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{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2012}} | |||
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{{Infobox OS version | {{Infobox OS version | ||
| name = Windows |
| name = Windows Vista | ||
| family = Microsoft Windows | | family = Microsoft Windows | ||
| logo = |
| logo = Windows Vista logo and wordmark.svg | ||
| screenshot = Windows |
| screenshot = Windows Vista.png | ||
| caption = Screenshot of |
| caption = Screenshot of Windows Vista Ultimate | ||
| developer = |
| developer = Microsoft Corporation | ||
| website = {{URL|http:// |
| website = {{URL|http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-vista/}} | ||
| source_model = ] / ]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.microsoft.com/resources/sharedsource/windowslp.mspx|title=Windows Licensing Programs|publisher=]|accessdate=September 21, 2008|date=June 2011}}</ref> | |||
| source_model = <!-- Closed-source --> | |||
| license = ] ] | | license = ] ] | ||
| supported_platforms = ] and ] | |||
| supported_platforms = ], ], and ]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2011/jan11/01-05SOCsupport.mspx|title=Microsoft Announces Support of System on a Chip Architectures From Intel, AMD, and ARM for Next Version of Windows|publisher=Microsoft |date=5 January 2011|accessdate=14 October 2011}}</ref> | |||
| preceded_by = ] | |||
| succeeded_by = ] | |||
| kernel_type = ] | | kernel_type = ] | ||
| updatemodel = ] | | updatemodel = ], ], ] | ||
| first_release_date = {{start date and age| |
| first_release_date = {{start date and age|2006|11|30}} | ||
| first_release_url = http:// |
| first_release_url = http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2006/nov06/11-08VistaRTM.mspx | ||
| release_version = 6.0 (Build 6002: Service Pack 2)<ref name="WindowsVista">{{cite web |url=http://www.mydigitallife.info/2009/04/29/windows-vista-with-sp2-rtm-slipstreamedintegrated-dvd-iso-image-bt-download/ |title=Windows Vista with SP2 RTM Slipstreamed/Integrated DVD ISO Image (BT Download) |accessdate=May 25, 2009}}</ref> | |||
| release_version = 6.2.9200.16384 (]) | |||
| release_date = {{Start date and age| |
| release_date = {{Start date and age|2009|04|28}} | ||
| release_url = http:// |
| release_url = http://windowsteamblog.com/blogs/windowsvista/archive/2009/04/28/windows-vista-sp2-rtm-windows-vista-sp1-blocker-tool-removed.aspx | ||
| preview_version = | |||
| preceded_by = ] | |||
| preview_date = | |||
| support_status = <!-- Please do not forget to cite a source --> | |||
| preview_url = | |||
| other_articles = <ul><li>]<li>]<li>] <li>]</ul> | |||
| |
| support_status = Mainstream support: Ended on April 10, 2012. | ||
Extended support: Until April 11, 2017.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/search/?sort=PN&alpha=Windows+Vista&Filter=FilterNO | title=Windows Vista Lifecycle Policy | author=Microsoft | publisher=Microsoft | accessdate=April 13, 2010}}</ref> | |||
| other_articles = | |||
<ul> | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
</ul> | |||
| date = January 2009 <!-- approximate date of template insertion for dating hidden maintenance categories --> | |||
}} | |||
'''Windows |
'''Windows Vista''' is an ] released in several variations by ] for use on personal computers, including home and business ], laptops, ], and ] PCs. Prior to its announcement on July 22, 2005, Windows Vista was known by its ] "Longhorn".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2005/jul05/07-22LHMA.mspx|title=Media Alert: Microsoft Unveils Official Name for "Longhorn" and Sets Date for First Beta Targeted at Developers and IT Professionals|author=Microsoft|accessdate=January 2, 2007|date=July 22, 2005}}</ref> Development was completed on November 8, 2006, and over the following three months, it was released in stages to computer hardware and software manufacturers, business customers and retail channels. On January 30, 2007, it was released worldwide<ref>{{cite web | ||
| url = http://www.microsoft.com/nz/presscentre/articles/2007/jan07_windowsvistalaunch.mspx | |||
| title = Microsoft Launches Windows Vista and the 2007 Office System to Consumers | |||
| date = January 30, 2007 | |||
| accessdate =January 30, 2007 | |||
| work = PressCentre | |||
| publisher = Microsoft New Zealand | |||
}}</ref> and was made available for purchase and download from Microsoft's website.<ref>{{cite web | |||
| url=http://www.windowsmarketplace.com/content.aspx?ctId=390&tabid=1 | |||
| title = Windows Marketplace: Windows Vista Upgrade Editions: Get Started | |||
| date=January 30, 2007 | |||
| accessdate =January 30, 2007 | |||
| work = Windows Marketplace | |||
| publisher = Microsoft | |||
}}</ref> The release of Windows Vista came more than five years after the introduction of its predecessor, ], the longest time span between successive releases of ] desktop operating systems. It was succeeded by ], which was released to manufacturing on July 22, 2009 and released worldwide for retail on October 22, 2009. | |||
Windows Vista contained ], including an updated ] and ] dubbed ], a redesigned ] function, multimedia tools including ], and redesigned networking, audio, print, and display sub-systems. Vista aimed to increase the level of communication between machines on a ], using ] technology to simplify sharing ] and ] between computers and devices. Windows Vista included version 3.0 of the ], allowing ]s to write applications without traditional ]s. | |||
Development of this operating system started before the release of its predecessor in 2009. Its existence was first announced in January 2011 at ]. During its development and test phases, Microsoft released three pre-release versions: ] (September 13, 2011), Consumer Preview (February 29, 2012), and ] (May 31, 2012). On August 1, 2012, Windows 8 graduated from the development stage and was ]. Windows 8 is slated for ] on October 26, 2012.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.zdnet.com/windows-8s-delivery-date-october-26-7000001158/|title=Windows 8's delivery date: October 26|publisher=ZDNet|date=July 18, 2012|accessdate=September 17, 2012}}</ref> | |||
Microsoft's primary stated objective with Windows Vista was to improve the state of security in the Windows operating system.<ref name="gatesrsa">{{cite web | |||
Windows 8 introduces significant changes to the operating system's ] and platform; such as a new interface design incorporating a ] used by other Microsoft products, a new ] to replace the ] used by previous versions of Windows, a new ] that can be used to obtain new applications, along with a new platform for apps that can provide what developers described as a "fast and fluid" experience with emphasis on ] input.<ref name="pcw-building"/> Additional security features were also added to the operating system, such as a built-in ] and a secure boot feature on systems with ] ]. Secure boot requires the operating system to be ] to protect malware from infecting the boot process. The implementation of this feature has sparked controversy among supporters of ]. Windows 8 also introduces an edition of the operating system designed to run on devices that utilize the ], known as ]. | |||
| url=http://informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=180201580 | |||
| title = Gates Says Security Is Job One For Vista | |||
| date = February 14, 2006 | |||
| accessdate =August 13, 2006 | |||
| first = Aaron | |||
| last = Ricadela | |||
| publisher = InformationWeek News | |||
}}</ref> One common ] and its predecessors was their commonly exploited ] and overall susceptibility to ], ] and ]s. In light of this, Microsoft chairman ] announced in early 2002 a company-wide "] initiative," which aimed to incorporate security into every aspect of software development at the company. Microsoft stated that it prioritized improving the security of Windows XP and ] above finishing Windows Vista, thus delaying its completion. Even though Windows Vista's security flaws were fixed, hackers made an array of new viruses that bypassed its security features.<ref name="winxpdevpriority">{{cite web | |||
| url = http://news.com.com/Microsoft+Longhorn+beta+unlikely+this+year/2100-1008_3-5183385.html | |||
| title = Microsoft: Longhorn beta unlikely this year | |||
| date=June 1, 2004 | |||
| accessdate =August 12, 2006 | |||
| first = Mike | |||
| last = Ricciuti | |||
| publisher = CNet News | |||
}}</ref> | |||
While these new features and security improvements have garnered positive reviews, Vista has also been the target of much criticism and negative press. ] has targeted its high system requirements, its more restrictive licensing terms, the inclusion of a number of new ] technologies aimed at restricting the copying of protected digital media, lack of compatibility with some pre-Vista hardware and software, and the number of authorization prompts for ]. As a result of these and other issues, Windows Vista had seen initial adoption and satisfaction rates lower than Windows XP.<ref name="computerworld1">. Computerworld.com (2008-03-26). Retrieved on October 14, 2011.</ref> However, with an estimated 330 million Internet users as of January 2009, it had been announced that Vista usage had surpassed Microsoft’s pre-launch two-year-out expectations of achieving 200 million users.<ref name="windowsitpro2006">{{cite web | |||
== Development history == | |||
| url= http://www.windowsitpro.com/article/news2/allchin-200-million-windows-vista-users-in-24-months | |||
=== Early announcements === | |||
| title = Allchin: 200 Million Windows Vista Users in 24 Months. | |||
Windows 8 development started before Windows 7 had shipped<ref>{{cite news|title=Steven Sinofsky, Tami Reller, Monkey Larson-Green, Antoine Leblond, and Michael Angiulo: Windows 8 Consumer Preview |url= http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/exec/ssinofsky/2012/02-29Windows8.aspx|accessdate=27 April 2012 |publisher=Microsoft |date=February 29, 2012}}</ref> in 2009. In January 2011, at the ] (CES), that Microsoft announced that Windows 8 would be adding support for ] in addition to the x86 microprocessors from ], ] and VIA.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2011/jan11/01-05SOCsupport.mspx |title=Microsoft Announces Support of System on a Chip Architectures From Intel, AMD, and ARM for Next Version of Windows |work=] |date=January 5, 2011 |accessdate=January 5, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/01/05/businessinsider-microsoft-spills-beans-on--at-ces-2011-1.DTL |title=OK, So Windows 8 Is Coming To ARM Tablets...Someday (MSFT) |newspaper=] |first=Matt |last=Rosoff |date=January 5, 2011 |accessdate=January 5, 2011}}</ref> | |||
| first = Paul | |||
On June 1, 2011, Microsoft officially unveiled Windows 8's new user interface as well as additional features at the ''Taipei Computex 2011'' in ] (]) by Mike Angiulo and at the ''D9 conference'' in California (United States) by Julie Larson-Green and Microsoft's Windows President ].<ref>{{cite web |title=Live from Microsoft's Windows 8 preview event at Computex 2011! |url=http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/01/live-from-microsofts-windows-8-preview-event-at-computex-2011/|publisher=engadget|date=1 June 2011|accessdate=28 February 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Previewing 'Windows 8' |url=http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2011/jun11/06-01corporatenews.aspx|publisher=Microsoft|date=1 June 2011|accessdate=28 February 2012}}</ref> | |||
| last = Thurrott | |||
A month before the BUILD conference was held, Microsoft opened a new blog called "Building Windows 8" for users and developers on August 15, 2011.<ref>{{cite web|author=Steven Sinofsky |url=http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/2011/08/15/welcome-to-building-windows-8.aspx |title=Welcome to Building Windows 8 – Building Windows 8 – Site Home – MSDN Blogs |publisher=MSDN |date=15 August 2011 |accessdate=8 September 2011}}</ref> | |||
| publisher = WindowsITPro | |||
| date = September 16, 2006 | |||
| accessdate =January 3, 2009}}</ref><ref name="internetworldusers">{{cite web | |||
|title = AMD 50x15—World Internet Usage | |||
|publisher = AMD | |||
|date = February 2, 2009 | |||
|url = http://50x15.amd.com/en-us/internet_usage.aspx | |||
|accessdate =November 1, 2009 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20080224164426/http://50x15.amd.com/en-us/internet_usage.aspx |archivedate = February 24, 2008}}</ref> | |||
At the release of Windows 7 (October 2009), Windows Vista (with approximately 400 million Internet users) was the second most widely used operating system on the Internet with an approximately 19% market share, the most widely used being Windows XP with an approximately 63% market share.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.w3counter.com/globalstats.php?year=2009&month=8|title=W3Counter Global Web Stats:August 2009|publisher=W3Counter|accessdate=March 9, 2010}}</ref> As of May 2010, Windows Vista's market share had an estimated range from 15% to 26%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://marketshare.hitslink.com/operating-system-market-share.aspx?qprid=10|title=Operating system market share|publisher=Marketshare Hitslink|accessdate=June 14, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://statowl.com/operating_system_market_share_by_os_version.php?1=1&timeframe=last_6&interval=month&chart_id=4&fltr_br=&fltr_os=&fltr_se=&fltr_cn=&limit%5B%5D=windows|title=Operating System Version Usage|publisher=StatOwl|accessdate=June 14, 2010}}</ref> {{As of|2012|8}}, Vista market share was 8.11%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gs.statcounter.com/?PHPSESSID=qj9qsa7sh459ub35u870sbuht1#os-ww-monthly-201207-201208-bar |title=StatCounter Global Stats – Browser, OS, Search Engine including Mobile Market Share |publisher=Gs.statcounter.com |date=July 1, 2008 |accessdate=August 6, 2012}}</ref> | |||
==Development of Vista== | |||
=== Developer Preview === | |||
{{Main|Development of Windows Vista}} | |||
] | |||
] | |||
Microsoft unveiled new Windows 8 features and improvements on the first day of the BUILD conference on September 13, 2011.<ref name="W8PreviewGuide">{{cite web|url=http://download.microsoft.com/download/1/E/4/1E455D53-C382-4A39-BA73-55413F183333/Windows_Developer_Preview-Windows8_guide.pdf |title=Windows 8 Developer Preview Guide|accessdate=16 September 2011|publisher=Microsoft}}</ref> Microsoft also released the Windows Developer Preview (build 8102) of Windows 8 the same day, which included SDKs and developer tools (such as ] and ]) for developing applications for Windows 8's new interface.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.buildwindows.com/|title=Home - BUILD|publisher=Microsoft|accessdate = 29 February 2012}}</ref> According to Microsoft, there were more than 500,000 downloads of the developer preview within the first 12 hours of its release.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/14/steve-ballmer-touts-500-000-windows-8-downloads-in-less-than-12/ |title=Steve Ballmer touts 500,000 Windows 8 downloads in less than 12 hours. |publisher=Engadget |date= |accessdate=16 September 2011}}</ref> The Developer Preview also introduced the ]. The ] in the desktop opened the Start screen instead of the Start menu. | |||
Microsoft began work on Windows Vista, known at the time by its ] Longhorn, in May 2001,<ref>{{cite web | |||
| url = http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,113701,00.asp | |||
| title = Pushing Forward | |||
| first = Peter | |||
| last = Gallii | |||
| date=July 30, 2001 | |||
| accessdate =July 7, 2006 | |||
| publisher = ] | |||
}}</ref> five months before the release of Windows XP. It was originally expected to ship sometime late in 2003 as a minor step between Windows XP and Blackcomb, which was planned to be the company's next major operating system release. Gradually, "Longhorn" assimilated many of the important new features and technologies slated for Blackcomb, resulting in the release date being pushed back several times. Many of Microsoft's developers were also re-tasked to build updates to ] and ] to strengthen security. Faced with ongoing delays and concerns about ], Microsoft announced on August 27, 2004, that it had revised its plans. The original Longhorn, based on the ] source code, was scrapped, and Longhorn's development started anew, building on the Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 codebase, and re-incorporating only the features that would be intended for an actual operating system release. Some previously announced features such as ] were dropped or postponed, and a new software development methodology called the ] was incorporated in an effort to address concerns with the security of the Windows codebase, which is programmed in ], ] and ].<ref>. Microsoft.com. Retrieved on October 14, 2011.</ref><ref>{{cite web | |||
| author = Steve Lipner, Michael Howard | |||
| title = The Trustworthy Computing Security Development Lifecycle | |||
| publisher = Microsoft Developer Network | |||
| month = March | |||
| year = 2005 | |||
| url=http://msdn.microsoft.com/security/default.aspx?pull=/library/en-us/dnsecure/html/sdl.asp | |||
| accessdate =August 9, 2006 | |||
}}</ref> | |||
After Longhorn was named Windows Vista in July 2005, an unprecedented ] program was started, involving hundreds of thousands of volunteers and companies. In September of that year, Microsoft started releasing regular ]s (CTP) to beta testers. The first of these was distributed at the 2005 Microsoft ], and was subsequently released to beta testers and ] subscribers. The builds that followed incorporated most of the planned features for the final product, as well as a number of changes to the user interface, based largely on feedback from beta testers. Windows Vista was deemed feature-complete with the release of the "February CTP", released on February 22, 2006, and much of the remainder of work between that build and the final release of the product focused on stability, performance, application and driver compatibility, and documentation. Beta 2, released in late May, was the first build to be made available to the general public through Microsoft's Customer Preview Program. It was downloaded by over five million people. Two release candidates followed in September and October, both of which were made available to a large number of users.<ref>{{cite web | first=Paul | last=Thurrott | url=http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/winvista_roadtogold_07.asp | title=Paul Thurrott's SuperSite for Windows: Road to Gold: The Long Road to Windows Vista Part 7: July 2006 – present | publisher=SuperSite for Windows | date=November 5, 2006 | accessdate=December 25, 2007 }}</ref> | |||
