Manage updates with the Download AppWindows Vista Ultimate
Manufacturer: Microsoft Part number: 66R-00012
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- Windows Vista is essentially warmed-over Windows XP. If you're currently happy with Windows XP SP2, we see no compelling reason to upgrade. On the other hand, if you need a new computer right now, Windows Vista is stable enough for everyday use.
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CNET editors' review
Windows Vista Ultimate price range: $99.09 - $152.09
- Reviewed by: Robert Vamosi
- Reviewed on: 01/23/2007
- Released on: 01/30/2007
The good: Windows Vista Ultimate does improve some features within Windows XP; fewer system crashes than Windows XP; Windows Vista offers better built-in support options.
The bad: Windows Vista Ultimate does not put Search on the desktop (it's buried within applications, within the Start Menu); optimized only for the Microsoft Windows ecosystem (for example, RSS feeds from Internet Explorer 7 get preferential treatment); there's simply too much and not all of it is implemented properly; no new software yet written exclusively for Windows Vista; and there are too many editions of Windows Vista.
The bottom line: Windows Vista is essentially warmed-over Windows XP. If you're currently happy with Windows XP SP2, we see no compelling reason to upgrade. On the other hand, if you need a new computer right now, Windows Vista is stable enough for everyday use.
User reviews
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Vista release made a 15 year windows veteran switch to MAC OSX
by NeoTropicalus on February 5, 2007
Pros: User interface flows much nicer than Windows XP; The Aero desktop is nice if you have the hardware; sidebar widgets are nice eye candy; startup much faster than XP
Cons: Draconian licensing; digital rights restrictions are most bothersome, networking is MUCH slower on WIFI; Driver support needs time to bake; only 10% of my games install and run
Summary: I have been playing with the VISTA beta's since June of 2006. While each build would improve upon some features, others took a step back. In the process list, ...
Summary: I have been playing with the VISTA beta's since June of 2006. While each build would improve upon some features, others took a step back. In the process list, there is a lot of stuff running that uses a lot of memory - I have 2G machine and just starting a fresh install and running takes 600Meg of memory idling. I finally decided to upgrade to a new laptop - a macbook pro (intel) and while I am feeling my way around MAC OSX, I am giddy with how well everything works...I can even run windows using a virtual machine called parallels desktop and switch back and forth with great performance. Also, almost all of my UNIX shell scripts run at the command line in MAC OS X since it is based on BSD - my old DOS scripts do NOT run under VISTA. I was so looking forward to Microsoft's new file system based on XML metadata...they scrapped it and basically is XP with a new DX GUI and a new network stack. It IS better than XP in some respects, but I challenge those that say it runs the same software faster than XP SP2. MAC OS X Tiger is what Vista should have been...MS has lost another 15 year loyal customer to Apple!!
6 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.
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pretty look & annoying changes
by sherwood411 on January 24, 2007
Pros: Desktop looks pretty
Cons: everything relocated, too many security popups
Summary: Grrr, all the window applications shuffled around and hard to find. Maybe after a couple years of getting use to things I'll stop grumbling.
VERY annoying popup warnings (Talk ...Summary: Grrr, all the window applications shuffled around and hard to find. Maybe after a couple years of getting use to things I'll stop grumbling.
VERY annoying popup warnings (Talk about a DRAMA QUEEN). Wish it would remember I said OK 5 minutes ago that this application was good.
Sheeze8 out of 11 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Stable, some nice new features, very secure
by gdub1278 on January 24, 2007
Pros: love the search capabilities and the new interface.
Cons: uses a lot of system resources, very RAM intensive
Summary: Have been using it for six weeks now. All of my Windows XP hardware drivers work great. Most software apps still function. I really miss the Active Sync in Windows ...
Summary: Have been using it for six weeks now. All of my Windows XP hardware drivers work great. Most software apps still function. I really miss the Active Sync in Windows XP.
