Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2168 in Software
• Brand: Microsoft
• Released on: 2007-01-30
• Platforms: Windows Vista, Windows XP
• Format: DVD-ROM
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .0" h x .0" w x .0" l, .75 pounds

Features

• Windows Vista Home Basic EN, UPG DVD

Manufacturer's Description:

Windows Vista Home Basic offers search and organize innovations as well as improved networking opportunities. Vista Home Basic is the edition of Windows Vista for users with the most basic computing needs. The features in this user-friendly software also form the foundation of all of the other editions of Windows Vista, including Windows Vista Home Premium and Windows Vista Ultimate.

Breakthrough Windows Vista Experience Designed to help you feel confident in your ability to view, find, and organize information and to control your computing experience, all editions of Windows Vista introduce a breakthrough user experience. The visual sophistication of Vista helps streamline your computing experience by refining common window elements so you can better focus on the content on the screen rather than on how to access it. The desktop experience is more informative, intuitive, and helpful. And new tools bring better clarity to the information on your computer, so you can see what your files contain without opening them, find applications and files instantly, navigate efficiently among open windows, and use wizards and dialog boxes more confidently. Secure and Effective Vista Home Basic helps people use their PCs securely and reliably, makes it simple to stay better connected, and, like all of the editions of Windows Vista, is compatible with the widest range of software, devices, and services that people use and trust every day. For those who simply want to use their PC to surf the Internet, correspond with friends and family using email, or perform basic document creation and editing tasks, Vista Home Basic delivers a safer, more reliable, and more effective computing environment. More Productivity Vista Home Basic helps encourage better personal productivity while providing digital entertainment on your PC through its improved reliability, security, and performance. It also helps you to accomplish tasks faster, with a rich new interface and innovative ways to organize and find the information stored on your PC. Safer and More Reliable Specifically designed to be the safest operating system Microsoft has ever delivered, Vista Home Basic frees you from worry about the safety and security of your time on the computer. In fact, every edition of Windows Vista, including Vista Home Basic, provides the essential tools and technologies to help protect you whether you are browsing the Internet, connecting to a wireless network, or just reading e-mail. In addition, Vista Home Basic includes innovative tools that warn you of impending hardware failures long before you have lost any important personal data. Additionally, this system comes equipped with up-to-date parental control features that allow you to manage and monitor your family's use of games, the Internet, instant messaging, and other activities on your PC that might concern you as a parent. Easy Set-Up and Operation As with all of other editions of Windows Vista, Vista Home Basic makes your PC significantly easier to use thanks to helpful tools that let you painlessly move your personal files and settings from your old PC to your new Windows Vista-based PC. Additionally, Vista Home Basic integrates new search tools throughout the operating system to help you quickly find the precise file or program you need. Even if your existing PC seems to be adequate for basic tasks such as reading e-mail and browsing the web, by upgrading your PC to Vista Home Basic or by purchasing a new PC installed with this software, you will benefit from a better computing experience and more peace of mind.	Compare Windows Vista editions.
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Customer Reviews

A fairly basic offering of the latest operating system.
There are four versions of Widows Vista available to the public:
* Home Basic
* Home Premium
* Business
* Ultimate
Each version offers a different set of options with ultimate offering all options and a little bit more.
This edition is Home Basic which is the most basic of the product suite; the nice new Aero interface is not available. This would make a good choice if your computer is not up to the requirements standard for the other editions but you wanted to get the latest security enhancements. It provides all your basic home computing needs if you only need to use your home pc for tasks like browsing the internet, word processing, using e-mail and viewing pictures then this could be the right version. The enhanced security features will help protect your system from unwanted intrusion.
One aspect to be aware of before upgrading to windows vista is some manufacturers have not released drivers for this platform yet, you should check with their websites before upgrading to vista to avoid disappointment.

An over-hyped monstrous piece of software!
I purchased a new top of the range PC just 8 weeks ago that had a 64 bit processor. As soon as Windows Vista was launched I ordered an upgrade version of it for my machine. I went to the trouble of downloading and running the Vista Upgrade Advisor to make sure my machine could run it. Apparently some of my Nvidia drivers were out of date so I downloaded the latest ones. When I got my copy of Vista it was only for 32bit machines. You then have to go on-line to order the 64 bit version directly from Microsoft (for an additional seven pounds,) you can't get it anywhere else. That duly arrived after a 2 week wait. You then find out you can't upgrade a PC that is running a 32bit OS to a 64bit OS. You have to perform a clean install which means reformatting your system and starting all over again.

But beware, this still did not work for me. Even with the latest Nvidia graphics card driver installed Vista still did not like it. This software tests your patience to the very limits, buying this OS was a complete disaster for me and has probably aged me by about ten years. My only advice to anyone who wants this "Bloatware" is to wait until you need a new PC and buy one with Vista pre installed, let the manufaturers have the headache of installing it. Again beware though, as there is still lots of software that cannot run in Vista at this time.

I think I can go so far as to say I hate Vista with a vengence and wish I had never heard of it. I have spent over one hundred pounds and have got nothing to show for it accept a nightmarish experience and a few more grey hairs. If I can stop other people from wasting their money then maybe my experiences with this monster may have done some good.

Have to go now as there are some little men in white coates coming to take me away.

Buyer Beware!!

Waste of money. No advance over XP Home
Doesn't have the Aero front end in Home Basic. Many other features are missing. When installed it slowed the machine right down. That's the good bit. The bad bits:

It doesn't like my scanner
It doesn't like my home wireless network
It doesn't like my broadband connection
It doesn't like my sound card
It doesn't like my fax machine
It doesn't like one of my printers

One has to ask why this rubbish was released? Am I the only cynic who believes this to be a marketing ploy by Microsoft? What I wanted was XP+, what I got was more like a dodgy version of DOS (4.0 for those old enough to remember).

My final recommendation is not, under any circumstances, to buy this software. If you want a nice interface, buy a Mac or buy a top spec PC with the full blown ultimate version of Vista but you will still have the driver and compatability issues.