Product Description

Windows Vista Home Premium makes finding information, staying connected, and interacting with your PC easier and more secure. Using, organizing, and sharing photos, video, TV programs, and music becomes a part of your everyday life. With Windows Vista Home Premium, balancing your checkbook, doing homework, watching a movie, listening to music, or playing a game is a better and more enjoyable experience.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1411 in Software
• Brand: Microsoft
• Model: 66I-00003
• Released on: 2007-01-30
• Platforms: Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows Vista Home Basic
• Format: DVD-ROM
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 8.00" h x 2.00" w x 6.00" l, 3.00 pounds

Features

• User-friendly software combines the features of Windows Vista Home Basic with even more impressive and user-friendly capabilities
• Features Windows Aero, an efficient and visually stunning interface that makes it easier to accomplish multiple tasks at once by providing a three-dimensional, real-time, animated view of all of your open applications, and documents
• By integrating search throughout the operating system, helps you quickly find and organize large collections of documents, pictures, movies, videos, and music
• Includes Windows Tablet and Touch Technology that enables you to interact with your Tablet PC-compatible computer with a digital pen or your fingertip instead of having to use a keyboard
• Upgrade from your current edition of Microsoft Windows XP or Windows 2000 (including Windows XP Professional, Windows XP Home, Windows XP Media Center, Windows XP Tablet PC, Windows XP Professional x64, Windows 2000)

Amazon.com
The Windows Vista Home Premium Upgrade DVD-ROM makes finding information, staying connected, and interacting with your PC easier and more secure. Whether you use your PC organizing and sharing photos, watching videos and TV programs, balancing your checkbook, doing homework, or listening to music, Windows Vista Home Premium makes it easy to enjoy your computing time. An ideal operating system for homes with advanced computer needs, Windows Vista Home Premium combines the features of Windows Vista Home Basic with even more impressive and user-friendly capabilities. It will help you use your laptop or desktop PC more effectively as well as enable you to take advantage of cutting-edge digital entertainment experiences--all with the benefit of added security and reliability.

Windows Sidebar gives you quick access to gadgets like picture slide shows, Windows Media Player controls, or news headlines. You pick the gadgets you want to see in Windows Sidebar. View larger.

Use Flip 3D to navigate through open windows using the scroll wheel on your mouse. View larger.

Compare Windows Vista editions.

Use Instant Search to quickly find the information you need. View larger.

Windows Vista Aero provides spectacular visual effects such as glass-like interface elements that you can see through.

The redesigned Windows Media Center in Windows Vista lets you enjoy your media throughout your home, even on your Xbox 360. View larger.

Update Eligibility
You can upgrade from your current edition of Microsoft Windows XP or Windows 2000 (including Windows XP Professional, Windows XP Home, Windows XP Media Center, Windows XP Tablet PC, Windows XP Professional x64, Windows 2000) to a corresponding or better edition of Windows Vista by purchasing and installing this upgrade copy of Windows Vista. Depending on which edition of Windows you are running and the edition of Windows Vista you would like to install, you have two options for the installation process: You can upgrade in-place, which means you can install Windows Vista and retain your applications, files, and settings as they were in your previous edition of Windows or you can do a clean install. If you are currently using Windows 2000 Professional or Windows XP Professional x64, you are eligible for an upgrade copy to a corresponding or better edition of Windows Vista, but a clean install is required. For versions of Windows earlier than Windows 2000, upgrade copies are not available. These earlier versions of Windows require you to install a full copy of Windows Vista.

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 Windows 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.

Innovative User Interface
Windows Vista Home Premium has a new user interface named Windows Aero, which is both efficient and visually stunning. This new interface makes it easier than ever before to find your way around the operating system; it even makes it a snap to accomplish multiple tasks at once by providing a three-dimensional, real-time, animated view of all of your open applications and documents. Additionally, Windows Vista Home Premium helps you quickly find and organize large collections of documents, pictures, movies, videos, and music. By integrating search throughout the operating system, this software helps you quickly find exactly what you are looking for.

Improved Mobility
Windows Vista Home Premium makes it easy to take your home computing experience with you wherever you go. For example, the system includes Windows Tablet and Touch Technology that enables you to interact with your Tablet PC-compatible computer with a digital pen or your fingertip instead of having to use a keyboard. Computers that include Windows Vista Home Premium and an auxiliary Windows SideShow display will also allow you to access key data even when your computer is off. You'll even be able to share files between other PCs in your household and to manage your laptop computer settings to more securely connect to your favorite Wi-Fi hotspot.

