Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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51 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Worth the wait for service pack 1, 3 Jun 2008
After following the forums for most of the year and reading endless stories of doom and woe about upgrading to Vista I decided it was time to take the plunge and upgrade my humble Dell Inspiron 6000 now that the SP1 version has been released. I checked out the Dell website and downloaded all the drivers that the Dell upgrade advisor said I would need, and backed up all my files in preparation for a long night of nail biting and hair pulling (if you have ever done a fresh reinstall of XP you will know exactly what I mean!). I also installed 2 gig of RAM (oo-ah that cost peanuts). As all the forums state very clearly, the upgrade package is only an upgrade from a lower version of Vista, so I knew the installation would be a fresh install. So, I inserted the disk, answered the usual questions about proceeding, and waited around 30 minutes for the entire installation just agreeing with all the recommended options. What happened next was something of an anticlimax - Vista started and my machine was ready to use. Despite all the dire warnings from the upgrade advisor about all the hardware and applications that might not work everything except the sound card did, and that worked after the wizard searched the www for the correct driver and miraculously found it - that's a first! My verdict - full marks to Microsoft on a fab product that was absolute simplicity to install. Now my 2 year old laptop has a new lease on life.
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27 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Ideal if you need windows on your Mac., 23 May 2008
Got Vista as I need to use Microsoft Access on my Macbook. Installed it via bootcamp no problems, I was amazed how quick it was to install. Vista is fine I've had no problems, I use OS X most of the time but it's good to have windows for the few things I need it for, the best of both worlds. If you're looking for windows for you mac, go for this. Good value at £80 when on offer, it's now gone back up.
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104 of 126 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
'Upgrade'? - What 'Upgrade'! ('Clean Install May Be Required' - OH, YOU THINK?!), 20 May 2008
If, like me, you followed all Microsoft's recommendations before selecting your required 'version' of Windows Vista, in my case initially the 'Home Premium Edition' - such as downloading and running their 'Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor' application; then - like me - you may subsequently be 'very upset' (to put it mildly) when the Vista Installation Program point-blank refuses to actually 'upgrade' your required system (in my case, Windows XP Pro SP3), and will only offer you a 'Clean Install' option, loosing all programmes, settings, and data etc. This is NOT an option, but... 'OK' I'll let that one go and put it down to 'experience'.
For those of you who may be interested: after much slogging around the Internet and reading of numerous bulletin-board posts, it became clear that - amongst other things - you can't actually `upgrade' from Windows XP Pro, you can only `Clean Install'!!!
It would appear that Microsoft are subtly pushing people towards the `Ultimate' Edition - with which, it was `promised' you could actually `upgrade' from Windows XP Pro to Vista.
So, I dug up the extra cash, ordered this 'Vista Ultimate' Edition - 'Upgrade' Version from Amazon - at considerable additional expense - and started once again, following Microsofts 'recommendations'.
After battling with it for two days, during which time the Windows Vista Ultimate Editions' Installation Application forced me to de-active and / or `remove' certain installed functions, facilities and services (such as `FrontPage Extensions') BEFORE it would even proceed to examine the `options' for installations; it TOO `ultimately' failed (no pun intended).
It spent 2 hours `gathering information' about my system, proceeded to `copy files' it needed from the Internet (`updates') and from the DVD, and then promptly informed that it could not find all the files it needed to proceed, and `quit' the installation there and then!!!
I verified my PC Equipment was all functioning OK - the DVD drive was operating correctly and COULD read the DVD without any issues, and it had `exclusive' use of the Broadband Internet connection through the whole installation period - and yet it too could not actually perform this `upgrade'!
Don't get me wrong `dear reader'; I am NOT a `Microsoft Basher' in any way - quite the reverse in fact; which is why I was really looking forward to moving up to Vista now (with the release of SP1 etc); but this experience has left me a little `downbeat' by the whole thing!
Bottom line: I'd assume that there isn't such a thing as an `upgrade' to Vista. If you have a `blank' system and / or you are prepared to do a `Clean Install' (in which case BE WARNED - you MUST purchase the considerably more expensive `FULL' version of your required Vista `edition' NOT the `Upgrade', which will only run FROM an existing Operating System, such as Windows 2000 or XP) - then, and perhaps ONLY THEN will you achieve your desired objective!
Of cause, that WILL take you many hours of time and effort re-installing all your Software Applications, re-configuring Internet and Email accounts, desktop settings, Favourites etc.
OR you could just do what Microsoft clearly wants you to do: buy a `new' PC with `Vista' pre-installed!!!
As for me, I'm returning both of these `Upgrade' Editions back to Amazon. and will have to start the `process' all over again, with either a `new PC' or the `Full' Version of `Vista Ultimate' and a new Hard Disk Drive.
Either way, this is far, far more costly in both time and money than the original `upgrade' promised by these products - so BEWHERE, dear reader, or you too may end up as 'disappointed' by this as I am!
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