Windows Vista Arrives with a New School Year
08/24/2007
A new school year is upon us, and thousands of students, faculty, and staff will arrive this fall with new computers. As the owners open the box, thousands will find machines with Windows Vista installed. Vista began shipping early this year. Windows Vista is Microsoft’s first operating system upgrade in five years – the replacement for Windows XP. Today, any new Windows computer is likely to have Vista installed instead of Windows XP.
Windows Vista comes in several flavors:
• Home Premium: Adds a new user interface known as Aero and other features.
• Business: Vista Business is designed for small businesses and incorporates Aero.
• Ultimate: Vista Ultimate has virtually all of the features that every version of Windows Vista offers.
• Home Basic: Designed to support basic home computing needs, Home Basic lacks the Aero interface.
Vista brings a new look and feel to Windows. Just as a modern video game makes Pac-Man seem old and distant, Vista offers a smoother, sleeker experience compared to how earlier versions of Windows behaved. Vista requires specialized hardware for all functions to work properly. When Vista boots on a computer that lacks full capacity, the operating system degrades, turning off the features that more advanced hardware can support.
Many universities and other institutions are taking a “wait and see” attitude about Vista. Reviews of Windows Vista are mixed. Many reviewers note that Vista attempts to provide Windows users with user interface features similar to those that Apple introduced years ago in OS-X. Others observe that it took Microsoft five years to release this first major upgrade since Windows XP, and that Microsoft ultimately had to give up on some planned features, such as a database-driven file system. Many tech writers and system administrators see no need to rush to Vista. But new computers on store shelves now come with Vista installed, so thousands of users at MSU, and millions around the world, will bring the new system to school or work this fall.
At MSU, most system administrators do not plan immediate fleet upgrades to Vista; therefore, their faculty and staff end users will remain on Windows XP, or Mac OS-X, or other platforms for now. Computer Labs operated by ACNS will continue to run Windows XP. Nonetheless, some 7000 freshman class students will soon arrive along with many transfer and graduate students, and many of them will bring new computers running Vista.
Vista brings important and needed security features to Windows. For example, by default Windows XP and previous versions of Windows treated the main users of a computer as “administrator,” giving viruses and spyware easy paths to intrude into the computer. Windows Vista encourages users to log in for everyday tasks without administrative privilege, prompting for the administrator password before allowing installation of potentially dangerous programs. In fact, when you move to Vista, be prepared to encounter lots of dialog boxes with warnings, asking if you really want to proceed with a certain action.
Upgrade to Vista?
Many users will encounter Vista simply because they’ve bought a new computer. Others may be tempted to upgrade to Vista on their existing older computers. Most experts suggest that you think twice before upgrading an older computer to Vista. Your older hardware – printers, faxes, scanners, USB drives, etc. – may not work. You may need new device drivers – or worse, there may not be a Vista driver to meet your needs.
Even software programs you rely on may not be ready for Vista. When you attempt to upgrade to Vista, if the installation process detects software that Microsoft has identified as incompatible, the upgrade process will halt until you uninstall the offending software.
Microsoft provides a tool to help you determine what issues you might encounter should you decide to upgrade to Vista. The Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor will inspect your system, looking at your hardware and software setup to see if it detects devices or programs that won’t work under Vista.
In most cases, it’s probably wise to avoid upgrading to Vista on existing hardware. If you’re a Windows user, when you eventually buy a new computer, it will come with Vista. Experts advise that the user interface improvements and security enhancements in Windows Vista may not justify the risk of incompatibilities. If you’re sticking with Windows XP, be sure you have automatic updates turned on and current anti-virus definitions, and you should be reasonably safe.
Whether you do choose to upgrade an older computer to Vista, or whether you acquire a new PC with Vista installed, it is important for you to check to be sure the software and hardware you rely on works with the Vista before you make the move.
Windows Vista and Office 2007
Microsoft also began shipping Office 2007 this year. This upgrade to Microsoft Office introduces a new, XML-based format for documents. For instance, new Word documents will save as .docx instead of .doc. Although Office 2007 has a look that resembles Vista, the two are not tied together; you can run Office 2007 on XP or earlier systems, and you can run Office 2003 under Vista. For more information please see the computing.msu.edu article Office 2007: New Features, New Interface, New Compatibility Issues.
If you have any questions about Windows Vista, Office 2007, or any other computing issue, please visit help.msu.edu or contact the ACNS Help Desk at 517-432-6200.