On 16 February 2012, Microsoft postponed the expiration date of the developer preview. Originally set to expire on 11 March 2012, this release is now set to expire on 15 January 2013.<ref name="expirepostponed">{{cite web | url=http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2671501 | title=An update that postpones the expiration date of Windows 8 Developer Preview and Windows 8 Server Developer Preview is available | publisher=Microsoft | date=16 February 2012 | accessdate=5 May 2012}}</ref> | |||
While Microsoft had originally hoped to have the consumer versions of the operating system available worldwide in time for Christmas 2006, it was announced in March 2006 that the release date would be pushed back to January 2007, in order to give the company–and the hardware and software companies that Microsoft depends on for providing ]s–additional time to prepare. Development of Windows Vista came to an end when Microsoft announced that it had been finalized on November 8, 2006.<ref>{{cite news | first=Nick | last=White | url=http://windowsvistablog.com/blogs/windowsvista/archive/2006/11/08/windows-vista-releases-to-manufacturing.aspx | title=Windows Vista releases to manufacturing | publisher=Windows Vista team blog | date=November 8, 2006 | accessdate=November 8, 2006 }} Windows Vista cost Microsoft six billion dollars to develop.{{cite web|url=http://news.softpedia.com/news/Vista-a-6-Billion-Dollars-Operating-System-44096.shtml |title=Vista – a $6 Billion Dollars Operating System – The best billions Bill Gates has ever spent – Softpedia |publisher=News.softpedia.com |accessdate=October 2, 2008}}</ref> | |||
=== Consumer Preview === | |||
] | |||
==New or changed features== | |||
On 29 February 2012, Microsoft released Windows 8 Consumer Preview, the beta version of Windows 8, build 8250. For the first time since ], the Start button is no longer present on the taskbar, though the Start screen is still triggered by clicking the bottom-left corner of the screen and by clicking Start on the Charm bar.<ref name="autogenerated3">{{cite news |title=Windows 8: Microsoft unveils consumer preview |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-17205753 |publisher=Windows 8 Consumer Preview |date=February 29, 2012 |accessdate=March 1, 2012}}</ref> Windows president Steven Sinofsky said more than 100,000 changes had been made since the developer version went public.<ref name="autogenerated3"/> The day after its release, Windows 8 Consumer Preview had been downloaded over one million times.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/01/windows-8-consumer-preview-hits-one-million-downloads-in-a-day/ |title=Windows 8 Consumer Preview hits one million downloads in a day |publisher=Engadget |date= |accessdate=2012-03-04}}</ref> Like the Developer Preview, the Consumer Preview is set to expire on January 15, 2013. | |||
{{Main| Features new to Windows Vista}} | |||
Windows Vista developed features and functionalities not present in its predecessors. | |||
=== |
===End-user=== | ||
] | |||
At Japan's Developers Day conference, Steven Sinofsky announced that the Windows 8 Release Preview (build 8400) would be released during the first week of June.<ref>{{cite web|last=Musil |first=Steven |url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-57419612-75/windows-8-release-preview-due-in-early-june/ |title=Windows 8 'release preview' due in early June | Microsoft - CNET News |publisher=News.cnet.com |date=2012-04-23 |accessdate=2012-06-11}}</ref> On May 28, 2012, the Windows 8 Release Preview (Standard Simplified Chinese x64 edition, not China-specific version, build 8400) was leaked online on various Chinese and BitTorrent websites.<ref>{{cite web|last=Warren |first=Tom |url=http://www.theverge.com/2012/5/29/3050546/windows-8-release-preview-leak-chinese-edition |title=Windows 8 Release Preview leaks out ahead of official debut |publisher=The Verge |date=2012-05-29 |accessdate=2012-06-11}}</ref> On May 31, 2012, the Windows 8 Release Preview was released to the public by Microsoft.<ref>{{cite web|title=Windows 8 Release Preview now available to download|url=http://www.theverge.com/2012/5/31/3054939/windows-8-release-preview-download-link-now-live}}</ref> | |||
* ''']:''' The new graphical user interface is named ''Windows Aero'', which ] stated is an acronym for ''Authentic, Energetic, Reflective, and Open''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://windowsvistablog.com/blogs/windowsvista/archive/2006/11/09/the-sounds-of-windows-vista.aspx|title=The Sounds of Windows|author="JimAll", links to page identifying him as Jim Allchin, Co-President, Platform and Services Division|accessdate=December 31, 2007|date=November 9, 2006|publisher=Windows Vista Team Blog}}</ref> Microsoft intended the new interface to be cleaner and more aesthetically pleasing than those of previous Windows versions, including new transparencies, live thumbnails, live icons, and animations, thus providing a new level of ]. Laptop users report, however, that enabling Aero shortens battery life.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.engadget.com/2007/05/04/vistas-aero-interface-blamed-for-truncated-battery-life/|title=Vista's Aero interface blamed for truncated battery life|author=Darren Murph|publisher=]|date=May 3, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.msdn.com/coding4fun/archive/2007/05/06/2452864.aspx|title=Vista Battery Fix?|date=May 6, 2007|publisher=]|accessdate=March 18, 2008}}</ref> | |||
* ''']:''' The new Windows shell differs significantly from the shell in Windows XP, offering a new range of organization, navigation, and search capabilities. ] task pane has been removed, integrating the relevant task options into the toolbar. A "Favorite links" pane has been added, enabling one-click access to common directories. The address bar has been replaced with a ] system. The preview pane allows users to see thumbnails of various files and view the contents of documents. The details pane shows information such as file size and type, and allows viewing and editing of ] in supported file formats. The ] has changed as well; it no longer uses ever-expanding boxes when navigating through Programs. The word "Start" itself has been removed in favor of a blue Windows Pearl. | |||
* ''']''' (also known as '']'') : Windows Vista features a new way of searching called Instant Search, which is significantly faster and more in-depth (content-based) than the search features found in any of the previous versions of Windows.<ref>{{cite web | |||
| year = 2006 | |||
| publisher = National Instruments | |||
| url = http://zone.ni.com/devzone/cda/tut/p/id/5604 | |||
| title = A Closer Look at Windows Vista Part II: Enhanced Search | |||
}}{{dead link|date=February 2012}}</ref> | |||
* ''']:''' A transparent panel anchored to the side of the screen where a user can place ], which are small applets designed for a specialized purpose (such as displaying the weather or sports scores). Gadgets can also be placed on other parts of the desktop. | |||
* ''']:''' New user interface, ], ], a search box, improved printing,<ref name="ieprint">Windows Internet Explorer, Printing Advances .</ref> Page Zoom, Quick Tabs (thumbnails of all open tabs), Anti-Phishing filter, a number of new security protection features, Internationalized Domain Name support (IDN), and improved web standards support. IE7 in Windows Vista runs in isolation from other applications in the operating system (protected mode); exploits and malicious software are restricted from writing to any location beyond Temporary Internet Files without explicit user consent. | |||
]]] | |||
* ''']''', a major revamp of Microsoft's program for playing and organizing music and video. New features in this version include word wheeling (] or "search as you type"), a new ] for the media library, photo display and organization, the ability to share music libraries over a network with other Windows Vista machines, ] integration, and support for other ]. | |||
* ''']:''' Includes a backup and restore application that gives users the ability to schedule periodic backups of files on their computer, as well as recovery from previous backups. Backups are incremental, storing only the changes each time, minimizing disk usage. It also features Complete PC Backup (available only in ]), which backs up an entire computer as an image onto a hard disk or DVD. Complete PC Backup can automatically recreate a machine setup onto new hardware or hard disk in case of any hardware failures. Complete PC Restore can be initiated from within Windows Vista or from the Windows Vista installation CD in the event the PC is so corrupt that it cannot start up normally from the hard disk. | |||
* ''']:''' A replacement for Outlook Express that includes a new mail store that improves stability,<ref name="winmail">Windows Mail Features Explained, See Reliability Section .</ref> and features integrated Instant Search. It has the Phishing Filter like IE7 and ] that is enhanced through regular updates via Windows Update.<ref name="windowsmail">Windows Mail was demonstrated by the development team in .</ref> | |||
* ''']''' is a new calendar and task application. | |||
* ''']''', a photo and movie library management application. It can import from digital cameras, tag and rate individual items, adjust colors and exposure, create and display slideshows (with pan and fade effects) and burn slideshows to DVD. | |||
* ''']''', a companion program to ] that provides the ability to create video DVDs based on a user's content. Users can design a DVD with title, menu, video, soundtrack, pan and zoom motion effects on pictures or slides. | |||
* ''']''', which was previously exclusively bundled in a separate version of Windows XP, known as ], has been incorporated into the Home Premium and Ultimate editions of Windows Vista. | |||
* '''Games and ]:''' Games included with Windows have been modified to showcase Vista's graphics capabilities. New games are ] (3D ] game), ] (3D ] game) and ] (A small collection of games, oriented towards younger children. Including: A matching game, a cake-creator game, and a ] puzzle game). A new Games Explorer special folder contains shortcuts and information to all games on the user's computer. | |||
].]] | |||
Major items in the Release Preview included the addition of Sports, Travel, and News apps, along with an integrated version of ] in Internet Explorer.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Windows 8 Release Preview & Windows Upgrade Offer |url=http://windowsteamblog.com/windows/b/windowsexperience/archive/2012/05/31/the-windows-8-release-preview-amp-windows-upgrade-offer-windows8.aspx |publisher=Microsoft |author=Brandon LeBlanc |date=May 31, 2012}}</ref> Unlike the Developer Preview and the Consumer Preview, the release preview is set to expire on January 16, 2013. | |||
* ''']''' is a control panel that centralizes the most relevant information related to mobile computing (brightness, sound, battery level / power scheme selection, wireless network, screen orientation, presentation settings, etc.). | |||
* ''']''' replaces ]. Users can share applications (or their entire desktop) with other users on the local network, or over the Internet using peer-to-peer technology (higher versions than Starter and Home Basic can take advantage of hosting capabilities, Starter and Home Basic editions are limited to "join" mode only) | |||
* ''']''' automatically creates daily backup copies of files and folders. Users can also create "shadow copies" by setting a System Protection Point using the System Protection tab in the System control panel. The user can be presented multiple versions of a file throughout a limited history and be allowed to restore, delete, or copy those versions. This feature is available only in the Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate editions of Windows Vista and is inherited from ].<ref>{{cite web | |||
| year = 2006 | |||
| publisher = Microsoft | |||
| accessdate =August 24, 2006 | |||
| url = http://www.microsoft.com/technet/windowsvista/library/4ac505e6-dd8b-4ae7-80fa-b9d77cd8104d.mspx | |||
| title = Selected Scenarios for Maintaining Data Integrity with Windows Vista | |||
}}</ref> | |||
] with ]]] | |||
* ''']:''' Software and security updates have been simplified,<ref name="winupdate">Windows Update, Easier and Less Disruptive .</ref> now operating solely via a control panel instead of as a ]. Windows Mail's spam filter and Windows Defender's definitions are updated automatically via Windows Update. Users who choose the recommended setting for Automatic Updates will have the latest drivers installed and available when they add a new device. | |||
* ''']:''' Allows administrators to control which websites, programs and games each Limited user can use and install. This feature is not included in the Business or Enterprise editions of Vista. | |||
* ''']:''' Enables the auxiliary displays on newer laptops or on supported Windows Mobile devices. It is meant to be used to display device gadgets while the computer is on or off. | |||
* ''']''' is integrated into Vista.<ref name="winspeech">Windows Vista, SAPI {{dead link|date=February 2012}}</ref> It features a redesigned user interface and configurable command-and-control commands. Unlike the Office 2003 version, which works only in Office and WordPad, Speech Recognition in Windows Vista works for any accessible application. In addition, it currently supports several languages: British and American English, Spanish, French, German, Chinese (Traditional and Simplified) and Japanese. | |||
* New ]s, including several designed for ], and improved Chinese (Yahei, JhengHei), Japanese (Meiryo), and Korean (Malgun) fonts. ] has also been enhanced and enabled by default. | |||
* Improved audio controls allow the system-wide volume or volume of individual audio devices and even individual applications to be controlled separately. New audio functionalities such as Room Correction, Bass Management, Speaker Fill and Headphone virtualization have also been incorporated. | |||
* ''']''', a control panel that allows users to view previously sent problems and any solutions or additional information that is available. | |||
* ''']''' is a tool used to benchmark system performance. Software such as games can retrieve this rating and modify its own behavior at runtime to improve performance. The benchmark tests ], ], 2-D and 3-D graphics acceleration, graphics memory and hard disk space.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://download.microsoft.com/download/9/8/f/98f3fe47-dfc3-4e74-92a3-088782200fe7/TWAR05002_WinHEC05.ppt|title=TWAR05002_WinHEC05.ppt at download.microsoft.com|accessdate=January 25, 2007}}</ref><ref name="winsat">Windows Vista, The System Assessment Tool .</ref> | |||
* ''']''': The Ultimate edition of Windows Vista provides, via Windows Update, access to some additional features. These are a collection of additional ] language packs, ''Texas Hold 'Em'' (a Poker game) and ''Microsoft Tinker'' (a strategy game where the character is a robot), ] and ] enhancements that allow users to back up their encryption ] online in a ''Digital Locker'', and ], which enables the use of videos in ] and ] formats as the desktop background. On April 21, 2008, Microsoft launched two more Ultimate Extras; three new Windows sound schemes, and a content pack for ]. Various DreamScene Content Packs have been released since the final version of DreamScene was released. | |||
* '''Reliability and Performance Monitor''' includes various tools for tuning and monitoring system performance and resources activities of ], disks, network, memory and other resources. It shows the operations on files, the opened connections, etc. | |||
* '''Disk Management''': The ] in Windows Vista supports shrinking and expanding volumes on-the-fly. | |||
* '''Windows Anytime Upgrade''': is a program that allows a user to upgrade their computer running Vista to a higher edition. For example, a computer running Windows Vista Home Basic can be upgraded to Home Premium or better. The advantages of using Anytime Upgrade are that your programs and data aren't erased, it just installs the extra features of the edition you're upgrading to, and the price is less to upgrade than to replace your installation of Windows with the edition you wish to upgrade to. Anytime Upgrade is no longer available for Vista.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/upgrade-to-another-edition-of-windows-vista |title=Upgrade to another edition of Windows Vista |publisher=Windows.microsoft.com |accessdate=February 4, 2012}}</ref> | |||
=== |
===Core=== | ||
{{Refimprove section|date=December 2007}} | |||
