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February 16, 2007
Vying for Vista
Dear Larry,
I have decided to have you upgrade my six-month-old
computer to Windows Vista. Which version do you recommend for me?
V. C.
Dear V. C.,
Unlike Windows XP, which originally sold in only two
editions—Home and Professional—Windows Vista will be available in as many as
fifteen or more. But don’t worry…most of these don’t really apply to you. In
this column, I’ll discuss only those that are applicable to the average user
here in the United States.
Your choices pretty much boil down to one of four
possibilities: Home Basic, Home Premium, Business, or Ultimate. Let’s begin with
some of the features possessed by Vista Home Basic (cost: roughly $100) since
these are also common to the other versions as well:
• The new user interface (the basic appearance and structure
of Windows Vista)
• Windows Flip (a method of switching from one window to another)
• Instant Search (the ability to very quickly search for files)
• File previews and other improvements to viewing folders
• Internet Explorer 7
• ReadyDrive (improved performance via a special hybrid disk drive built into a
computer)
• ReadyBoost (improved performance via a USB flash drive which can serve as
additional memory)
• SuperFetch (Windows’ ability to plan ahead and have files and programs
pre-loaded for quick access)
• Automatic defragmentation (Windows will keep your hard drive running at top
speed)
• Windows Calendar, Contacts, Sidebar, Sync Center, and Photo Gallery
• Improved wireless networking
• Better power management
Now for some features common to the other three versions of
Windows Vista:
• Windows Aero translucent glass interface (your computer must
be powerful enough to handle this)
• Windows Flip 3D (three-dimensional version of Windows Flip)
• Live Taskbar Thumbnails
• Table PC and Touch Screen support
So what does Windows Vista Home Premium add to the mix for the
additional $50 or so (note: these features are not available in Vista Business)?
• Parental Controls (also built into Vista Basic)
• Media Center (TV and TiVo-like recording on your tuner-equipped PC)
• Movie and DVD Maker
Vista Business possesses these features (not available in
Vista Home Premium) for $90 above the price of Vista Basic:
• ShadowCopy and System Image Backup
• Encrypted File System and BitLocker Drive Encryption (prevents others from
accessing your data)
• Ability to join a file server domain and access offline files and folders
(applies mostly to corporate customers)
And, finally, for $150 over the cost of Vista Basic, you can
have all of the features listed above if you upgrade to Vista Ultimate.
My recommendation: For the average home user with a powerful
enough computer, I suggest you go with Windows Vista Home Premium.
This is Larry Schneider, logging off.