10 out of 17 users found this user opinion helpful.
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A pricey upgrade that will have to wait.
by GraveDigger27 on January 24, 2007
Pros: improved security, new features, aero interface, tons of bells & whistles.
Cons: expensive, high hardware requirements, will break a lot of current apps, need to buy new 3rd party programs.
Summary: Windows Vista looks to be an excellent product that is a lot like a Playstation 3 - a very expensive new toy with too few reasons to be the first ...
Summary: Windows Vista looks to be an excellent product that is a lot like a Playstation 3 - a very expensive new toy with too few reasons to be the first kid on the block to buy. I'm still using Windows 2000 and Office '97 at work. Even on my home system while I've gone through Win 95, 98, 98SE, ME, XP and SP1 & SP2 I can't say I've rushed to buy anything since I stood outside of CompUSA in Philly at midnight to buy Windows 95. Too many versions and it seems that Microsoft is trying to grab as many dollars as it can with the new product. Just like a PS3 it will be at least a year before I'd consider moving to Vista and I haven't seen anything so far that makes me want to buy the Cadillac edition. I'm no more of a fan of Apple's game of charging it's users for each version of OS X, but I don't see that Vista is a viable choice unless I buy a new system with it pre-installed. There's nothing I'm doing today that would require me to Vista-rize my current systems.
6 out of 8 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Vista will revolutionize your computing experience
by 7of7 on January 24, 2007
Pros: Very Intuitive, fast, configurable, secure, MCE is superb, Excellent parental controls, Top notch backup utility, Many different versions for added consumer choice, Excellent attention to detail
Cons: Not enough screensavers, No WinFS (yet), Might be a bit of an adjustment for those upgrading from OS X or Win 9x
Summary: If you spend any time on the web then by now you've seen many articles disparaging Vista for various reasons. However, Vista is a significant update to the Windows ...
Summary: If you spend any time on the web then by now you've seen many articles disparaging Vista for various reasons. However, Vista is a significant update to the Windows line. Not only is the core OS upgraded for security and modularity, it also includes a completely redesigned network stack and a new audio stack that is second to none in terms of the ability to record and listen to high quality audio. In addition, Vista comes in several variations depending on your needs. If you need a basic good OS there's a cheap version for you. If you're interested in bells and whistles galore there's the Ultimate addition. Vista is compatible with current and past hardware. I'm running it on a two year old Dell laptop with a Pentium M processor and it is very quick. Startup and shutdown have been sped up significantly. Vista also includes a new search function which revolutionizes the way you interact with the OS. No longer are you forced to click through the menus in Control Panel searching for the button to turn on bigger font. Now you can just search for font and the results are instantly displayed. Also, the search function changes the way you open programs. Rather than picking your way through the start menu you can just type the name of the program into the search bar in the start menu (just hit windows key and start typing) and start it immediately. Also, for even speedier program running you can add it to the quick launch bar. You can then hit windows+any number where the number represents that program's position on the quick launch bar and it'll start. The new Explorer behaves similarly. You can find any file almost instantaneously simply by searching for it in the search box in the file explorer. Gone are the days of the slow XP search; Vista searches are nearly immediate. Explorer contains many ways to sort your data including a new stack feature which will create virtual folders on the fly wherein you can find all the files meeting any criteria of your choice which can include size, date created, date edited, author, and even the exif data on your digital photos and many more. Vista comes with many handy programs such as a very good calendar, a mail program which compares favorably to the likes of Thunderbird and Evolution, very robust backup utilities, a photo gallery program similar to Google's excellent Picasa, and depending on the level you buy perhaps many other bells and whistles. If you take one thing from this review it's that you shouldn't believe the FUD about Vista. There is an excellent Wikipedia page describing the new features in Vista. With Vista you will interact with your computer in a completely different way. You will work faster and more efficiently and you will play harder.