On August 1, 2012, Windows 8 (build 9200<ref>{{cite news|last=Warren|first=Tom|title=Microsoft completes Windows 8 development, announces release to manufacturing|url=http://www.theverge.com/2012/8/1/3188541/windows-8-rtm-development-complete|accessdate=5 August 2012|newspaper=]|publisher=]|date=1 August 2012}}</ref>) was ].<ref name="rtmdate">{{cite web|url=http://windowsteamblog.com/windows/b/bloggingwindows/archive/2012/08/01/windows-8-has-reached-the-rtm-milestone.aspx|title=Windows 8 has reached the RTM milestone|publisher=]|date=August 1, 2012|accessdate=August 1, 2012}}</ref> Microsoft plans to release Windows 8 for ] on October 26, 2012.<ref name="availabilitydate">{{cite web|url=http://windowsteamblog.com/windows/b/bloggingwindows/archive/2012/07/18/windows-8-will-be-available-on.aspx|title=Windows 8 will be available on…|publisher=Microsoft|date=July 18, 2012|accessdate=July 18, 2012}}</ref> However, only a day after its release to manufacturing, a copy of the final version of Windows 8 Enterprise N (produced for European markets) ] to the web and several days later there were Professional and Enterprise leaks both x86 and x64.<ref>{{cite news|last=Keizer|first=Gregg|title=Windows 8 Leaked in Final Form|url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/260305/windows_8_leaked_in_final_form.html|accessdate=9 August 2012|newspaper=Computerworld|date=3 August 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Crothers|first=Brooke|title=Windows 8 final version allegedly leaks out already|url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-57485894-75/windows-8-final-version-allegedly-leaks-out-already/|accessdate=9 August 2012|newspaper=CNET|date=2 August 2012}}</ref> On August 15, 2012, Windows 8 was made available to download for ] and ] subscribers.<ref>{{cite news|last=Warren|first=Tom|title=Windows 8 now available to download for MSDN and TechNet subscribers|url=http://www.theverge.com/2012/8/15/3243935/windows-8-download-msdn-technet-subscribers|accessdate=16 August 2012|newspaper=]|publisher=]|date=15 August 2012}}</ref> Windows 8 was made available to Software Assurance customers on August 16, 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://windowsteamblog.com/windows/b/springboard/archive/2012/08/16/windows-8-is-ready-for-your-enterprise.aspx | title=Windows 8 Is Ready For Your Enterprise |publisher=Microsoft | date=16 August 2012 | accessdate=16 August 2012 | author=Rose, Stephen}}</ref> Windows 8 was made available for student downloads (with a ] subscription) on August 22, 2012, earlier than advertised.<ref name="Dreamspark">{{cite web|author=Lee Stott |url=http://blogs.msdn.com/b/uk_faculty_connection/archive/2012/08/18/visual-studio-2012-and-windows-on-dreamspark.aspx |title=Visual Studio 2012 and Windows on DreamSpark - Microsoft UK Faculty Connection - Site Home - MSDN Blogs |publisher=MSDN |date=18 August 2012 |accessdate=24 August 2012}}</ref> | |||
{{Main|Technical features new to Windows Vista}} | |||
Windows Vista is intended to be a technology-based release, to provide a base to include advanced technologies, many of which are related to how the system functions and thus not readily visible to the user. An example is the complete restructuring of the architecture of the audio, print, display, and networking subsystems; although the results of this work are visible to software developers, end-users will only see what appear to be evolutionary changes in the user interface. | |||
Vista includes technologies such as ] and ], which employ fast ] (located on ]s and ]) to improve system performance by caching commonly used programs and data. This manifests itself in improved battery life on notebook computers as well, since a hybrid drive can be spun down when not in use. Another new technology called ] utilizes ] techniques to analyze usage patterns to allow Windows Vista to make intelligent decisions about what content should be present in system memory at any given time. It uses almost all the extra RAM as ]. In conjunction with SuperFetch, an automatic built-in ] makes sure that those applications are strategically positioned on the hard disk where they can be loaded into memory very quickly with the least amount of physical movement of the hard disk’s read-write heads.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/window-on-windows/?p=735 |title=Understand how SuperFetch uses RAM to enhance system performance |work=] |date=July 9, 2008 |accessdate=October 2, 2008 |first=Greg |last=Shultz}}</ref> | |||
Relatively few changes were made from the Release Preview to the final version. A tutorial explaining how to use the new Metro interface was included and the look and feel of the desktop was subtly changed to be more in line with the Metro interface. Some included apps were also changed slightly.<ref>{{cite web|last=Bott|first=Ed|title=Surprise! What you can expect from Windows 8 RTM|url=http://www.zdnet.com/surprise-what-you-can-expect-from-windows-8-rtm-7000002679/|publisher=ZDNet|accessdate=27 August 2012|date=15 August 2012}}</ref> On October 25, 2012, Microsoft will hold a launch event in NYC for Windows 8.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-57514205-75/microsoft-come-celebrate-windows-8-on-oct-25/ | title=Microsoft: Come 'celebrate' Windows 8 on Oct. 25 | publisher=CNet | accessdate=September 17, 2012 | author=Reisinger, Don}}</ref> | |||
As part of the redesign of the networking architecture, ] has been fully incorporated into the operating system and a number of performance improvements have been introduced, such as ]. Earlier versions of Windows typically needed third-party wireless networking software to work properly, but this is not the case with Vista, which includes more comprehensive wireless networking support. | |||
== New features == | |||
{{Main|Features new to Windows 8}} | |||
For graphics, Vista introduces a new ] and a major revision to ]. The new driver model facilitates the new ], which provides the ]-free desktop and special effects that are the cornerstones of Windows Aero. Direct3D 10, developed in conjunction with major graphics card manufacturers, is a new architecture with more advanced ] support, and allows the ] to render more complex scenes without assistance from the CPU. It features improved load balancing between CPU and GPU and also optimizes data transfer between them.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blogs.technet.com/windowsvista/articles/447226.aspx |title=DirectX10: The Next Generation in Gaming |accessdate=January 25, 2007 |work=Windows Vista Team Blog |date=August 16, 2006 |first=Nick |last=White}}</ref> WDDM also provides video content playback that rivals typical consumer electronics devices. It does this by making it easy to connect to external monitors, providing for protected HD video playback and increasing overall video playback quality. For the first time in Windows, graphics processing unit (GPU) multitasking is possible, enabling users to run more than one GPU-intensive application simultaneously.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa480220.aspx |title=Windows Vista Display Driver Model |work=]}}</ref> | |||
{{Refimprove-section|date=September 2012}} | |||
=== Desktop and shell === | |||
Windows 8 employs a new user interface based on Microsoft's ]. The environment features a new tile-based ] similar to that of the ] operating system, which has replaced the previous ] entirely. The Start screen displays a customizable array of tiles linking to various apps and desktop programs, some of which can display constantly updated information and content through "live tiles".<ref name="pcw-building">{{cite news|title=Build: More Details On Building Windows 8 Metro Apps|url=http://forwardthinking.pcmag.com/show-reports/287736-build-more-details-on-building-windows-8-metro-apps|publisher=PC Magazine|accessdate=10 February 2012|first=Michael|last=Miller}}</ref> As a form of multi-tasking, apps can also be snapped to the side of a screen.<ref name="pcw-building"/> | |||
At the core of the ], many improvements have been made to the memory manager, process scheduler and I/O scheduler. The Heap Manager implements additional features such as integrity checking in order to improve robustness and defend against ] security ], although this comes at the price of breaking backward compatibility with some legacy applications.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kernel Enhancements for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 |format=] |publisher=] |year=2006 |month=May |url= | |||
A vertical toolbar known as the charms bar (accessed by swiping from the right edge of a touchscreen, or pointing the cursor at ] in the right corners of a screen) provide access to system and app-related functions, such as search, sharing, device management, settings, and a Start button. The traditional desktop environment for running desktop applications is accessed via a tile on the new Start screen. The Start button from previous versions of Windows has been removed from the taskbar in favor of a hotspot in the bottom-left corner (but can still also be activated via a button on the device if applicable, or on the charms bar).<ref name=w8-nzh-farewell>{{cite news|title=Windows 8: Farewell Start button?|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10784707|accessdate=10 February 2012 | work=The New Zealand Herald|date=February 10, 2012}}</ref><ref name=pcworld-metromouse/> | |||
http://download.microsoft.com/download/9/c/5/9c5b2167-8017-4bae-9fde-d599bac8184a/kernel-en.doc |accessdate=April 2, 2011}}<!--If the URL fails, see http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/system/vista/kernel-en.mspx or http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/hardware/gg463415.aspx--></ref> A ] has been implemented that enables applications to work with the ] and ] using ] operations. | |||
===Security-related=== | |||
Apps and the desktop can be switched between by either swiping from the left edge of a touchscreen, clicking in the top-left corner of the screen, using Alt+Tab, or by pointing in the top-left corner and moving the cursor down to reveal a thumbnail list of active apps.<ref name=pcworld-metromouse>{{cite web|title=A Guide to Getting Around the Windows 8 Beta With a Mouse|url=http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/251083/a_guide_to_getting_around_the_windows_8_beta_with_a_mouse.html|publisher=PC World|accessdate=8 September 2012}}</ref> | |||
{{Refimprove section|date=December 2007}} | |||
] | |||
{{Main|Security and safety features new to Windows Vista}} | |||
Improved security was a primary design goal for Vista.<ref name="gatesrsa" /> Microsoft's ] initiative, which aims to improve public trust in its products, has had a direct effect on its development. This effort has resulted in a number of new security and safety features. | |||
], or UAC is perhaps the most significant and visible of these changes. UAC is a security technology that makes it possible for users to use their computer with fewer privileges by default, with a view to stopping ] from making unauthorized changes to the system. This was often difficult in previous versions of Windows, as the previous "limited" user accounts proved too restrictive and incompatible with a large proportion of application software, and even prevented some basic operations such as looking at the calendar from the notification tray. In Windows Vista, when an action is performed that requires administrative rights (such as installing/uninstalling software or making system-wide configuration changes), the user is first prompted for an administrator name and password; in cases where the user is already an administrator, the user is still prompted to confirm the pending privileged action. Regular use of the computer such as running programs, printing, or surfing the Internet does not trigger UAC prompts. User Account Control asks for credentials in a Secure Desktop mode, in which the entire screen is dimmed, and only the authorization window is active and highlighted. The intent is to stop a malicious program misleading the user by interfering with the authorization window, and to hint to the user the importance of the prompt. | |||
=== Apps === | |||
] to the Windows Desktop]] | |||
Windows 8 introduces a new style of application, ''] apps''; Microsoft developer Jensen Harris intends these apps to provide a "fast and fluid" experience; referring to their optimization for ] environments and their smaller scope in relation to desktop applications. Apps can run either in a full-screen mode, or be docked directly to the side of a screen.<ref name="pcw-building"/> They can also provide notifications and a "live tile" on the Start screen for dynamic content. Apps can also use "contracts"; a collection of ]s to provide common functionality that can integrate with other apps, such as search and sharing.<ref name="pcw-building"/> These apps are primarily distributed and updated through its namesake ], a new distribution platform comparable to the ] and ].<ref name=verge-talkswin8/><ref name=bi-windows8>{{cite web|last=Rosoff|first=Matt|title=Here's Everything You Wanted To Know About Microsoft's Upcoming iPad Killers|url=http://articles.businessinsider.com/2012-02-09/tech/31040510_1_steven-sinofsky-pcs-microsoft-first|publisher=Business Insider|accessdate=10 February 2012}}</ref> | |||
Testing by ] has proven the effectiveness of UAC. Symantec used over 2,000 active malware samples, consisting of ], ], ], mass mailers, ], ], ], and various other samples. Each was executed on a default Windows Vista installation within a standard user account. UAC effectively blocked over 50 percent of each ], excluding rootkits. 5 percent or less of the ] that evaded UAC survived a reboot. | |||
The apps run within a new set of ]s known as the ] (WinRT), which supports ]s such as ], ], ], ], along with ] and ].<ref name="pcw-building"/> Apps written for WinRT are also cross-compatible with both ] and ] versions of Windows.<ref name=bi-windows8>{{cite web|last=Rosoff|first=Matt|title=Here's Everything You Wanted To Know About Microsoft's Upcoming iPad Killers|url=http://articles.businessinsider.com/2012-02-09/tech/31040510_1_steven-sinofsky-pcs-microsoft-first|publisher=Business Insider|accessdate=10 February 2012}}</ref> | |||
]'s new security and safety features include a ] filter, ] with anti-spoofing capabilities, and integration with system-wide parental controls. For added security, ] controls are disabled by default. Also, Internet Explorer operates in a protected mode, which operates with lower permissions than the user and runs in isolation from other applications in the operating system, preventing it from accessing or modifying anything besides the Temporary Internet Files directory.<ref name="protectedmodeie">Protected Mode IE has been described in detail at the Internet Explorer team blog: and .</ref> Microsoft's anti-spyware product, '']'', has been incorporated into Windows, providing protection against malware and other threats. Changes to various system configuration settings (such as new auto-starting applications) are blocked unless the user gives consent. | |||
To ensure stability and security, they run within a ], and require permissions to access certain functionality, such as accessing the internet or a camera.<ref name=verge-talkswin8>{{cite web|title=Microsoft talks Windows Store features, Metro app sandboxing for Windows 8 developers|url=http://www.theverge.com/2012/5/17/3026590/microsoft-windows-8-developers-windows-store-sandboxing|publisher=The Verge|accessdate=8 September 2012}}</ref> For quality and security reasons, retail versions of Windows 8 will only be able to install these apps through the Windows Store; the enterprise version will allow system administrators to deploy internally-developed apps.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh832040#BKMK_SideLoad |title=Managing client access to the Windows Store |publisher=Microsoft |date=February 2012}}</ref><ref name=verge-talkswin8/> | |||
Whereas prior releases of Windows supported per-file encryption using ], the Enterprise and Ultimate editions of Vista include ], which can protect entire ], notably the operating system volume. However, BitLocker requires approximately a 1.5-gigabyte partition to be permanently not encrypted and to contain system files in order for Windows to boot. In normal circumstances, the only time this partition is accessed is when the computer is booting, or when there is a Windows update that changes files in this area, which is a legitimate reason to access this section of the drive. The area can be a potential security issue, because a hexadecimal editor (such as dskprobe.exe), or malicious software running with administrator and/or kernel level privileges would be able to write to this "Ghost Partition" and allow a piece of malicious software to compromise the system, or disable the encryption. BitLocker can work in conjunction with a ] (TPM) ] (version 1.2) embedded in a computer's ], or with a USB key.<ref name="exec-overview">{{cite web | |||
Windows Store apps were originally known as "Metro-style apps" during the development of Windows 8. The term was reportedly phased out in August 2012; a Microsoft spokesperson denied rumors that the change was related to a potential ] issue, and stated that "Metro" was only a codename that would be phased out prior to Windows 8's release.<ref name=verge-metrotm>{{cite web|title=Microsoft advises developers to stop using 'Metro' name in apps following possible trademark dispute|url=http://www.theverge.com/2012/8/2/3215039/microsoft-metro-name-dispute-developers|publisher=The Verge|accessdate=3 August 2012}}</ref> Following these reports, the terms "Modern UI-style apps",<ref>{{cite news|title=Microsoft now using 'Modern UI Style' to refer to Windows 8 'Metro Style' apps|url=http://www.theverge.com/2012/8/10/3232921/microsoft-modern-ui-style-metro-style-replacement|accessdate=10 August 2012}}</ref> "Windows 8-style apps"<ref name=pcmag-metromess>{{cite web|title=Windows 8: The Metro Mess|url=http://forwardthinking.pcmag.com/none/301689-windows-8-the-metro-mess|publisher=PC Magazine|accessdate=8 September 2012}}</ref> and "Windows Store apps" began to be used to refer to the new apps. On September 12, 2012, Soma Somasegar (vice president of Microsoft's development software division) officially confirmed in an interview that they would be known as "Windows Store apps".<ref name=zdnet-metroname>{{cite web|title=Microsoft finally comes clean(er) on post-Metro naming plans|url=http://www.zdnet.com/microsoft-finally-comes-cleaner-on-post-metro-naming-plans-7000004151/|publisher=ZDNet|accessdate=13 September 2012}}</ref> | |||
| url = http://www.microsoft.com/technet/windowsvista/security/bitexec.mspx#EQB | |||
| title = BitLocker Drive Encryption: Executive Overview | |||
| accessdate =June 19, 2007 | |||
| date=April 5, 2006 | |||
| publisher = ] | |||
}}</ref> However, as with other ] technologies, BitLocker is vulnerable to a ], especially where TPM is used as a ] protector without a boot ] being required too.<ref name="ColdBoot">{{cite journal|url=http://citp.princeton.edu/memory/|title=Lest We Remember: Cold Boot Attacks on Encryption Keys|author=J. Alex Halderman, ], Nadia Heninger, William Clarkson, William Paul, Joseph A. Calandrino, Ariel J. Feldman, ], and ]|publisher=]|date=February 21, 2008|accessdate=February 22, 2008}}</ref> | |||
