I’ve been using Windows Vista for about nine months now, which I feel is adequate time to finally give a little review. I admit, I was nervous about Vista after I’d read all the warnings about incompatibility with printers and networking, as a resource hog, etc. I waited (as is usual) until all the Vista hype ebbed and I could see how others were faring before I spent my money on a new laptop. I use my laptop for business (I’m a writer), so I needed a really reliable and maintenance-free OS in order to concentrate on my work (and avoid the Blue Screen of Death at all possible costs). I’ve experienced computer crashes and freezes in the middle of writing an article: NO FUN.

You know what? I just love Vista! Here’s the nitty-gritty:

1. I am madly in love with the Search feature at the Start Menu. Remember how I’ve said I’m such an organizing fiend that I lose my files within folders of folders of folders? How I often lose things because I organize them so well? Well, Vista’s Search feature is a God-send, believe me! I just type in a keyword, and it will search everything for me- documents, emails, images, text, anything. I absolutely love this feature. It’s worth getting Vista just for this feature alone.

2. Remember how previous Windows versions have that “Programs” menu, and if you have a lot of programs, then the entire menu fills up all your desktop space (and then some)? I always hated that. with Vista, the “All Programs” feature now has a scrollbar. Wowee!

3. It’s prettier. no doubt about it. I like a pretty and colorful desktop. The Aero does use a lot of RAM, so I’ve disabled it, but it’s nice to know that the option is there when I feel like dressing up my computer. The desktop appearance settings are waaay better than previous versions. There are a lot more choices, more colors, and it’s much more organized.

4. Better and more organized security settings. I love Windows Defender, I love the easy interface of the security features. It’s more intuitive and has more options than XP or past versions.

5. I LOVE the sidebar. I like the “virtual” analog clock (I’ve never liked digital clocks), the easily-seen calendar, and I am NUTS about the little sticky notes where I can post deadlines and quick reminders. The sidebar can be on the left or the right, and can be closed and opened with the click of the mouse. There are other gadgets you can add. This is a great feature.

6. Best of all, Vista is stable. I could count on my ME and XP versions crashing at least every other day. Not so with Vista. I have to say I’m very impressed. I think it’s crashed twice since I’ve had it, and once it was overheated and the other time Firefox froze on me.

There’s a lot more to like, but these are the things that jump out at me right away. I use my laptop for business and for pleasure (I like Minesweeper, lol). I think Vista fits the bill for both, and does marvelously well.

Oh, and all my older programs work just fine on Vista (including older Paint Shop Pro programs, whew!). I did have to download a new driver for my older HP printer, but when I bought a new Canon printer, Vista took care of it without a hitch. I also love the little SD drive on my laptop. I take a lot of photos for the blogs, and it was a royal pain using XP, a USB converter cable, and my camera to transfer photos. Now all I have to do is slip my SD card into the laptop, and Vista uploads them onto the hard drive. Love it!

So I recommend Vista. It’s been extremely stable for me, it’s organized, I can get my work done and it is a pleasure to do so, and Vista is very pretty. And here’s a tip for you in the valley of indecision, still using old Windows versions: buy a new computer with Windows Vista Business or Windows Vista Ultimate, you’ll get free support, compatibility assistance, and individual help from the Microsoft folks. This offer is good through September 30, 2008, so now is the time!

Thumbs up to Microsoft for this OS!