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Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium

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Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium

Quote-start

VISTA...bloated and unstable resource hog!!!

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2 Apr 5th, 2009 

16 Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful

Advantages:
Looks better than XP, more secure

Disadvantages:
Slow at times, still not every program works !  !  !

Recommendable No:

Detailed rating:

Instructions / Help

Ease of use

Ease of Installation

Reliability

Value For Money

lea20

lea20

About me:

Hi everyone! I'm 24 and I'm here as I find it a useful place to read reviews and make a little bit ...

Member since:09.02.2005

Reviews:38

Video reviews:1

When I upgraded my PC a few years ago, at the time I was glad it came with the new Vista instead of XP as I heard it looked nicer so I thought it would perform better. I was wrong. Upon purchase I had problems from the get go although bearing in mind I did get it early in its release.

I had problems with the shared graphics card. Sharing its memory with the main system RAM meant that only something like 797mb was left for Vista to use, which is no where near enough for such a resource hog! I ended up having to fork out some extra cash for both RAM and a new graphics card just to get it running smoothly! Windows would be jerky when moved, be unresponsive or sometimes fail to load at all. Menus would freeze themselves in the middle of the screen. At that is all on top of that annoying User Account Control. I think it is the beep and the screen fade that makes it even more annoying!

I also had problems when multiple devices are plugged in to the PC. On startup, having a few things plugged in would sometimes cause the computer to hang or re-boot continuously. I would get a crash blue screen and had to do a startup repair or unplug various devices. So far I've had to re-install it once but I have used start up repair from the bootable CD and system restore from there when I can't get into the system countless times!

All the problems I have had don't really have an explanation as to why they occur either. Things that have went wrong for me include Volume Shadow Copy Service failing to work or be detected which meant my system restore was disabled, services crashing on startup resulting in most of my programs failing and endless registry corruptions.

On to the good as there is some good. It is apparently more secure but still not all programs work with it. Those that do do seem stable however. It also looks nicer in its default theme than XP and the transparency is a nice touch. However, I only use this operating system as I am a computer musician so for Internet use I have a dual boot system into Ubuntu. All the fancy effects without a single churn of the harddrive, a new version every six months and it's free!

Another thing about Vista, sometimes the fans in your graphics card will just stop and start repeatedly for no reason causing an annoying noise. And no it isn't my graphics card! I think it is just the way it is set to run under Vista. It is easy to use, well as easy as XP although things aren't as obvious to get to sometimes, like it isn't as easy to share an Internet connection. Or it doesn't do what it's meant to anyhow.

Overall if your stuck with it, well it could be worse but there are better alternatives especially if you just use it to browse the Internet! Some people aren't aware that they are alternatives out there and Microsoft know that, that is why I feel they just skimp past the effort that goes into the creation of some of their operating systems. Vista is the new ME by the way, meaning there is already a better version available that promises to be less resource hungry and more stable! If you're an XP user, wait for Windows 7 before the big upgrade!!! 

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Comments about this review »

blackmagicstar4 06.04.2009 11:21

nice review thanks x

GJRendall 05.04.2009 23:21

Preach. When I asked if I could have XP instead of Vista on my new laptop, the salesman looked at me like I had just declared I would like them to ship it to me disassembled as I thought it would be fun to try and put it together myself.

Leon79 05.04.2009 19:05

Vista = awfull. Only reason i havent taken it off my laptop is because i use wine on ubuntu 8.10 lol

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