Windows Vista: 15 Reasons to Switch
The new Windows operating system is worth the upgrade. Here's why.
Not everyone agrees with me, however. For the opposing point of view, check out PCW columnist Steve Bass's take in "Are You Sure About Upgrading to Windows Vista?" and "Windows Vista Upgrade: The Not-So-Rosy Picture."
To make up your own mind, read our Windows Vista FAQ. We also have our Windows Vista review and our article on how to install Windows Vista to assist you.
But I'm sold on upgrading to Windows Vista. Why? Well...
1. It's the Interface, Stupid
Perhaps the best thing about Windows Vista is the most obvious: its new interface. With transparent animated windows that swoosh into place, subtle and elegant colors, a new Start menu, and plenty of other changes, this is the most beautiful version of Windows you've seen. If you've ever had Mac envy, this is the Windows you want--it's the most Mac-like interface yet.
2. Flip Over Windows Flip 3D
Switching between open windows using
Alt-Tab in previous versions of Windows
was always a shot in the dark, as you
never quite knew to which window you'd
switch, or even which ones were open.
That has all changed in Windows Vista.
Press Alt-Tab, and Windows Flip 3D
springs into action, displaying
thumbnails of all your open windows in a
gorgeous, 3D stack. You can then flip
through them until you find the one you
want.
3. Live Thumbnails
Do you run a lot of programs and visit a
lot of Web sites simultaneously? If so,
you'll appreciate Live Thumbnails. Hover
your mouse over any window on the
Taskbar, and a thumbnail of the window
pops up, with the program and document
name, or the Web site name, just above
it. The thumbnails are truly "live," so
if a video is playing in a window,
you'll see the video playing in the
thumbnail too.
4. Boost Performance With
ReadyBoost
Windows Vista includes a quick way to
enhance system performance:
ReadyBoost. It preloads files and
programs you often use into RAM so that
they're there when you want them, and
you don't have to wait for them to load
from the hard disk. You can buy an
inexpensive USB flash drive and use up
to 4GB of cheap RAM to boost your system
performance.
5. Cool Performance Tools
If you're the kind of person who tends
to peek under the hood and tinker,
you'll find a lot to like in Windows
Vista, which contains plenty of applets
and utilities. Probably the best of them
all is the Reliability and Performance
Monitor. It keeps tabs on every aspect
of your PC in exquisite detail,
including the CPU, hard disk, network
usage, and RAM use, and it includes
plenty of charts, reports, and logs for
your inner geek. The Reliability Monitor
module is particularly noteworthy, as it
charts the reliability of your PC over
time and shows you every single problem
or failure in a calendar format.
6. Better Security
At every level of Windows Vista, you'll
find improved security. The firewall is
now two-way, including inbound as well
as outbound protection.
Windows Defender offers spyware
protection, and Internet Explorer has an
antiphishing filter to protect against
Web scams. A slew of security holes have
been plugged in Internet Explorer, and
the browser now operates in what's
called Protected Mode, which guards
system files against external attacks.
There's plenty more under the hood as
well, including Windows Service
Hardening, which protects vital files
and settings. (Note: BitLocker's
automatic drive encryption and other
advanced Windows Vista security options
are available only in the Business and
Ultimate versions.)
7. Find Anything Fast With
Search
Can't remember where you put an
important file? It's no longer a
problem. Windows Vista integrates a new
search technology throughout the
operating system--on the Start menu,
within Windows Explorer, and just about
everywhere else you look. It uses
indexing and is lightning fast, and it
literally searches as you type. A
powerful advanced search tool lets you
narrow your search by date, file size,
author, tags, and location. It also
accepts Boolean searching. You can even
save your searches for future reference.
8. Nifty
Software
Gadgets
If you're a
software
gadget fan,
you'll love
Windows
Vista. It
includes a
variety of
software
gadgets
that live on
the desktop
and do
little tasks
such as
delivering
stock
quotes,
showing
weather
forecasts,
displaying
RSS feeds,
monitoring
the state of
your
computer,
checking
your e-mail
inbox, and
more.
Windows
Vista ships
with a
gaggle of
them, but
you can find
dozens more
online--and
they're all
free.
9.
Better
Wireless
Networking
Anyone who
uses a
wireless
network at
home, at
work, or on
the road
will
appreciate
the way
Windows
Vista
handles
wireless
networking.
You can more
easily find
new wireless
networks,
and save
them and
manage them
as permanent
connections.
Wireless
security has
also been
improved:
When you
connect at a
public
hotspot,
security
precautions
(such as the
shutting off
of file
sharing)
automatically
lock into
place.
10. Map Your
Network
Want to see
every single
computer and
device
connected to
your
network--and
get instant
information
about each,
such as
their IP
addresses?
The Network
Map does
that for
you. It also
lets you
make instant
connections
to any
device;
double-click
a PC, for
example, and
you'll
connect to
its shared
folders.
11. Better
Graphics
With Windows
Photo
Gallery
Finally,
with Windows
Photo
Gallery
Microsoft
has shipped
a graphics
utility
that's worth
using. It's
a kind of
jack-of-all-trades--you
can view
graphics and
create slide
shows, for
example. But
it also
includes a
surprisingly
good set of
simple-to-use
image
editing
tools,
including
one for
eliminating
red-eye and
another that
cleans up
photos with
a single
click.
12.
Become a
Director
With Windows
Movie Maker
Windows
Vista comes
with a new
version of
the
much-maligned
moviemaking
tool Windows
Movie Maker,
and it's a
big
surprise--you'll
actually
want to use
it.
Importing
video and
music,
creating
transitions
between
scenes, and
syncing
music with
video are
easy. When
you're done,
you can burn
your
creation to
DVD with
Windows DVD
Maker.
13. Better
Notebook
Support
In previous
versions of
Windows, the
mobile-computing
features
seemed
bolted on
after the
fact. That's
not true
with Windows
Vista, as
the Windows
Mobility
Center puts
all the
tools you
need in one
place.
You can turn
your
wireless
adapter on
or off,
change your
battery
settings,
and connect
to an
external
display from
a single
location.
And the new
Presentation
Settings
feature is a
big leap
forward for
anyone who
often gives
presentations
with a
notebook.
You can
customize
settings--such
as the
resolution,
mute,
background,
and so
on--and then
save them.
Afterward
you can
switch from
normal mode
to
presentation
mode in a
snap.
14.
File Sharing
and Syncing
With Windows
XP it was
possible to
share files
among PCs on
your
network--possible
but often
impossibly
hard, it
seemed. That
changes with
Windows
Vista. The
Network and
Sharing
Center lets
you turn on
and
configure
file sharing
with single
clicks. And
the Synch
Center lets
you
automatically
synchronize
files and
folders
among
separate
PCs. You
won't have
to do
anything to
keep them in
sync;
Windows
Vista will
do it for
you.
15.
Protect Your
Kids With
Parental
Controls
Worried that
your
children may
be exposed
to
inappropriate
content
online? Want
to make sure
they're not
playing
violent
games?
Parental
Controls put
you in the
driver seat.
Not only can
you
determine
the kinds of
sites they
visit and
games they
play, but
you can also
enforce
rules about
when they'll
be able to
use the
computer at
all.
Windows
Vista goes
on sale
Tuesday,
January 30;
tech
superstores
across the
United
States will
open at
midnight to
let you
get a jump.
Content by:
