Windows Vista and Windows 7

There have been many criticisms of the Windows Vista operating system since its introduction in 2007. Windows has even responded by releasing a new operating system since called Windows 7 with much of its marketing revolving around the emphasis that the problems with Vista have been addressed and that they listened to their consumer complaints. So what are the biggest problems with Vista, and if you use it should you upgrade to 7?

The Reasons Vista Fell Short

1. Constant Alerts and Pop-up Warnings

If you have ever started up or used the Vista operating system there is no doubt that you have noticed that there seems to be a constant barrage of pop-up notices about everything from your wireless network to your antivirus software applications. It would also throw screen blackouts and warnings at you for every system or setting change you tried to make. To blame was Vista’s User Account Control, and Windows 7 has toned down the nagging effect of this feature to the delight of many users.

2. Slow Speeds

While the appearance of Vista is certainly cool looking compared to XP, the amount of memory that is required to run Vista is almost twice what was needed for XP at about 1gig of RAM. If you are trying to run Vista on its minimum recommended system requirements then there is no doubt that you are becoming frustrated with the slow start up speed and overall processing speed while running it.

3.  Hard on your Hardware

Along with the slow speeds of Vista comes the constant sound of your PC’s hard drive running. The way Vista is designed allows it to use your hard drive at its maximum, however the design of this feature was not well thought out and if you are the type of user that often has multiple applications running at the same time, then likely you are going to hear your PC’s hard drive running like it is out of breath. Windows 7 claims to run more efficiently and needs less memory to run as well, making it more accessible to users who do not want to upgrade their hardware.

4.  Too Many Unnecessary Apps

For most PC users the huge collection of apps that comes with a new PC purchase or an upgrade to a Windows operating system was overwhelming. Most of these apps never get used, and most are quite useless! Vista; however seemed to have a record number of these useless apps with everything from Windows Movie Maker to Windows Mail. These apps really just took up space on your hard drive, but thankfully Windows 7 has not included these apps, and instead has just made them available free to download online for those who are interested.

5.  Poor Backup Ability

The importance of backing up your computer can never be understated; however, Vista made it difficult for its users to customize the backup settings for this operating system. The new Windows 7 allows you to pick and choose which applications to include in your initial backup, and also allows users to include files and documents that they have created themselves.

While there have been a number of valid criticisms of Vista, it is still a very useable operating system for most people. Windows 7 is definitely the better operating system, and with the improvements to Vista’s major problems and some new bells and whistles, Windows 7 is certainly worth the upgrade. Your computer may even thank you!