Windows VISTA: A pretty face with a few wrinkles.

Author's Rating:

Pros: New modern feel, potentially more stable, better use of modern technology (i.e. 3D video cards)

Cons: Expensive upgrade, DRM potentially harmful, UAC, activation hassles, marginal OpenGL performance

The Bottom Line: 
In early 2007 it's mostly window dressing, but eventually a mandatory upgrade.

Author's Review
On January 30th Microsoft released the new stab at securing desktop dominance for the next 5 years (give or take). While there is no doubt that sooner or later, pretty much every Windows users will (have to) make the switch to the new OS, there are plenty reasons why to wait until 2008.


BACKGROUND / HYPE

When WindowsXP was released in 2001, I was thankful to be relieved of the dreadful WindowsME. Seriously, I have never encountered a more unstable system. XP offered (and mostly fulfilled) the promise to greater stability while looking slightly better and introducing minor usability improvement along the way. Windows Vista now finds itself in a tougher position as XP is not the dreaded predecessor and above all requires much less hardware to be happy. Yet, progress is hard to stop by whining and within the next 2 years a large number of people would be upgrading their hardware anyway. And for another 1 - 2 years, XP is going to remain a good choice for those less adventurous. (Expect MS to start forcing upgrades in about 3 years by reducing or eliminating support for older systems.)

Microsoft is proud of several improvements they push as arguments to upgrade. The Aero interface being the most visible one doesn't only sound like Apple's Aqua but also resembles several details. The Search is now deeper integrated in the OS and while easier, most users may not care much for that once they realize it's not that much more useful than Google's desktop search and even XP's standard search. Security is a big topic in the release and while IE7 is more secure, Firefox gives you similar protection on any other system already. Windows defender is a rather simplistic anti-spyware and I replaced it with Norton's version anyway. Parental control is not going to be an issue for a few years (as we're just now expecting), but several experts raised concerns that this and the associated DRM mechanism may cripple the use of media. Typical multimedia gadgets like Movie Maker, Photo Gallery, DVD Maker and included games help to get excited about the freshly installed system but hardly meet needs of advanced users. The included games are some fun, but also "shockingly" simple in design -- given the graphical overhaul of the interface otherwise.

So in reality -- until programs make use of the underlaying improved kernel and new technologies -- Vista is little more than a pretty resource hog. A major reason to hold of is two-fold. First of all there is only one graphics card available to even support the new DX10 and practically no software to make use of it. This won't change much in Q1 and even Q2 of 2007. (Most games to support DX10 are scheduled for June 2007 or later, including the highly anticipated Crysis.) Further, Vista's new DRM (digital rights management) is currently thought to be a potentially major hurdle for many users. However, the true impact remains to be seen. For me it's mostly related to the region code and since I cannot purchase German DVDs with an American region code, the DRM will prevent them from working despite being honest and having paid full price. (Cracked DVDs apparently have that code removed.)


INSTALLATION

I have been testing the beta version (ultimate 64 bit) for roughly 8 months and wanted to buy the 64bit Home Edition simply due to the lower cost. Realistically, neiter Ultimate nor Business edition offer any functionality I need that's not in the Premium -- with exception of the drive encryption which is only available in the Ultimate. Anyway, the Premium box does mention to be compatible with both x32 and x64 processors, but a loose page inside (!) box soon dampened hopes. The included DVD is indeed only 32 bit and if you need/want the 64bit version you have to order the DVD from Microsoft. That wouldn't be too bad if I could install the 32bit version and then "upgrade" to the 64bit. However, due to driver and architecture differences a clean install would be required (and ultimately wipe out all the installation work I had done until receiving the new DVDs).

As dramatic as this may sound, unless you're planning to install more than 4 GB or memory, the difference is inconsequential and the 64bit even uses slightly more overhead which leaves less memory for applications (insignificant with 2GB and more RAM). Some benchmarks also indicate that Vista drivers (and 64bit in particular) are not as optimized as XP at this point in time.

When purchasing the Upgrade, be aware that Vista must find a valid copy of Windows XP or else will refuse to even install. Further, the Home Basic version appears to be basically functioning as an alibi for the general price hike. I mean, you still can purchase a $99 upgrade, but it won't give you the most obvious change of Vista -- the new look. Unlike XP (with the Plus package), there is currently no version to move from the Basic to the Premium without paying full price. At $160 for the Premium Upgrade, this is certainly not insignificant.

