Ed Stoffel

Early last year, I was testing Linux as an alternate OS. While it has some security advantages, I found I wasn't able to easily perform many of the things I do in Windows. So I took another look at Vista. Watching security issues closely over the last year, more and more critical alerts have dealt with Microsoft XP vulnerabilities that don't occur in Vista. And while I'm sure Vista vulnerabilities exist, the way Vista is designed is already offering protection that is absent in XP.

I purchased the upgrade version of Vista, and found it required that I install it over an installation of XP. (Showing it my XP CD was inadequate.) However, once Vista verified that I was eligible to use the upgrade version, I was able to select a "clean install" option, which formatted the hard drive and started fresh. I then installed the applications I use which did not require upgrades for Vista: Microsoft Office XP, Quickbooks Pro 2007, and Macromedia Dreamweaver MX 2004. I also installed the following software without issues: Firefox, AVG-AV, iTunes, Audible Download Mgr, dB PowerAmp Music Converter, efax, Cyberpower, and JungleDisk.

Before installing Vista, it had scanned my applications and informed me that I should upgrade Microsoft Money, Nero, and Adobe Acrobat to Vista-compatible versions. To upgrade Nero, I purchased a DVD drive which came with Nero 7, instead of buying Nero alone for about the same price.

Vista discovered my printers and installed the appropriate drivers (HP Deskjet D1420 and Brother MFC240C). However, Brother has not released a Vista version of their printer control suite for scanning, faxing, etc. So I installed another HP printer, which integrated both of HP printers nicely in the "HP Solutions Center" control suite. The HP Officejet 6310 is a nice networkable all-in-one printer which was very easy to install on everyone's Vista laptops without using the CD. However, those in the house still on XP had to use the CD and create a local IP port for connecting to the new printer. In the past, I would install printers on my computer and share them, requiring that my computer stay on for others to use those shared printers. With a true network able printer (one that has its own IP address), others can access it directly, and my computer doesn't have to stay on.

I was using the Logisys KB608BK, an illuminated keyboard with shortcut buttons for Office, Internet and Multimedia. The standard keys continued to work in Vista, but to date, they do not offer Vista drivers for the shortcut buttons. Attempting to install their XP drivers in Vista crashed the OS.

After using Vista for a few months, I tried reinstalling Linux Xandros 4.1 on the same drive, using a boot loader to choose which OS to run. Xandros ran fine, but something about it KILLED Vista. After spending hours trying to repair it, I ended up reinstalling Vista by itself. I wish that Xandros offered an easy uninstaller that would remove entire installation including the modified MBR, but the Xandros CD didn't offer this as an option.

Today, our family has four computers running Vista, and four still running XP. Over the last few months, the machines with problems have been the XP machines. At my desk, I still keep an XP machine standing by, just in case, but I haven't needed it. While I'm not ready to eliminate all the XP machines just yet, I'm quite happy with Vista's performance.