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| Windows Vista Home Premium with SP1 | 
 enlarge | From: Microsoft Software
Category: Software
List Price: $269.99
Buy New: $145.00
You Save: $124.99 (46%)
New (39) Used (4) from $145.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  117 reviews
Sales Rank: 148
Format: Dvd-rom
Platform: Windows Vista
Media: DVD-ROM
Edition: Home Premium
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3
Dimensions (in): 0.1 x 0.1 x 0
MPN: 66I02387
Model: 66I-02387
UPC: 882224661256
EAN: 0882224661256
ASIN: B0013O54OE
Release Date: March 19, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 better now, but maybe not "all better" September 10, 2008
I obtained a review copy of this much-maligned OS from Microsoft and then was afraid to install it. Too many nasty stories about glitches, bugs, slow running speeds on old favorite programs, and the like. Gave it to my son, who is a fanatical gamer. He installed it on one of his PCs and as far as I know, it has run without a hitch.
Word in the media these days (OK, David Pogue in NY Times) is that a lot of the problems have been fixed. The biggest issue right after the rollout was that Microsoft had not informed peripherals manufacturers (people who make printers, scanners, cameras, whatever) about the need for extensive upgrades of their drivers. So a lot of stuff just wouldn't run on Vista. And Microsoft did not respond nearly fast enough to suit customers, especially heavy-duty institutional and corporate clients.
My laptop died last week, so I'm in the market for a new one. Asked my stepdaughter -- who is a network administrator at a major research university -- about a replacement. She recommended a Mac, primarily so that I wouldn't have to accept Vista as an OS on my new machine. Bad times there are not forgotten, look away, look away. Et cetera. It will take some time for corporate users to trust Microsoft again. (And, as she pointed out, why not just wait for the next major OS upgrade, instead of putting up with a Windows ME for our time?)
I see no compelling reason to upgrade September 2, 2008
As I noted in the title for this review I am unable to think of a reason why someone would "upgrade" from WinXP to Vista Home Premium. I'm not sure I'd even call it an upgrade in the sense that there is no truly new and useful functionality in this edition. This is in stark contrast to Vista Ultimate which DOES have many new features that make it a worthwhile upgrade.
However, this review isn't about Vista Ultimate--it is about Home Premium. I would like to warn people that trying to do an upgrade install from XP to any version of Vista is, in my experience, almost guaranteed to fail. I have even tried doing a brand new clean install of XP and then run the Vista advisor and finally install Vista as an upgrade. I have not been able to get it to work. So if you buy this I think it is wise to plan to do a "clean" install (this means you lose all your programs and settings so you'd need a thorough backup of your data).
In summary, I'm hard pressed to come up with a reason why someone running a stable WinXP system would want Vista Home Premium. Having said that I do think it is a competent operating system and IF it is on a Vista Certified system then I think it is fine. Nothing in my experience with Vista would cause me to want to "downgrade" from a stable Vista install to XP.
PLEASE NOTE: The most important thing I may be able to say here is that Remote Desktop is crippled in this version of Vista. You can remote OUT to other computers but you cannot remote IN to a PC running Vista Home Premium. To get Remote Desktop that is fully functional you have to get the Business or Ultimate edition.
First month with Vista. The more things change, the more they stay the same. September 2, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I was forced into the world of Microsoft Vista when I bought a new Dell XPS 420 to use as a dedicated video editing machine. The night I brought the machine to life was filled with both fear and anticipation. What new wonders would Vista hold for me? At least I had the piece of mind of knowing that the machine I was running it on was designed for Vista, so there shouldn't be any hardware problems.
So, I pressed the "on" button and proceeded through the questions that are asked as Vista installs itself. So far so good, I thought. Then the sense of awe and wonder abruptly faded into fear as I hit the question about what kind of network my computer was on. There were three choices available, but two of them had exactly identical wording, with no additional information as to how to make the decision. I had to use one of my other machines to do research on the Microsoft support site to figure out which networking option was appropriate for me.
So, here we go again. Another giant leap forward that will change everything and make my life wonderful bla bla bla, but basic useability stuff that got past everyone and in my face. Sheesh.
After the first month, I can say it works, but I don't see anything at all that makes me think "gee, I'm glad the XP era is over". Quite the opposite actually. My XP machine is my favorite as far as useability is concerned.
Vista is more of the same only some of the basic things I do all the time are different. I use the Windows Explorer a lot for file organization and manipulation, and the locations of the various functions are different from XP and 2000 and NT and 95, so I have to adjust my thinking every time I use my Vista machine. It's not difficult, just annoying and pointless. Why not just streamline and build on the menu system they already had in previous operating systems?
And, one thing for sure hasn't changed. Applications can still lock the entire machine, including the mouse and keyboard, so that I have to pull the plug out of the back of the machine and power it up again. Computers hate that, and I would have thought that about a quarter century into the evolution of home PCs Microsoft would have at last figured out a way to keep that from happening, but they seem to have better things to do, like creating "Media Center" apps with bizzare and baffling user interfaces that don't look or act like anything else.
So, there more things change, the more they stay the same. (Oh yes, I am running SP1 for those that care, and I have the auto-update turned on.)
 Worthless as a HTPC OS August 28, 2008
Installed about a year ago without any problem on Vista certified hardware. It was running ok with one annoying problem - it was constantly loosing the video settings every time I reboot. Then these wave of security patch start to roll in. I only use the PC for watching blu-ray movies and after installing 100+ security patches, the system is so slow that I cannot finish 90 minutes movies without rebooting the operating system. Microsoft eventually did fix the video resetting problem (one of those 100+ patch fixed it), but OS is pretty much useless for doing what it is design to do.
Now I have to make a decision to add additional memory to satisfy this memory starving OS (I am currently running with 2 GB) or wipe it clean and install Windows XP.
Never got it loaded... August 22, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I'm still awaiting on help for this, but decided to review anyhow.
When I received Leopard for my Macbook, I loaded it myself, no problems. Just followed the instructions.
When I received Windows vista for my Dell, I checked to make sure I had the correct amount of memory and capabilities, and it froze up. Several times. I even got the blue screen of death. So I called support, but was on hold too long, and having five children, I simply wasn't able to wait.
So, I went back to my XP. Everything is working fine, no Vista, though.
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