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 - $175.00
- 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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Not Ready For Prime-Time
by Silver-Surfer57 on January 25, 2007
Pros: Nice visual improvements. Reminds me a lot of a Mac.
Cons: Many programs won't work. Amazing lack of drivers.
Summary: I have the business version of Vista and have been running it for about a month now. I did a clean install just to make sure there were no remnants ...
Summary: I have the business version of Vista and have been running it for about a month now. I did a clean install just to make sure there were no remnants of XP. Installation was very smooth and took about 40 minutes.
First the good: I really like Aero and the other visual changes. The desktop is much sharper and I assume that's because it takes advantage of my video card's capabilities (I have a GeForce 6800GT). I received a 3.2 rating on my AMD Athlon 2400+ system with 1GB RAM, so that's not too bad. Even though there's more running it seems to be smoother. The sidebar is pretty nice and unobtrusive. Vista will keep a list of any problems it encounters and will search for solutions on the web. Nice touch.
Unfortunately, at this time, I think the bad outweighs the good. Several programs that I have installed no longer work on Vista. Nero is one of them and that makes creating CD's/DVD's much more difficult. Vista does have burning software, but it's so basic that it's practically worthless. The "new" Windows Explorer is nice, but it seems a direct copy of the Mac.
The worst problem is drivers. It took me hours to get the right combination of drivers to get my scanner working again. I'm pretty upset that my HP 5150 printer software no longer works. The driver works fine, but the software that allows me to clean the inkjets fails so now I have horrible looking printouts. You'd think with all the time Vista has been in development that this wouldn't be an issue. My Logitech mouse driver doesn't install and, believe it or not, it didn't even install the software for my Microsoft keyboard. I had to search Microsoft to find it.
Another weirdness is the Games component. At first I was pretty impressed that it scanned my system and not only put in the games I had installed (which, btw, do work fine so far), but changed the icon to match the game box and had the manufacturer info on it. The weird thing is that it only seemed to do that the very first time I scanned. I've installed 2 new games since and can't get them to show up like the others.
Overall, I do like the OS, but I don't think it's ready for the general public yet. Like XP before it, I think it would be worth waiting until all the kinks are worked out of it. I'm very very surprised that, given all the testing, Vista is just as bad off as XP was when it was first released. I've been a loyal MS user for years, so it's not easy for me to admit that they missed the mark this time.37 out of 40 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Vista, best thing since ME!
by bb2012 on January 24, 2007
Pros: None that come to mind.
Cons: Lets say there is a lot.
Summary: Vista has an 11GB install size, compared to 2GB with XP it should be 5 times better or more secure right? Wrong. Vista is really the worst thing since ME. ...
Summary: Vista has an 11GB install size, compared to 2GB with XP it should be 5 times better or more secure right? Wrong. Vista is really the worst thing since ME. I don't know about you, but I like to try out new software every once and a while. When I tried to do just that, Vista's new brain child - UAC(User Access Control) pops up everytime and asks me whether or not I want to continue. I tried to find the fastest way to disable it. It took me an hour of searching Google and MSDN where they hid the answer very well, to try to find out how to disable this annoyance. Once I found out how and disabled it, half of the software I tryed to install did not work. Then once I had all my software intalled and was ready to give Vista a fair evaluation, I found myself saying wow this looks exactly like XP with a Vista Theme on it. After a closer examination I found exactly that, Windows XP Core, Vista Theme. 11GB of fluff. Windows Update took away a need for ever having a new OS but as all companies do, MS needs more money and we need our toys, and so Vista was born.
33 out of 48 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Vista is a joke
by mrpiddly1 on January 14, 2007
Pros: new look,
Cons: tries to be OSX which it fails at
Summary: Windows vista is like some Frankenstein creation between OSX and windows XP. As expected the results are not good. While the new look is much better that the blue windows ...
Summary: Windows vista is like some Frankenstein creation between OSX and windows XP. As expected the results are not good. While the new look is much better that the blue windows of XP, it is still very ugly compared to OSX. The effects is nice, but for people with old or crap computers, dont expect much. Instillation was horrid and took me most of a day just to install it and put my files onto it. It crashed a few times in instillation too. Once it was installed, the trouble began. It had some problems with my external hard drive and internet connection so, it froze when I opened up that drive. I fixed that by spending a hour clicking in endless control windows until I found a little box to un-check.
As I said earlier, Vista is much like OSX, but dont get your hopes up, looks aren't all that matter. The window flip thing is nice, but very unpractical and I prefer tha layout of OSX's Expose. The widget like things in Vista are a huge rip of of OSX. I found them difficult and not worth the time. Plus, they are always on the screen so they are very annoying. You have to close all other windows to see them. There is also a very small selection of widgets(hopefully this will change) IT would also be nice to have an easy widget creator much like in leopard but Microsoft isn't know for easy. The preview function is nice but soemtimes comes up randomly. As for windows live search, ripoff of spot light, that did not work for me and told me that there was a system error when I searched.
Text to speach is a complete failure and possibly the worst feature of vista. The whole operating system is very none friendly to people with hearing or seeing problems (i do not have them, just my speculation) Also, the photo viewer is nice but is slow as hell even on my fast computer. It also doesn't like half my photos because they are in the wrong format. Other features have their highs and lows but I left vista very disappointed. They took 5 years to create a ripoff of OSX, and they didnt create a good ripoff, they created another OS that is impossible to use and that only a hacker can fix.72 out of 151 users found this user opinion helpful.
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That's it?!
by justinpowell on January 25, 2007
Pros: More like a Mac.