A variety of other privilege-restriction techniques are also built into Vista. An example is the concept of "integrity levels" in user processes, whereby a process with a lower integrity level cannot interact with processes of a higher integrity level and cannot perform DLL–injection to a processes of a higher integrity level. The security restrictions of ]s are more fine-grained, so that services (especially those listening on the network) have no ability to interact with parts of the operating system they do not need to. ] techniques such as ] are used to increase the amount of effort required of ] before successful infiltration of a system. Code Integrity verifies that system binaries have not been tampered with by malicious code. | |||
===Integration with online services=== | |||
Windows 8 provides heavier integration with Microsoft's online services. Users can now log in with a ] (formally known as a ] ID), which can allow for various user settings to be ] between multiple computers. Windows 8 ships with an app for Microsoft's ] ] service as well, and also allows apps to save files directly to SkyDrive. A SkyDrive client for the desktop and ] is not included in Windows 8, and must be downloaded separately.<ref name=pcmag-win8skydrive>{{cite web|title=Windows 8 and the Cloud: SkyDrive|url=http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2409155,00.asp|publisher=PC Magazine|accessdate=9 September 2012}}</ref> Windows 8 also includes integration with ], including Xbox-branded apps for games, ], and the ] app which can serve as a companion for content on a ] ].<ref name=pcw-testdrivertm>{{cite web|last=Case|first=Loyd|title=Test Driving Windows 8 RTM|url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/260884/test_driving_windows_8_rtm.html|publisher=PC World|accessdate=9 September 2012}}</ref> Apps can also integrate with online services; the People app can connect to a variety of different social networks and services, while the Photos app can aggregate photos from services such as ] and ].<ref name=pl-windows8>{{cite web|title=Windows 8 review|url=http://www.pocket-lint.com/review/5972/microsoft-windows-8-pro-desktop-tablet-os-review|publisher=Pocket Lint|accessdate=9 September 2012}}</ref> | |||
As part of the redesign of the network stack, ] has been upgraded, with new support for filtering both incoming and outgoing traffic. Advanced packet filter rules can be created that can grant or deny communications to specific services. | |||
=== Other features === | |||
] USB flash drive]] | |||
{{Prose|date=September 2012}} | |||
* ] is included as both desktop program and as a touch-optimized app. The latter does not support plugins or ] components, but includes a version of ] that is optimized for touch and low power usage and works only on sites included on a ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.msdn.com/b/ie/archive/2012/05/31/windows-release-preview-the-sixth-ie10-platform-preview.aspx|author=Dean Hachamovitch|title=Windows Release Preview: The Sixth IE10 Platform Preview|date=31 May 2012|accessdate=7 June 2012}}</ref> | |||
* It is now possible to log into Windows using a ] (formerly known as a Windows Live ID). This allows the user's profile and settings to be synchronized over the Internet and accessible from other computers running Windows 8, as well as integration with ].<ref name=windows8-wlive>{{cite web|last=Whitney|first=Lance|title=Windows 8 to tap heavily into Windows Live|url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-20110049-75/windows-8-to-tap-heavily-into-windows-live/|publisher=CNET News|accessdate=10 February 2012}}</ref> | |||
* Two new authentication methods have been added: picture password, which allows users to log in by drawing three gestures in different places on a picture,<ref>. Channel9.msdn.com (2011-09-13). Retrieved on 2011-10-14.</ref><ref>. Windows 8 Beta (2011-09-21). Retrieved on 2011-10-14.</ref> and PIN log in, which allows users to authenticate using a four digit ].<ref>{{cite web|title=Windows 8: Create a PIN Number to logon|url=http://www.groovypost.com/howto/windows-8-pin-logon/|publisher=Groovypost|accessdate=24 February 2012}}</ref> | |||
* ] includes a ], and has its file operation progress dialog updated to provide more detailed statistics, the ability to pause file transfers, and improvements in the ability to manage conflicts when copying files.<ref>{{cite web|last=Paul|first=Iam|title=Microsoft Overhauls Windows Explorer in Windows 8|url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/238699/microsoft_overhauls_windows_explorer_in_windows_8.html|publisher=PC World|accessdate=10 February 2012}}</ref> | |||
* Hybrid Boot uses hibernation technology to allow faster startup times by saving the Windows core's memory to the hard disk and reloading it upon boot.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.neowin.net/news/windows-8-hybrid-boot-discovered |title=Windows 8 "Hybrid Boot" discovered}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Woods |first=Ben |url=http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/desktop-os/2011/09/09/windows-8-hybrid-mode-brings-faster-boot-40093896/ |title=Windows 8 'hybrid' mode brings faster boot | Desktop OS | ZDNet UK |publisher=Zdnet.co.uk |date=2011-09-09 |accessdate=2012-01-27}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.windows8screenshots.org/windows-8-screenshots-interesting-features-windows-8/ |title=Windows 8 Screenshots: Five New Interesting Features of Windows 8 Part 1}}</ref> | |||
* ] allows Windows 8 Enterprise to boot and run from a bootable USB device (such as a flash drive).<ref>{{cite web|last=Mackie |first=Kurt |url=http://mcpmag.com/articles/2011/09/16/microsoft-unveils-windows-to-go-for-the-enterprise.aspx |title=Microsoft Certified Professional Magazine: Windows 8 Will Run On Thumb Drive, 16 September 2011 |publisher=Mcpmag.com |date=2011-09-16 |accessdate=2012-01-27}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Take |first=First |url=http://www.zdnet.co.uk/blogs/zdnet-uk-first-take-10013312/windows-8-windows-to-go-10024384/ |title=Windows 8: Windows To Go | ZDNet UK |publisher=Zdnet.co.uk |date=2011-09-20 |accessdate=2012-01-27}}</ref> | |||
* Two new recovery functions are included, Refresh and Reset. Refresh restores all Windows files to their original state while keeping settings, files, and apps, while reset takes the computer back to factory default condition.<ref>Bright, Peter. (2011-09-18) . Ars Technica. Retrieved on 2011-10-14.</ref> | |||
* ] is now supported natively.<ref>. AnandTech. Retrieved on 2011-10-14.</ref> | |||
* A new lock screen displays a clock and notifications while the computer is locked.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.winsupersite.com/article/windows8/windows-8-secrets-welcome-screen-130065 |title=Windows 8 Secrets: Welcome Screen |publisher=SuperSite for Windows |first=Paul |last=Thurrott |date= |accessdate=April 10, 2011}}</ref> | |||
* ] has been redesigned in order to improve usability. Features include a new processes tab with the option to display fewer or more details of running applications and background processes, a heat map using different colors indicating the level of resource usage, network and disk counters, grouping by process type (e.g. applications, background processes and Windows processes), friendly names for processes and a new 'Search the web'-context menu option which allows to search the web to find information about obscure processes. <ref>{{cite news |url=http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/2011/10/13/the-windows-8-task-manager.aspx |title=The Windows 8 Task Manager |publisher=Microsoft |date=October 2011}}</ref> | |||
* ] integration (including ], Xbox SmartGlass, ], and Xbox Video)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/windows_8_integrate_xbox_live_support |title=Windows 8 To Integrate Xbox Live Support |publisher=Maximum PC |date= |accessdate=2011-08-29}}</ref> | |||
* Storage Spaces allows users to combine different sized hard disks into virtual drives and specify mirroring, parity, or no redundancy on a folder-by-folder basis.<ref>{{cite web|last=Sinofsky|first=Steven|title=Virtualizing storage for scale, resiliency, and efficiency|url=http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/2012/01/05/virtualizing-storage-for-scale-resiliency-and-efficiency.aspx|publisher=MSDN Blogs}}</ref> | |||
* Family Safety is intended to allow parents to protect their children on the Internet, as well as monitor and control their PC and Internet activities and usage.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/2012/05/14/keeping-your-family-safer-with-windows-8.aspx |title=Keeping your family safer with Windows 8 - Building Windows 8 - Site Home - MSDN Blogs |publisher=Blogs.msdn.com |date=2012-05-14 |accessdate=2012-06-11}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/14/windows-8-family-safety-feature-chaperones-underage-users-thro/#disqus_thread |title=Windows 8 'Family Safety' feature chaperones underage users through the World Wild Web |publisher=Engadget |date=2012-05-14 |accessdate=2012-06-11}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/255582/microsoft_win8_simplifies_improves_parental_monitoring_of_kids_computer_activities.html |title=Microsoft: Win8 Simplifies, Improves Parental Monitoring of Kids Computer Activities | PCWorld Business Center |publisher=Pcworld.com |date= |accessdate=2012-06-11}}</ref> | |||
* ] now has anti-virus capabilities, similar to those of ]. It is intended to replace the Security Essentials package and functions as the default anti-virus program.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/2011/09/15/protecting-you-from-malware.aspx |title=Protecting you from malware |author=Jason Garms |date=2011-09-15 |publisher=Microsoft}}</ref> | |||
The 64-bit versions of Vista <!--Please do not list XP x64's features (PatchGuard, DEP) here. This section is for *new* features.-->require that all device drivers be digitally signed, so that the creator of the driver can be identified.<ref>. Winsupersite.com. Retrieved on October 14, 2011.</ref> | |||
== Removed features == | |||
{{main|List of features removed in Windows 8}} | |||
===System management=== | |||
== Hardware requirements == | |||
{{Main|Management features new to Windows Vista}} | |||
=== PCs === | |||
While much of the focus of Vista's new capabilities has highlighted the new user-interface<ref>http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-vista/What-is-Windows-Aero</ref>, security technologies, and improvements to the core operating system, Microsoft also adding new deployment and maintenance features: | |||
The minimum system requirements for Windows 8 Enterprise edition are slightly higher than those of ].<ref>{{cite web|title=Download Windows 8 Enterprise Evaluation|url=http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/jj554510.aspx|work=Microsoft.com|publisher=Microsoft|accessdate=15 August 2012}}</ref> | |||
* The ] (WIM) provides the cornerstone of Microsoft's new deployment and packaging system. WIM files, which contain a ]-independent image of Windows Vista, can be maintained and patched without having to rebuild new images. Windows Images can be delivered via ] or '''Business Desktop Deployment''' technologies. Images can be customized and configured with applications then deployed to corporate client personal computers using little to no touch by a system administrator. ] is the Microsoft tool used to create and customize images. | |||
* ] replaces ] for deploying Vista and prior versions of Windows. | |||
* Approximately 700 new ] settings have been added, covering most aspects of the new features in the operating system, as well as significantly expanding the configurability of wireless networks, removable storage devices, and user desktop experience. Vista also introduced an XML-based format (ADMX) to display registry-based policy settings, making it easier to manage networks that span geographic locations and different languages.<ref name="gp">{{cite web | |||
| url=http://www.microsoft.com/technet/windowsvista/library/gpol/a8366c42-6373-48cd-9d11-2510580e4817.mspx?mfr=true | |||
| title = What's New in Group Policy in Windows Vista and Windows Server "Longhorn" | |||
| accessdate =May 18, 2006 | |||
| work = TechNet | |||
| publisher = Microsoft | |||
}} | |||
</ref> | |||
* ] has been renamed "Subsystem for UNIX-based Applications," and is included with the Enterprise and Ultimate editions of Vista. ] (NFS) client support is also included. | |||
* ]–Unlike previous versions of Windows (which required the loading of language packs to provide local-language support), Windows Vista Ultimate and Enterprise editions support the ability to dynamically change languages based on the logged-on user's preference. | |||
* Wireless Projector support | |||
===Developer=== | |||
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:auto; text-align:center;" | |||
Windows Vista includes a large number of new application programming interfaces. Chief among them is the inclusion of ] of the ], which consists of a ] and ] and OS/2 environment just like its NT predecessors. Version 3.0 includes four new major components:<ref>, ]</ref> | |||
|+ Minimum hardware requirements for Windows 8 Enterprise edition | |||
* ''']''' is a ] subsystem and framework based ], which makes use of ] hardware and ] technologies. It provides the foundation for building applications and blending together application UI, documents, and media content. It is the successor to ]. | |||
* ''']''' is a service-oriented messaging subsystem that enables applications and systems to interoperate locally or remotely using ]s. | |||
* ''']''' provides task automation and integrated transactions using ]s. It is the programming model, engine and tools for building workflow-enabled applications on Windows. | |||
* ''']''' is a component that securely stores digital identities of a person, and provides a unified interface for choosing the identity for a particular transaction, such as logging into a website. | |||
These technologies are also available for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 to facilitate their introduction to and usage by developers and end users. | |||
There are also significant new development APIs in the core of the operating system, notably the completely re-designed audio, networking, print, and video interfaces, major changes to the security infrastructure, improvements to the deployment and installation of applications ("]" and ] 4.0), new device driver development model ("]"), ], mobile computing API advancements (power management, ] Ink support, ]) and major updates to (or complete replacements of) many core subsystems such as ] and ]. | |||
There are some issues for software developers using some of the graphics APIs in Vista. Games or programs built solely on the Windows Vista-exclusive version of ], version 10, cannot work on prior versions of Windows, as ] is not available for previous Windows versions. Also, games that require the features of D3D9Ex, the updated implementation of DirectX 9 in Windows Vista are also incompatible with previous Windows versions.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.atomicmpc.com.au/article.asp?CIID=24636 | title=DirectX 10: More harm than good for graphics? | first=Logan | last=Booker | publisher=Maximum Power Computing Atomic |date=September 15, 2005 | accessdate=May 28, 2006}}</ref> According to a Microsoft blog, there are three choices for ] implementation on Vista. An application can use the default implementation, which translates OpenGL calls into the Direct3D API and is frozen at OpenGL version 1.4, or an application can use an Installable Client ] (ICD), which comes in two flavors: legacy and Vista-compatible. A legacy ICD disables the ], a Vista-compatible ICD takes advantage of a new API, and is fully compatible with the Desktop Window Manager.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://blogs.msdn.com/kamvedbrat/archive/2006/02/22/537624.aspx | title=more comments... | first=Kam | last=VedBrat | publisher=MSDN Blogs |date=February 22, 2006 | accessdate=May 28, 2006}}</ref> At least two primary vendors, ] and ] provided full Vista-compatible ICDs.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.khronos.org/developers/library/siggraph2006/OpenGL_BOF/<!-- NVIDIA_-_OpenGL_on_Vista.ppt --> | title=OpenGL on Vista | first=Neil | last=Trevett | publisher = Khronos Group |year=2006 |accessdate=November 9, 2006}}</ref> However, ] is not supported, because it is considered as an obsolete feature in Vista. ATI and NVIDIA strongly recommend using compositing desktop/]s for same functionality.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=3760|title=OpenGL Now Natively Supported in Windows Vista|accessdate=January 25, 2007|last=Nguyen|first=Tuan}}</ref> | |||
===Installation=== | |||
Windows Vista is the first Microsoft operating system that can be installed only on an NTFS partition.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/265537-28-ntfs-partition-vista-install |title=Installation of Windows Vista possible only on NTFS partition |publisher=Tomshardware.com |date=August 22, 2009 |accessdate=February 4, 2012}}</ref> | |||
It is also the first Microsoft operating system that provides support for loading drivers for SCSI/IDE/SATA/RAID controllers from any source other than floppy disks prior to its installation.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/F6_disk |title=F6 disk on Misplaced Pages |publisher=Secure.wikimedia.org |accessdate=February 4, 2012}}</ref> | |||
==Removed features== | |||
{{Main| Features removed from Windows Vista}} | |||
Some notable Windows XP features and components have been replaced or removed in Windows Vista, including several ] and ], ], ], ], ], the network ], ], ], ], and the replacement of ] with ]. Windows Vista also does not include the Windows XP "]" visual theme, or most of the classic color schemes that have been part of Windows since the Windows 3.x era. The "Hardware profiles" startup feature has also been removed, along with support for older motherboard technologies like the ] bus, ] and ] support (though on the 32-bit version ] support can be enabled by applying an older driver).<ref>{{cite web | |||
