Aero Graphical Interface

• Windows Vista Aero is the shining jewel of the Vista operating system; Aero is the graphic interface included in all Vista editions except Home Basic. Jim All of Microsoft says that Aero stands for "Authentic, Energetic, Reflective and Open." The designers of Vista wanted to create an ethereal, glassy look and feel to the graphical interface. Even the start-up sounds were designed to mimic Aero's transparent, glassy look: the start-up sound is a cheery four-chord chime, one note for each color in the Windows iconic flag symbol.
  
  

Graphic-Intensive

• While Aero is pleasant to the eyes and ears, such eye-candy comes at a cost; and it's the computer processor and video card that foots the bill. The Vista graphic-laden operating system requires 256MB RAM for minimum performance, but computer users quickly discovered that 512MB is not even enough. Computer manufacturers specially labeled the higher-end computers as "Vista-ready," which were those with 1GB of RAM or more, graphics memory amounts with 128MB or better and processors that worked at higher speeds.
  
  

New Features

• Vista introduced some pleasant new features besides Aero desktop interface: a new desktop search accessible straight from the Start Menu; Flip 3D, a three-dimensional thumbnail display of open windows that are rotated with a few keystrokes; a Sidebar with customizable gadgets; a number of specialized "Centers" for easy and organized access to utilities such as file sharing and networking. Vista's wireless networking capability has fewer problems than previous operating systems. Vista also improves the Network and Sharing center, with fewer hoops and hurdles than XP or Windows 98.
  
  

The Caveats

• Besides the hefty graphics and RAM requirements, Vista has a few caveats. Microsoft touted the new User Account Control to improve computer security, but the incessant, invasive prompts and delays only angered users. The Microsoft Backup utility that performed so well in XP was reduced for Vista, prohibiting users from backing up individual files and offering fewer choices for saving files. Microsoft also seemed to go overboard on organization with Vista, providing excessive and confusing titles and links that all lead to the same task or utility.
  
  

End of Support

• Microsoft announced it will no longer offer support or develop any service packs for the Vista operating system after April 13, 2010. Microsoft recommends Vista users to upgrade to the succeeding operating system, Windows 7.