More Entertainment Options
Windows Vista Home Premium has the power to improve every aspect of your digital entertainment experiences, including viewing and sharing photos, video, TV, movies, music, games, and more. For example, you can create your own DVDs and edit your own high-definition movies. The most exciting news, however, is that Windows Vista Home Premium includes all of the Windows Media Center capabilities for turning your PC into an all-in-one home entertainment center so you can enjoy your music, photos, and DVD movies. You can also use Windows Media Center to record and watch your favorite TV shows (even HDTV) and to access new kinds of online entertainment content. You will also be able to connect Windows Vista Home Premium to your Microsoft Xbox 360 to extend your Media Center experience to multiple rooms in your home.

From the Manufacturer
Here it is: the preferred edition of Windows for home desktop and mobile PCs. Windows Vista Home Premium delivers more productivity and entertainment at home and on the go--making it easy to enjoy digital photos, music, TV, and movies with Windows Media Center, while providing a whole new level of security and reliability on home and mobile PCs. Windows Vista Home Premium will take your home computing to a whole new level of enjoyment.

Note: This is a Windows Vista Home Premium Upgrade DVD-Rom.

Get Things Done More Easily and Intuitively
It starts with a breakthrough design that makes your PC easier to use every day. With Windows Aero you'll experience dynamic reflections, smooth gliding animations, transparent glass-like menu bars that let you see behind windows, and visual ways to switch between your open windows in a three-dimensional layout. And, with instant desktop search capabilities and powerful ways to organize and visualize your information, you can instantly find and use the e-mails, documents, photos, music, and other information you need.

Better Protection than with Any Previous Version of Windows
Windows Vista Home Premium also helps keep your personal information, your PC, and your family computing experience safer than in previous versions of Windows. With Windows Internet Explorer 7, Windows Vista Home Premium includes automated defenses against malicious software and fraudulent websites so you can use your PC online with greater confidence. Windows Vista Home Premium also provides automatic backup of your files, such as your priceless digital photos, music, movies, documents, and other files, so you can relax and focus on the things you care about most. And, by using the built-in parental controls, parents can help ensure their children's computer use is appropriate and safer.

Enjoy Home Entertainment in a Whole New Way
A major advance in Windows Vista Home Premium is the dramatically improved digital entertainment experience. Windows Media Center makes organizing and enjoying photos, music, DVDs, recorded TV, and home movies easier and more fun. Enjoy the entertainment on your PC or even on your TV in the living room with an Xbox 360 wirelessly networked to your PC. Windows Vista Home Premium also enables you to easily burn your photo slide shows and home movies to a professional-looking video DVD so you, your friends, and your family can watch them on a DVD player or PC whenever you like. Combined with unbeatable support for gaming and music, Windows Vista Home Premium takes your home entertainment to the next level.

Stay Productive and Entertained with Your Mobile PC
If you prefer to use a PC that keeps up with you while you're on the go, then you'll appreciate how Windows Vista Home Premium helps you get the most from your mobile PC. It provides simplified power management, easier wireless networking, and streamlined ways to sync with the devices that keep you connected. You can even draw and write by hand on a Tablet PC, and enjoy all of your entertainment through Windows Media Center when you're on the road, in a coffee shop, or relaxing on the couch. Mobile computing has never been like this before.

Simplified Setup and Maintenance
Finally, Windows Vista Home Premium makes it easier than ever to set up your new PC with features that easily transfer all of your data and settings from your old PC to your new one. What's more, you can have more peace of mind for years to come with technology that keeps your system running quickly and reliably over time.

Whether you're balancing your checkbook, studying for school on your mobile PC, watching a downloaded or recorded movie at home, or sharing your favorite photos with friends on a custom DVD, the experience is much better on a PC running Windows Vista Home Premium.

Features in Windows Vista Home Premium

Easier

• Windows Aero--features stunning visual effects, including helpful animations, transparent glass menu bars, and live thumbnail previews of open programs.
• Windows Flip 3D--enables you to dynamically flip through your open programs in a three-dimensional, stacked view.
• Instant Search--integrated throughout Windows Vista.
• Internet Explorer 7--includes web searching right from the browser and tabbed browsing.
• Windows Sidebar and gadgets--bring real-time information directly to your desktop.

