Vista Home Premium or Ultimate

[JoMo]

I am buying a new system for my business and personal use, and I am trying to decide between Windows Vista: Home Premium or Ultimate for the OS. Are either of these OS's better or worse for the IM'er? Does Ultimate have anything that I could make better use of for my web design, article/content marketing, or any other IM related thing?


-joel

[TristanPerry]

Windows 7 is about to come out; I'd wait until then, especially since it's a better OS than Vista.

But either way, the version (Premium, Ultimate, etc) doesn't matter too much since things like web design, article writing (etc) would be done on seperate programs, not via the OS itself.

[Ralf Skirr]

Wait 2 or 3 weeks then the new windows operating system comes out.

It will be much better than vista.

Ralf

[Killer Joe]

Windows Vista Home Premium has a lot of quirks that really make it hard to use right out of the box.

It's almost hard to believe that anybody would put out a product like this with so many flaws in it.

KJ

[JoMo]

I get a free upgrade to 7 when it comes out. The reason I am buying a system now is that this computer I am on now is dieing fast. So I will have vista for now, but I will get a free copy of 7 when it is out.


-joel

[mohammad111]

If you ask me I liked Ultimate more than Premium.

There is not a huge difference in both but with Ultimate my computer is faster than before. Also, I am interested in ASP.NET development but I didn't have alot of trouble because IIS is supported by both Premium and Ultimate.

I also liked the CD box of Vista Ultimate more than that of Premium

[mmurtha]

I'd wait on Windows 7 instead of sticking with Vista! It stinks. Plus that, many people are finding out that it double logs files in the computer's backup system, and hogs up space.

A couple of friends and I found this out after one of their HDs were getting eaten up, leaving them with very little space left. They now have to go into their system's restore, and delete the extra files they don't need because they will continue to accumulate.

Lol in case you can't tell, I hate vista, and think MS made a bad move there.

[Nathan Segal]

Vista absolutely sucks for driver support. I wouldn't recommend it at all. I'd stay with XP or wait for the new version of Windows. Even then, I wouldn't rush out to buy it. I'd sit tight and wait for the bugs to be worked out.

[wolfshaman]

Originally Posted by Nathan Segal

Vista absolutely sucks for driver support. I wouldn't recommend it at all. I'd stay with XP or wait for the new version of Windows. Even then, I wouldn't rush out to buy it. I'd sit tight and wait for the bugs to be worked out.

I totally agree!!! I'm only using Vista because my old PC crashed and a friend gave me his brand new Dell with Vista because he hated it. So I gratefully took the freebie and spent almost 3 days configuring and troubleshooting all the bugs. You name it ... everything from email attachments that Vista couldn't open to printer drivers it couldn't find... Total pain in the behind... here was a glitch at every turn so I had to Google the problem and sure enough somebody else had the same issue and there was a downloadable fixit.

BTW If you have an older version of Quickbooks software it absolutely will not run on Vista so you have to go out and buy a newer version.

[JoMo]

If Vista is having this much trouble with drivers after all this time, won't 7 have even more???


-joel

[Kevin Barnes]

Funny... Vista is the very reason I got a Mac. lol

[Marty S]

Originally Posted by Kevin Barnes

Funny... Vista is the very reason I got a Mac. lol

Same here, but I still use my PCs.

Most retailers are offering an auto upgrade to W7 when it comes out, so it shouldn't really matter. Just be happy you only have a short time to work with VISTA.

[scrofford]

Originally Posted by TristanPerry

Windows 7 is about to come out; I'd wait until then, especially since it's a better OS than Vista.
.

The only problem with that is history shows us that every time a new OS comes out there are bugs bugs and more bugs...I wouldn't wait. It will only be better when all of the bugs are worked out of it. I wouldn't buy windows 7 for about a year. Go with Vista Ultimate. It works fine.

