Windows Vista

* Sidebar- The Sidebar is one of the most significant graphical differences between Windows XP and Windows Vista. The sidebar is a dock that sits on the right side of the desktop that can have ‘widgets’ added to it that have extremely varied functionality. By default, Vista comes with a clock, calendar, as well as other basic computer functions, but there are many custom functions that can be downloaded from the internet. If your sidebar is turned off, go to start, all programs, accessories, and then click Windows Sidebar. If you want the sidebar to be visible above other applications, you can change the default setting from the appearance and personalization tab from the control panel.

* Better Security- Security was a key part of Microsoft’s plan when upgrading from Windows XP to Vista, but why do you never hear much about it? You do hear about it, but it’s not positive feedback most of the time. While Microsoft did indeed make the OS much safer by adding in their UAC (User Account Control) Settings, they also made it much more annoying. If you’re annoyed by the UAC settings in Vista, they can be removed by: going to control panel then User Account and Family Settings, Add or Remove User Accounts, Go to Main User Account page, Change Security settings, and then uncheck UAC. The UAC can be turned back on in a similar fashion, but more than likely you’ll just want to get an anti-virus program instead.

* Improved Search Options- One of the best changes that Microsoft made in the transition from XP to Vista was their improvements in the searching system. Locating files and folders in XP was often a clunky and painful experience, but no more in Vista. All you need to do is open your start menu in the bottom left and search for the file name, and your file will be found quickly and easily. Search speed was also increased and the searches parameters can be changed dynamically, or while you’re searching.

These are three options or services that Microsoft has provided to you that many people don’t know about. All three are widely documented on the internet if you require further information, but this article should have given you a good gist on some of the most crucial changes when updating your OS.

Photo Credits: Stijn Vogels

Originally posted 2009-11-05 03:20:07.

Windows Vista

1. You don’t really need it- Most of the features presented in Windows Vista are purely security and graphical updates, these are necessary for your computer to function and to use new software. One of the most significant features added in the Vista era, DirectX 10 is hardly being taken advantage of by many applications. So what real reason do you really have for upgrading to Vista yet?

2. UAC- Perhaps the biggest complaint against Windows Vista is Microsoft’s annoying addition of a UAC or User Account Control. The UAC is meant to protect you from opening harmful programs or files but instead has been counterproductive by alerting you when you try to open almost anything. Granted the UAC can be turned off, but the question is, why is this turned on in the first place?

3. Compatibility- One of the biggest problems people who upgraded to Vista faced was the fact that Vista wasn’t supporting much of the software that had previously worked flawlessly under Windows XP. Microsoft has been trying to address this in there service packs but there is still software that remains incompatible. This isn’t completely Microsoft’s fault because it’s the other software companies’ responsibility to update their software, but why isn’t Microsoft building so that previous software can be run?

4. Upgrade?- Windows Vista may be the next OS in line after XP but does that mean that’s really a performance upgrade? You could argue either way but one thing you can’t argue is that Vista machines take stronger technical specs to run. One gigabyte in RAM was sufficient for running XP but that amount struggles greatly in Vista if you try to open a few applications. So was this really an upgrade?

5. Money- The fifth reason that you might not want to upgrade to Vista yet is because it costs money. This is probably a bigger issue if you’re a company but for an OS that offers seemingly no advantages over its predecessor why would you want to upgrade yet?

Windows Vista by no means is as bad as the internet makes it out to be, but it is quite unnecessary unless you just like to be up to date on technology. The good news is Microsoft does care about the OS and has been working and fixing many of the common issues; it’s your place to look at the issues and decide if the OS is right for you.

Photo Credits: Victor Svensson

Originally posted 2009-11-26 03:39:15.