Which Version of Windows Vista Should I Use?

There are four version of the Windows Vista Operating System on the market, which one makes sense for my business? This article will discuss the different versions so you can make an informed choice.



The Four Versions of the Vista Operating System are as follows:

• Home Basic
• Home Premium
• Business
• Ultimate

As with all software, you pay for more features, and so it is true with the different versions of Microsoft Vista. Each version has overlapping features and the more money spent the more features you will have. So the big question is which version will give me what I need, but to where I am not spending monies on “Features” that I do not need.

The Home Basic version we might as well cut off the list. This version has the bare minumum, some of the feature that it is missing are not suited for laptops, cannot use secondary screen on laptops, and cannot share documents. This is the most stripped down version, think of a Geo Metro with the cheapes interior and manual everything.

The Home Premium Edition might be an option for a number of small businesses depending on your specific needs. The Home Premium Edition, built around the Media Center technology, so this version is great for artists and graphic designers. This version allows you to burn DVD’s and create high-definition movies right out of the box. Both features are not available in the Business version. This version works well with laptops and will automatically backup your files, and has an easy to use networking connectiivty installation wizard.

The Business Edition is what I believe that most businesses will want to use in their office, due to the added features that set it apart from the Home Premium. Although the Business Edition does not have built in DVD burning capabilities that can easily be remedied by installing the software that came with your DVD burner. Here are the features that I think make it a good investment:

Protection against hardware failure, by using the PC Backup and Restore software. Here you can ensure that all your data is backed up and safeguarded on a backup tape or a file on a portable drive. Either way, knowing that your data and all your system configuration settings are saved and easily restorable makes this feature very valuable to your peace of mind at the end of the day. You can even backup to your DVD drive, how nice is that? The best part is that you can easily make a backup schedule further ensuring your data.

• Shadow Copy allows you to select files or folders that are automatically archived. This allows you to be able to restore a previous version quickly. So you are working on a file and the file has become corrupt. You can bring up a previously archived version and restore that to your working directory.
• Scan, Fax and receive images with Windows Fax & Scan, which allows for multiple user accounts, so you can say good-bye to genereic faxes because of several employees share the same computer. All faxes and scanned items are easily found, as they are stored in the same folder. The new Fax & Scan software has the look and feel of one’s email folder, thus making this feature easy to navigate, and it even has built in cover pages and works with your current contacts from email.
• Remote Desktop Connection allows you to access the files you need while you are away. By connecting to your desktop via remotely it is as if you were sitting right there, all your programs are accessible to you. From the comfort of your home you can remote onto your work computer whether on the same network or though the internet and get your work done. Perhaps you need a co-worker to verify that something has been done correctly, they too can remote onto the computer. There are many uses for Remote Destop Connection and it is only in the Business and Ultimate Editions.
• Windows Meeting Space, this is a unique tool that allows you to create an ad-hoc meeting environment with other people perhaps your customers also on Windows Vista, allowing them to view the presentation being hosted from your laptop. This feature also allows you to share files.

Vista Ultimate has all features from Basic to Home Premium to Business. So if you think that you need the media features of Home Premium along with the features from the Business version, then you will want to purchase the Ultimate Edition. The Ultimate version has one feature that is not found in any of the other versions and that is Windows BitLocker Drive Encryption. BitLocker prevents a thief who boots another operating system or runs a software hacking tool from breaking Windows Vista file and system protections or performing offline viewing of the files stored on the protected drive. This security is available by encypting the entire hard drive. Therefore, if you have to have ultimate data security, then Windows Vista Ultimate is your version.

All versions have the same basic system requirements.

• 1 GHz or better CPU either (x86) or (x64) bit.
• 1 Gig of system Memory
• 15GB Hard Drive Space
• 128 MB Video Card
• DVD-Rom Drive

However, having worked with Vista I would recommend the following items

• 2.0 Ghz CPU or greater
• Minumum 2 Gigs of Ram, Ideally you would want 4 Gigs or more of RAM
• Ensure that your hard drive is 100GB or better with 20 Gigs free space, the more space the better