BostonPocketPC

As of Midnight tonight you could purchase retail and upgrade versions of Windows Vista not only in retail stores,but also online for download. I have been asked many questions about Windows Vista by many people some at CES, some at the Boston Launch, and some via email. Here are the top three:

Which version should I get?

Well that all depends on your needs, are you an “average” home user, power user, do some occasional work from home and need to be on a domain. There are 5 versions to choose from. For most people Windows Vista Home Premium will be more than enough for all their computing needs. If you are a power user or a user of more than one computer that is capable of being upgraded you may want to go with Windows Vista Ultimate. If you are a multiple computer user you can upgrade the rest of your PCs (well up to two) to Vista Home Premium for $49 each via the Windows Vista Family Discount (Note this is only available to customers in the United States and Canada who have purchased the full or upgrade Windows Vista Ultimate retail boxed product.) Not bad at all. To compare the versions side by side head here. A nice thing to know is that if you are not sure what version to get you can always upgrade Anytime, Anywhere with the Windows Anytime Upgrade which is a new option that allows customers to conveniently upgrade their existing edition of Windows Vista to a higher-grade edition by way of an online transaction. The manufacturer’s suggested retail prices to upgrade to more premium editions of Windows Vista are as follows: Home Basic to Home Premium $79, Home Basic to Ultimate $199, Home Premium to Ultimate $159 and Business to Ultimate $139.

Why should I upgrade?

Another question I was asked. Well why do upgrade any software package? There are improvements. Most notably the answer is not just the UI. Granted 3D flip, Aero interface, new icons, etc are really cool. For me the built-in search from the Windows start is one of the best features, tagging of pictures and videos for easier organization and search, new UI in Media Center, the Security improvements in the OS as well as the Windows Mobility Center. For each person the reason will be different. For a list of all the features head here. Do you need to upgrade? Well that is a personal question. If you want the latest and greatest than yes. If you get by just reading email and surfing the interweb then you should be OK.

How do I upgrade?

Before purchasing any version of Windows Vista make sure it will run on your system by running the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor. As Don and I said at our last meeting if you are planning on purchasing a new computer that has the free Express Upgrade until March 15, 2007, be sure to note the difference between Windows Vista Capable and Premium Ready PCs. Windows Vista Capable will run Vista, but without all the flash and functionality. Minimum requirements for it are an 800mHz processor, 512 MB of system memory, GPU capable of running Direct X 9 (note Vista runs DirectX 10).Windows Vista Premium Ready PCs are basically a system running Windows XP, 1GHz processor, 512MB of RAM, DVD drive, Internet connection, at least 40GB Hard Drive, Audio output and 128MB of dedicated RAM on your video card for the full Aero Experience. Note some manufacturers may also opt for different SKUs of Vista as part of the upgrade so be sure to ask which one before purchasing. Most look to be Windows Vista Home Premium.

Upgrading isn't as simple as it was in the past. To find out your proper upgrade path head here. There will be no clean install option available for an upgrade in place if you purchased Windows Vista as an upgrade for Windows XP. So if you are upgrading from Windows XP it has to reside on the hard drive for the upgrade to take place. For upgrading from Windows 2000 or Windows XP64 you will need to do a clean install upgrade. The "clean install" option assumes that you have the OS installed on the hard drive and you are not installing to an empty, reformatted hard drive. If you do upgrade to Windows Vista with a clean install you should use the Windows Easy Transfer to automatically copy all your files and settings to an extra hard drive or other storage device, and then install Windows Vista. After the installation of Vista is complete, the Windows Easy Transfer will reload your files and settings on your upgraded PC. Then all you need to do is reinstall your applications.

Note: Also note before upgrading your OS be sure to unistall your Anti-Virus Software if you have any or it could cause problems.

Hope these are enough to get you started if you have more. Feel free to ask.