Goodbye XP? Not for a long time. With an estimated install base of 400 Million systems, XP will linger. Since Vista places higher demands on hardware, most existing systems will continue using XP. However, those new dual core systems loaded with RAM now shipping are ripe for Vista.

Tip: If you’re PC shopping now, look for Vista upgrade coupons at low or nominal cost with your purchase. Carefully note the cost and terms which vary greatly.

What are the new flavors (Editions)?  Where XP had Home, Professional and Media Center, Vista has blossomed to six editions. While this seems confusing, a few will be commonly installed, and the upgrade process is smooth. Unlike XP, a Vista DVD contains all editions, so upgrading is a simple as purchasing an online key and using the existing disk. Tip: Keep the Vista box & disk! Prices below are retail full package (RFP)/Upgrade.

• Vista Starter is a new, reduced functionality version that targets emerging markets.
• Vista Home Basic replaces XP Home, and primarily targets the internet/email and occasional application user audience. ($199/$100)
• Vista Home Premium replaces Media Center, and will be preinstalled for most consumers. ($239 /$159)
• Vista Business replaces XP Professional and is targeted to businesses. If your business has active Directory domains, you need this edition or better. ($299/ $199)
• Vista Ultimate combines the features of Home Premium and Business editions ($399/$250)

Vista Enterprise is designed for large corporations, Business edition plus virtual session for legacy windows OS, multi-language support and other features. Not sold in the retail channels.

Licensing and Activation: 50 percent of Windows installs worldwide are pirated. Not fair if you paid dearly for your upgrade. Vista and Office 2007 product activation are mandatory and much harder to circumvent. Corporate license keys (frequently stolen) also include ongoing licensing checks that will stop the key trading. When a violation is detected, you get 30 days to correct it. After that Instead of shutting the system down, it slips into reduced functionality, like a browser that works for one hour a day!

Frequent Upgraders note: like XP, a pre-installed Vista OS license stays with the PC and is not transferable. However, XP RFP (Retail Full Product) could be transferred many times, but Vista RFP will allow only one transfer.

What hardware does Vista need? Minimum 512MB of RAM, DirectX9 capable graphics card, and at least an 800MHZ processor. Realistically, 1GB of RAM memory (2GB highly recommended). 1 GHZ processor or better (dual core is great), DVD-ROM drive. Graphics card with 256MB of dedicated RAM. 20 GB free disk space just for the OS. Vista loves RAM, the more the better. It can even use USB flash drives as additional memory cache.

Device Drivers: While Vista ships with some 20,000 drivers on the DVD (double what XP had) and there are 10,000 more on Windows Update, if you plan on upgrading check with the manufacturer. Vista display drivers have changed structurally, so look for those first.

So what are the new features? Vista has undergone an extended five year development, with many features added and dropped. It was a messy affair, but Microsoft’s shift in focus towards security and stability was worth it:

Enhanced Security is the number one reason to use Vista. XP users typically run everything as administrators. Any program, once it’s running, can do almost anything. Viruses and spyware depend on this, as did many poorly designed programs.

Because the original DNA of Windows was very open environment with minimal security, it took a long time to re-engineer the traditional security barriers.

Vista is built by default with separate administrator and user accounts. Users run as standard users almost all the time, and administrator functions are invoked by requesting permission (like installing a program). This makes inadvertent or hidden changes much more unlikely, but not impossible.

Internet Explorer 7 (which is also available with XP) is built in. IE7 added tabbed browsing (like Firefox), printing of pages that scale to fit. Both offer Anti-Phishing tools to check suspicious sites against lists of known spyware/malware distributors. If you have not upgraded browsers, time to look again.

Firewall and Anti-Spyware tools are both enhanced. The integrated Windows Defender blocks spyware, and the Windows firewall now also checks outgoing traffic. While Vista does not incorporate every feature of 3rd party security software, its capabilities are growing.

Improved Visuals Vista screens update smoothly, and these changes are immediately apparent. The Aqua interface is the eye candy, but the functional user improvements are everywhere.

User Interface (UI) Improvements — Microsoft has invested heavily in improving the user experience, and it shows. Folder and file searching is improved. Meta-tags can be added to organize files instantly by topic or categories you create. Menus integrate a program search and no longer fill the screen. Windows Explorer is enhanced. Everything is touched.

Bottom line... There is eye candy, but far more functionality under the hood. Vista seems a pricy upgrade, but it’s best combined with new hardware. The user benefits from greater security, stability and significant UI improvements which lead to everyday productivity.

(Editor’s Note: Charles Keating has been president of Keating Consulting Service (www.kcsco.com), an IT consulting practice, for 23 years. The firm started in Chicago and migrated to the Seattle area in 1996. Charles is also VP/Secretary of West Sound Technology Professionals Association. He has been kicking the virtual tires of Operating Systems since before DOS 1.0.)