[mediamogul]

Whatever you do get Windows 7. Its an awesomely streamline OS. Here is a review I did on my new system that has Win 7. REVIEW: PUGET SYSTEMS' GENESIS WORKSTATION | Articles | Post Magazine

[scrofford]

Originally Posted by mediamogul

Whatever you do get Windows 7. Its an awesomely streamline OS. Here is a review I did on my new system that has Win 7. REVIEW: PUGET SYSTEMS' GENESIS WORKSTATION | Articles | Post Magazine

The below was on your "review" on the final thoughts. As I have said...All new OS have bugs and you should wait about a year to buy the new latest and greatest.

One big thing I should mention is a little glitch I had when first starting up and playing with the Genesis. As I perused Hulu, YouTube and other video sites, my video played back choppy. I put a DVD in and again it was choppy. After a call to customer service and doing some quick trouble shooting, we realized the culprit was Window 7 and the Ethernet card.

[Lloyd Buchinski]

Personally I really like Vista. I did have a couple of screwy problems over however long it's been since it came out, but got them straightened out soon enough. I actually did have a Mac before and had quite a lot more problems with it.

I've used both the home and the ultimate version of Vista and the Ultimate is better. Even a right click has one extra option in most situations in Ultimate, and a remote access system comes with it.

Personally I'm not going to bother upgrading to Windows 7 unless it can handle html, css and text better. Basically any system can take care of most of what I do and there isn't any point in going after the latest unless I start making really big money and the price becomes insignificant.

best wishes,
lloyd

[Drew Castle]

Windows 7 Ultimate =)

[patJ]

Originally Posted by scrofford

The below was on your "review" on the final thoughts. As I have said...All new OS have bugs and you should wait about a year to buy the new latest and greatest.

One big thing I should mention is a little glitch I had when first starting up and playing with the Genesis. As I perused Hulu, YouTube and other video sites, my video played back choppy. I put a DVD in and again it was choppy. After a call to customer service and doing some quick trouble shooting, we realized the culprit was Window 7 and the Ethernet card.

No OS can be worse than vista.

Either get windows 7, or get XP.

[AverageGuy]

Originally Posted by patJ

No OS can be worse than vista.

Either get windows 7, or get XP.

no, Win ME is worse,

wait for win 7.


david

[Floyd Fisher]

Originally Posted by mmurtha

I'd wait on Windows 7 instead of sticking with Vista! It stinks. Plus that, many people are finding out that it double logs files in the computer's backup system, and hogs up space.

A couple of friends and I found this out after one of their HDs were getting eaten up, leaving them with very little space left. They now have to go into their system's restore, and delete the extra files they don't need because they will continue to accumulate.

Lol in case you can't tell, I hate vista, and think MS made a bad move there.

Some PC manufcturers are now giving away the windows 7 upgrade for free...so why wait?

[mmurtha]

Originally Posted by Floyd Fisher

Some PC manufcturers are now giving away the windows 7 upgrade for free...so why wait?

Hey Floyd,

I didn't realize that they were giving it out for free. In that case, the OP should go with Windows 7.

[Joe Giannetti]

I have to say.....I don't really know why ppl hate vista so much.
I have had no problems with it whatsoever.

[Marty S]

Originally Posted by Joe Giannetti

I have to say.....I don't really know why ppl hate vista so much.
I have had no problems with it whatsoever.

Yeah. I remember saying this for the first couple of months too.

[Floyd Fisher]

Originally Posted by Joe Giannetti

I have to say.....I don't really know why ppl hate vista so much.
I have had no problems with it whatsoever.

I havent had any crashes or other problems, but whoever designed this OS really needs to be shot.

For example:

I put a CD in the drive, it asks if I really want to install the program.

No, you idiot, I just put the CD in there because I like to see the LED's turn pretty colors, of course I want to install what is on the CD!

Then every time I go to run the program, it asks me that question again.

Feel my pain yet?