5 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Stay with Windows XP for now
by bdh734 on January 25, 2007
Pros: Hats off to M$ for finally trying to secure the kernel.
Cons: They made the OS look like a cartoon.
Summary: For the price, I will stay with XP for now. $450.00 for aero graphics and different sounds is too much money. Plus there are only a handful of software ...
Summary: For the price, I will stay with XP for now. $450.00 for aero graphics and different sounds is too much money. Plus there are only a handful of software applications that can run.
But if we like or not, soon we will have to upgrade to it. As for me, I will wait for a year.4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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The product is Microsofts Best Yet
by alphaaccess on January 24, 2007
Pros: Security Security Security
Cons: Lack of drivers available by HP, Toshiba, Compaq etc
Summary: I deployed Vista Ultimate around Nov 10th 2006 with no problems under Small Business Server 2003 R2, with ISA. Don't know anything about OSx and don't care to. ...
Summary: I deployed Vista Ultimate around Nov 10th 2006 with no problems under Small Business Server 2003 R2, with ISA. Don't know anything about OSx and don't care to. I have used a test computer on the internet Not on a Domain, with no virus software installed, just Microsoft Defender, for two month. I spent almost the entire time on the grayside of the internet testing. After two month I installed AVG, onecar to test the computer and not one virus or malware was detected on the computer. When I use XP Sp2 for several days I have plenty spyware and viruses on the computer that are detected with Onecare and AVG. The average user does not keep virus and spyware up to date so Vista is a must for endusers. The graphics features in Vista are much nicer than XP may be it was time for something new. The price is a problem but five years + to develop it could have been more. IF you have XP already the update is much cheaper, and If you are building a new computer install xp and upgrade
6 out of 9 users found this user opinion helpful.
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The REAL Review
by plepak on January 27, 2007
Pros: Vista is wonderful! It's a must-have, especially if you want to take advantage of high-end hardware.
Cons: Ultimate Edition is expensive, not all software is immediately compatible.
Summary: Uh oh...this looks like another CNET review written by Steve Jobs. Honestly CNET, is this a joke? Search is "buried"? It takes one click. Unless you lay a search ...
Summary: Uh oh...this looks like another CNET review written by Steve Jobs. Honestly CNET, is this a joke? Search is "buried"? It takes one click. Unless you lay a search box right on the desktop, that's as good as it gets. There's too much upgraded stuff? Last time I checked, that was a good thing.
Here's the scoop: CNET is absurdly biased toward Apple. Every time Apple releases a 10.X update for $129, CNET says that it's the greatest thing ever and will change the way you use your computer...heck, it will change your life. When Microsoft releases a total overhaul of its OS that will, in fact, change the way you use your computer, CNET yawns. Apple spits out new HTML e-mail templates...amazing! Microsoft produces the most beautiful, secure, and powerful version of Windows ever...ho-hum.
Here's the real deal: Vista isn't perfect, but it's downright awesome. The hardware requirements are NOT as significant as you think (My $500 computer runs it flawlessly), and there is 99% driver support right out of the box. Yes, there are a lot of versions, but Home Premium is the standard for 95% of consumers. I currently dual-boot XP and Vista. I use Vista most of the time, and it honestly hurts when I go back to XP. I just miss all the little things that Vista does so well. That's the biggest reason to get Vista: once you've used it, it's so hard to use anything else. Bottom line: there's no reason not to get it.4 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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I am switching to Apple
by bigBinAustin on July 3, 2008
Pros: Good graphics. That's it!!!!!!
Cons: Slow, Unstable. Takes up lots of memory. Program shuts down all of a sudden.
Summary: Where do I start? Programs exits all of a sudden. Very unstable. Very often, they will prompt you and ask if you want to debug their filthy program. Can't ...
Summary: Where do I start? Programs exits all of a sudden. Very unstable. Very often, they will prompt you and ask if you want to debug their filthy program. Can't delete folders in my own hard drive. How terrible is that?