| url=http://forums.creative.com/creativelabs/board/message?board.id=Vista&message.id=13336 | |||
| title = Enable Game port on vista | |||
| date=December 8, 2004 | |||
| accessdate =June 22, 2007 | |||
| publisher = ] | |||
}}</ref> IP over ] (TCP/IP over IEEE 1394) has been removed as well.<ref>{{cite web | |||
| url = http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/system/bus/1394/IP_1394.mspx | |||
| title = Discontinued Support for IP over 1394 | |||
| date=December 8, 2004 | |||
| accessdate =June 22, 2007 | |||
| publisher = ] | |||
|archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070515101522/http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/system/bus/1394/IP_1394.mspx |archivedate = May 15, 2007}}</ref> The IPX/SPX Protocol has also been removed, although it can be enabled by a third-party plug-in.<ref>{{cite web | |||
| url = http://www.starbase01.com/site/index.php?id=22,87,0,0,1,0 | |||
| title = IPX/SPX Protocol in Vista (32bit) | |||
| date=May 5, 2008 | |||
| accessdate =May 5, 2008 | |||
| publisher = Starbase.com | |||
}}</ref> | |||
==Editions== | |||
{{Main|Windows Vista editions}} | |||
Windows Vista ships in six different editions.<ref name="versionsannouncement">{{cite press release | |||
| url = http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2006/feb06/02-26WinVistaProductsPR.mspx | |||
| title = Microsoft Unveils Windows Vista Product Lineup | |||
| date=February 26, 2006 | |||
| accessdate =October 31, 2006 | |||
| work = PressPass | |||
| publisher = ] | |||
}}</ref> These are roughly divided into two target markets, consumer and business, with editions varying to cater for specific sub-markets. For consumers, there are four editions, with three available for economically more developed countries. Windows Vista Starter edition is for Netbooks and small Pc's. Windows Vista Home Basic is intended for budget users and is available only in ]. Windows Vista Home Premium covers the majority of the consumer market, and contains applications for creating and using multimedia. The home editions cannot join a ]. For businesses, there are three editions. Windows Vista Business is specifically designed for ],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/editions/business/default.mspx|title=Windows Vista Business}}</ref> while Windows Vista Enterprise<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/enterprise/default.mspx|title=Windows Vista Enterprise}}</ref> is only available to customers participating in Microsoft's ] program. Windows Vista Ultimate contains the complete feature-set of both the Home and Business (combination of both Home Premium and Enterprise) editions, as well as a set of ], and is aimed at enthusiasts. | |||
All editions except Windows Vista Starter support both ] (]) and ] (]) processor architectures. | |||
In the ], Home Basic N and Business N versions are also available. These come without Windows Media Player, due to EU sanctions brought against Microsoft for ]. Similar sanctions exist in ]. | |||
==Visual styles== | |||
] | |||
Windows Vista has four distinct visual styles.<ref>{{cite web | |||
| url = http://download.microsoft.com/download/5/b/9/5b97017b-e28a-4bae-ba48-174cf47d23cd/PRI017_WH06.ppt | |||
| first = Kam | |||
| last = VedBrat | |||
| publisher = ] | |||
| title = Desktop And Presentation Impact On Hardware Design (Powerpoint presentation) | |||
| accessdate =September 1, 2006 | |||
}}</ref><ref name="softpedia-styles">{{cite web | |||
| url=http://news.softpedia.com/news/Windows-Vista-Graphical-User-Interface-s-42142.shtml | |||
| title=Windows Vista Graphical User Interface(s) – Aero, Standard, Basic and Classic | |||
| last=Oiaga | |||
| first=Marius | |||
| date=December 12, 2006 | |||
| accessdate=April 28, 2009 | |||
| publisher=] | |||
}}</ref> | |||
; Windows Aero: | |||
: Vista's premier visual style, ], is built on a new desktop composition engine called ]. Windows Aero introduces support for 3D graphics (Windows Flip 3D), ] effects (Glass), live thumbnails, window animations, and other visual effects, and is intended for mainstream and high-end video cards. To enable these features, the contents of every open window are stored in video memory to facilitate ]-free movement of windows. As such, Windows Aero has significantly higher hardware requirements than its predecessors. The minimum requirement is for 128 MB of graphics memory, depending on resolution used.<ref name="TechNet Vista Requirements">{{cite web | |||
| url = http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc507845.aspx | |||
| title = Windows Vista Enterprise Hardware Planning Guidance | |||
| year = 2006 | |||
| accessdate =October 26, 2006 | |||
| work = TechNet | |||
| publisher = Microsoft | |||
}}</ref> Windows Aero (including Windows Flip 3D) is not included in the Starter and Home Basic editions. | |||
; Windows Vista Standard: This style is a variation of Windows Aero without the glass effects, window animations, and other advanced graphical effects such as Windows Flip 3D.<ref name="thurrott-standard">{{cite web | |||
| url=http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/winvista_ff_std_ux.asp | |||
| title=Windows Vista Feature Focus: Windows Vista Standard User Interface | |||
| last=Thurrott | |||
| first=Paul | |||
| authorlink=Paul Thurrott | |||
| date=August 25, 2008 | |||
| accessdate=April 28, 2009 | |||
| publisher=SuperSite for Windows | |||
}}</ref> Like Windows Aero, it uses the Desktop Window Manager, and has generally the same video hardware requirements as Windows Aero. This visual style is included with Home Basic edition only as a "cheap" replacement of Windows Aero style. | |||
; Windows Vista Basic: This style has aspects that are similar to Windows XP's "]" visual style with the addition of subtle animations such as those found on ]s. It does not employ the Desktop Window Manager, as such, it does not feature transparency or translucency, window animation, Windows Flip 3D or any of the functions provided by the DWM. The Basic mode does not require the new ] (WDDM) for display drivers, and has similar video card requirements to Windows XP. For computers with video cards that are not powerful enough to support Windows Aero, this is the default graphics mode. Prior to Service Pack 1, a machine that failed ] validation would also default to this visual style.<ref>{{cite web | |||
| url=http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/winvista_ff_basic_ux.asp | |||
| title=Windows Vista Feature Focus: Windows Vista Basic User Interface | |||
| last=Thurrott | |||
| first=Paul | |||
| authorlink=Paul Thurrott | |||
| date=August 25, 2008 | |||
| accessdate=April 28, 2009 | |||
| publisher=SuperSite for Windows | |||
}}</ref> | |||
; Windows Standard: The Windows Standard (or Windows Classic) visual style is similar to that of ] and Microsoft's ] line of operating systems. It does not use the Desktop Window Manager, and does not require a WDDM driver. As with previous versions of Windows, this visual style supports color schemes, which are collections of color settings. Windows Vista includes six color schemes: four high-contrast color schemes and the default color schemes from ]/] (titled "Windows Classic") and ]/] (titled "Windows Standard").<ref name="thurrott-standard"/> | |||
==Hardware requirements== | |||
Computers capable of running Windows Vista are classified as ''Vista Capable'' and ''Vista Premium Ready''.<ref>{{cite web | |||
| url = http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2006/may06/05-18GetReadyPR.mspx | |||
| title = Microsoft and PC Manufacturers Make It Easier for Customers to Get Ready for Windows Vista | |||
| date=May 18, 2006 | |||
| accessdate =May 18, 2006 | |||
| work = PressPass | |||
| publisher = Microsoft | |||
}}</ref> A ''Vista Capable'' or equivalent PC is capable of running all editions of Windows Vista although some of the special features and high-end graphics options may require additional or more advanced hardware. A ''Vista Premium Ready'' PC can take advantage of Vista's high-end features.<ref name="microsoft1">{{cite web | url=http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/getready/upgradeadvisor/default.mspx | title=Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor | accessdate=June 25, 2006}}</ref> | |||
Windows Vista's Basic and Classic interfaces work with virtually any graphics hardware that supports Windows XP or 2000; accordingly, most discussion around Vista's graphics requirements centers on those for the Windows Aero interface. As of Windows Vista Beta 2, the NVIDIA ] series and later, the ATI ] and later, Intel's ] and later integrated graphics, and a handful of ] and ] discrete chips are supported. Although originally supported, the GeForce FX 5 series has been dropped from newer drivers from NVIDIA. The last driver from NVIDIA to support the GeForce FX series on Vista was 96.85.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nvidia.com/object/winvista_x86_96.85_2.html |title=ForceWare Release 95 |publisher=Nvidia.com |accessdate=October 2, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.msbetas.org/index.php/Vista_Ready_GPUs|title=MsBetas' List of Vista Ready GPUs|accessdate=July 30, 2007 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070713114519/http://www.msbetas.org/index.php/Vista_Ready_GPUs |archivedate = July 13, 2007}}</ref> Microsoft offers a tool called the ''Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor''<ref name="microsoft1"/> to assist Windows XP and Vista users in determining what versions of Windows their machine is capable of running. Although the installation media included in retail packages is a 32-bit DVD, customers needing a CD-ROM or customers who wish for a 64-bit install media are able to acquire this media through the Windows Vista Alternate Media program.<ref name="Windows Vista system requirements">{{cite web | url=http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/1033/ordermedia/default.mspx | title=Windows Vista Alternate Media| accessdate=August 20, 2007}}</ref> The Ultimate edition includes both 32-bit and 64-bit media.<ref>. Microsoft.com. Retrieved on October 14, 2011.</ref> The digitally downloaded version of Ultimate includes only one version, either 32-bit or 64-bit, from Windows Marketplace. | |||
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" | |||
|+ Windows Vista system requirements<ref name="TechNet Vista Requirements" /> | |||
|- | |- | ||
! style="width:20%;"| | |||
! Architecture | |||
! style="width:40%;"| Vista Capable | |||
| ''']''' (32-bit) | |||
! style="width:80%;"| Vista Premium Ready | |||
| ''']''' (64-bit) | |||
|- | |- | ||
! |
!] | ||
| |
| 800 MHz<ref>Windows Vista minimum supported system requirements {{cite web|url=http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/editions/systemrequirements.mspx|title=Windows Vista: Recommended System Requirements|publisher=]|accessdate=March 13, 2008}}</ref> | ||
| 1 GHz{{ref|1|1}} | |||
|- | |- | ||
! |
!] | ||
| 512 MB | |||
| 1 GB<!-- Please only post OFFICIAL requirements here. Don't add anything you find on your own. --> | |||
| |
| 1 GB | ||
|- | |- | ||
! |
!Graphics card | ||
| ] 9.0 capable | |||
| colspan=2 | ] graphics device with ] 1.0 or higher driver | |||
| ] 9.0 capable and ] 1.0 driver support | |||
|- | |- | ||
!Graphics memory | |||
! Storage | |||
| 32 MB | |||
| colspan=2 | 20 GB | |||
| 128 MB | |||
|} | |||
To run Windows Store apps, a screen resolution of 1024×768 or higher is required. A minimum resolution of 1366×768 is required to run their snapping feature.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/2011/10/20/optimizing-for-both-landscape-and-portrait.aspx|publisher=Microsoft|title=Optimizing for both landscape and portrait|accessdate=24 February 2012}}</ref> To receive logo certification, Microsoft requires that an ] system resume from standby in 2 seconds or less.<ref name="withinwindows.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.withinwindows.com/2012/01/16/windows-8-secrets-pc-and-device-requirements/ |title=Windows 8 Secrets: PC and Device Requirements Within Windows |publisher=Withinwindows.com |date=2012-01-16 |accessdate=2012-04-22}}</ref> | |||
Windows 8 may be run on ], ] 8.0.2 for Windows, ] 4.1.8 for Windows, ] 6 for Windows, ] 4 for Windows, and ] 5.5. It cannot be run on ], ], ] and VMware Workstation v7.x or earlier.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.techulator.com/resources/5819-Virtual-Machines-compatible-with-Windows.aspx|title=Virtual Machines compatible with Windows 8 Consumer Preview|accessdate=2012-03-01}}</ref> | |||
=== Tablets and convertibles === | |||
Microsoft released minimum hardware requirements for new tablet and convertible devices designed for Windows 8, and defined a convertible form factor as a standalone device that combines the PC, display and rechargeable power source with a mechanically attached keyboard and pointing device in a single chassis. A convertible can be transformed into a tablet where the attached input devices are hidden or removed leaving the display as the only input mechanism.<ref>{{cite web|last=Crothers |first=Brooke |url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-13924_3-57360734-64/microsoft-lays-out-window-8-tablet-hardware-requirements/ |title=Microsoft lays out Window 8 tablet hardware requirements | Nanotech - The Circuits Blog - CNET News |publisher=News.cnet.com |date=2012-01-17 |accessdate=2012-04-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Newman |first=Jared |url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/248279/windows_8_tablet_requirements_revealed.html |title=Windows 8 Tablet Requirements Revealed |publisher=PCWorld |date=2012-01-17 |accessdate=2012-04-22}}</ref> | |||
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:auto" | |||
|+ Hardware certification requirements for Windows tablets<ref>{{cite web|url=http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/hardware/hh748200.aspx |title=Windows 8 Hardware Certification Requirements |publisher=Msdn.microsoft.com |date= |accessdate=2012-04-22}}</ref> | |||
|- | |- | ||
!] capacity | |||
! ] | |||
| 20 GB | |||
| DirectX 10 graphics device with WDDM 1.2 or higher driver | |||
| 40 GB | |||
|- | |- | ||
!HDD free space | |||
! ] | |||
|colspan = "2" | 15 GB | |||
| 10GB free space, after the out-of-box experience completes | |||
|- | |- | ||
!Optical drives | |||
! Standard buttons | |||
|colspan = "2" | ] drive<ref>Any optical drive that can read DVD-ROM media.</ref> (Only to install from DVD-ROM media) | |||
| 'Power', 'Rotation lock', 'Windows Key', 'Volume-up', 'Volume-down' | |||
|- | |- | ||
| colspan=3 | {{note|1|1}} Even though this is Microsoft's stated minimum processor speed for Windows Vista, it is possible to install and run the operating system on early ] processors such as a Intel Pentium II/III and older Celeron and AMD Athlon (K7 and Thunderbird), K6/K6-2/K6-III and AMD K5 with or without SSE instructions. Windows Vista is not compatible with processors older than Pentium II (such as Original Pentium and Pentium MMX) because it requires a i686 (Intel) or RISC86 (AMD) Compliant Processors with an ACPI Compliant motherboard). | |||
! ] | |||
|} | |||
| ] supporting a minimum of 5-point digitizers and resolution of at least 1366x768. The physical dimensions of the display panel must match the aspect ratio of the native resolution. The native resolution of the panel can be greater than 1366 (horizontally) and 768 (vertically). Minimum native color depth is 32-bits. | |||
===Physical memory limits=== | |||
Maximum limits on ] (RAM) that Windows Vista can address vary depending on the both the Windows version and between 32-bit and 64-bit versions.<ref name="RAMlimitWindows">{{cite web|url=http://www.crucial.com/kb/answer.aspx?qid=3743 |title=What is the maximum amount of RAM the Windows operating system can handle? |publisher=Crucial |accessdate=June 26, 2010}}</ref> The following table specifies the maximum physical memory limits supported: | |||
{| class="wikitable" cellspacing="3" cellpadding="0" style="margin:auto; text-align:center;" | |||
|+ <big>Physical memory limits for Windows Vista versions</big><ref name="RAMlimitWindows"/> | |||
! Version !! Limit in 32-bit Windows!! Limit in 64-bit Windows | |||
|- | |- | ||
| Windows Vista Ultimate || rowspan="5" | 4 GB || rowspan="3" | 128 GB | |||
! ] | |||
| Minimum 720p | |||
|- | |- | ||
| Windows Vista Enterprise | |||
! ] | |||
| 1–30k lux capable with dynamic range of 5–60K | |||
|- | |- | ||
| Windows Vista Business | |||
! ] | |||
| 3 axes with data rates at or above 50 Hz | |||
|- | |- | ||
| Windows Vista Home Premium || 16GB | |||
! ] | |||
| At least one controller and exposed port. | |||
|- | |- | ||
| Windows Vista Home Basic || 8GB | |||
! Connect | |||
| ] and ] | |||
|- | |- | ||
| Windows Vista Starter || 1 GB || {{N/A}}<!--There is no Windows Vista Starter 64-bit.--> | |||
! Other | |||
| ], ], ] and ]. | |||
If a mobile broadband device is integrated into a tablet or convertible system, then an ] radio is required. | |||
Devices supporting ] need to have visual marks to help users locate and use the proximity technology. | |||
The new button combination for Ctrl + Alt + Del is Windows Key + Power. | |||
|} | |} | ||
=== |
===Processor limits=== | ||
The total maximum number of logical processors<ref>A logical processor is either: 1) One of the two handlers of thread of instructions of one of the number of cores of one of the number of physical processors with support for HyperThreading; or 2) One of the number of cores of one of the number of physical processors without support for HyperThreading.</ref> in a PC that Windows Vista supports is: 32<ref>32 cores without support for HyperThreading, 16 cores with support for HyperThreading.</ref> for 32-bit; 64<ref>64 cores without support for HyperThreading, 32 cores with support for HyperThreading.</ref> for 64-bit.<ref>. Msdn.microsoft.com. Retrieved on October 14, 2011.</ref> | |||