[fred.e]

Personally I would use none of the above, they both suck, especially if you using for your business, you don't want something that'l let you down in the middle of hard work. I would use xp if i had to use windows, or wait for windows 7. However thou, I would recommend a mac!

[jitterbug978]

Take it from a computer nerd that builds his own computers. Don't get Vista... period!

Don't get Windows 7 either, My computer performed better with Xp than 7.

Wait a year, then get 7... Microsoft will have all the bugs out, drivers will be readily available and it'll be optimized after a few service packs. Xp is the way to be and can be had at very affordable prices. It is stable, has a ton of programs written with it being the OS of choice in mind and has the best performance for general use.

Windows 7 is what vista should have been, yet it still cant match XP. I run linux on a number of computers and prefer it to vista and 7.. but not to XP.

If you want a free alternative OS try Ubuntu, it comes linux newb friendly. Wait a year, move away from Ubuntu if you dont fall in love with it.. Then get Windows 7.

[Kersen Kloss]

I am waiting for WIndows 7 too. But like other posters, I will test it on a separate computer before replacing XP.

Vista is fine if you plan on using your computer as a stand alone netbook, but when you try to integrate third party (non MS) software and odd peripherals, you may have support issues in Vista.

I had many issues with integrating NetDocuments SAAS shared drive, Office plugins and the like. My users had constant issues with wireless connectivity.

Regarding your question about net marketing, web development. What do you use for your web design and marketing now?

I have gone away from client software and am now using a combination of online open source solutions like Joomla for content management website design and Google business services for web marketing. These operate almost totally independant from my OS.

[Kay King]

The best technogeek I know suggested waiting for windows7 to me yesterday when I mentioned buying another computer - he's impressed with it but suggested waiting at least until after the first update (which is a good idea anyway). He further suggested I stay with XP pro as long as I can - which I will do just as I did with 98SE before XP was released. He's never thought much of Vista.

There is a history of great windows products interspersed with a few so-so versions. I always viewed Vista as a so-so.

kay

[ramone_johnny]

Its funny how most people suggest having the latest and greatest system without even knowing what it will be used for.

I could do what I do on a P133 with 128mb of ram running Windows 95.

Often I hear people bragging about how they just purchased a new system costing them $4000 - only to get it home, send emails and use MS Word.

If you intend on using it for web development ensure you can run IIS on it. Most home editions dont support this.

[Lloyd Buchinski]

Originally Posted by Floyd Fisher

I put a CD in the drive, it asks if I really want to install the program.

No, you idiot, I just put the CD in there because I like to see the LED's turn pretty colors, of course I want to install what is on the CD!

Then every time I go to run the program, it asks me that question again.

Feel my pain yet?

It's actually quite simple to turn that off. I'm too busy to look up the steps to do it right now but saw them in this forum one time and they wouldn't take as long as it took to put up that post. Personally I see a point to it and didn't do that.

[PhilG]

I would suggest that you go with Vista Ultimate 64bit. If possible, try to find a deal where you will get the upgrade to Win7 Ultimate when released, you will love the new Win7.

As to the XP vs Vista arguments, most people don't realize what an advance Vista was over XP. It is similar to Mac's Ox X over System 9. Vista was not an upgrade of XP but a completely new system (which is why some had difficulty with it). But when you go with Vista you are virtually assured of no more "blue screens" and so many things work better (wifi etc).

Had Microsoft done what Apple did with Os X (that is, include a backward compatible mode to the previous version) then I doubt anyone would have had any problems. They finally wised up and have included an XP mode in Win7 so everyone should be fairly happy with the newest operating system.

In any event, this is all very likely to be meaningless in a few years. Google's new OS (Chrome?) will completely change the computing world. Online apps, cloud computing etc is the "wave" of the future (pun intended - see Google Wave) and Microsoft knows it.

