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: $109.09 - $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 is superior to all client OS's
by SystemsJunky on February 6, 2007
Pros: It Drives Mac users nutz to know that something from MS is superioir
Cons: There is no 400 price tag, by the oem of ultimate for 149, upgrade xp, then do a clean install..it worked for me!
Summary: I think Mac users that are judging and rating the product a 1 only by screenshots are morons..Thats my "Opinion". Other than that..Asta La Vista, Apple...And Mac-N-Trash ...
Summary: I think Mac users that are judging and rating the product a 1 only by screenshots are morons..Thats my "Opinion". Other than that..Asta La Vista, Apple...And Mac-N-Trash users...
3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Fastest downgrade I ever did
by richardirwin on January 29, 2007
Pros: In theory a rewritten graphical interface and better security
Cons: Graphical interface not supported by current development tools, too many security requests (I need your permission to do this), poor driver support
Summary: Finally gave up when the NVidia drivers said they required Windows Vista to install - it was Windows Vista. Upgraded my 64bit Intel Centrino Duo XP Pro "Windows Vista Capable" ...
Summary: Finally gave up when the NVidia drivers said they required Windows Vista to install - it was Windows Vista. Upgraded my 64bit Intel Centrino Duo XP Pro "Windows Vista Capable" to 32 Bit Windows Vista Business (they took away spider and freecell). The system hung several times, several drivers didn't work and after three hours I went back to XP vowing not to upgrade until at least service pack 1
3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Nothing more than cleaned up windows
by kushin on January 24, 2007
Pros: Might be better with better software, might be faster
Cons: pricey, not worth the upgrade
Summary: It is unfortunate to note that you have to upgrade your hardware to use vista and after an upgrade, you will notice that all the additional power that went in, ...
Summary: It is unfortunate to note that you have to upgrade your hardware to use vista and after an upgrade, you will notice that all the additional power that went in, gets used for nothing more than pretty aqua buttons, rounded corners and dropshadows. Vista IMO adds little to the functionality and usability over windows xp. Why not come up with simpler, usable and functional interfaces rather than spending 5 years on just adding fluff - and bearing the blame of being so similar to OS X?
I bet one of these days Google is gonna come up with the simplest and functional OS and blow M$FT away, it is something just waiting to happen. I am not aware of all the enhancements that Vista brings with it and maybe with time the platform might help develop better software. But with the time I spent on it(just over a month), I strongly think it is NOT worth an upgrade. It is disheartening to see all the time that was taken to develop this went into prettying up the desktop rather than some ground-breaking functionality and usablity or even addressing some pressing problems.4 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Awesome OS
by Ediseye on January 24, 2007
Pros: Very nice and new interface; new features were needed and those were added; games now have more support than ever before; DirectX 10; Fewer crashes; Not as many restarts for Windows Update
Cons: Windows Vista is a tad bit "heavy"; Some games run slower on Vista than on XP; price for full retail
Summary: Windows Vista is great and worth buying, just not for the price tag. If it was lowered around 15-20%, it would be worth it but right now, just coming into ...
Summary: Windows Vista is great and worth buying, just not for the price tag. If it was lowered around 15-20%, it would be worth it but right now, just coming into the market, I don't think that it is worth it.
Games have so much more support now and Microsoft is finally paying attention to gamers. Also, DirectX 10 is a big hit with consumers as well as manufactures.
With all of the editions, it is hard to regular customers to decide. But for all of the techs out there, it shouldn’t be a problem. I personally like the 6 edition idea.
As of right now, not worth the money. Wait 6 months for updates and the price tag to go down and then go out and buy an awesome, Microsoft Operating System.4 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Less than one-day review: too much eye candy, basics faulted
by twriter on January 25, 2007
Pros: Sidebar, widgets, new games
Cons: No Explorer "sticky" window, too much eye candy, new Start menu, annoying permission requests
Summary: A new computer, newly installed Vista Ultimate, a couple of hours to check it it, first impressions.
Exploring the computer using Explorer, every time I open Explorer, it defaults to ...Summary: A new computer, newly installed Vista Ultimate, a couple of hours to check it it, first impressions.
Exploring the computer using Explorer, every time I open Explorer, it defaults to its original size and position, and I have to resize it each time. Now that's just a silly oversight.
The new Start menu seems OK, but wait until it gets crowded with programs. Not intuitive at all.
The open/close triangles in Explorer that fade in and out. What's the use of taking the space if you're not going to show something in it? Again, eye candy, rather than functionality.
The sidebar turns out to be useful (so far). But I'd recommend it only for those with widescreen monitors; for anyone with a standard dimension monitor, it taks too much screen real estate.
Speaking of screen real estate, the new window UI takes up too much of it.
The new games are fun and addictive, especially InkBall.
As far as I can tell, nothing but Vista was installed on this PC by IT. Vista Ultimate takes up 10GB(!) of disk space. Wasteful.