{{See also|Unified Extensible Firmware Interface#Secure boot|Hardware restrictions#Windows 8}} | |||
The maximum number of physical processors in a PC that Windows Vista supports is: 2 for Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate, and 1 for Starter, Home Basic, and Home Premium.<ref>. Social.answers.microsoft.com (2010-10-24). Retrieved on October 14, 2011.</ref> | |||
Secure boot is a feature of ] that can verify the integrity of operating system files using ], preventing unauthorized programs from running at boot time.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/hardware/br259114.aspx |title=Hardware Design and Development for Windows 8 |work=] |publisher=Microsoft |date=21 December 2011 |accessdate=3 August 2012}}</ref> Support for this feature in Windows 8, however, has proven controversial.<ref>{{cite news|last=Garling |first=Caleb |url=http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2011/09/windows-8-secure-boot-sparks-linux-furor-and-a-microsoft-response/ |title=Windows 8 Secure Boot Sparks Linux Furor, and a Microsoft Response |work=] |publisher=Condé Nast |date=23 September 2011 |accessdate=3 August 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Jon |last=Brodkin |url=http://arstechnica.com/business/news/2012/01/microsoft-mandating-secure-boot-on-arm-making-linux-installs-difficult.ars |title=Microsoft mandating Secure Boot on ARM, making Linux installs difficult |work=] |publisher=Condé Nast |date=16 January 2012 |accessdate=3 August 2012}}</ref><ref name=autogenerated2>{{cite web |url=http://www.theverge.com/microsoft/2012/1/16/2710502/microsoft-secure-boot-windows-8-arm |title=Windows 8 ARM devices won't have the option to switch off Secure Boot |first=Tom |last=Warren |work=The Verge |date=16 January 2012 |accessdate=3 August 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/248342/windows_8_secure_boot_the_controversy_continues.html |title=Windows 8 Secure Boot: The Controversy Continues |work=PCWorld |publisher=IDG |first=Katherine |last=Noyes |date=18 January 2012 |accessdate=3 August 2012}}</ref> | |||
==Service packs== | |||
Hardware makers who choose the optional Microsoft Certification are required to implement UEFI secure boot. Microsoft also requires that manufacturers offer the ability to turn off the secure boot feature on ] hardware,<ref name="Win8_Req"/> but they must not offer such an option on ]. No mandate is made regarding the installation of third-party certificates that would enable running alternative software.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.computerworlduk.com/open-enterprise/2012/01/is-microsoft-blocking-linux-booting-on-arm-based-hardware/index.htm|title=Is Microsoft Blocking Linux Booting on ARM Hardware?|author=Glyn Moody|date=12 January 2012|publisher=Computerworld UK}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.computerworld.com/19577/why_microsoft_should_lift_the_possible_ban_on_linux_booting_on_windows_arm_devices |title=Why Microsoft should lift the possible ban on Linux booting on Windows 8 ARM devices - Computerworld Blogs |publisher=Blogs.computerworld.com |date=2012-01-13 |accessdate=2012-01-27}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=James Niccolai |url=http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9223446/Windows_8_on_ARM_You_can_look_but_you_can_t_touch |title=Windows 8 on ARM: You can look but you can't touch |publisher=Computerworld |date=2012-01-13 |accessdate=2012-01-27}}</ref> | |||
Microsoft occasionally releases ]s for its Windows operating systems to fix bugs and add new features. | |||
===Service Pack 1=== | |||
In September 2011, Matthew Garrett, an employee of competitor ], raised the possible risk of Microsoft locking out alternative systems,<ref>{{cite web|author=02:01 pm |url=http://mjg59.dreamwidth.org/5552.html |title=mjg59 | UEFI secure booting |publisher=Mjg59.dreamwidth.org |date=2011-09-20 |accessdate=2012-01-27}}</ref> leading to media coverage.<ref>{{cite web|last=Brodkin |first=Jon |url=http://arstechnica.com/business/news/2011/09/windows-8-secure-boot-will-complicate-linux-installs.ars |title=Windows 8 secure boot could complicate Linux installs |publisher=Arstechnica.com |date=2011-09-21 |accessdate=2012-01-27}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Leyden |first=John |url=http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/09/21/secure_boot_firmware_linux_exclusion_fears/ |title=Windows 8 secure boot would 'exclude' Linux |publisher=The Register |date=2011-09-21 |accessdate=2012-09-09}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Noyes |first=Katherine |url=http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/240685/linux_and_windows_8s_secure_boot_what_we_know_so_far.html |title=Linux and Windows 8's Secure Boot: What We Know So Far | PCWorld Business Center |publisher=Pcworld.com |date= |accessdate=2012-01-27}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Baxter |first=Matthew |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2011/sep/28/windows-8-secure-boot-worry |title=Why the Windows 8 UEFI secure boot thing has me worried | Technology |publisher=guardian.co.uk |date=2011-09-28 |accessdate=2012-01-27 |location=London}}</ref> Microsoft addressed the issue in a blog post,<ref name="cnet-win8sb">{{cite web |url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-20111545-75/microsoft-addresses-windows-8-secure-boot-issue/ |title=Microsoft addresses Windows 8 secure boot issue |author=Lance Whitney |date=26 September 2011 |publisher=Cnet |accessdate=17 October 2011}}</ref> stating that ''"At the end of the day, the customer is in control of their PC. Microsoft’s philosophy is to provide customers with the best experience first, and allow them to make decisions themselves"'',<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/2011/09/22/protecting-the-pre-os-environment-with-uefi.aspx |title=Protecting the pre-OS environment with UEFI |author=Tony Mangefeste |date=22 September 2011 |publisher=MSDN Blogs |accessdate=17 October 2011 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/69p0SYX8t |archivedate=August 10, 2012}}</ref> with the promise that disabling SecureBoot on Windows 8 devices would be possible.<ref name="cnet-win8sb"/><ref>{{cite web|last=Foley |first=Mary Jo |url=http://www.zdnet.com/blog/microsoft/microsoft-dont-blame-us-if-windows-8s-secure-boot-requirement-blocks-linux-dual-boot/10781 |title=Microsoft: Don't blame us if Windows 8's secure boot requirement blocks Linux dual-boot |publisher=ZDNet |date=2011-09-23 |accessdate=2012-09-09}}</ref> In January 2012, Microsoft released certification requirements for Windows 8 specifying that non-ARM devices must have ''"the ability to disable Secure Boot"'', whereas for ARM-based devices, disabling Secure Boot ''"must not be possible."''<ref name=autogenerated2 /><ref name="Win8_Req">{{cite web |url=http://download.microsoft.com/download/A/D/F/ADF5BEDE-C0FB-4CC0-A3E1-B38093F50BA1/windows8-hardware-cert-requirements-system.pdf |title=Windows Hardware Certification Requirements |date=May 9, 2012 |page=121 |quote=''On non-ARM systems, it is required to implement the ability to disable Secure Boot via firmware setup.'' ... ''Disabling Secure Boot must not be possible on ARM systems.''}}</ref><ref name=autogenerated4>{{cite web|first=Glyn |last=Moody |url=http://blogs.computerworlduk.com/open-enterprise/2012/01/is-microsoft-blocking-linux-booting-on-arm-based-hardware/index.htm |title=Is Microsoft Blocking Linux Booting on ARM Hardware? |work=Computerworld UK blogs |publisher=] |date=12 January 2012 |accessdate=9 September 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.osnews.com/story/25507/Microsoft_Forces_OEMs_To_Lock_Devices_Into_Windows_8_Using_UEFI|title=Microsoft Forces OEMs To Lock Devices Into Windows 8 Using UEFI|author=Thom Holwerda|publisher=OSNews|date=13 January 2012|accessdate=16 September 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Wallen |first=Jack |url=http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/opensource/microsoft-back-to-dirty-pool-with-uefi-secure-boot/3349 |title=Microsoft back to dirty pool with UEFI Secure Boot |publisher=TechRepublic |date=2012-01-17 |accessdate=2012-04-22}}</ref> By prohibiting Windows 8 from running on ARM systems that allow the user to disable Secure Boot, Microsoft raised concerns,<ref>{{cite web|last=Brockmeier |first=Joe |url=http://www.readwriteweb.com/enterprise/2012/01/microsoft-says-no-to-disabling.php |title=Microsoft Says No to Disabling UEFI Secure Boot on ARM |publisher=Readwriteweb.com |date=2012-01-13 |accessdate=2012-01-27}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.osnews.com/story/25507/Microsoft_Forces_OEMs_To_Lock_Devices_Into_Windows_8_Using_UEFI |title=Microsoft Forces OEMs To Lock Devices Into Windows 8 Using UEFI |work=OS News |date=January 2012}}</ref><ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite web|url=http://www.zdnet.com/blog/hardware/why-is-microsoft-locking-out-all-other-oses-from-windows-8-arm-pcs-devices/17736 |title=Why is Microsoft locking out all other OSes from Windows 8 ARM PCs & devices? |publisher=ZDNet |date= |accessdate=2012-01-27}}</ref> particularly in the ] community, who are concerned that this marks an attempt by Microsoft to exclude competing operating systems from computers built to be compatible with Windows 8.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2011/09/windows-8-secure-boot-sparks-linux-furor-and-a-microsoft-response/ | work=Wired | first=Caleb | last=Garling | title=Windows 8 Secure Boot Sparks Linux Furor, and a Microsoft Response | date=September 23, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2011/09/microsoft-attempt-address-windows-8-linux-worries/ |title=Microsoft Attempt to Address Windows 8 ‘Linux Worries’ |publisher=] |date=2011-10-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2012/01/microsoft-to-prevent-linux-booting-on-arm-hardware/ |title=Microsoft to Prevent Linux Booting on ARM Hardware? |publisher=Omgubuntu.co.uk |date=2012-01-13 |accessdate=2012-01-27}}</ref> | |||
Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) was released on February 4, 2008, alongside ] to ] partners, after a five-month beta test period. The initial deployment of the service pack caused a number of machines to continually reboot, rendering the machines unusable.<ref>{{cite news | |||
| url = http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1197 | |||
| publisher = ] | |||
| title = No update from Microsoft on Vista SP1, Media Center problems | |||
| date = February 18, 2008 | |||
| accessdate =October 8, 2008 | |||
}}</ref> This caused Microsoft to temporarily suspend automatic deployment of the service pack until the problem was resolved. The synchronized release date of the two operating systems reflected the merging of the workstation and server ] back into a single ] for the first time since ]. ] subscribers were able to download SP1 on February 15, 2008. SP1 became available to current Windows Vista users on ] and the Download Center on March 18, 2008.<ref>{{cite news | |||
| url = http://windowsvistablog.com/blogs/windowsvista/archive/2008/02/04/announcing-the-rtm-of-windows-vista-sp1.aspx | |||
| publisher = ] | |||
| title = Announcing the RTM of Windows Vista SP1 | |||
| date = February 4, 2008 | |||
| accessdate =February 4, 2008 | |||
}}</ref><ref name = "sp1whitepaper">{{cite news | |||
| url = http://windowsvistablog.com/blogs/windowsvista/pages/windows-vista-service-pack-1-beta-whitepaper.aspx | |||
| publisher = ] | |||
| title = Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Beta White Paper | |||
| date = August 29, 2007 | |||
| accessdate =August 29, 2007 | |||
| page = 1 | |||
}}</ref><ref name="Fried">{{cite news | |||
| url = http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,142054-c,vistalonghorn/article.html | |||
| title = Feb. Launch Now Set for Windows Vista SP1 | |||
| date = January 31, 2008 | |||
| accessdate =January 31, 2008 | |||
| publisher = ] Magazine | |||
}}</ref> Initially, the service pack only supported 5 languages – English, French, Spanish, German and Japanese. Support for the remaining 31 languages was released on April 14, 2008.<ref>. Microsoft.com (2008-04-14). Retrieved on October 14, 2011.</ref> | |||
A whitepaper published by Microsoft near the end of August 2007 outlined the scope and intent of the service pack, identifying three major areas of improvement: reliability and performance, administration experience, and support for newer hardware and standards. | |||
] has resolved this issue by purchasing a security key from VeriSign for US$99.<ref>{{cite web|last=Garrett|first=Matthew|title=Implementing UEFI Secure Boot in Fedora|url=http://mjg59.dreamwidth.org/12368.html|accessdate=17 June 2012|date=1 June 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Vaughan |first=Steven J. |url=http://www.zdnet.com/blog/open-source/linus-torvalds-on-windows-8-uefi-and-fedora/11187 |title=Linus Torvalds on Windows 8, UEFI, and Fedora |work=ZDNet Blogs |publisher=] |date=10 June 2012 |accessdate=9 September 2012}}</ref> The ] has commented on the issue,<ref>{{cite news|last=Paul |first=Ryan |url=http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2012/07/fsf-criticizes-secure-boot-raises-concerns-about-distro-implementations/ |title=FSF criticizes secure boot, raises concerns about distro implementations |work=] |publisher=Condé Nast |date=3 July 2012 |accessdate=9 September 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.h-online.com/open/news/item/The-FSF-weighs-in-on-UEFI-Secure-Boot-1631267.html |title=The FSF weighs in on UEFI Secure Boot |work=The H Open |publisher=Heise Media UK |date=3 July 2012 |accessdate=9 September 2012}}</ref> covering the use of ] and both Ubuntu and Fedora's approaches.<ref>{{cite web|first=John |last=Sullivan |url=https://www.fsf.org/campaigns/secure-boot-vs-restricted-boot/whitepaper-web |title=Free Software Foundation recommendations for free operating system distributions considering Secure Boot |publisher=Free Software Foundation |date=30 July 2012 |accessdate=9 September 2012}}</ref> | |||
One area of particular note is performance. Areas of improvement include file copy operations, hibernation, logging off on domain-joined machines, JavaScript parsing in Internet Explorer, network file share browsing,<ref name="sp1whitepaper" /> Windows Explorer ZIP file handling,<ref>{{cite web | |||
== Software compatibility == | |||
| url = http://blogs.technet.com/markrussinovich/archive/2007/08/07/1715181.aspx | |||
] in Windows 8]] | |||
| title = The Case of the Failed File Compression | |||
| author = Mark Russinovich | |||
| authorlink = Mark Russinovich | |||
| date = August 7, 2007 | |||
| work = Mark's Blog | |||
| publisher = MSDN Blogs | |||
}}</ref> and ].<ref>{{cite web | |||
| url = http://blogs.technet.com/filecab/archive/2007/01/26/don-t-judge-a-book-by-its-cover-why-windows-vista-defrag-is-cool.aspx | |||
| title = Don’t judge a book by its cover–why Windows Vista Defrag is cool | |||
| date = January 26, 2007 | |||
| accessdate =April 6, 2007 | |||
| work = The Filing Cabinet | |||
| publisher = MSDN Blogs | |||
}}</ref> The ability to choose individual drives to defragment is being reintroduced as well.<ref name="sp1whitepaper" /> | |||
Service Pack 1 introduced support for some new hardware and software standards, notably the ] file system,<ref name="sp1whitepaper" /> ] wireless networking,<ref name="SP1APIChanges">{{cite web | |||
Windows 8 for ] and ] processors runs most software compatible with previous versions of Windows, with the same restrictions as Windows 7: 64-bit Windows 8 runs 64-bit and 32-bit software while 32-bit Windows 8 will be able to run 32-bit and 16-bit software (although some 16-bit software may require compatibility settings to be applied, or not work at all). | |||
| url = http://www.istartedsomething.com/20070722/vista-sp1-api-msdn-library/ | |||
| title = Collection of published Vista SP1 API changes from MSDN | |||
| first = Long | |||
| last = Zheng | |||
| date=July 22, 2007 | |||
| accessdate=July 23, 2007}}</ref> IPv6 over ] connections,<ref name="SP1APIChanges" /> and the ]. | |||
Booting a system using ] on ] systems was also introduced;<ref name="sp1whitepaper" /> this feature had originally been slated for the initial release of Vista but was delayed due to a lack of compatible hardware at the time. Booting from a ]–based hard drive greater than 2.19 TB is supported (x64 only).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/hardware/gg463525 |title=Windows and GPT FAQ |publisher=Msdn.microsoft.com |date=June 15, 2011 |accessdate=February 4, 2012}}</ref><ref>It is possible only when installing from installation DVD of Windows Vista x64 with its service pack 1 integrated.</ref> | |||
], a version of Windows 8 for systems with ], only supports applications included with the system (such as a special version of ]), supplied through Windows Update, or Windows Store apps. Windows RT does not support running existing IA-32 or x64 desktop applications to ensure the quality of apps available on ARM.<ref name="b8-20120209">{{cite web|url=http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/2012/02/09/building-windows-for-the-arm-processor-architecture.aspx|title=Building Windows for the ARM processor architecture |publisher=Microsoft |date=February 9, 2012 |accessdate=February 14, 2012}}</ref> Windows Store apps can either be cross-compatible between Windows 8 and Windows RT, or compiled to support a specific architecture.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/2011/09/13/welcome-to-windows-8-the-developer-preview.aspx|title=Welcome to Windows 8 - The Developer Preview|publisher=Microsoft|accessdate=11 March 2012}}</ref> | |||
Two areas have seen changes in SP1 that have come as the result of concerns from software vendors. One of these is desktop search; users will be able to change the default ] program to one provided by a third party instead of the Microsoft desktop search program that comes with Windows Vista, and desktop search programs will be able to seamlessly tie in their services into the operating system.<ref name="Fried" /> These changes come in part due to complaints from ], whose ] application was hindered by the presence of Vista's built-in desktop search. In June 2007, Google claimed that the changes being introduced for SP1 "are a step in the right direction, but they should be improved further to give consumers greater access to alternate desktop search providers".<ref>{{cite web | |||
