KEY POINTS:
Herald Rating: * * * *
There was a moment 45 minutes into my installation of Windows Vista Ultimate when I thought I had made a terrible mistake. The progress bar was frozen at 82 per cent complete, the computer churned away but nothing happened.
Finally the computer came unstuck and the Vista installation sailed uneventfully to completion - one hour and five minutes after starting.
When I rebooted I entered a vastly different looking Windows. I liked what I saw. But before I could go exploring I had to fix some glitches. My wireless networking adaptor, Nvidia graphics card and, strangely enough, my computer microphone which I use for Skype calls, ceased functioning after I installed Vista. I had to download drivers for them which rectified the problem. I also had to reinstall McAfee Total Protection after the Vista upgrade.
My experience with Vista Ultimate since then has been an exercise in unlearning the awkward, time-consuming behaviour I've previously applied to my computing. Before, I used to flick through Windows Explorer looking for files. Now I simply type a keyword in the Start menu search. I use tabbed browsing in Internet Explorer to shuffle between websites more easily and rather than clicking through the tiles on the task bar to find an application, I hover the cursor over it to display a thumbnail of what's there.
Vista is gradually making me more efficient. The most obvious improvements over Windows XP are the treatment of media and the Aero Glass interface. Although my Compaq Presario laptop meets the minimum specification for running Vista Ultimate, it clearly struggles with some of the more graphic-intensive features on offer.
I borrowed a higher-powered laptop running Vista and experienced the 3D desktop as it should be. The 3D Flip feature, which gives you a visual overview of all your open documents and makes the windows partially transparent so you can see behind them, is impressive.
Organising your photos is easier in Vista and there are some built-in editing tools. Media Center quickly populated itself with my media files and is a great interface into your music and video collections.
The other features of Vista Ultimate are more in the "nuts and bolts" category, but equally impressive. Windows Defender appears to be well thought out. It's certainly less obtrusive than third-party security software. The new Control Panel is well organised. You can get into parental controls or adjust laptop settings with a few mouse clicks. The Network and Sharing centre is an invaluable tool for sharing files among computers and adding devices to your home network.
Vista Ultimate is an impressive package overall, but it must be kept in mind that it's the high-end version of Vista and not all of its features are available in the cheaper versions which will be sold with most computers.
Vista Ultimate
Hardware Requirements
1 GHz 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
1 GB of system memory
40 GB hard drive with at least 15 GB of available space
Support for DirectX 9 graphics with
128 MB of graphics memory (minimum)
Pixel Shader 2.0 in hardware
32 bits per pixel
Pros: Better security, good multimedia features, more user-friendly
Cons: Demanding on hardware, pricey
Price: $979 - upgrade from Windows XP, $649 (Vista Home Basic costs $499 - upgrade, $259)
