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| Windows Vista Home Premium with SP1 | 
 enlarge | From: Microsoft Software
Category: Software
List Price: $269.99
Buy New: $130.00
You Save: $139.99 (52%)
New (40) Used (2) from $130.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  110 reviews
Sales Rank: 227
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
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:
 Reinstallation and formatting disaster October 7, 2008
I've been refomatting and installing OS for over 26 years and this is by far the worst, messed up version I've ever worked with. For example, CHDSK (Check disk) told me that there isn't enough disk space to rewrite a file when I have over 200g of free space. I have been working on this for over 30 hours and have had to reboot and/or reformat and resintall over a dozen times and I'm still sitting here waiting, and have been waiting for over three hours, and it still hasn't shown me the "choose a language" screen.
As far as Media Center, which didn't work the first time it was intalled and I never could get it to work right, it's OK. I just haven't seen anything worth dealing with the instability of this.
Next time I buy a computer I will either go with an Apple or try to get one with XP.
Now I'm going to go investigate using Linux.
After SP1 you should not be afraid of Vista...as much. September 26, 2008
Microsoft continues to shield attacks about Vista, though many are based on heresay and preconceived notions of the MSFT culture. If you sit down and give Vista a try, and if you get a new PC anywhere anymore you probably don't have a choice, you might not have any complaints.
First of all, a lot of the early reports of bugs in the program have been addressed and fixed in SP1, so users should not rely on what their friends have told them about Vista...as the ONLY source of information.
Secondly, my thoughts are based on my experience in Windows. I will admit that I am an avid PC user and tend to be a little more friendly to MSFT than some other people because I am very comfortable in the Windows environment. But with that said, Vista showcases Microsoft's worst innovative technique. With each release of Windows or Office, Microsoft has been trying to make the user experience easier. They say, "We know what you are doing so we will go ahead and do it for you." And often times they are wrong. They are taking some of the organization away and making things hard to find and displaying what some algorithm assumes you were looking for. And I wish Microsoft would stop doing this.
I prefer Windows to MacOS. I like that things follow a simple organizational pattern and everything can be neatly put away in Windows. But don't worry, it's still there, you just have to wade through some new Vista flare to get there.
And that is my biggest gripe with Vista. Rather than keeping the ease of use that Windows XP has and just beefing up other areas, the company seems to have opted instead for making Vista a mutated product. I wish they would eliminate some of the confusion and just call it Microsoft Vista and remove Windows from the product name.
I'll adjust to it like anything else and before long Vista will be the new standard.
 Vista is great to me... September 15, 2008
Well, I have to say I really like Vista, but before I say anything else, I need to say this. If you want Vista, get a new computer. Don't use an old computer and expect Vista to work well with it. If you have to use it, get Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor to see what you need for your computer.
Well, with that said, Vista works well for me. I love the new graphic user interface, because of the Aero effect when it makes the borders transparent. I like the fact that it asks me whether I want to install something, because sometimes I need to rethink whether I should install a program. I mainly had the problem of installing things I did not need to install and as result it ended up slowing my computer down in the long run.
Well anyway, I use a laptop, so I really like the networking feature. It makes it more simple to find and connect to a wireless network. I also like the power plan feature for those times when I don't have my laptop plugged in. I can just pick a power plan that is appropriate for the time that I'll be unplugged to the wall. If I don't want to use too much power, I can set it to the lowest power plan setting. If I want to use the normal amount of power as if I was plugged in I can set it to that, too.
So Windows Vista is great to me. It's just getting us ready for Windows 7. However, if you're a gamer, you may want to look at the game requirements for Vista, because you will more than likely need more processing speed and RAM.
 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.
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