Mrs. Mecomber's Scrapbook

After test-driving Windows Vista for a few months, I think I can accurately and adequately give the operating system a 5-star rating. Vista has proved to be exceptional in performance, usability, and style. I have found it to be much more reliable and intuitive than XP. I’ve gone back to XP on my husband’s computer, and it’s like the difference between a Ford and a Corvette. As much as I really liked XP, I am a convert to Vista!

Vista is much more stable. I was accustomed to getting the BSOD (Blue Screen of Death) with XP, ME, and my 98SE. I have had only two system crashes with Vista in almost a year. That is phenomenal, in my opinion.

Vista is more intuitive. It has a terrific Search feature as part of the Start Menu. This is a terrific time-saver for me. As hard drives get larger and as we gather more information, I think Vista really did well with this feature.

I love the Windows Mail and calendar. Very convenient and easy to use. Vista comes with Windows Defender and a new-and-imporved Security Center.

Vista is drop-dead gorgeous. We all know how drab and dull XP was (only three colors, blue, silver, and olive?!). Vista is a work of art compared to XP and ME. The Vista Aero can sometimes use up a lot of resources, however. I shut it off when the computer is having heavy use (image and video editing).

There’s really much more to Vista than can possibly be covered here. I recommend the operating system, whether for personal or business use. And actually, if you are a small business owner and thinking about getting Vista, consider this excellent promotion going on now until September 30- get Windows Ultimate or Business version, and get compatibility assistance and free support from Microsoft to make sure everything goes smoothly. That’s a terrific deal! See here for more information.