windows VISTA Upgrade Advisor. It will check your computer and tell you what changes you may need to make before you upgrade. I am not sure yet about pricing... there have been a lot of #s floating around, starting with $50 for the Home basic upgrade, but until Microsoft officially releases the retail versions, we won't really know. Another piece of info I heard was that starting in late October, new computer purchasers will get an upgrade certificate with their purchase for a discounted price to upgrade when VISTA is released.
I've been beta testing VISTA for about 10 months and have to say I'm impressed. I went to a computer user group district meeting a short while ago and was able to attend a session by one of my fellow user group members, David Harris. He did such a good job of telling us 10 reasons why we should upgrade to VISTA, I asked if I could use some of his presentation for this column. He generously said I could use any or all of it, so what follows contains some of his presentation, as well as my comments and screen shots from the PC I have VISTA installed on.
1. SECURITY, SECURITY, SECURITY - VISTA takes security to the next level
- Bi-directional Software Firewall - monitors inbound and outbound traffic
- Windows Services Hardening - prevents obscure background processes from being hijacked and changing your system
- Full-disk Encryption - prevents thieves from accessing your data
- User Account Protection - invokes administrator privileges, for driver updates or software installations and won't let users load software, without clearance from an administrator, thus limiting the ability of malware to enter your system. Both of these will prompt you as the administrator when you start any of these procedures, a good reminder to be sure of what you are doing, but most important, preventing anyone else from doing something to your computer without your approval.
2. INTERNET EXPLORER 7:
- Firefox-inspired makeover, complete with tabbed pages and better privacy management. The small square to the right of the bottom address space is what you click for a new tab.
- There's also the color-coded Address Bar that lets you know if a page is secured by a digital key
- Anti-phishing features alerts if a phony Web site is just looking to steal information about you. It alerts you with a red message that's hard to miss!
- Runs in "Protected Mode"- a limited-rights mode that prevents third-party code from reaching your system. Meant to stop any hijacking of your homepage.
3. RIGHTEOUS EYE CANDY:
- High-end graphics effects built in
- Aero Glass Interface features visually engages 3D rendering, animation, and transparencies
- Translucent icons, program windows, and other elements add depth and context to the interface
- Place your cursor over minimized programs that rest on the taskbar and you'll be able to see real-time previews of what's running in each window without opening them full-screen
- You can see what's going on behind the scenes
- You will need powerful graphics hardware and a robust system to manage all the effects. When I ran the advisor, it told me I'd need to get a more powerful graphics card to see all the gwhiz stuff, so I haven't got what they are calling aero-glass interface. It's nice to look at, but so far I'm not inclined to run out and buy a new card. Maybe if I got into serious gaming!
4. DESKTOP SEARCH:
- Microsoft has been getting its lunch handed to it by Google and Yahoo on the desktop, but VISTA could change all that... it does work well after it finishes indexing your whole computer.
- VISTA tightly integrates instant desktop search
- Powerful indexing and user-assignable metadata make searching for all kinds of data - including files, e-mails, and Web content - a lot easier
- If you're running VISTA on a network you can perform searches across the network to other PCs
5. BETTER UPDATES:
- VISTA does away with using Internet Explorer to access Windows Update
- Utilizes a new application to handle the chore of keeping your system patched and up-to-date
- Result is quicker response and a more tightly streamlined process
- The update - tracking mechanism is much quicker to display information about your installation
- Key components, such as the Windows Defender anti-spyware module, get their updates faster
- Makes it easier - and more pleasant - to keep your PC secure
6. MORE MEDIA:
- Windows Media Player gets a welcome update that turns the once-bloated player into an effective MP3 library
- Windows Photo Gallery adds competent photo library management functionality
- You can organize photos; apply metatags, titles, and ratings
- Light editing and printing are easier
- DVD Maker application promises to add moviemaking
- New games are tucked into the bundle
7. PARENTAL CONTROLS:
- Families, schools, and libraries will appreciate the tuned-up parental controls
- Lets you limit access in a variety of ways
- Web filtering can block specific sites, screen out objectionable content by selected type, and lock out file downloads
- You can also restrict each account's access by time of day or day of the week
- This can keep kids off the PC while you're not at home
- You can even block access to games based on their Entertainment Software Rating Board ratings
8. BETTER BACKUPS:
- When Windows 95 first came out, the typical hard disk was, maybe, 300MB in size
- Today, hi-end desktops routinely ship with 400GB or 500GB hard drives
- Windows VISTA boasts a much-improved backup program that should help users avoid digital meltdowns. I did a complete backup and it was pretty easy... next I will have to try an entire restore.
- System Restore feature - which takes snapshots of your system state so you can recover from a nasty infection or botched software installation
9. PEER-TO-PEER COLLABORATION:
- Collaboration Module lets VISTA users work together in a shared workspace
- You can form ad hoc workgroups and then jointly work on documents, present applications, and pass messages
- You can even post "handouts" for others to review
- I haven't tried this feature, but it looks pretty simple to setup.
10. QUICK SETUP:
- Windows VISTA boasts a re-engineered install routine, which will slash setup times from about an hour to as little as 15 minutes... correct, it is very quick.
That's a quick rundown to get you started. For lots more info, visit the Microsoft webpage and go to the VISTA section, where you can learn all about it.
Until next time, have fun with all those computer and electronic goodies, but remember to be careful out there on the 'net!
Aloha, Lou