• Windows Defender--helps safeguard your PC against pop-ups and security threats.
• Dynamic security protection--helps you browse the web more securely.
• Anti-phishing technology--helps protect you from fraudulent websites that attempt to steal your personal information.
• Internet Explorer protected mode--helps prevent unwanted malicious software downloads.
• Parental Controls--manage the rules for your children's computer use including web access and games.

• Windows Media Center--enjoy your entire digital entertainment library on your PC or television.
• Windows DVD Maker--burn your photo slide shows and home movies to DVD.
• Extend Windows Media Center--enjoy your digital entertainment on TVs throughout your home with an Xbox 360 or other media extender.
• Games for Windows--are available on your PC or online for every age and ability
• DirectX 10--enables Windows Vista to run the latest, most graphically advanced PC games in the market.
• Windows Games Explorer--helps you install, manage, and enjoy all of your games in one easy-to-access location.
• Three new premium games--includes Mahjong Titans, Chess Titans, and InkBall.
• Windows Movie Maker--helps you capture, edit, and publish your digital home movies in standard or high-definition format.
• Windows Media Player 11--new features are designed to help you manage your library of digital music, photos, and video and synch with a variety of portable players.

• Fast Sleep and Resume--Pause and resume your computer session in just seconds while conserving your battery life in sleep mode.
• Network and Sharing Center--helps you more easily and securely connect to wireless networks.
• Windows Mobility Center--saves time by giving you quick access to key mobile system settings.
• Windows Meeting Space--helps you wirelessly connect your mobile PC to a friend's PC for sharing files--even when you're not connected to the Internet.
• Sync Center--helps keep your portable devices synchronized with your PC.
• Touch screen technology--allows you to express yourself more naturally and more personally with a Tablet PC.

Customer Reviews

Yikes.
Wow, I don't even know where to begin. Here's the horrifying details (so far)...

1. Installation. I heard the rumors about long installations. I can't tell you how long mine took because it finished sometime after I went to bed, about six hours after I had started.

2. Internet. This one almost brought me to tears. Vista kept setting up two network connections, one to my wireless network, and one to a mysterious "unidentified network." The troubleshooter told me Vista had two active connections and that was causing the problem. Simple right? Disable the "unidentified network" connection. Poof, there went my wireless with it. Enable my wireless, back comes the mystery network. I actually knocked out wireless to my entire house at one point in this circle of doom. Finally, as a stab in the dark, I manually disabled all network adapters on my machine except the wireless adapter. And that's why I'm able to write this review now...

3. Incompatibility. I knew there would be problems. Norton Ghost was good as gone, but I knew that. Then my antivirus turned out to be a no go. A few other applications would surely need upgrades. But ITUNES??? Come on! I could also list the games that used to run but no more, but this review is already getting long enough.

4. Hiding my stuff. I no longer own my My Music folder. I mean, Vista security TELLS me I'm the owner, but "permission is denied." I found a workaround on Microsoft's website "...sometimes you may lose access to your My Music folder during the upgrade." Oh that's lovely. By digging into the deep hidden folders per their instructions I found my music, and copied it to the desktop. At one point the file copy dialog box said "Moving files, 44,519 days remaining." I wish I was making that up. Fortunately Vista was over-estimating that a little.

5. New Features that don't work. I paid the extra dough and bought the premium version of Vista. The aero look is very cool. For about 3 minutes. Then I get a message saying "The desktop manager has stopped working." And I'm back to Vista Basic. That extra $50 may not have been money well spent.

6. The new Media Player won't play my newly rescued songs. It tells me it thinks many of my songs are on the I: drive. (I don't have an I: drive)

7. Things can get awful slow. My machine is four months old. It's dual-core, 2 Gig of memory, dual graphics cards, top of the line mobo. Under XP it flew. It wasn't broke. So I upgraded to Vista, you know, to break it.

Okay, that's enough. You get the idea. I had a few small XP gripes so I thought I'd try Vista. Bad mistake. Big ugly bad mistake. Vista may be great someday, but for me it's been 72 hours of hell.

At least I can uninstall, can't I... I can't? D'OH!!!

