Windows Vista’s launch was a very troubled one with plenty of issues which quickly created a very negative image for this operating system. Six months after its launch, we ran a survey to identify the top problems users were confronted with. The results were very clear. Our readers said that the top issues were the lack of proper drivers (36% of votes) and application compatibility issues (36% of votes). These two, combined with a very weak offering of security solutions seriously impacted their user experience.
In this article I will go through each of these areas and share with you the current status on Windows Vista plus the outlook for the upcoming Windows 7 launch. Will Windows 7 share the same issues at launch?
Lack of Proper Drivers – No Longer a Problem
In the first year after Windows Vista was released, the lack of proper drivers for common hardware components like graphic and sound cards, scanners and printers was a real problem which had very few solutions. At the time you could only hope that the manufacturer will release a compatible driver as soon as possible or, if you had an old scanner or printer, you could buy a new one that had a compatible driver for Windows Vista.
Today most hardware components have compatible driver versions for Windows Vista. If you don’t have components older than 3-4 years, chances are very slim for you to have driver problems on Windows Vista. However, to be sure, you can search on Windows Vista Compatibility Center to see if a component is compatible with Windows Vista. Even if you have all the drivers compatible with Windows Vista don’t forget to keep them updated either by visiting the manufacturer website once per month or by using an automated solution like Pareto Logical Driver Cure.
Apparently hardware manufacturers learned a lot from the experience with Windows Vista’s launch. We already have Windows 7 WHQL (Windows Hardware Quality Labs) certified drivers for nVidia and ATI graphic cards. Even Creative, famous for its Windows Vista driver fiasco, released a Windows 7 – Driver Availability Chart which shows the time schedule for when each sound card driver will be available. At this time there are beta drivers available for the majority of the sound cards produced by Creative, which is a very encouraging sign.
Application Compatibility Issues – No Longer a Problem
When Windows Vista was released, there were lots of commonly used application with compatibility issues, from security solutions to CD/DVD burning software. Many of the incompatibilities were due to the newly introduced UAC (User Account Control) and resulted from the poor design of the applications which often required administrative permissions to run properly.
Today there are very few applications left which still have incompatibilities. The big majority of software producers have newer versions of their applications which work on Windows Vista. If you still encounter applications that are incompatible with Windows Vista you can try to run those applications in Windows XP SP2 compatibility mode. You can also visit Windows Vista Compatibility Center to see if there there are newer versions which work on Windows Vista. Finally, don’t forget to keep all your applications updated with Update Notifier.
Windows 7 seems to be already prepared for launch when it comes to the availability of compatible applications. Sharing the same core as Windows Vista, it means that almost all (if not all) applications which run on Windows Vista will run on Windows 7. We’ve installed on test versions of Windows 7 applications which we use daily and all of them worked without problems.
Lack of Third Party Security Solutions – No Longer a Problem
When Windows Vista was released, there was not even one good third party security solution available. However, in the upcoming months things got better and in the present day we can choose from lots of security solutions.
Even if Windows 7 is not yet released, we already have third party security solutions to choose from: Kaspersky Antivirus 2009, BitDefender Internet Security 2009, Eset NOD32, Avira Antivir Personal, Norton Antivirus 2009, McAfee Total Protection Beta, Avast! Home Edition, AVG, etc. To get the most up to date list, you can visit the Windows 7 security software providers page from Microsoft which contains security software solutions tested on the Windows 7 Beta.
Conclusion
More than two years have passed since the release of Windows Vista and even if there are people still reluctant to adopt this operating system, we can say that all the major problems are solved for quite some time.
Regarding Windows 7’s readiness, sharing the same core as Windows Vista has created a great foundation for a successful launch. With Windows 7 users won’t have so many issues as all big problems have been fixed during Windows Vista’s lifetime. We really don’t see any reasons why Windows 7 won’t have a very successful start.
Now, that I’ve shared our team’s opinion we would like to know what you think. Will the launch of Windows 7 be a success or not?
Related articles:
Windows Vista biggest problem
How to make Windows 7 the best Microsoft OS ever
Maybe, maybe not….
I think the ‘average’ consumer will stay away from Win7 at first, unless it comes installed on their new PC, of course.
Those of us who follow technology will be quicker to adopt (as usual) because we have installed every released/leaked build and have enjoyed using Win7 for the most part. Pricing will play a big part, due to the economy at the time of release. Sales will pick up in 2010, I’m sure.
Pricing – does it matter?
I’m not sure if pricing matters that much. People generally buy a new PC with Windows preinstalled. Otherwise normal users don’t really go to buy the operating system by themselves separately.
I think the buzz will matter a lot. If it is positive, people will give it a chance, if not they will say “give me my Windows XP back”.
And Windows 7 already has some positive buzz going on. I’ve been talking with normal users who say that they hate Vista even though they never used it but they can’t wait to for Windows 7 to launch.
With Google releasing an OS,
With Google releasing an OS, Microsoft have no choice but to get this right, I am very confident this will be right!
