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Windows Vista Home Premium Video

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Windows Vista Home Premium
Created: 02/02/2007
Video description: Windows Vista Home Premium is essentially warmed-over Windows XP Home Edition. If you're currently happy with Windows XP SP2, we see no compelling reason to upgrade. On the other hand, if you need a new computer right now, Windows Vista Home Premium is st

Windows Vista Home Premium Video Transcript

[ Music ] ^M00:00:03

>> I'm Robert Vamosi, senior editor CNET. And this is a first look at Windows Vista Home Premium Edition. Windows Vista is Microsoft's first new operating system in more than five years. It includes an improved graphics engine, built in search, performance and diagnostics monitors, and improves security. Let's take a look.

>> Windows Vista Ultimate includes every feature that is possible within Windows Vista. Perhaps the first feature you'll notice is a new side bar with gadgets. Microsoft's version of widgets. The default gadgets display the current time, photos from your photo library, and any Internet Explore 7 RSS subscription feeds, with an option to add more gadgets to suit your specific needs. One of the coolest new features within Windows Vista is to redesign Windows Vista media center. Using Windows Vista new aero graphic system, Media Center can along with say Microsoft's Xbox system allowing you to play rich media content from your computer on home gaming or theater system. With Media Center you can also subscribe to online services or play previously recorded content from various libraries. Included with an all version of Windows Vista is built in search and tagging. This allows you to create blue virtual folders of searched content. Say you're doing a report on mountains, any file that is key word enabled to use mountains will be grouped into a virtual folder without any physical dragging to a new location. The down side is that older files say you upgraded from Windows XP will have to retroactively Meta tagged in order to be searched. Windows Vista Ultimate also includes Windows Media Player 11 with online connection to MTVs urge.com. Windows Vista also includes Internet Explorer 7. With stronger certification, authentication, and new protective mode for running Active X agents. There's also built in parental controls allowing you to monitor minors on your system. By limiting their online usage or filtering with web sites they may visit. [ Music ]

>> Parental controls also extend in the gaming where now each game features a recommended gaming rating.

>> Windows Vista Home Premium breaks out only the features that Microsoft feels the home user really needs. While we agree that Windows Media Center and gaming features are a plus, the question why scan and facts was removed from the home user edition? This has been a look at Windows Vista Homes Premium Edition. I'm Robert Vamosi. ^M00:02:34 [ Music ]

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Windows Vista Home Premium Review

The good: Windows Vista Home Premium does improve some features within Windows XP; fewer system crashes than Windows XP; and Windows Vista offers better built-in support options.

The bad: Windows Vista Home Premium does not put Search on the desktop (it's buried within applications, within the Start Menu); no new software yet written exclusively for Windows Vista; optimized only for the Microsoft Windows ecosystem (for example, RSS feeds from Internet Explorer 7 get preferential treatment); Tablet PC support unnecessary; fax and scan support missing; and there are too many editions of Windows Vista.

The bottom line: Windows Vista Home Premium is essentially warmed-over Windows XP Home Edition. If you're currently happy with Windows XP SP2, we see no compelling reason to upgrade. On the other hand, if you need a new computer right now, Windows Vista Home Premium is stable enough for everyday use.

Read full review

Windows Vista Home Premium Specs

Manufacturer: Microsoft Corp.
Part number: 66I-00002

Product Specifications
  • Product Specifications

  • Product Basic Spec

Read full specs