Sadly, it is most likely Apple which will be hit the hardest by this new technology. I doubt that it can continue selling its computers for a premium without its own OS. When Google's OS is offered for free with online apps etc, etc, people will be able to buy "thin clients" for under $300 that will do everything that today's high end computers can do. Once that happens Apple may be the first to go down.

Just my 2 cents.
Phil G

[jasondinner]

XP PRO all the way :P

[fthomas137]

vista ultimate. I know all the bad PR vista gets, hence the reason for windows 7. But stick with vista till the first service pack on windows 7. This simple advice will save you tons of frustration. Windows 7 will probably be much better in the long run, but remember that new code has bugs and bugs mean instability!

[zapseo]

I'm not reading your post. I'm not reading this thread.

The only thing I can think is: the really much heralded Windows Version 7 will be out soon (10/22? -- something like that) -- I don't know what flavors -- why worry about Vista AT ALL ?

Live JoyFully!

Judy

[imacamper]

One more vote for waiting on Win 7. You can probably still download the beta and use it until April 2010. Then upgrade at your convenience.

Cheers,

Drew

[Mike Anthony]

Originally Posted by JoMo

I am buying a new system for my business and personal use, and I am trying to decide between Windows Vista: Home Premium or Ultimate for the OS.
-joel

There are indications that Windows 7 will be available to system builders next week (stores in two weeks) so unless its critical I'd wait. Doing an upgrade so soon after a purchase is a major headache. I'm running the RC for Windows 7 and its light years ahead of any Windows OS I have ever used. Very nice.

[zapseo]

okay -- now I read a few posts ...

Vista suffered (greatly) from
1. product bloat.
People had to deal with the fact that 1G of memory simply wasn't enough.
Along with the resource hogging Aero graphics of Vista, it was a bit much.
2. more than many of MSFT's OS's -- really suffered from a premature release -- meaning, in order to get it out the door, they sacrificed not getting a lot finished.
3. poor marketing. Because of all the problems with Vista, Microsoft was spending more time battling its bad press rather than glorying in what it could do.
(And can it do stuff? Check out, I think it is, Project Mojave...where Vista was "previewed" to people without naming it.)
4. as always, MSFT OS's get better with time. nearly every release has had its well-deserved detractors -- but after release of 1 or more SPs, many of the big problems were solved. As someone who has been behind the scenes on big releases (OS and otherwise) -- many things are left "waiting in the wings" to be released at the time of a product release because there isn't enough time to test and integrate them with the rest of the code.

Windows 7 (which many consider to be, well, sort of "windows Vista completed") is not just another MSFT OS release. It is considered to be one of the most outstanding -- if not the most outstanding -- OS release MSFT has created.

(Look, I am NOT a MSFT fan -- I worked at Apple for over 6 years... So this isn't some sort of MSFT boosterism...)

MSFT HAS to get their act together. This is a great demonstration of the best of capitalism: competition requires competitors to get better. MSFT has been resting on it's laurels, with its huge dominance in computer OS.

But, when you have WalMart (of all places) selling linux-installed computers (not on the shelf any more, but still...) -- and Apple grinding happily away at % of installed based -- MSFT has had to get their act together. They can no longer afford to be the arrogant, fat sloppy OS providers of the past if they intend to survive.

Arrogance is the killer of company dominance. While never the dominant player, Apple did own dominance in having computers with Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs). I watched, with great regret, in the late 80s when the competitive analysis team laughed at MSFT's attempt to create a GUI interface. MSFT didn't get it right -- at first -- but they kept trying (the luxury of their dominance in computer OSs as well as in the leading app packages packaged up in various versions of "Office" -- both on Windows and Macs -- could keep plugging away until they got it right. And they did -- enough so that most people thought GUIs were a Microsoft invention, not an Apple invention. Oh wait, they weren't an Apple invention either -- but that's another story....)

Live JoyFully!

Judy

resident of Silicon Valley, home of dramas large and small.

[zapseo]

Originally Posted by ramone_johnny

Its funny how most people suggest having the latest and greatest system without even knowing what it will be used for.

