Alright, here's the scoop.
Yes, I own both a Windows Vista and a Windows XP Pro machine, and, well, both have their pros and cons, naturally. However, if considering the upgrade to Vista from XP, there's quite a few things to consider.

Vista Cons:

1.)Simplicity is bliss.
Windows XP may seem like a whole new world when pinned against its predecessors, Windows 98 SE and Windows 2000, ME, etc. etc.

However, Windows XP may be considered MUCH less complicated than Windows Vista.
For example:
It's refreshing to see microsoft's desire for their customer's security to be all it can be, but Vista may take this a step to far. I remember the first time I used vista and, like any good windows user does, downloaded and began to install the mozilla firefox browser. I was in the process of doing so when all of the sudden, a box pops up asking me if I trust the mozilla application installer. I chuckled to see this new step in security since XP and clicked 'yes'. This was neat, but later I went to install a new sound card and when clicking on 'device manager' the same box popped up, only now asking if I trusted...The Microsoft Corporation? Strange it asks me if I trust itself. Seems like a paradox, anyways, moving on to...

2.)Cost of upgrade.
Depending on your current disposable income, this may be far out of your league. Spending hundreds of dollars to upgrade your PC from one operating system to another seems foolish when you could go out and purchase a whole new PC for a slightly higher price with Vista pre-installed.

3.)Let my system resources go!
Meh, I need to work on my clever one-liners. I digress; Sometimes, people end up spending gobs of money on Vista just to find out that their machines can't even handle Vista. This can be a huge let down attached to a huge loss. Not fun.

However, it isn't all bad.

Vista Pro's

1.)Plug and Play Memory on Demand
Vista's ability to plug in jump drives to use as memory is simply a top-notch addition. One 2 gigabyte stick can add greatly to your system resources.

2.)Security Un-Matched
Although, as I have mentioned before, it can be annoying, Vista is certainly a fine system for the safety conscious. The Vista security system makes it very difficult to end up with as many viruses and spyware/malware processes you would get with typical XP use. (See my other articles for info on removal of viruses.)

3.)Refined User Interface and Tools
I was very impressed to see the overall user interface visual differences between XP and Vista. Vista looks much smoother, and speaking of smoother, the tools are much smoother too! Searching for files is nearly instant this time around. Whatever the algorithm is that looks up files is, it's pure genius.

Well, there's my two cents. What it really comes down to is: What do you prefer, and do you have the necessary power to use Vista? I hope this Article helps you decide.

Learn more about this author, Dominic Pompo.
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