Google’s new OS entering the
Google’s new OS entering the market will stand no chance competing with Microsoft, Apple, or even Linux for that matter. It is a OS specifically designed for netbooks. This keeps Google in the search engine and internet business in which they firmly control.
I think Windows 7 is better…
I have seen a lot of reviews comparing Win 7 and Vista, they have a very close competition really. But personally for me, Windows 7 has an inch over most things. Nevertheless, I’m still thankful that we’re enjoying Win 7 right now because of Windows Vista. Start up and shut down time, as well as the whole PC itself is running faster. It also has a nice, cool look . The enhanced features of MS paint and pinned toolbar are a plus. though in the end, I feel it will still be the end-user who can decide which one is better. Honestly, I enjoy both of them.
Vista revisited
I was having a few dramas with Vista (predominately not being able to get itunes installed and working with my iphone after something like 14 months of trying everything I could find on the net, and the occasional crash) I therefore jumped at teh chance to trial the new Windows 7, which was touted as a completely different experience to Vista. Now I have crashes daily, I tunes wont install at all, and there are that many other bugs and glitches that I wanted to return to Vista. Now my computer crashes when I try to reinstall Vista. I have owned PC’s and Laptops for nearly 20 years, and I now (perhaps too late) will be moving on to Apple. I have never heard of the troubles that I experience with Windows with any Apple computer and can’t wait to fork out the extra money top upgrade. I think Microsoft is a sinking ship. Bail out now people.
I can totally understand why
I can totally understand why you would want to bail on Windows 7 because your itunes causes it to crash. If I installed an app that caused my pc to fail I would ditch the os too.
iTunes & MS Windows 7
This whole “article” is Microsoft Propaganda. You aught to abandon iTunes and MS Windows 7, not because it crashes on MS Windows 7 or reverse- but because Apple and Microsoft put unreasonable restrictions on the use of their products. I would never let a company screw me like that. GNU/Linux systems actually get better hardware support than either Apple or Microsoft’s OS’s. This whole thing about the manufacturers being ready is bull. Nobody continues to support old hardware on MS Windows. GNU/Linux-except is the only consumer ready system with continued support for older hardware- and that is cause of the open source drivers. Even with HP which does a pretty good job of supporting its printers only releases reduced functionality drivers for older hardware on MS Windows. The HP GNU/Linux drivers on the other hand continue to get support through the upgrade cycles.
This is half the problem with MS Windows and Apple’s systems. It isn’t just compatibility. It is the viruses, spyware, and unnecessarily bad design changes. Most users will find MS Windows 7 just as bad-as Microsoft is hiding functionality used by typical users. When users can’t save a document, figure out where the files are located, or burn a simple data CD you know the operating system has problems. They don’t have good support even though everybody claims to “support” these two operating systems. You can get awesome GNU/Linux systems now too- through ThinkPenguin (http://www.thinkpenguin.com) where stuff just works by plugging it in. I haven’t installed a driver in forever. I buy a new HP printer, plug it in, and go to file -> print. Got a audio player? Plug it in and drag your music to it. That is simple. That is easy. As long as you buy for GNU/Linux you don’t have to worry about these compatibility issues.
Linux and Viruses
Linux and Mac (OSX) are just as susceptible to malicious software as Windows, probably more for ignoring the problem so long. I’m not say Windows is better, I’m saying wake up… Joe User does not what Linux is let alone how to use it…
It’s really not!
GNU/Linux is being put in front of Joe six pack in Portland, New Jersey, New Orleans, and many other places and people are using it. It’s not susceptible to viruses because you can’t get viruses and spyware when the software you are downloading is from repositories. MS Windows users get software from random websites and that is why they get infected. Or they get infected because of Microsoft’s other failures unrelated to design. Which are patching failures. They don’t patch in a timely fashion. The design failure here though is they don’t patch for all applications since they don’t have a system to do so and the software is non-free-nor do they control it. You don’t understand the problems nor how to fix them.
GNU/Linux has never ignored security:wake up & smell the coffee
GNU/Linux has never ignored the problem. GNU/Linux gets patches. There is an update system that’ll update EVERY application on GNU/Linux. Microsoft doesn’t have any such thing. Nothing that comes remotely close. Free software encourages people to contribute patches so security gaps get fixed. Microsoft? Nada. Non-free software leaves holes open even after they are found. So they can ONLY be exploited unless the software developers decided to write patches for the holes.
you think windows crashes
you think windows crashes badly wait till a mac crash after the 50th compleat reinstall of mac os in 2 days it will be an over priced door stop
You have a hardware issue and
You have a hardware issue and not a software problem.
You would have to have rocks
You would have to have rocks in your head to move from Win 7 to Apple. If you are experiencing crashes I bet your hardware is failing not the software. Everything is more expensive with Apple and there is hardly any software for it. I actually moved back to Windows from Mac simply because I needed a Windows PC to get everything done. As the recent household penetration survy discovered, 85% of households with a Mac have a PC.
No driver problems? Really?
