Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate UPGRADE Limited Numbered Signature Edition [DVD]

Long awaited, but well worth it....... installed it in less than 15 mins. Yes, plan for a bigger Hardrive, and unlike many other reviews, the Driver issues are all being worked out. I didn't have to search the world over to find my driver, it picked everything, even things that only got as far as Win 98 SE support.

Microsoft has many enemies. That's what happens when you are #1 and many below you wish they could be at the top.

Vista is a solid product. It was not as solid the day it was released, but what is? It's now only been a few months and the updates that apply the moment you install or upgrade to Vista provide you with a smooth experience.

Is the interface different? Oh yea. Is it bad? Is it slow? No. It's fine. Vista runs only SLIGHTLY slower on an older PC with a Pentium III chip or older but why wouldn't you expect that? You can't get more features AND more power and expect a faster machine when your hardware is getting along in the years.

In addition, if you simply don't understand the nature of Vista, then you haven't yet read Greg Perry's "Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft Windows Vista All in One" (Amazon 978-0672328893) and frankly, this is hands-down the best way for a newcomer - even if you are or are not comfortable with XP - to master EVERYthing you REALLY need to know about Vista.

Software is not always obvious. That does not mean it's bad or difficult to use or requires a huge learning curve. Once you get Vista, beg or borrow or buy "Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft Windows Vista All in One" and you will be ready to become a MASTER at the product. I went through what YOU are going through and I know most Vista books and sites DO NOT give you what you need to make this product work well FOR YOU. This book does and I've read all the top-selling Vista books.

Now I don't care if you get "Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft Windows Vista All in One" or not, although you should, but you need to stop listening to the hype of those who have axes to grind with Microsoft. If you want to move FORWARD with your computer you need to have the juice needed which means a moderately recent PC and you need Vista.

The number one reason for getting Ultimate and not a lower Vista product is the BitLocker encryption technology and the ability to make a ghosted image of your disk drive that Vista can restore. If you've used Symantec's DriveImage or Ghost products then you know these alone can run you more than $50. It's thrown in with Vista Ultimate and you'll REALLY use these tools a lot.

The best yet. Solves networking problems once and for all. Must get used to new user screens..AGAIN, but graphics are better looking.

When Microsoft says this is an upgrade, that's exactly what it is. Unless you are an advanced user, forget clean installs; also, do not think you can install this on one machine, uninstall it, and then install it on another. Microsoft has changed the rules. Overall the interface is beautiful. There are some glitchy problems with the windows update feature. Many of your software programs will require upgrade due to incompatibility. The bottom line? Do your homework before upgrading.

Do your homework on hardware compatibility. While you may be able to run Microsoft's analysis tool during install which is supposed to alert you to any problems with existing hardware ... it does NOT work in all cases.

Good luck !