== Editions == | |||
| url = http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070621-google-says-vista-search-changes-not-enough.html | |||
{{main|Windows 8 editions}} | |||
| title = Google says Vista search changes not enough | |||
Windows 8 is available in four editions; the two main editions available for retail sale are simply Windows 8 (which is intended for mainstream consumers) and Windows 8 Pro (which contains additional features aimed towards ]s and enthusiasts).<ref name="Blogging Windows ">{{cite web|url=http://windowsteamblog.com/windows/b/bloggingwindows/archive/2012/04/16/announcing-the-windows-8-editions.aspx |title=Announcing the Windows 8 Editions |publisher=Microsoft|date=April 16, 2012 |accessdate=April 17, 2012}}</ref> Windows 8 Enterprise contains additional features aimed towards business environments, and is only available through ].<ref name="Blogging Windows"/> ] will no longer be included by default in any edition of Windows 8, but will still be available for purchase as an add-on for Windows 8 Pro.<ref name="microsoftrevealsprice">{{cite web | url=http://www.informationweek.com/news/windows/microsoft_news/240003119 | title=Microsoft Reveals Windows 8 Upgrade Price | publisher=InformationWeek | date=July 3, 2012 | accessdate=July 4, 2012 | author=Paul McDougall}}</ref> ] will only be made available as pre-loaded software on new ARM-based devices built specifically for the OS.<ref name="Blogging Windows "/> | |||
| author = Ken Fisher | |||
| publisher = Ars Technica | |||
| date = June 21, 2007 | |||
| accessdate =October 20, 2007 | |||
}}</ref> The other area of note is a set of new security ] being introduced for the benefit of ] that currently relies on the unsupported practice of patching the kernel (''see ]'').<ref>{{cite news | |||
| url = http://www.betanews.com/article/Vista_SP1_to_Include_Common_Security_APIs_for_Partners/1161305514 | |||
| title = Vista SP1 to Include Common Security APIs for Partners | |||
| date=October 19, 2006 | |||
| accessdate =June 12, 2007 | |||
| author = Fulton, Scott M., III | |||
| publisher = BetaNews | |||
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | |||
| url=http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=4C7561E6-6F9D-4125-8A8C-AEAF8E3342B9&displaylang=en | |||
| title = Kernel Patch Protection Criteria Evaluation Document | |||
| date=December 19, 2006 | |||
| accessdate =June 12, 2007 | |||
| publisher = ] | |||
}}</ref> | |||
An update to DirectX 10, named DirectX 10.1,<ref name="sp1whitepaper" /> marked mandatory several features that were previously optional in Direct3D 10 hardware. Graphics cards will be required to support DirectX 10.1.<ref>{{cite web | |||
Users will be able to purchase an upgrade to Windows 8 online (using a download that can be optionally burned to a DVD), or through boxed copies at retail on ]. Microsoft will offer upgrades from previous versions of Windows to Windows 8 Pro at a discounted price of $39.99 ] ($69.99 at retail) from its launch until January 31, 2013.<ref name="windowsblog8upgrade">{{cite web | url=http://windowsteamblog.com/windows/b/bloggingwindows/archive/2012/07/02/upgrade-to-windows-8-pro-for-39-99.aspx/ | title=Upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for $39.99 | publisher=The Windows Blog | date=July 2, 2012 | accessdate=July 29, 2012 | author=Microsoft}}</ref><ref name="15dollarupgradeconfirmed">{{cite web | url=http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9227649/Update_Microsoft_confirms_15_Windows_8_upgrade | title=Update: Microsoft confirms $15 Windows 8 upgrade | publisher=Computer World | date=July 1, 2012 | accessdate=July 4, 2012 | author=Gregg Keizer}}</ref> Windows 8's initial pricing is notably lower than the retail prices for past versions of Windows.<ref name="microsoftrevealsprice"/> | |||
| url = http://arstechnica.com/journals/microsoft.ars/2007/08/09/microsoft-releases-information-on-upcoming-dx10-1-update | |||
| title = Microsoft releases information on upcoming D3D 10.1 update | |||
| first = Joel | |||
| last = Hruska | |||
| date=August 9, 2007 | |||
| accessdate =August 10, 2008 | |||
}}</ref> SP1 includes a kernel (6001.18000) that matches the version shipped with Windows Server 2008. | |||
The ] Management Console (GPMC) was replaced by the Group Policy Object Editor. An updated downloadable version of the Group Policy Management Console was released soon after the service pack. | |||
Microsoft will also offer an upgrade program for those purchasing new PCs with Windows 7 Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional, or Ultimate pre-loaded between June 2, 2012, and January 31, 2013{{emdash}}in which users will be able to digitally purchase a Windows 8 Pro upgrade for $14.99 USD.<ref name="paulthurrottleak">{{cite web | url=http://www.winsupersite.com/blog/supersite-blog-39/windows8/windows-8-pro-pc-upgrade-cost-15-143077 | title=Windows 8 Pro PC Upgrade Cost Is Just $15 | publisher=Paul Thurrott's Supersite for Windows | date=May 14, 2012 | accessdate=July 4, 2012 | author=Paul Thurrott}}</ref> The Windows Media Center add-on will also be offered for free through this offer.<ref name="microsoftrevealsprice"/> Several PC manufacturers have offered ]s and refunds on Windows 8 upgrades obtained through the program on select models, such as ] (in the U.S. and Canada on select models), and ] (in Europe on selected ] models).<ref name=pcmag-acerup>{{cite web|title=Acer Offering Free Windows 8 Pro Upgrades for Ultrabook Buyers|url=http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2407108,00.asp|publisher=PC Magazine|accessdate=18 September 2012}}</ref> <ref name=ts-hpwin8>{{cite web|title=HP offering Windows 8 upgrade refund on select PCs|url=http://www.techspot.com/news/49931-hp-offering-windows-8-upgrade-refund-on-select-pcs.html|publisher=TechSpot|accessdate=18 September 2012}}</ref> | |||
SP1 enables support for hotpatching, a reboot-reduction servicing technology designed to maximize uptime. It works by allowing Windows components to be updated (or "patched") while they are still in use by a running process. Hotpatch-enabled update packages are installed via the same methods as traditional update packages, and will not trigger a system reboot.<ref name="technetnotablesp1">{{cite web | |||
== Logo == | |||
|url=http://technet2.microsoft.com/WindowsVista/en/library/005f921e-f706-401e-abb5-eec42ea0a03e1033.mspx?mfr=true | |||
On February 18, 2012, Microsoft confirmed that in Windows 8 the Windows logo will be significantly updated to reflect the new ] design language. The logo was designed by ] partner ]. The formerly flag-shaped logo has been transformed into four window panes, perspective was added, and the entire logo will be rendered in a single solid color, which will depend on the user's personalization changes.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://windowsteamblog.com/windows/b/bloggingwindows/archive/2012/02/17/redesigning-the-windows-logo.aspx |title=Redesigning the Windows Logo |date=February 17, 2012 |accessdate=February 18, 2012}}</ref> | |||
|title=Notable Changes in Vista Service Pack 1 | |||
|accessdate=May 2, 2008 | |||
|publisher=] | |||
}}</ref> | |||
== |
===Service Pack 2=== | ||
Service Pack 2 for Windows Vista was released to manufacturing on April 28, 2009,<ref>{{cite web | url = http://windowsteamblog.com/blogs/windowsvista/archive/2009/04/28/windows-vista-sp2-rtm-windows-vista-sp1-blocker-tool-removed.aspx | title = Windows Vista SP2 RTM + Windows Vista SP1 Blocker Tool Removed | work = The Windows Blog | first = Brandon | last = LeBlanc | date = April 28, 2009}}</ref> and released to Microsoft Download Center and Windows Update on May 26, 2009.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://news.softpedia.com/news/Windows-Vista-Service-Pack-2-SP2-RTM-Download-112541.shtml | title = Download Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (SP2) RTM | work = ] | first = Marius | last = Oiaga | date = May 26, 2009}}</ref> In addition to a number of security and other fixes, a number of new features have been added. However, it did not include Internet Explorer 8:<ref name="Nash">{{cite news |url= http://windowsvistablog.com/blogs/windowsvista/archive/2008/10/24/windows-vista-service-pack-2-beta.aspx |date=October 24, 2008 |title=Windows Vista Team Blog : Windows Vista Service Pack 2 Beta |author=Mike Nash |accessdate=October 24, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://support.microsoft.com/kb/948465 |title=Information about Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 and Windows Vista Service Pack 2 |publisher=] |date=October 2, 2008 |accessdate=October 17, 2008}}</ref> Windows Vista Service Pack 2 is build 6002.18005.090410-1830.<ref name="WindowsVista" /> | |||
{{portal|Microsoft}} | |||
* ].0 (currently available for SP1 systems as a standalone update) | |||
* ] | |||
* Feature Pack for Wireless adds support for ] | |||
* ] | |||
* Windows Feature Pack for Storage enables the data recording onto ] media | |||
* ] | |||
* ] to simplify ] configuration | |||
* ] | |||
* Improved support for resuming with active Wi-Fi connections | |||
{{clear}} | |||
* Enables the ] ] to support ] timestamps, which allows correct file synchronisation across time zones | |||
* Support for ICCD/CCID ]s | |||
* Support for ] | |||
* Improves audio and video performance for streaming high-definition content | |||
* Improves ] (WMC) in content protection for TV<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.techarp.com/showarticle.aspx?artno=605&pgno=0#vista_new |date=February 6, 2009 |title=What's New In Windows Vista SP2? |accessdate=February 6, 2009}}</ref> | |||
* Provides an improved power management policy that is up to 10% more efficient than the original in some{{clarify|date=February 2011}} configurations{{citation needed|date=February 2011}} | |||
Windows Vista and ] share a single service pack binary, reflecting the fact that their code bases were joined with the release of Server 2008.<ref name="Nash"/> Service Pack 2 is not a cumulative update meaning that Service Pack 1 must be installed first. | |||
== References == | |||
{{Reflist|30em}} | |||
====Platform Update==== | |||
== External links == | |||
The ''Platform Update for Windows Vista'' was released on October 27, 2009. It includes major new components that shipped with ], as well as updated runtime libraries.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971644 | title = Description of the Platform Update for Windows Server 2008 and the Platform Update for Windows Vista | work = Microsoft Support | date = October 27, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://blogs.msdn.com/directx/archive/2009/09/10/windows-7-transition-pack-for-windows-vista.aspx | title = The Platform Update for Windows Vista | work = DirectX Developer Blog | date = September 10, 2009}}</ref> It requires Service Pack 2 of Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008 and is listed on ] as a ''Recommended'' download. | |||
{{Commons category|Microsoft Windows 8}} | |||
* {{official website|http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/release-preview}} | |||
The Platform Update allows application developers to target both Windows Vista and Windows 7. It consists of the following components: | |||
{{Microsoft Windows family}} | |||
* ''Windows Graphics'' runtime: ], ], ], ] 1.1, and ]; | |||
* Updates to ]; | |||
* Updates to ] Print API, XPS Document API and XPS Rasterization Service; | |||
* ''Windows Automation API'' (updates to ] and ]); | |||
* ''Windows Portable Devices Platform''; (adds support for ] over Bluetooth and MTP Device Services) | |||
* Windows ] API; | |||
* ''Animation Manager Library''. | |||
Some updates will also be available as separate releases for both Windows XP and Windows Vista: | |||
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2010}} | |||
* ''Windows Management Framework'': ] 2.0, ''Windows Remote Management'' 2.0, ] 4.0 | |||
* ] 7.0 (RDP7) client | |||
Although extensive, the Platform Update does not bring Windows Vista to the level of features and performance offered by Windows 7.<ref name="DXPlatformUpdate" /> For example, even though Direct3D 11 runtime will be able to run on D3D9-class hardware and WDDM drivers using "feature levels" first introduced in Direct3D 10.1, Desktop Window Manager has not been updated to use Direct3D 10.1.<ref name="DXPlatformUpdate">{{cite web | url=http://blogs.msdn.com/directx/archive/2009/11/18/internet-explorer-announces-to-use-directwrite-direct2d.aspx | title=Internet Explorer announces to use DirectWrite & Direct2D (comment from Microsoft official) | date=November 25, 2009 | author=Mark Lawrence}}</ref> | |||
] | |||
] | |||
Microsoft also has released Platform Update Supplement for Windows Vista and for Windows Server 2008 (KB2117917),<ref>. Support.microsoft.com (2011-02-08). Retrieved on October 14, 2011.</ref> which brings many Direct2D and DirectWrite fixes from Windows 7 SP1 to Windows Vista SP2 with Platform Update installed. Another update, KB2505189<ref>. Support.microsoft.com (2011-08-22). Retrieved on October 14, 2011.</ref> fixes another DirectWrite bug on Vista SP2 with Platform Update. | |||
==Marketing campaign== | |||
===The Mojave Experiment=== | |||
{{Main|The Mojave Experiment}} | |||
In July 2008, Microsoft introduced a web-based advertising campaign called the "Mojave Experiment", that depicts a group of people who are asked to evaluate the newest operating system from Microsoft, calling it Windows 'Mojave'. Participants are first asked about Vista, if they have used it, and their overall satisfaction with Vista on a scale of 1 to 10. They are then shown a demo of some of the new operating system's features, and asked their opinion and satisfaction with it on the same 1 to 10 scale. After respondents rate "Mojave", they are then told that they were really shown a demo of Windows Vista. The object was to test "A theory: If people could see Windows Vista firsthand, they would like it." According to Microsoft, the initial sample of respondents rated Vista an average of 4.4 out of 10, and Mojave received an average of 8.5, with no respondents rating Mojave lower than they originally rated Windows Vista before the demo.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mojaveexperiment.com/ |title=The Mojave Experiment |publisher=Mojaveexperiment.com |accessdate=October 2, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.microsoft.com/nz/digitallife/software/mojave_experiment_windows_vista.mspx |title=The Mojave Experiment: Microsoft Windows Vista }}</ref> The "experiment" has been criticized for deliberate selection of positive statements and not addressing all aspects of Vista.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/04/technology/04vista.html|title=Blog Posts Poke Holes in ‘Taste Test’ by Microsoft|accessdate=April 8, 2009|author=The New York Times|date=August 4, 2008}}</ref> | |||
==Reception== | |||
A ] research report predicted that Vista business adoption in 2008 would overtake that of XP during the same time frame (21.3% vs. 16.9%)<ref>{{cite web|first=J. Nicholas |last=Hoover |url=http://www.informationweek.com/news/windows/operatingsystems/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=207600845 |title=Microsoft's Windows Vista Spin Merits Second Look |publisher=InformationWeek |date=May 8, 2008 |accessdate=February 16, 2009}}</ref> while ] had indicated that the launch of ] served as a catalyst for the stronger adoption rates.<ref>{{cite news|author=Al Gillen |coauthors=Brett Waldman |url=http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=211087 |title=Document at a Glance – 211087 |publisher=IDC |date=March 2008 |accessdate=February 16, 2009}}{{dead link|date=February 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Shane O'Neill |url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/153089/vista_fights_for_relevancy_against_poor_sales_xp_windows_7.html |title=Vista Fights for Relevancy Against Poor Sales, XP, Windows 7 |publisher=PC World |date=October 30, 2008 |accessdate=February 16, 2009}}</ref> As of January 2009, ] had indicated that almost one third of North American and European corporations had started deploying Vista.<ref>{{cite web | |||
|url=http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/159153/vista_makes_converts_of_gamers_enterprises.html?tk=nl_wvxnws | |||
|title=Vista Makes Converts of Gamers, Enterprises | |||
|date=February 7, 2009 | |||
|accessdate=February 9, 2009 | |||
|last=Lai | |||
|first=Eric | |||
|publisher=PC World | |||
}}</ref> At a May 2009 conference, a Microsoft Vice President said "Adoption and deployment of Windows Vista has been slightly ahead of where we had been with XP" for big businesses.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9133643 | title = Microsoft: Vista's enterprise momentum will 'accrue' for Windows 7 | work = ] | first = Eric | last = Lai | date = May 28, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.microsoft.com/msft/download/transcripts/fy09/Cowan_and_Company_Tami_Reller_05282009.doc | title = Cowen and Company Technology Media & Telecom Conference | first = Tami | last = Reller | date = May 28, 2009 | format = ]}}</ref> | |||
In its first year of availability, '']'' rated it as the biggest tech disappointment of 2007,<ref>{{cite web | |||
| url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,140583-page,5-c,techindustrytrends/article.html | |||
| title = The 15 Biggest Tech Disappointments of 2007 | |||
| date=December 16, 2007 | |||
| accessdate =December 18, 2007 | |||
| work = PC World | |||
| publisher=IDG | |||
| author=Dan Tynan}}: listed as No. 1 of "The 15 Biggest Tech Disappointments of 2007"</ref> and it was rated by ] as No. 2 of Tech's all-time 25 flops.<ref>{{cite web | |||
| url=http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/01/21/03FE-25-tech-failures_6.html | |||
| title = Tech's all-time top 25 flops | |||
| date=January 21, 2008 | |||
| accessdate =January 27, 2008 | |||
