Microsoft Vista Home Premium Review

I'm what most people would call a "Techie."  I have a BS in Computer and Information Science.  I worked in PC support at a major company for 2 years.  I help hundreds of people through the transition from Windows 98 & Windows NT to Windows 2000 and Windows XP when they came out.   But even with experience, I was still hesitant to order my new PC with Windows Vista because of all of the bad press the OS (operating system)received.  Never the less I swallowed my fears and got the new PC only two months after Vista was launched.  Even though I know my way around a PC, I still had issues when I first got Vista including:

• Virus and Spy-ware software was not compatible
• Scanner, Printer, and Digital Camera Drivers was not compatible
• Automatic Windows Updates stopped working after one (1) week

Some of the fixes, like for the drivers, were easy to solve.  Windows Vista even has an issue alert feature that activly looks for solutions to your driver and software problems.  But other issues like the Auto Windows Updates were a lot more difficult to resolve.  After spending almost a week exchanging emails with Microsoft Tech support, I have to reinstall the OS to remedy this issue. 

In general, Vista is very impressive the first time you launch the OS.  It has some great features like Google Gadgets (my favorite is the picture slide show), Parental Controls and Mini Windows that pop up and allow you to view your minimized programs.  Yes, you have to confirm everything when you install things but this is intended to prevent Spy-ware from installing itself. 

I really Love Windows Vista and I'm really glad I upgraded.