Every time I run a new program or process, even one that's inherent to Vista, the program asks permission. This is tremendously annoying. A basic UI premise is that you assume users know what they are doing, then allow them to back out and undo if they need to. I understand all the security concerns, but asking for permission to run a program that the user has actively started is way out of line.
This is definitely not worth an upgrade if a PC is already running well. I'd get a new computer with Vista, but I'd also configure its UI to look and feel, as much as possible, as XP: get rid of the eye candy, get rid of the screen real estate-wasteful UI, and make what's there more funcitonal and usable.3 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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5 years = XP Service Pack 3
by raskol9 on January 24, 2007
Pros: It plays games kinda.
Cons: It's Windows. It's Microsoft.
Summary: How could you have a high opinion of a warmed over operating system whose sole purpose is to make Microsoft and hardware venders a boatload of money from people to ...
Summary: How could you have a high opinion of a warmed over operating system whose sole purpose is to make Microsoft and hardware venders a boatload of money from people to dumb to run Linux or OS X? It's just the same old OS folks. Repackaged with lots of "features" that take the control of your computer and give it to DRM. So suckle off the teet you sheep.
3 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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I've never been so excited with an operating system.
by 4ghz_quadcore on August 30, 2008
Pros: I built a new pc and I decided to go out on a limb and choose windows vista as my operating system. Benchmarked speeds faster then windows xp. Looked a lot better then xp. startup time is like 20 seconds. compatible with everything I used.
Cons: Wish i would have bought the 64bit instead of the 32bit. It does take up about 600mb of RAM but the space it takes is just the applications it expects you to start up.
Summary: It's good stuff. Give it a chance and see for yourself. Don't listen to the anti-vista fanboys bent on not moving into the future. Just make sure your ...
Summary: It's good stuff. Give it a chance and see for yourself. Don't listen to the anti-vista fanboys bent on not moving into the future. Just make sure your computer is gonna all be compatible with the operating system.
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Nice visual but froze, crash every 2-3 days
by Geepaze on January 31, 2008
Pros: Nice visual and organization of users documents and files
Cons: Stability, memory usage, boot time
Summary: It's truly the worst operating system of Microsoft. People have been against Windows ME even if I've found it more stable than its conterpart Win98. Vista is something ...
Summary: It's truly the worst operating system of Microsoft. People have been against Windows ME even if I've found it more stable than its conterpart Win98. Vista is something else. It take more than 2 min to boot up and that not even the user logging. Usually my compter froze after user logging, but it can be when I try to take my email, when I open Internet Explorer, Word, my webcam... browse your document. I get blue screen everyday and can no longer use the traditionnal CTRL-ATL-DEL. The worse thing is that I've bought my brand new computer 2 months ago. A Dell M2010 (more than 3500$), 2 Gig of Ram, 300 Go HD and 256 Mo. for graphics. I cannot understand all the problems.
- Tech guy really disspointed!2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Its alright, but could be better..
by RatingxDawn on December 30, 2007
Pros: Good looks, Directx 10, and more of new and fresh stuff
Cons: A lot of system requirements, not everyone can run it, and people are switching back to XP for a lot of reasons.
Summary: I think that Vista has really made a few changes in it, not a lot, but just a small amount, to make Windows simpler, and getter looking. The best thing ...
Summary: I think that Vista has really made a few changes in it, not a lot, but just a small amount, to make Windows simpler, and getter looking. The best thing about Vista that I personally like, is the DirectX 10. Which means better graphics for games. Of course, Vista is also famous, the biggest part about it actually, and that is the way it looks. Yes, the look has made is so popular, and thats why about 50% of people out there actually buy it. Some things are easier to use on it, like, the simple way of editing pictures and videos. But some people, like myself, are more advanced when it comes to special effects. If you switch to Vista, then you'll know that the big difference of it all is the way it looks. But its still worth getting because of the DirectX 10.
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Oustanding 1st production run for Windows
by piomp10splyr on December 8, 2007
Pros: Excellent GUI & smart network recognition
Cons: As predicted it has some quirks
Summary: The graphics and effects are outstanding. MS did a great job putting this OS together with such few bugs. Of course - depending on your previous system configuration - upgrades/...
Summary: The graphics and effects are outstanding. MS did a great job putting this OS together with such few bugs. Of course - depending on your previous system configuration - upgrades/updates/hot-fixes are needed; however, I have not had too many problems that cannot be resolved. Norton IS 2006 was a big issue, but I switched to Kaspersky. Installed all updates and only have one major problem. NVidia keeps saying that my 7600GT is compatible and that they have fixed all the problems; however, when I play games(even new ones) I have distortion problems. This is fixed by restarting the computer but presents itself after closing the game and reopening. Have a few dll problems when playing MPEGs in WMP, but nothing limits playback.
Runs amazingly fast, but I can't wait till SP1.
User:
High Tech Level
TForce 945P Motherboard
3GB PC2 5300 RAM
C2Duo E6600 2.4GHz
1x80 + 2x250 WD Harddrives
NVidia 7600GT OC Graphics Card
SoundBlaster Audigy SE2 out of 2 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