3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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No useful advantage over XP pro;
by MDJTS on June 1, 2007
Pros: Honestly, none of real significance.
Cons: Some basic hardware supported under XP is not supported under vista; You need a much faster CPU and much more memory to get the same results that XP gets on lesser hardware; Slow
Summary: An operating system upgrade (Vista) should be able to operate basic hardware that the previous version (XP) ran well; Vista does this inconsistently at best. Examples: (1) Iomega "Floppy Plus" ...
Summary: An operating system upgrade (Vista) should be able to operate basic hardware that the previous version (XP) ran well; Vista does this inconsistently at best. Examples: (1) Iomega "Floppy Plus" USB 2.0 3.5" Floppy/Digital media reader. Vista recognizes the CF/CD/MS devices but not the 3.5" drive. Iomega states that this device will not be supported in Vista because of "major architectural changes." While not as common as before, there are times when you need to read a 3.5" floppy and many PCs no longer have built in floppy drives. (2) Apricorn USB 2.0 2.5" hard drive supported by XP but not Vista (doesn't work at all; Apricorn has no plans to support.) (3) The excellent XP Lexmark laser printer drivers do not work in Vista. There is a Microsoft version, but it is not as good as the Lexmark XP driver. (4) The excellent nVidia "PureVideo" DvD codec ($50.00) is not supported by Vista. All kinds of annoying, meaningless and useless "notifications" and "helps" are always popping up. I find the menu structure cumbersome and less intuitive than XP. Some oddball but useful programs (e.g. Nikon Capture 4.0, Lotus SmartSuite) do not work at all under Vista. After 6 years, XP is pretty well debugged and seems very capable of accommodating new hardware. I do not think that Vista is a worthy upgrade to XP and I would resist Microsoft's efforts to phase out XP. Considering hardware requirements, flexibility and backward compatibility with currently used products, XP appears superior to me.
3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Microsoft
- Part number: 66R-00012
- Description: The most complete edition of Windows Vista - with the power, security, and mobility features that you need for work, and all of the entertainment features that you want for fun. When you want to have it all, including the ability to shift smoothly between the worlds of play and productivity, there's Windows Vista Ultimate. You'll never have to worry about having the most advanced capabilities - they're all here. This edition of Windows Vista offers an advanced, business-focused infrastructure, mobile productivity, and a premium home digital entertainment experience, all in a single offering. Specifically, Windows Vista Ultimate offers all of the features found in Windows Vista Home Premium, including Windows Media Center, Windows Movie Maker with high-definition support, and Windows DVD Maker. It also offers all of the features found in Windows Vista Business, including business networking, centralized management tools, and advanced system backup features. And Windows Vista Ultimate has all of the new security and data protection features that help take Windows Vista to a whole new level of dependability. In addition, Windows Vista Ultimate includes support for all of the new mobility features in Windows Vista, including Windows Tablet and Touch Technology, Windows SideShow, Windows Mobility Center, and other new, advanced mobility features. If you want a single PC that fulfills all of your work, travel, and entertainment needs, or if you simply want to be confident that you have the very best, Windows Vista Ultimate is the no-compromise edition for you.
General
- Packaged Quantity 1
- Operating System Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate
- Language(s) English
- License pricing Standard
- Localization English
Operating System
- License Type Complete package
- License Qty 1 PC
- License Pricing Standard
- Media DVD-ROM
- Package Type Retail
System Requirements
- Min Processor Type Intel x86 - 1 GHz
- Min RAM Size 1 GB
- Min Hard Drive Space 40 GB
- Peripheral / Interface Devices Sound card,
DirectX 9.0 compatible graphics card,
DVD-ROM,
128 MB video memory,
Internet connection
Manufacturer info
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Microsoft products on Shopper.com
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- Manufacturer:Microsoft
- Address:
One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052 - Phone: 1-425-882-8080
- Fax: 1-425-706-7329
