|
| Windows Vista Ultimate with SP1 | 
 enlarge | From: Microsoft Software
Category: Software
List Price: $339.99
Buy New: $110.00
You Save: $229.99 (68%)
New (75) Used (5) from $110.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  104 reviews
Sales Rank: 72
Format: Dvd-rom
Platform: Windows Vista
Media: DVD-ROM
Edition: Ultimate
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.2 x 1.6
MPN: 66R-02261
Model: 66R-02261
UPC: 882224661447
EAN: 0882224661492
ASIN: B0013O77GM
Release Date: March 19, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
|
| Customer Reviews:
 Watch what you get July 3, 2008
5 out of 7 found this review helpful
Amazon apparently either doesn't know or doesn't care about the differences between 32-bit vs 64-bit, OEM vs retail, and who knows what else because they lump all these categories together in big listings like this one, with no indication what you're going to get when you open the box--if yours came with a box, which incidentally mine didn't.
I followed a link to this page from an old retail version I was viewing. The link said this version was newer. I scoured the page for any details about 32/64 bit, and whether it was OEM...all there was was a picture of a box of Windows Vista Ultimate--with multiple product images to view! so I figured that's what would be coming in the mail.
Wrong. I got "promotional" (read: OEM) 32-bit only DVDs in paper sleeves, no box at all. Gee Amazon, thanks for the lovely pics though.
I guess they really don't know the difference, otherwise why not have these listed under different product categories according to type.
 It's better than you think (and I'm a Mac user) June 25, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Windows Vista Ultimate (now at SP1) has gotten a LOT of bad press. Yes, some of this negative press has been earned. There are good things here though. The best feature about Vista is an important one, security. Microsoft actually maintains a blog about Vista security. One post there really convinced me that security alone is reason to move from XP to Vista if you're going to stay in the Windows world. (http://blogs.msdn.com/windowsvistasecurity/archive/2008/01/23/windows-vista-security-one-year-later.aspx)
I'm a Mac user though, and I've got Vista running very well on my machine. Like it or not, there are times even Mac people want to run some Window's software and I've got an entire internal hard drive dedicated to Vista. My personal set up has been to install Vista using BootCamp on a 2nd hard drive in my MacPro. I've done this because it gives me the option to run Vista and give it the full power the hardware will provide.
The majority of the time I use Vista though is through VMWare Fusion. This allows me to run my Windows environment without needing to leave my Macintosh environment. Vista is just another window on my desktop. It works really well. This is how I load maps onto my GPS device and do the accounting for my business in QuickBooks Pro, since the Windows version seems to be superior.
Good things:
Security is much stronger than in XP.
It's got a nice looking interface.
Bad things:
It is does run slower than Windows XP when running on the same machine, probably due to the nice looking interface I gave as a "good" thing.
Start up time for the OS seems pretty long.
I've got the "Ultimate" version of Vista but choosing which version of Vista to buy seems far too confusing.
The software license for Vista Ultimate edition does allow for running the software under emulation, so if you plan on doing a similar thing as I do, such as running Vista on your Mac, with Vista Ultimate you can definitely do that. I haven't tried "lesser" versions running on a Mac, but I'm sure you can find information about that online.
 Is Vista finally ready for primetime? June 19, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
As an IT Specialist, I want the best version of an OS possible - hence my choice of the Ultimate edition of Vista. I spent a couple of months working with Microsoft Vista Ultimate SP1 in end-user mode. First, I did two clean installs on the same PC (HP Compaq 7800 with 4GB of RAM, onboard video/audio/Ethernet, DVD drive, and 150GB SATA hard disk), and each time Vista loaded quickly and without a hitch. In both instances I easily achieved Internet connectivity using the PC's onboard Ethernet and downloaded the available updates from Microsoft's website. After the second OS install I activated Vista via the Internet right at the 30-day deadline, added Office 2003, "upgraded" the video card to a stodgy 128MB GForce FX 5500 PCI, and put on Doom 3 just for fun. Then I used the Vista PC for typical stuff, like surfing the web, doing email with Internet Explorer 7 (love the tabbed browsing), tapping MS Office for some basic tasks, and (ahem) spending some quality time testing Doom 3. Finally, I installed an HP Deskjet 5650 printer via USB. Vista SP1 handled all this stuff with a minimum of hassle.
Even so, I had some minor run-ins with the OS. First and foremost, I don't like being prompted multiple times to make sure I want to install a program. Thankfully, that annoyance is easily corrected using the User Account Control under the User Accounts icon in the Control Panel. On the other hand, I appreciated it when Vista warned me that an older program (for example, Nero OEM Suite 3) had known compatibility issues with the OS, and offered to look for online solutions. And Vista SP1 even had drivers for the video card and deskjet printer I mentioned above. But I was forced to hit HP's web site to download sound drivers for the onboard audio...on another PC, since using the Autodetect function via IE crashed the browser on Vista, thus forcing me to get the install file using an XP PC and then copy it over with a flash drive. In addition, I had to download two driver install packages from HP to get rid of yellow question marks in Device Manager on some PCI devices. These issues aside, Vista Ultimate SP1 pretty much did what I told it to do. So what's not to love?