(And yes, I used the Vista Upgrade Advisor)

I Did My Best
I made this comment (now edited) to someone else's review, but for potential buyers, seems like it ought to be a review of its own:

For me, upgrading to Vista from the factory installed Windows XP Media Center Edition didn't work as promised. My system is compulsively up-to-date. I ran the Upgrade Advisor from Microsoft AND from Sony, and both said my system was fine, good-to-go. Upgrade away.

So I inserted the Vista Home Premium Upgrade version disc, but it wouldn't install, kept shutting down, requiring that I input the Product ID over and over and over, not getting past 21% of the Expanding Files section. A post on one of the Amazon boards mentioned NOT inserting the Product ID until after the installation and selecting the Custom instead of Upgrade option. Oddly, that worked. Vista installed.

It is a beautiful thing. I want it. Someday I hope to have it.

But it wouldn't activate, said I had to have the full version Vista Home Premium, not the upgrade version. After scanning my system, it couldn't tell me that during the "Advisor" stage? Resigned to a quagmire, I took the upgrade version back to the store (CompUSA). They wouldn't accept it (no returns of open software). Bright light of hope, the tech manager PROMISED that the Home Premium Upgrade already in my hands would, in fact, work fine on the factory installed XP system. (His name is Abel, but I think maybe he isn't.)

All I had to do? Restore my computer to factory condition (Sony VIAO desktop RA910G) then reinstall the Vista. Since all the updates, drivers and files were current, with documents securely backed up, I decided, what the heck -- worst thing that happens is my computer is fresh and new.

Not exactly. Same boat. And on top of the Vista STILL not installing, I have my computer back to factory condition, meaning that years of security and software updates are re-required. The snazzy Windows Media Player 11 that once managed all my music and videos won't upgrade beyond Media Player 10, ergo, the music download company I use (URGE) won't install into my system, ergo, aaaaargh, I have a cramp.

I haven't even reloaded Photoshop or my working software yet. I'm feeling another day of headache (going on 18 hours of actual involvement at this point with more to come).

I hope someone can offer a helpful solution. I can't find one at Microsoft's site or via Google. Although my computer is more or less in working order, Windows Media Player is downgraded and Media Center doesn't open at all. My entire system is less than it was and that's unacceptable.

In the meantime, I agree with others that although this is a very beautiful product, the WOW factor could be described in less enthusiastic terms and late in the evening, in more colorfully expressed four-letter terms.

UPDATE: It finally works, a lengthy and frightening experience all around, but with so much trial and error, I found the combination that worked for my system and maybe yours, if you're having the same problem described above. See INSTALLATION & ACTIVATION: FINALLY in the Customer Discussion area for this product.

Do Not, Do Not, Do Not Upgrade to Vista
I liked Vista for the first week of use, by the second week of use I thought it was no better than XP, by the third or fourth week ME was starting to look good by comparison, now, after six weeks, the number of problems I'm having with Vista makes Windows 3.0 (previously the worst version of Windows I had used) seem not so bad.

There have been a number of positive reviews posted which attack the negative reviewers--I guess they are just using a different version of Vista than I am using. I find about 10% of what the positive reviewers say to be accurate and about 75% of what the negative reviewers say to be accurate.

My major issues are:
--incredibly slow and often aborted installation
--incompatible with many current, up-to-date programs
--conflicts with Media Player 11 and Outlook 2002--both are Microsoft programs
--the inane security questions are even worse than the Apple ads make them sound (I am no fan of Apple, but I may have to reconsider that opinion)
--standard Control Panel functions have been renamed and are often unfindable (Don't they understand that if THEY establish standards THEY should stick with those standards?)
--speaking of standards--I hated My Documents, My Music, My Bla-bla-bla, but I got used to them, good luck figuring out where the heck these files are after you install vista
--you can no longer control how your desktop looks
--under XP I was appropriately considered the Administrator of my own single-user computer, but Vista decided I was not--causing major problems
--I have spent about 30 hours dealing with Vista-related problems
--my total hardware and software upgrade costs to become Vista compatible (on a machine that was rated as Vista compatible already) approximately $300
--if I could get those costs back and go back to XP I would do it an instant
--even more than in the past, this operating system says to you: do it Microsoft's way or don't do it all
If I could give Vista 0 stars I would.