I have several pieces of older hardware (wireless keyboard/mouse, webcam, scanner, printer) which never had proper vista drivers developed for them. They work fine on XP, but have been collecting dust ever since I purchased my current computer that came loaded with Vista.
Did Microsoft actually build XP driver compatibility into Win7, or am I still expected to purchase new hardware thanks to short-sighted developers? Is this problem truly fixed, or is the proposed “solution” that enough time has gone by for most people to have grudgingly purchased newer hardware by now?
Additionally, one of my pet peeves with Vista’s Windows Explorer is trying to drag a marquee around multiple files, only to find myself accidentally dragging and dropping the first file instead. This has never been an issue on a previous Windows operating system. Please fix it already.
i dont understand
i dont understand any of the problems anyone are having i have vista 64 bit running on 4 pc’s in my home every piece of software i have installed has run fine every piece of hardware has run flawlessly i run my own computer shop and have sence the mid 80’s but most of the vista problems i have seen from vista are from out of date hardware { you know ppl trying to install vista on 10 year old hardware} or the dreaded preloads cuting the parts out of vista they do not think is needed i dont buy preloaded and i dont let my friends my preloaded just for that reason most ppl bring there own problems on themselves by overclocking there hardware or trying to tweek there software and as for itunes great that it dont run on windows 7 you dont needed to add music to the ipod and all it really is there for is to track where you get your music i have 3 friends that use my vista box to add music to there ipods and there iphones and i dont have itunes and wont let it on any computer in my house im also a on site tech for dell gateway and all the rest
PS and as for mac’s funny there all running intel cpu’s and chipsets
Windows 7
I had not problems with anything with windows 7. I can tell you that this is the best windows release I have witnessed by Microsoft – even windows xp gave me problems when it was released. I managed to install hardware (an old fax modem) that according to the upgrade advisor was not compatible with windows 7. All i did was run the driver setup in compatibility mode for windows xp sp3 with admin privileges. It works, my modem has been in use for the past 2 months and I had no problems under windows 7, this modem for your information did not work in vista when i tried the same thing. windows 7 is much faster and more responsive than windows vista. also if you have any software that runs on xp and you don’t really require graphics memory you can install and run the problem under xp mode (if you got pro or ultimate). this works, you can always decide how much ram you will give for your virtual xp and then use the remaining for programs run under 7. also itunes works in windows 7!!!! and has some integration also… so iphone (like me) and ipod users can also sync their devices with the pc.
the only problem I am having is ie8 but that is easily solved by using firefox….. waiting for firefox 3.6 for integration. (RC1 released)
windows 7 is not much
windows 7 is not much different than vista guys- there ARE problems with it. it is still wayyy sluggish. try accessing a folder of another user for instance. then try doing it on xp or gnu/linux. try running it with 1gb of ram. try using an hp printer from 5 years ago. all things i’m still having problems with. gnu/linux not a problem. windows 7? a problem. microsoft’s proprietary software is catching up with them and it sucks. it’s boated, slow, and preventing me from using hard that still works. i haven’t actually bought a copy for myself for this reason. i just fix these systems thank GOD! why on earth people are using it? stupidity. ok ok. they just don’t know better. but honestly. get with the program. there ARE other options. and they aren’t challenging to switch to. i see people switching all the time. it’s allot easier than most people think and much easier to go from xp to gnu/linux or mac than to windows vista or 7.
Window 7
It not the OS that is causing slowness its the program that is loaded in to the start up Menu all you have to do is turn some of those programs off and the OS will run just fine. It just learning how to use the OS
Not true
That isn’t true. It’s crippled, badly designed, and bloated. Try installing something. You have to disable the security or you don’t even know that the reason it failed was because the window didn’t pop up in front asking you for permission to continue. Which by the way doesn’t even work (programs can bypass this system)! As another person pointed out try accessing another users folders. It’s nearly 10 minutes before they become visible. If you look at Ubuntu 10.04 you see that a systems needs about 1GB (768MB to be more precise) vs Microsoft Windows 7 or Vista needing 3-4GB just to run basic programs. And running Microsoft Windows 7 in a virtual machine with 512MB doesn’t count when you’re dependent on bloated anti-virus software because of Microsoft’s incompetence in designing a patch management system which works across applications. Even in a non-free software environment you can have a single update service like GNU/Linux does so that the user doesn’t have to figure out (and they never do) how to update each program. GNU/Linux has penetrated the masses and is being used by novices who need constant support. Although less so than when these same people were using Microsoft Windows or Mac OS X. The reason? A simple consistent update system. Yes. I know I said this. It can’t be said enough. On GNU/Linux you don’t have sixty different programs asking you to update. Novice users can’t figure out which programs are malicious and which are legitimate security updates in Microsoft Windows so they simply don’t update.
Win7 Clutter
too many pre-installed folders. The one thing I liked about xp and win 98 was you simply had one main folder “my documents.” I find myself losing/misplacing documents on win7 all the time. If I want more folders I’ll make them myself. Also where is “movie maker”?
also liked security center in vista better, quick and to the point