Microsoft Vista: Making the First Decision

Author: Scott Porter

April 2008

Officially released to the public on January 30th 2007, Microsoft Vista is the “Next Generation” client operating system. It is intended to replace Microsoft Windows XP.

There are six different versions of Microsoft Vista. In order to know which version to purchase you will need to understand the differences between each. The differences are as follows:

Microsoft Vista Starter is a non-retail version. It is only being sold to developing countries. It is considered the “bare bones” version of Vista with none of the bells and whistles included in other versions. Vista Starter is not available in retail markets.
Microsoft Vista Home Basic is considered the baseline edition and is intended for standalone home computers. Vista Home Basic edition does not provide Parental Controls. All other editions are built based on Vista Home Basic architecture.

Microsoft Vista Home Premium has additional features not included in Home Basic. These features include Windows Aero, Windows Media Center, digital media features, such as authoring and DVD burning, synchronization, Parental Controls, and compatibility with Tablet PC. As the name suggests, Microsoft Vista Home Premium is meant primarily for the home user.

Microsoft Vista Business contains most features included in Vista Home Premium, plus: business features, such as Domain Join, Group Policy support and Encrypted Files System. Fax and Scan and Small Business Resources are also included in this package. One downside of Vista Business is that is does not support Windows BitLocker Drive Encryption. Windows Bitlocker adds additional security to your computer and data by encrypting your entire system partition. Microsoft Vista Home Premium is meant for corporate or small businesses although it could be comfortably used in the home environment.

Microsoft Vista Enterprise is intended mainly for large enterprises. It includes all features available in Window Vista Business. It also includes: Windows Bitlocker Drive Encryption, support for multi-languages, Virtual PC Express and Subsystem for UNIX-based Applications (SUA).

Microsoft Vista Ultimate combines all features of Vista Home Premium and Vista Enterprise. It is the “Crème de la Crop” of the Vista operating systems. Vista Ultimate includes additional features called “extras”.  Four of the most know extras are: Windows Dream Scene, Language Packs, enhancements to BitLocker and Encrypted File System (EFS), and the Hold’em Poker Game.

Computer hardware requirements should be another consideration before purchasing Microsoft Vista. Microsoft has created three hardware level requirements. Too simplify this task; I have consolidated these requirements into one list that will comfortable handle any Microsoft Vista versions.

The following table lists my recommended specifications that can comfortable run any of the Microsoft versions.

Component	Recommend	Additional Considerations and Information
CPU	1.2 GHZ	Recommend a dual processor
RAM	2GB	Microsoft recommends a minimum of 1GB, although once you add the Windows Office Suite and other common applications, you may notice performance degredation.  The maximum amount of RAM on a Microsoft Windows Vista 32 bit operating systerm is 4GB.
GPU	Aero Capable	Intended to be a cleaner, more powerful, and more aesthetically pleasing user interface than the previously XP theme, Aero includes new transparencies, thumbnails, live icons, and animations. In order to be Aero Capable, the Graphical Processor Unit (GPU) must support DirectX 9 with Windows Driver Display Model (WDDM) driver, Pixel Shader 2.0, and 32 bits per pixel.
Video RAM	256MB	High end graphics applications and online-games will perform better with more than 256MB
HARD DISK	40GB	Most new computers are sold with a minimum of 80GB Hard Disk drives
Trusted Platform Chip (TPM 1.2)	TPM 1.2	Windows Bitlocker Drive Encryption requires that the motherboard has a TPM 1.2 chip installed. Bitlocker also requires TPM compliant BIOS and a second HDD partition formatted as NTFS, be on the active system partition, with at least 50MB dedicated to BitLocker utilities, preferable 150MB
Optical Drive	DVD	Computers are still being offered with CD R/W installed. I recommend purchasing a machine with a DVD R/W.  Soon, all Microsoft media will be in DVD format only. Not long ago we use to have those thinks called floppy drives.

In summary, the corporate environments best choice of Microsoft Vista client operating systems would be Vista Enterprise or Vista Ultimate. For small business and home-based users not requiring domain authentication, Vista Home Premium or Vista Business would be the wise choice.

Scott Porter – Senior Technical Trainer, New Horizons Training Supervisor-Louisville, Network Engineer, Master Web Designer & Consultant. Senior Technical Trainer and Computer consultant specializing in Network Engineering; E-commerce planning, design, and implementation strategies. Twenty years’ experience in providing innovative solutions for complex client needs and expectations, in both entrepreneurial and corporate roles, focusing primarily on high tech and government industry clients. Founder of Preferred Technology Solutions LLC.  & Co-founder of Perfectly Simplistic LLC. IT certifications include: Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT), Chauncey Certified Trainer (CCT), Certified Internet Instructor (CII), Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE), MCITS,MCTS, MCP +I, MCP, Master Certified Internet Webmaster Designer (CIW), (CIP), Hy-Curve Internet Trainer and Web Specialist, VMware Certified(VCP), Cisco Certified Entry Network Technician (CCENT), Cisco Certified Netware Administrator (CCNA)  CompTIA A-Plus (A+) and Network Plus (N+).Consulting experiences include: Computer Sciences Corporation, National Aeronautical Science Agency, National Security Agency, Defense Logistics Agency, Ethiopian Community Center in Washington D.C, Goucher College, Duke Univ., Ohio State Univ., American Univ., Xavier Consulting Group, and Black Data Processing Associates. Scott was also feature in the Baltimore Sun. He was recently honored as Key Speaker for KY CPA Organization, and Xavier University Alumni Group

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