October 2006 / What Is Vista
Windows Vista is Microsoft’s next generation graphical operating system software for PCs. Designed to replace Windows XP, Vista is scheduled to be released in November 2006 for business editions, and January 2007 for consumer editions. Microsoft has stated from the start that their goal with Vista has been to greatly improve the security of the Windows operating system, a common complaint with Windows XP. So by focusing specifically on security-enhancement and incorporating a long list of new features into the software, Microsoft is banking that their first new Windows release in over 5 years will further continue their dominance in home and business operating systems.
What Are Some of the New Features?
There are literally hundreds of new features included in Vista that are designed to enhance the user experience, improve security, and make enterprise-level management more efficient. Here are a few that stand out:
Windows Aero: A cleaner, more powerful, and more aesthetically pleasing graphical user interface. With translucent window frames, new animations, and 3D effects, Aero is an extremely slick looking interface. But be aware that in order to run it properly, you’re going to need a powerful graphics card on your machine.
Instant Search: A significantly faster and more thorough search function which provides near instantaneous results by creating an index of your files. Instant searches will allow you to search not only filenames, but also content and tags.
Internet Explorer 7: Taking a cue from alternative browsers such as Firefox and Opera, IE7 will feature tabbed browsing, RSS support, and improved printing capabilities. Continuing the push for enhanced security, IE7 will feature a phishing filter and antispoofing technology that will help protect you while online.
CompletePC Backup: This feature allows you to back up your entire machine as an image onto a hard disk or DVD. In the event of a hardware failure, CompletePC Backup can automatically recreate your machine’s setup on new hardware or a hard disk.
Speech Recognition: Vista’s speech recognition feature can be trained to recognize your voice and allow you to vocally activate commands and perform dictation. It even supports multiple languages.
Meeting Space: The next generation replacement for NetMeeting, Meeting Space allows you to share applications or your entire desktop with other users on your network or over the Internet using peer-to-peer technology.
SuperFetch: A memory management tool that maintains optimal memory content based on your memory usage patterns. SuperFetch analyzes weeks of your memory usage patterns and allow Vista to make intelligent decisions about optimizing what content is present in the system memory.
User Account Control: Many business users log into their PCs as administrators, so that they can have full access to all features and functions in Windows. However, this can create a variety of security issues. With User Access Control, you can log into Windows as a standard user but easily perform certain tasks as an administrator (such as install software). This makes administrator access more manageable and more secure.
Advanced Windows Firewall: Window’s next generation built-in firewall can filter both incoming and outgoing traffic as well as allow you to create advanced packet filter rules.
Windows Defender: Defender is a built-in Anti-spyware tool that will come standard with Vista. Utilizing Windows Automatic Updates to receive new definitions, Defender protects all user accounts on a machine. It also features Internet Explorer integration so that all downloaded are scanned as they reach your machine.
What Versions of Vista Will Be Available?
Vista will be available in 5 editions in the US (a 6th, stripped-down edition will be available overseas in emerging markets). These editions include:
Windows Vista Home Basic: Similar to Windows XP Home Edition, Home Basic is intended for budget users who don’t require a lot of bells and whistles out of their operating system. Home Basic will not include advanced media support or the Windows Aero interface.
Windows Vista Home Premium: Containing all features from Home Basic, Home Premium adds addition support for more advanced features such as mobile and tablet PC support, Windows Aero, file system encryption, and DVD authoring.
Windows Vista Business: Comparable to Windows XP Professional, Vista Business includes the IIS web server, fax support, offline files, dual physical processor support, remote desktop, and ad-hoc P2P collaboration capabilities..
Windows Vista Enterprise: Designed for large corporations with complex environments, Vista Enterprise contains all the features of Vista Business and adds a single-session version of Virtual PC, multilingual user interface support, BitLocker Drive Encryption, and UNIX application support. This edition will only be available to Microsoft Volume License customers and is not available for retail purchase.
Windows Vista Ultimate: This version combines all the features of the Home Premium and Enterprise editions to create a comprehensive home/business package. In addition it comes with podcast creation support, a game performance tweaker, DVD ripping, and enhanced online services for downloadable media and customer support.
What Are the Requirements to Run Vista?
Most relatively new PCs will be able to run Vista, but in order for the software to perform to its fullest potential you’ll need a more powerful machine. Microsoft has created two classifications for PCs to determine the level Vista can run at: Vista Capable and Vista Premium Ready. The following requirements will help you to determine what level of Vista can run on your machine:
|
|
Vista Capable |
Vista Premium Ready |
|
Processor |
800 MHz |
1 Ghz |
|
Memory |
512 MB RAM |
1 GB RAM |
|
Graphics Card |
DirectX 9 capable |
DirectX 9 capable GPU with Hardware Pixel Shader v2.0 and WDDM driver support |
|
Graphics Memory |
32 MB RAM |
128 MB RAM |
|
HDD Capacity |
20 GB |
40 GB |
|
HDD Free Space |
15 GB |
15 GB |
|
HDD Type |
Normal |
Normal, but Hybrid flash memory/hard disk recommended |
|
Other Drives |
CD-ROM |
DVD-ROM |
Microsoft provides a free Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor tool on their website that you can download and run to easily determine which classification of Vista your PC can run.
When Should You Start Using Vista?
Like most new software, unless you absolutely need some of the features offered in Vista you shouldn’t feel compelled to rush to buy it simply because its been released. Although the product has gone through extensive testing and is deemed ready for retail distribution, there’s a reasonable possibility that there are still uncovered problems which could lead to issues if you roll it out across your entire network.
As a general rule of thumb it’s always best if you can wait until feedback from the initial adopters of a new technology are in before you upgrade your business systems en masse to a new platform. Historically 6 – 12 months following a new Windows operating system release that information is available. This is also typically when the initial group of patches and updates are rolled into the first service pack. That milestone is always a good time to think of upgrading.
If you are just too eager to get a look at Vista to wait, take the leap on your home system or introduce a single PC in your office running Vista to test business application compatibility. This will give your people a chance to get familiar with the interface prior to it running on their primary workstations. If you have any questions about Vista and how it applies to your business, feel free to Contact Thrive at any time. We have been working with early versions of Vista, and are prepared to answer any of your questions.
Sincerely,
Dylan O'Connor, MCSE, CCA
Chief Technology Officer
email: doconnor@thrivenetworks.com
phone: 978.461.3999
web: www.thrivenetworks.com