Cons: It's not a Mac; hardware requirements too high; too expensive
Summary: I use both Windows XP and Mac OS X and have extensive experience on both platforms. Windows XP was a worthy upgrade to Windows 98/ME that offered a more ...
Summary: I use both Windows XP and Mac OS X and have extensive experience on both platforms. Windows XP was a worthy upgrade to Windows 98/ME that offered a more stable, modern computing environment and more features. Nonetheless, in my experience Mac OS X has been a more advanced, stable, secure, and easy-to-use OS.
Windows Vista does not offer a compelling upgrade from Windows XP and the hardware requirements are too high for such a 'ho-hum' upgrade. The retail price is also way too expensive for what you get. The full (and only) version of Mac OS X is $129 whereas the crippled Vista Home Basic is $199. The full Vista Ultimate is a whopping $399, almost $300 more than Mac OS X!21 out of 28 users found this user opinion helpful.
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5 yrs later, still no need to upgrade
by bigpetis on January 24, 2007
Pros: Flashy Aero graphics (if you have the RAM to spare), DirectX 10, cool black toolbar, more security (sarcastic YAY)
Cons: Gadgets? why not call them "Rip off of Apple programs" Oh look a search bar in the Start Menu, oh wait Apple beat them to that too,
Summary: I think it is ironic that Bill Gates along with many more computer engineers spend 5 years on this OS and not even CNET tells you that you need to ...
Summary: I think it is ironic that Bill Gates along with many more computer engineers spend 5 years on this OS and not even CNET tells you that you need to upgrade. I mean, what has Microsoft been doing for all that time. If I had 5 years to make a product and on top of that a year to see what your competition has done, I would make one spectacular product! Also they have already started work on their first service pack for Vista. Wait a tick, your telling me that you haven't even released the product to the public and you already need to make a service pack for it. Sounds like they are rushing out the OS a little to soon.
17 out of 21 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Stay away from Vista!!!
by reng2005 on January 24, 2007
Pros: Tries to mimic Mac OS X
Cons: Expensive; buggy; resource hog; Product Activation is a pain; DRM; poor imitation of Mac OS X
Summary: Vista tries to mimic Mac OS X with features like search (Mac's Spotlight) and Sidebar (Mac's Dashboard). Even Aero Glass is a feeble attempt to outdo OS X'...
Summary: Vista tries to mimic Mac OS X with features like search (Mac's Spotlight) and Sidebar (Mac's Dashboard). Even Aero Glass is a feeble attempt to outdo OS X's GUI interface. But OS X is slicker.
Product Activation is a pain in the ass. Vista's DRM limits you to what you can do with your software and media content.
Windows is expensive. Linux is free or available for a low, low price.
Mac OS X has much better built-in apps such as iLife. Linux has tons of great and free apps built-in! What does Vista offer you?
Vista is "Version 1.0" which means lots of bugs and application compatibility problems.
Vista's much-vaunted security is a joke. Hackers have already found security holes in Vista!
Vista is little more than a glorified Service Pack for XP. If you have Win XP, just stick with it. It's much safer.25 out of 42 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Solid product, but definitely wait until programs are updated
by dotmike on January 25, 2007
Pros: New features, more like Mac than Windows has ever been
Cons: Many 3rd party program incompatibilities
Summary: Vista is a solid upgrade with a lot of 21st century features. Recommend waiting a while though, as compatibility with existing programs will take time to sort out.
Many of ...Summary: Vista is a solid upgrade with a lot of 21st century features. Recommend waiting a while though, as compatibility with existing programs will take time to sort out.
Many of my everyday programs have glitches here and there, from icons not drawing properly, to serial numbers being rejected, to just failing to launch.
I can't do without these for long so I'm pestering the creators to update them, but it will take time.
For personal productivity, I've got to stick with XP for now.12 out of 13 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Not worth the money
by Yuki Taga on January 24, 2007
Pros: Few I can think of
Cons: Application incompatibilities; cost; confusion
Summary: I think this is the sucker's release. MS has promised (its stockholders, to mention one group) that it will *never* go 5 years between major OS releases again.
I ...Summary: I think this is the sucker's release. MS has promised (its stockholders, to mention one group) that it will *never* go 5 years between major OS releases again.
I believe them. They will roll out something in probably 2 years, 3 tops. I'll wait for that. I'm certainly not going to pay them this year, and then pay them again that soon.12 out of 17 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Runs well with 2GB memory.
by jancawa55 on January 24, 2007
Pros: Loads much faster than XP.
Cons: Games are a problem, installing and working.
Summary: I got my first BSOD today (in several years)when I tried to run a Quicktime movie. Vista does not play well with others. I-tunes is cantankerous and Quicktime killed ...
Summary: I got my first BSOD today (in several years)when I tried to run a Quicktime movie. Vista does not play well with others. I-tunes is cantankerous and Quicktime killed it dead. I had to load DX9 to get games to work, even though Vista comes with DX10. WMP11 won't show a DVD but they play Ok in Media Center.
13 out of 20 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Not good enough to $$$
by Sleepy_Knight on January 25, 2007
Pros: Nice interface, better security, better stability.
Cons: Not good enough to upgrade, no real features!
Summary: Vista ain't bad, certainly better than XP, but simply, doesn't worth the money, there is no worth-upgrading features. My advice, stick to XP, until their forthcoming release (the ...
Summary: Vista ain't bad, certainly better than XP, but simply, doesn't worth the money, there is no worth-upgrading features. My advice, stick to XP, until their forthcoming release (the OS after Vista! It won't be far).
My advice to people who really wants Vista now and who are scared, I say don't worry it will work just fine, there MUST be minor problems here and there but it should be solved by the release of SP1.7 out of 8 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