Given the typical driver issue of any brand new OS, I decided to install Vista on a separate hard drive instead of converting XP over. Upgrading an existing XP installation (instead of clean install) has basically three inherent issues associated anyway. [1] Analyzing existing devices and drivers takes a loooong time when starting the upgrade from XP. (I aborted after 40 minutes of searching my system.) [2] An upgraded system never really seems to have the same performance regarding start-up and sometimes even in applications. [3] Currently only WinXP and 2000 can be upgraded without a clean install.

Note: Dual boot systems may be tricky as some applications that are internet activated may consider your two Windows installations as two computers and refuse to work on one or the other. Some even require to call Customer Service to free up you license for a new install.

Overall, the DVD makes it easy to start the installation with minimal input and the just walk away until its almost done (compared to multiple CDs). Vista reboots automatically and gets near completion without user interaction. On dual boot systems (should you give Vista its own partition or hard drive) it also automatically creates a boot menu with Vista being the default option and XP simply called an "older version".

The included drivers make it easy to get started and be functional, but for most hardware it's best to install the latest driver that's provided by the manufacturer (i.e. video driver). Be aware that some of those may not be available yet or in beta status only. This may be critical if the upgraded system is your only one!

My current System ...
Case: Termaltake Tsunami VA3400SNA
Monitor: Viewsonic VP201s
Motherboard: ASUS A8N SLI Deluxe
Processor: AMD Athlon64 X2 4200
Memory: Kingston HyperX DDR400 (C2), 2 GByte
Graphics card: ATI Radeon x1900 XT
Hard drive: Western Digital Raptor 74G SATA 10k
Video Driver: Catalyst 7.2
Chipset Driver: included (nVidia nForce4)


FIRST CONTACT

Given that I played with the Beta, it wasn't really the first time for me to use the new interface and as one would expect from a RC beta (release candidate) the changes to the final were minimal. So the new looks is what will drive most people to Vista and its well done, provided you own a DX9 capable graphics card (which realistically is everything that's no more than 3 years old).

Assuming you didn't opt for the Basic version, the new glassy windows are really neat and easy to the eye. Though not adding any functionality, it's a little bit like the nerd wanting to hang with the cool kids and Vista certainly caught up in that regard. However, now it's far less obvious which windows is active. The new Gadgets are very similar to Yahoo Widgets (formerly Konfabulator). While those are much more numerous, the Microsoft version has one advantage: It is one task in the system and application overhead is reduced. Overall quality is good, though some functionality is rather basic.

Next stop Start menu. The novice might be surprised that Vista isn't all that different from XP at first sight. I mean the Start menu is generally the same and only slightly re-arranged and renamed entries, with one annoying change in the application launcher. It's now confined to a rather small area which makes navigating the new Explorer-type structure a little harder. On the positive side, there is a button to put your computer to sleep and essentially wake up quickly.

Once getting into customizing Windows and adding new software, the new layer of security is immediately obvious. Windows now asks everytime if the installation is a process that you started and really want to happen. Nice touch in actual use, but annoying when setting up a system with a large number of programs to be installed. (The dialog box happens to open minimized sometimes and confuses the user with a seemingly unresponsive setup tool. Check the task bar for open windows.)

Another annoyance is the Disk Defragmentation tool which leaves no choice anymore and basically leaves me with an uneasy feeling as it doesn't say what it does, where or why. Since I have XP and Vista both in the computer, I don't trust a tool to optimize one and not touch the other. The "advanced" user is supposed to use the command line for defrag but gets only slightly more info in return.

I am not going to even attempt to sell you on some new tools found in Vista as some are nice (like the basic DVD authoring) but nothing special when you already own dedicated software. I might come back to add more detail, but those are hardly the argument to switch anyway.


APPLICATIONS / DRIVERS

With the often required activation via the internet, a major hassle of a transition appeared immediately upon my attempt to install my existing software. Most of it was re-installed a few times and upon loading it into Vista ran out of officially allowed activations and a long period of contacting Customer Service for resetting activations is about to start. I guess if for nothing else, this is a good reason to maintain the old XP on its own drive a little longer.