Despite my success in creating a usable desktop, there doesn't seem to be any compelling reason for me to adopt Vista. I support Windows XP SP2 in an enterprise-wide environment, and it's the platform for the various applications I use to manage my daily workflow. The six-year-old Gateway PC I gave to my brother still functions well enough with Windows XP, even though I've had to reinstall everything from scratch a couple of times due to the software mayhem wrought by his two sons. For my own computing needs at home I've relied upon a Macintosh iBook G4 running OS X Tiger since 2004. It's been more or less bulletproof, and it works great with Office 2004, my 4GB iPod Nano, and my 8GB iPhone - the best cell phone I've ever owned, by the way (NOTE: Last week my iBook's hard drive crashed, so I replaced it with a new MacBook laptop running OS X Leopard. It seems that even Macs aren't immortal...).
With all this in mind, who would benefit from any flavor of Vista SP1? Frankly, there's no real reason to upgrade unless you lust for the cutting edge (which can also be the bleeding edge, if you get my drift), or you have a killer app/game that requires Vista. Corporate and end-user rebellion against Vista has forced Microsoft to extend its support for Windows XP. Indeed, my employers will hang onto Windows XP until Vista adoption becomes a business necessity. Even so, one can't become complacent in the IT field. I'm working with Vista now to get familiar with it, and also to gear up for yet another Microsoft certification test (I've been a Microsoft MCP since the Windows 95/NT days, and have also earned the MCSA and MCDST certs in years past). If I was still a PC nut, the release of SP1 would've been my signal to adopt Vista. But my Windows XP install CD wouldn't leave my sight, and a solid Vista-compatible anti-virus program would be the first program installed.
However, Vista's problematic debut made a bad first impression in the IT and end-user worlds that may have crippled it for life. Yes, I was able to get Vista Ultimate SP1 working with no real angst, and I could see myself adopting it if I was the Microsoft devotee and PC gamer that I used to be years ago. You could do the same; according to a PC Magazine podcast in February 2008, SP1 adds around 15,000 new drivers, increases USB data transfer rates, and fixes some security issues. And more and more updates and vendor device drivers are becoming available online. But it may be too little, too late. The massive PR damage has most likely relegated Vista to the role of a Windows Me-style stopgap until Microsoft comes out with its Next Big OS That You Can't Live Without. Too late for me though. I've made the move to Macintosh, and I have no plans to switch back. So I'll save Vista Ultimate SP1 for my next PC - if I ever get one.
 Very high cool factor, lots of nice xtras June 19, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I installed VISTA with the upgrade option. While it was relatively straightforward to install (loved the fact it installed off of one DVD rather than 5-8 discs), it still took 5 hours (not counting the 5 hours it took to wrestle the disc out of the packaging :) To make upgrade run more smoothly, I moved my data files to another drive to make room for VISTA on the C drive.
I really love VISTA. I love the added security (the parental controls in particular) and back-up features, I actually like user authentication, I like the little bells and whistles (I am very attached to my wonderful sidebar, and the Windows Media Center is pretty cool and intuitive to use), but mostly I just like the way it looks -- I'm a very visual person, and I love Aero, and the way things fade in and out, the new colors, everything.
Perhaps I could have gotten by with the HomePremium version rather than Ultimate, but Ultimate does have extra security and back-up features which I appreciate.
I've been using VISTA for about two months, and I'm sure I've just barely scratched the surface of what VISTA is capable of, but overall my impression is highly favorable, and I haven't had any weird problems or quirky computer behavior as a result of my upgrade.
Whole New Vistas! ("Vista" Meaning "View") June 19, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I wish I had the technological prowess to go into the minute details of a system like this. I've had Windows Vista for about a month, now, and although I've tried to give it a thorough working over, I'm sure there are many features and aspects I've yet to examine. Or even discover. If you're of above average proficiency with computers and OS's in general, I'm sure you've probably found plenty of information to keep you occupied in trade journals, consumer watchdog websites, and other, much more technically elegant reviews on this very page.
However, if you have what might be called a working knowledge of your computer, and only limited necessity for its functions, then we have something in common. And here's the best I can tell you:
It's called "Vista" for a reason. It looks beautiful. The DreamScene Destop program, which loops gorgeous running footage as a desktop, always elicits "oohs" from visitors who catch a glimpse (the program, however, crashes from time to time). The special aero "glass" window design is certainly eye-catching. The side-bar gizmos, the slick media/gaming options, and the clever functionality of the system as a whole, it is all just very gorgeous stuff.
Aside from its notorious ability to chew up memory, and its buggy incompatibility with some programs (it really hates my Roxio Media Suite), there's not much that I've found to complain about. A common complaint is the Administrative Warnings that pop up for even the most common of tasks (I found it humorous that I have to click "yes" to three "are you sure?" buffers in order to change a file name on the hard drive, but when I click "shut down," the thing turns itself off in two seconds; I am far more likely to accidentally shut down my computer than I am to mistitle a file). This nuisance is easily remedied, as are many of the other security fences that may or may not get in the way of your average consumer interface.
However, in spite of its handsome facelift, Windows' new OS offers very little that seems of much use to your Average Joe/Jane consumer. At least, to this Average Joe. For instance, the three-D multi-page scrolling function seems specifically designed for no other reason than to impress your friends. It is hardly any more or less easier than to simply find and click on the program/page you want at the bottom of the screen.
I'm glad I have Windows Vista, because it's sexy, like me. But unfortunately, it doesn't stand out in many other ways. Like me, as well.
|
|
|
Copyright
©
2006 Adminpal LLC | |