I could do what I do on a P133 with 128mb of ram running Windows 95.

Often I hear people bragging about how they just purchased a new system costing them $4000 - only to get it home, send emails and use MS Word.

If you intend on using it for web development ensure you can run IIS on it. Most home editions dont support this.

BLAH.

You don't need to run IIS in order to do web development.
You don't need IIS to run a webserver. MOST PEOPLE DON'T!!!
They use Apache (which has the added virtue of been free & open source).

And, while I have run Apache on my personal computer (WAMP, XXAMP, etc.) -- it's hardly required.

While people certainly don't need $4000 computers (my sub $400 Acer laptops keep me quite happy...) -- there are some good reasons for keeping current.

OH I FORGOT to mention.

On VISTA -- if you don't need the fancy resource hogging Aero graphics -- you can turn them off. Speeds up the machine.

Makes me happy.

But then, I tend to like command lines.

(Developers at Apple liked to see how many things they could do via the keyboard -- that is, without the mouse. Why? Because, if you can type with some reasonable speed, a mouse slows you down. Most developers I know use alt-tab to switch applications. There's a reason for this!!!)

Live JoyFully!

Judy

[zapseo]

Originally Posted by Mike Anthony

There are indications that Windows 7 will be available to system builders next week (stores in two weeks) so unless its critical I'd wait. Doing an upgrade so soon after a purchase is a major headache. I'm running the RC for Windows 7 and its light years ahead of any Windows OS I have ever used. Very nice.

Bears repeating & emphasis.

RC = release candidate.

MSFT actually was giving away copies of pre-release Windows 7 for a while. I wasn't listening to closely to the conditions though -- I think you'd have to pay for it when finally released.

One of the most wonderful things MSFT put into their OSs was "compatabilitiy mode."

Of course, the rather painful added security measures were important too. Annoying -- but nice knowing someone can't just willie nillie run any old program on your computer. (Regedit, anyone?)

[zapseo]

Originally Posted by PhilG

I would suggest that you go with Vista Ultimate 64bit. If possible, try to find a deal where you will get the upgrade to Win7 Ultimate when released, you will love the new Win7.

Yes, most computer sellers, if they are selling computers with anything above windows basic, are selling computers with free upgrades to Win7.

Sadly, it is most likely Apple which will be hit the hardest by this new technology. I doubt that it can continue selling its computers for a premium without its own OS. When Google's OS is offered for free with online apps etc, etc, people will be able to buy "thin clients" for under $300 that will do everything that today's high end computers can do. Once that happens Apple may be the first to go down.

Just my 2 cents.
Phil G

If you think Steve Jobs is that asleep at the wheel...beg to differ.
If anything, Apple is frequently too far ahead of the curve (check out "Newton", and "General Magic"). As long as Jobs is at the helm, that brilliant, innovative mind will keep Apple not just afloat, but burgeoning.

Apple's death has been declared so many times during it's lifetime it's not even funny. Including a black-covered BusinessWeek surround an elegant Apple logo. That was....more years ago than I can even remember.

sorry for all the posts.

it's an exciting, and fascinating, time for us Silly Valley nerds.

And note -- there's not one non-US company mentioned here....

[DAS_Matt]

I wouldn't touch Vista with your computer! LOL

I'd either stick with XP or go with the new Windows 7.

[Ben Roy]

You guys who are saying that Windows 7 won't be stable for a year have no clue what you're talking about. They have had stable builds of Windows 7 for SO long. Heck, a year ago they were giving out to thousands of us at a conference, and it ran really well then. I've had it running on my media PC at home for months and haven't had a single issue. The biggest focus for Windows 7 was stability and performance - it's going to be the best running version of Windows in ages right out of the box.

If there's any way you can hold off, you'd be better off not getting Vista and then doing an upgrade. Hold on for a fresh install if at all possible.