| work = InfoWorld | |||
| publisher=IDG | |||
| author=Neil McAllister}}</ref> The internet-usage ] for Windows Vista after two years of availability, in January 2009, was 20.61%. This figure combined with World Internet Users and Population Stats yielded a user base of roughly 330 million,<ref name="internetworldusers"/> which exceeded Microsoft's two-year post launch expectations by 130 million.<ref name="windowsitpro2006"/> The internet user base reached before the release of its successor (Windows 7) was roughly 400 million according to the same statistical sources. | |||
Within its first month, 20 million copies of Vista were sold, double the amount of Windows XP sales within its first month in October 2001, five years earlier.<ref>. Betanews.com (2007-03-26). Retrieved on October 14, 2011.</ref> Shortly after however, due to Vista's relatively low adoption rates and continued demand for Windows XP, Microsoft continued to sell Windows XP until June 30, 2008, instead of the previously planned date of January 31, 2008.<ref>{{cite web | |||
| url= http://www.news.com/Microsoft-extends-Windows-XPs-stay/2100-1016_3-6210524.html | |||
| title = Microsoft extends Windows XP's stay | |||
| date=September 27, 2007 | |||
| author = Ina Fried, CNET}}</ref> There were reports of Vista users "downgrading" their operating systems, as well as reports of businesses planning to skip Vista.<ref>. Abcnews.go.com (2008-03-20). Retrieved on October 14, 2011.</ref> A study conducted by ChangeWave in March 2008 showed that the percentage of corporate users who were "very satisfied" with Vista was dramatically lower than other operating systems, with Vista at 8%, compared to the 40% who said they were "very satisfied" with Windows XP.<ref name="computerworld1"/> | |||
Amid the negative reviews and reception, there were also significant positive reviews of Vista, most notably among PC gamers and the advantages brought about with DirectX 10, which allows for better gaming performance and more realistic graphics, as well as support for many new capabilities brought about in new video cards and ]s.<ref>. Bit-tech.net (2006-11-30). Retrieved on October 14, 2011.</ref> However, many DirectX 9 games initially showed a drop in frame rate compared to that experienced in Windows XP. | |||
Though in mid-2008, benchmarks suggested that Vista SP1 was on par with (or better than) Windows XP in terms of game performance.<ref>{{cite web | |||
|url=http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,2845,2302500,00.asp | |||
|title=Gaming Performance: Windows Vista SP1 vs. XP SP3 | |||
|date=May 12, 2008 | |||
|accessdate=July 29, 2008 | |||
|last=Durham | |||
|first=Joel | |||
|publisher=extremetech.com | |||
}}{{dead link|date=February 2012}}</ref> | |||
Around the release of Windows 7 in October 2009, a survey by ] indicated that 40.41% of gamers were running DirectX 10 systems. The survey also indicated that DirectX 10 was supported on 83.21% of DirectX10 capable OS’s (Windows Vista, Windows 7 beta and Windows 7 represented 48.56% of the survey) and that 42.27% of these OS’s were 64-bit.<ref>{{cite web | |||
|url=http://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey/ | |||
|title=Steam Hardware Survey | |||
|date=2009-04- | |||
|accessdate=November 2, 2009 | |||
|publisher=Steam | |||
}}</ref> | |||
==Criticism== | |||
{{Main|Criticism of Windows Vista}} | |||
Windows Vista has received a number of negative assessments. Criticism targets include protracted development time (5–6 years), more restrictive licensing terms, the inclusion of a number of technologies aimed at restricting the copying of protected digital media,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://badvista.fsf.org/what-s-wrong-with-microsoft-windows-vista|title=What's wrong with Microsoft Windows Vista?|date=March 6, 2007|accessdate=March 24, 2007|last=Sullivan|first=John|publisher=Bad Vista}}</ref> and the usability of the new ] security technology. Moreover, some concerns have been raised about many PCs meeting "Vista Premium Ready" hardware requirements and Vista's pricing. | |||
===Hardware requirements=== | |||
While Microsoft claimed "nearly all PCs on the market today will run Windows Vista",<ref name="Hwreqts2">{{cite web | |||
| url = http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1843945,00.asp | |||
| title = Will Your PC Run Windows Vista? | |||
| date = August 5, 2005 | |||
| accessdate =August 15, 2006 | |||
| author = Spooner, John G. | |||
| coauthors = Foley, Mary Jo | |||
| publisher = eweek.com | |||
}}</ref> the higher requirements of some of the "premium" features, such as the Aero interface, have had an impact on many upgraders. According to the UK newspaper '']'' in May 2006, the full set of features "would be available to less than 5 percent of Britain’s PC market"; however, this prediction was made several months before Vista was released.<ref name="Judge1">{{cite web | |||
| url = http://business.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,9075-2188681,00.html | |||
| title = Windows revamp 'too advanced for most PCs' | |||
| date=May 20, 2006 | |||
| accessdate =August 15, 2006 | |||
| first = Elizabeth | |||
| last = Judge | |||
|work=The Times | |||
| location=London}}</ref> This continuing lack of clarity eventually led to a class action against Microsoft as people found themselves with new computers that were unable to use the new software to its full potential despite the assurance of "Vista Capable" designations.<ref>Gregg Keizer (November 26, 2007).</ref> The court case has made public internal Microsoft communications that indicate that senior executives have also had difficulty with this issue. For example, Mike Nash (Corporate Vice President, Windows Product Management) commented "I now have a $2,100 e-mail machine" because his laptop's lack of an appropriate graphics chip so hobbled Vista.<ref>, '']'', March 9, 2008.</ref> | |||
===Licensing=== | |||
Criticism of upgrade ] pertaining to Windows Vista Starter through Home Premium was expressed by ]'s Ken Fisher, who noted that the new requirement of having a prior operating system already installed was going to cause irritation for users who reinstall Windows on a regular basis.<ref>{{cite web | |||
| url = http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070128-8717.html | |||
| title = Vista "upgrade" drops compliance checking, requires old OS to install | |||
| date=January 28, 2007 | |||
| accessdate =January 28, 2007 | |||
| last = Fisher | |||
| first = Ken | |||
| publisher = Ars Technica | |||
}}</ref> | |||
It has been revealed that an Upgrade copy of Windows Vista can be installed clean without first installing a previous version of Windows. On the first install, Windows will refuse to activate. The user must then reinstall that same copy of Vista. Vista will then activate on the reinstall, thus allowing a user to install an Upgrade of Windows Vista without owning a previous operating system.<ref>{{cite web | |||
| url = http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/winvista_upgrade_clean.asp | |||
| title = How to Clean Install Windows Vista with Upgrade Media | |||
| date=February 3, 2007 | |||
| accessdate =February 5, 2007 | |||
| last = Thurrott | |||
| first = Paul | |||
| authorlink = Paul Thurrott | |||
| publisher = ] | |||
}}</ref> As with Windows XP, separate rules still apply to OEM versions of Vista installed on new PCs: Microsoft asserts that these versions are not legally transferable (although whether this conflicts with the ] has yet to be clearly decided legally).<ref>{{cite web | |||
| url=http://news.com.com/Microsoft+limits+Vista+transfers/2100-1016_3-6126379.html?tag=newsmap | |||
| title = Microsoft limits Vista transfers | |||
| date=October 16, 2006 | |||
| accessdate =October 19, 2006 | |||
| last = Fried | |||
| first = Ina | |||
| publisher = CNET News.com | |||
}}</ref> | |||
===Cost=== | |||
Initially, the cost of Windows Vista was also a source of concern and commentary. A majority of users in a poll said that the prices of various Windows Vista editions posted on the Microsoft Canada website in August 2006 make the product too expensive.<ref>{{cite web | |||
| url = http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/5450/53/ | |||
| title = Windows Vista too expensive says users | |||
| date=August 30, 2006 | |||
| accessdate =October 19, 2006 | |||
| last = Beer | |||
| first = Stan | |||
| publisher = ITWire.com | |||
}}</ref> A BBC News report on the day of Vista's release suggested that, "there may be a backlash from consumers over its pricing plans—with the cost of Vista versions in the US roughly half the price of equivalent versions in the UK."<ref>{{cite news | |||
| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6309651.stm | |||
| title = Microsoft starts Vista hard sell | |||
| date=January 30, 2007 | |||
| accessdate =January 30, 2007 | |||
| work = Technology | |||
|publisher=BBC News | |||
}}</ref> | |||
Since the release of Vista in 2006, Microsoft has reduced the retail, and upgrade price point of Vista. Originally, Vista Ultimate was priced at $399, and Home Premium Vista at $239. These prices have since been reduced to $319 and $199 respectively.<ref>{{cite web | |||
| url = http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2009/06/windows-7-pricing-announced-cheaper-than-vista.ars | |||
| title = Windows 7 pricing announced: cheaper than Vista (Updated) | |||
| date= June 25, 2009 | |||
| accessdate =October 4, 2009 | |||
| last = Protalinski | |||
| first = Emil}}</ref> | |||
===Digital rights management=== | |||
Windows Vista supports additional forms of ] restrictions. One aspect of this is the ], which is designed so that "premium content" from ] or ]s may mandate that the connections between PC components be encrypted. Depending on what the content demands, the devices may not pass premium content over non-encrypted outputs, or they must artificially degrade the quality of the signal on such outputs or not display it at all. Drivers for such hardware must be approved by Microsoft; a revocation mechanism is also included, which allows Microsoft to disable drivers of devices in end-user PCs over the Internet.<ref name="Microsoft-ocp">{{cite web | |||
| url = http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/device/stream/output_protect.mspx | |||
| title = Output Content Protection and Windows Vista | |||
| date=April 27, 2005 | |||
| accessdate =January 8, 2007 | |||
| work = WHDC | |||
| publisher = ] | |||
|archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20061116163834/http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/device/stream/output_protect.mspx |archivedate = November 16, 2006}}</ref> ], security researcher and author of the ] ] library, claims that these mechanisms violate fundamental rights of the user (such as ]), unnecessarily increase the cost of hardware, and make systems less reliable (the "tilt bit" being a particular worry; if triggered, the entire graphic subsystem performs a reset) and vulnerable to ].<ref name="gutmann">{{cite web | |||
| url = http://www.cs.auckland.ac.nz/~pgut001/pubs/vista_cost.html | |||
| title = A Cost Analysis of Windows Vista Content Protection | |||
| last = Gutmann | |||
| first = Peter | |||
| authorlink = Peter Gutmann (computer scientist) | |||
| date=January 27, 2007 | |||
| accessdate =January 27, 2007 | |||
}} Also available: </ref> However despite several requests<ref>. Blogs.guardian.co.uk. Retrieved on October 14, 2011.</ref> for evidence supporting such claims Peter Gutmann has never supported his claims with any researched evidence. Proponents have claimed that Microsoft had no choice but to follow the demands of the movie studios, and that the technology will not actually be enabled until after 2010;<ref name="smith">{{cite web | |||
| url = http://www.dasmirnov.net/blog/2006/12/31/windows_vista_drm_nonsense | |||
| title = Windows Vista DRM nonsense | |||
| last = Smith | |||
| first = Paul | |||
| date=December 31, 2006 | |||
| accessdate =January 3, 2007 | |||
}}</ref><ref name="arstechnica">{{cite web | |||
| title = Hollywood reportedly in agreement to delay forced quality downgrades for Blu-ray, HD DVD | |||
| url = http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060521-6880.html | |||
| last = Fisher | |||
| first = Ken | |||
| date=May 21, 2006 | |||
| accessdate =January 21, 2007 | |||
| publisher = Ars Technica | |||
}}</ref> Microsoft also noted that content protection mechanisms have existed in Windows as far back as ], and that the new protections will not apply to any existing content (only future content).<ref>{{cite web | |||
| url = http://windowsvistablog.com/blogs/windowsvista/archive/2007/01/20/windows-vista-content-protection-twenty-questions-and-answers.aspx | |||
| title = Windows Vista Content Protection—Twenty Questions (and Answers) | |||
| last = Marsh | |||
| first = Dave | |||
| date=January 20, 2007 | |||
| accessdate =January 20, 2007 | |||
| work = Windows Vista team blog | |||
| publisher = Microsoft | |||
}}</ref> | |||
As of 2012, over five years after the release of Vista, this criticism has become moot. Protected Video Path has never been enabled, and this "issue" hasn't impacted a single user. The HD-DVD consortium disbanded so no future enabling is possible on that format. No studio has issued any announcement stating plans to enable the feature on Blu-ray as of 2012. {{fact|date=April 2012}} | |||
===User Account Control=== | |||
Although User Account Control (UAC) is an important part of Vista's security infrastructure, as it blocks software from silently gaining administrator privileges without the user's knowledge, it has been widely criticized for generating too many prompts.<ref>http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2006/09/7703/</ref> This has led many Vista UAC users to consider it annoying and tiresome, with some consequently either turning the feature off or putting it in auto-approval mode.<ref>. InformationWeek (2007-06-11). Retrieved on October 14, 2011.</ref> | |||
Responding to this criticism, Microsoft altered the implementation to reduce the number of prompts with SP1.<ref name="technetnotablesp1"/> Though the changes have resulted in some improvement, it has not alleviated the concerns completely.<ref>Christina Torode, , SearchWinIT.com, April 2, 2008.</ref> | |||
==See also== | |||
{{Portal|Microsoft}} | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
==References== | |||
{{Reflist|35em}} | |||
{{History of Windows}} | |||
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Revision as of 12:52, 18 September 2012
Operating system
Windows Vista is an operating system released in several variations by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, and media center PCs. Prior to its announcement on July 22, 2005, Windows Vista was known by its codename "Longhorn". Development was completed on November 8, 2006, and over the following three months, it was released in stages to computer hardware and software manufacturers, business customers and retail channels. On January 30, 2007, it was released worldwide and was made available for purchase and download from Microsoft's website. The release of Windows Vista came more than five years after the introduction of its predecessor, Windows XP, the longest time span between successive releases of Microsoft Windows desktop operating systems. It was succeeded by Windows 7, which was released to manufacturing on July 22, 2009 and released worldwide for retail on October 22, 2009.
Windows Vista contained many changes and new features, including an updated graphical user interface and visual style dubbed Aero, a redesigned search function, multimedia tools including Windows DVD Maker, and redesigned networking, audio, print, and display sub-systems. Vista aimed to increase the level of communication between machines on a home network, using peer-to-peer technology to simplify sharing files and media between computers and devices. Windows Vista included version 3.0 of the .NET Framework, allowing software developers to write applications without traditional Windows APIs.
Microsoft's primary stated objective with Windows Vista was to improve the state of security in the Windows operating system. One common criticism of Windows XP and its predecessors was their commonly exploited security vulnerabilities and overall susceptibility to malware, viruses and buffer overflows. In light of this, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates announced in early 2002 a company-wide "Trustworthy Computing initiative," which aimed to incorporate security into every aspect of software development at the company. Microsoft stated that it prioritized improving the security of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 above finishing Windows Vista, thus delaying its completion. Even though Windows Vista's security flaws were fixed, hackers made an array of new viruses that bypassed its security features.
While these new features and security improvements have garnered positive reviews, Vista has also been the target of much criticism and negative press. Criticism of Windows Vista has targeted its high system requirements, its more restrictive licensing terms, the inclusion of a number of new digital rights management technologies aimed at restricting the copying of protected digital media, lack of compatibility with some pre-Vista hardware and software, and the number of authorization prompts for User Account Control. As a result of these and other issues, Windows Vista had seen initial adoption and satisfaction rates lower than Windows XP. However, with an estimated 330 million Internet users as of January 2009, it had been announced that Vista usage had surpassed Microsoft’s pre-launch two-year-out expectations of achieving 200 million users. At the release of Windows 7 (October 2009), Windows Vista (with approximately 400 million Internet users) was the second most widely used operating system on the Internet with an approximately 19% market share, the most widely used being Windows XP with an approximately 63% market share. As of May 2010, Windows Vista's market share had an estimated range from 15% to 26%. As of August 2012, