Things You Need to Know Before Networking Vista

Microsoft's Windows Vista is set to rule business with its unleashing this year in many parts of the world. One of its strengths is its supposed faster and more secure networking capabilities. However, because there have been many changes to the operating system since the ever-successful Windows XP, deploying the new OS to whatever number of computers in a network has also changed. Here are a few things to keep in mind before you make the switch on your company network.

Vista images are larger

An image is kind of like a mirror so that one or more computers can run the same software, which is especially true in the case of company networks that share the same programs. Using Windows XP for this meant that you could create images that could fit on one CD that could be passed around the organization. The largest image would go to about 1 to 3 gigabytes. This may have seemed large. But with Vista, it's even worse. Image size starts with about a compressed 2 gigabytes which means that uncompressed it could mean 5 gigabytes. So to share the image with other computers on a network, you would need to use DVDs that have about a current capacity of 4.7 gigabytes. However, all computers must be equipped with a DVD drive to be able to read that image.

Installation is different

Windows XP was installed using a text-based process that was time-consuming. It involved a step-by-step installation which meant that every single operating system file was first decompressed and then installed. After that, registry entries were created and all the security needed was then applied. Windows Vista has now done away with that process. The new setup program performs the installation and applies the Windows Vista image to the computer. Once applied, a system administrator must now customize it specifically for that machine. Basically, the operating system chooses the necessary settings and "personality" for the computer it is deployed onto. Windows Vista is ready to deploy on any machine in the network. It can be deployed as is from the DVD or customized as earlier described.

Boot.ini no more

The boot.ini file that you have probably grown accustomed to is of no use in Windows Vista. A new boot loader file has taken its place called bootmgr. What it does is it reads special information found in another file during loading time. Because of this new file (plus additional tools in Vista), you can make your computer boot from either Windows Vista or another OS like Windows XP without having to make changes to the machine itself.

Language no longer a problem

Windows XP allowed users to boot the operating system with an English UI or you could choose a different language. The problem was a different language would require a different image file. Windows Vista has now made it easier since more language packs have been added to it so that it becomes language-neutral. This means that it automatically supports multiple languages. Only one security update will also be needed for all the languages unlike previous versions of Windows.

Among other changes that you will notice in Windows Vista, the most noticeable will be its graphics and the amount of space that it will need for it to be able to run. One of the great controversies is that companies will have to upgrade their hardware even further just to be able to use it. However, it is suspected that Vista will become the new XP in terms of use and standard.