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If you’re thinking
of buying Windows Vista for your home computer so you
can try out the latest operating system, go nuts! If you’re
thinking of upgrading all of your company’s PCs
to Windows Vista, we’d like to encourage you to
slow down, take a deep breath… and change your mind.
Just kidding… sort of. It’s ok if you decide
to go forward with the upgrade once you’ve done
the research and have determined where your problems will
be. You also should be willing to spend additional time
and money on the inevitable hardware and software upgrades
necessary to complete the project.
With new operating systems, whether it’s
Windows or Mac, it often doesn’t pay to upgrade
older equipment. This is usually true even if the “older”
equipment is only a year or two old. Windows Vista is
a notorious memory and processor hog. It’s probably
a better idea to wait until it’s time to replace
the computer and buy a machine built with Vista in mind.
Early adopters have reported that “most”
of their programs work fine with Vista. As with any OS
upgrade, there are certainly going to be versions of your
favorite programs that are not compatible with Vista.
Microsoft has developed a program to help you determine
if your computer and programs are ready for the jump at
www.windowsvista.com/upgradeadvisor.
Our tests show that anything less than 1 GB of memory
makes Vista a very frustrating experience. Industry-specific
programs (e.g. older versions of AutoCAD) may be incompatible
or untested. Never assume that a program will work with
the new OS. If uncertain, check with the developer. Most
will have the information available on their websites.
If you must buy now, we can’t stress enough, buy
the right version. At present, there are at least four
versions of Windows Vista being marketed. They are:
- Windows
Vista Home Basic
(upgrade for about $110)
- Windows
Vista Home Premium
(upgrade for about $170).
- Windows
Vista Business
(upgrade for about $210 or $185 for license product)
- Windows
Vista Ultimate
(upgrade for about $270)
If you want fun toys and gadgets, like Media
Center, AND YOU WILL NEVER WANT TO ADD IT TO YOUR
BUSINESS NETWORK, Vista Home Premium may be ok.
If you are planning to take your PC to work or even to
work remotely with it, we strongly recommend Vista Business
or Vista Ultimate. If you want the fun gadgets AND the
ability to take your computer to work, Vista Ultimate
is the only answer. A simple comparison guide can be found
by clicking
here. If you have any questions about which version
is right for you, check with us first or choose Vista
Ultimate. If you are considering Windows Vista for your
business, choose Vista Business. The additional items
found in Vista Ultimate will be distractions to most employees.
As always, when in doubt, check with Promethius at
317/733-2388.
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