Vista Upgrade?..... Not!

Back in the summer of this year, i really wanted to upgrade to Windows Vista. and so i did. With is shiny new aero interface and better search abilities, i Hoped that it would help me be more effective in my work, be more efficient, and help find files quicker. Alas, it was not so.

Here's what I found out:

What I liked:
1. the quick search in the start button (windows orb) is a great addition.
2. windows start button keeps everything nice and neat
3. the glossy / semitransparent new aero interface
4. Windows Sidebar & widgets (if accompanied by a widescreen lcd monitor)


What I disliked:
1. my tv tuner card(leadtek winfast tv2000xp expert) doesnt work properly even after upgrading to new drivers and softwares... yes it does allow me to watch television but when i press record, it records only a silent movie. Yes, Yes, it might be that my built-in sound card may be incompatible with vista but its hard for me to accept that a motherboard named (asrock lga775 vista hdtv) is not fully compatible with windows vista. I already updated the sound card driver to the latest realtek release but still, the problem persists. The Winfast PVR software doesn't see the AUX-In/CD-Line In connector of the motherboard, where my tv tuner card hardware is connected, thus no sound. Also, there were minor issues regarding the tv software itself including, the volume control display and channel display doesn't disappear after changing channels or changing the volume. Quite a hassle.

2. many other softwares need to be updated or buy new ones for it to work in vista.... on my first install of vista way back in march 2007, and tried to install autocad 2007, an error message poped out telling me that autocad 2007 is not compatible with vista. I continued with the installation even after seeing the warning in hopes of being able to run it in compatibility mode but alas, it doesn't work at all. To think that a software that states that is the 2007 version is incompatible with vista is propulstrous. It was only after some internet searching that i found out that one needs at least Autocad 2007 SP1 for Autocad to run in Windows Vista. Adobe Creative Suite on the otherhand installs properly, and works but the interface sure is kinda whacked out due to the big close button of windows vista. Simply put, Adobe Creative Suite CS2 in vista looks ugly, and cluttered. It is obvious that it was not made for Windows Vista. This means having to buy Adobe CS3 products and Autocad 2008 to be ho-hum in vista. Alas, one needs to upgrade one's computer hardware for these high-end programs to work.

3. the new interface makes it hard to find and tweak the settings that i want.

4. when using flash drives, all explorer windows and files and programs open must first be close for it to be safely removed.

5. slow startup and shutdown. even with a dual-core processor and 1gb memory, it takes more than a minute to load and shutdown windows

6. 1gb of memory is just not enough.... as more and more programs are opened, the areo interface eats up more and more memory, not to mention the windows sidebar widgets and other explorer animation effects. 2gb is a minimum for running windows vista smoothly.

7. some programs just wont work!

8. the new interface needs a minimum of 19" widescreen monitor to work effectively.
I currently have a 17" crt monitor and it just doesn't cut it. The windows sidebar and new windows explorer and aero interface is looks great and all but it eats up so much desktop space that my 17" monitor @ 1024x768 resolution seems more like an 14" monitor @ 800x600 resolution.

9. And the greatest hassle of them all, Windows User Access Control (UAC). This bugs you everytime you install anything or change the settings in windows or when an application is running in WinXP compatibility mode or when copying, changing & deleting files in the Program Files directory. This annoys me so much! Its like i get 30 UAC prompts everyday just for doing my daily tasks. These prompts are more hassle due to its nature of having to flicker the screen when it prompts. I know i could turn it off but doing so means sacrificing security as what I've read so far. Turning it off makes Windows Vista even less secure than Windows XP.


Conclusion:
If you're a power user or a graphics/CAD professional, do not upgrade to Vista unless you have the cash to spend on upgrading your computer. (minimum req'ts: 19"lcd monitor, 2gb ddr2 memory, 128mb 128bit dx9.0c dedicated video card, dual-core processor, new tv tuner card, all new software)

If you just use your computer for word processing, surfing the net and listening to music and watch videos, Vista may prove to be right for you. (just make sure you have at least 1gb of memory, and a 128mb 128bit dx9.0c dedicated video card)