Windows Vista: Don't Believe All the Negative Hype

Earlier this year, I conducted a little experiment with Unix that failed miserably. But in the process I acquired a small desktop computer that originally ran on Windows Vista but ended up running on Windows XP. The machine had little power and running Vista would've been a nightmare. Plus, I had heard so many negative things about Vista online and from watching those Mac commercials that a negative image was etched in my brain.

It turned out that the small desktop was too small to run my business. It would wheeze and lag and freeze up programs, and it really impeded my work. So, reluctantly I headed to Best Buy earlier this month to see what they had in stock. I had, of course, researched the possibilities first online, and I had decided I simply must have a television tuner in my new system. My local Best Buy carries two machines in stock with this feature - the HP Pavilion Elite Q6600 and the Gateway Q6600. Do you think that's a coincidence? Anyway, both machines offered largely the same features, although the Gateway had an attractive 1TB of hard drive space. I decided to go with the HP since I have an HP monitor and an HP printer and have been very happy with both.

My intention from the start was to immediately convert my new machine to Windows XP. I was worried about hardware and software compatibility and didn't want this computer switchover to turn into a costly affair. I got an excellent deal on the computer, paying much less than I expected, and I didn't want to fork out hundreds more on new software or a new printer. I called my friend Ryan at Computer Repair to arrange to bring it to him for the operating system downgrade. I even put it in my car in preparation for the delivery. He said he wasn't going to be in that day (Friday) but that I could drop it off for him to have when he was in the next week.

In the course of running my errands that day, I decided that I didn't want to leave my brand-new machine at his shop all weekend. So, I brought it home and thought to myself, "Maybe I should just check out the bells and whistles on Vista." So, I set up the machine and started checking it out. Much to my surprise, it connected instantly to my network, even though there were two Windows XP machines on the network. It also found my printer and was able to print. "Hmmm... maybe this isn't as bad as I thought." I decided to fully switch my old computer to the Vista computer. Let me tell you, even though it involved buying a special $40 Vista transfer cable, my data transfer was easy and COMPLETE. Vista comes with this special software that will take all your data and settings and transfer it from your old computer to your Vista computer. (Or, I have to imagine, from one Vista computer to another.) The only things it didn't transfer were my Windows fonts and a few template files from my accounting program. Other than that, the new computer was completely loaded with all my software settings. All I had to do was load in the actual software.

I never in a million years thought I would be touting the benefits of Vista, but here I am. It runs just like my XP, with a few aesthetic changes. You can turn off all the desktop widgets, which I did. I think I have the Super-Duper-Home-Version which has a great media center application. The built in TV tuner that works with the media center is nothing short of awesome. All I did was plug my cable connection directly into the computer and presto! I can watch shows while I work. PLUS, I can record them! I can even program my computer to record future shows. I haven't even begun to tap into the possibilities.

The installation wasn't without its hitches. I do have to upgrade Norton Ghost for a price of $50. That's the only program that was not compatible. But with 3 gigs of RAM, Vista is lightning fast. I haven't seen one bad thing about it yet. As long as your programs are relatively up-to-date and you have a machine fast enough to run it, Vista is fine. I believe the issue is simply that people fear change.