Hardware:

* ATI x1900 XT: Catalyst is available for Vista
* Wacom Intuos 2: no problems with latest driver (6.0a)
* Logitech MX1000: Setpoint 3.3 is Vista enabled
* Logitech S510: Setpoint 3.3 is fully functional
* Logitech NoLOOQ: XP Driver is working under Vista
* Logitech Fusion: Latest driver supports Vista
* Logitech Harmony 550: latest driver supported (April '07)
* Ageia PhysX: Driver v6.12 works under Vista
* Soundblaster X-Fi: Final driver, no consoles
* Logitech Rumblepad: Vista provides support out of box
* nVidia nForce4: compatible driver (v15) available
* Epson R260: Printer driver for Vista available
* Epson 4180 Photo: Driver available from Epson
* Epson P-3000: USB storage driver built in
- Colorvision Spyder: not supported
* Colorvision Spyder2: v2.3.5 or higher supported
* Colorvision PrintFix Plus: v2.1 or higher supported
- SanDisk Cruzer Titanium: U3 software not supported

Software:

* Quicktime: support since v7.1.5
- iTunes: initial support in 7.1.1
* Intuit Quicken: support since 2007/R4, scripting issues w/ older versions
* Norton Antivirus 2007: update available
- Norton Confidential: not supported (yet)
- Palm Desktop: v4.1.4 works with limitations
- Documents2Go: v10 incompatible due to Palm desktop
* Firefox 2: fully supported
* Quicken 2007: Release 4 is fully supported
* Office 2007: full support (as expected)
* CorelDraw X3: download SP2 for compatibility
* ABBYY Finereader 8: supported since 2007 update
* Skype 3: no problems
* Sun Java: v6 for Vista version available
* Flash Player 9: Vista supported (as generic "Windows")
* Adobe Lightroom: fully supported since v1.0
* Corel Painter X: fully supported since v10.0
- Pinnacle Studio 10: currently not supported, (10.8 beta)
* DxO Optics Pro: supported since version 4.2
- Vue 6 Infinite: activation issues* (UAC), Catalyst 7.6 solves display issues
* Lightwave 3D [9.x]: no problems though XP recommended
- Adobe CS2: not supported, activation issues* (UAC)
* Adobe CS3: full support
- PTC Wildfire 3: choppy OpenGL, activation issues* (UAC)
- Cinema 4D: sluggish OpenGL, redraw issues
- AutoCAD 2007: very sluggish OpenGL performance, UAC issues
...

This is a living document, stay tuned for more. Given that each has a set of problems like activation and patches, it will take me some time to fill you in on each software I am using.

User Account Control (UAC): One major problem seems to surface more than others. Activation scripts of "old" software appear to have issues with Vista's protection mechanism (UAC) and programs repeat the registration process upon every start (CS2, Vue 6 etc.). Turning off UAC does in some cases fix this issue. In fact, it also resolves the annoying requests to deny or allow any action. (Control Panel -> Add or remove User account -> Turn User Account Control On/Off)

OpenGL: Microsoft closed the door for direct hardware access from OpenGL. Gamers will be affect as well as serious applications. Currently, most (professional) applications I use have major performance issues despite my Radeon 1900 XTX hardware. (Though not a true OpenGL card, display performance of Vue6 is significantly better under WindowsXP. This is not redraw speed as much as it seems very choppy.) While the move is to push Microsoft's proprietary technology and with that to tighten the lock on Windows, it's now up to the graphics companies like nVidia and AMD (formerly ATI) to provide good implementations of OpenGL layers on top of DirectX. The needed translation is a potential (and currently very real) bottleneck. Of course you can always compensate inefficiency with more computing power (new graphics boards). Tomshardware.com put it this way: "SPECviewperf 9.03 suffered heavily from the lack of support for the OpenGL graphics library under Windows Vista." A clear indication that 3D CAD users should not jump onto Vista just yet.

Activation: The first hardware upgrade (x1900 -> hd2900 graphics card) revealed a rather annoying behaviour. Sooner than expected, Vista required activation. While generally available, the online option quickly claimed that I ran out of activations and needed to call. Now, remember this was the first change and I didn't have to re-install anything yet. Anyway, the phone system asks for 54 digit code which it first insist to speak and twice wasn't able to recognize the number and asked for manual entry. That didn't work either and a person finally picked up requesting me to read the 54 digits (again!). But that's not the end since now he read another 54 digits back to me which have to be entered into Vista to activate Windows. So all in all, I sure can imagine more entertaining things than all-in-all entering 270 digits and having to call in order to make one minute change to the system. Grrr!


© 2007, theuerkorn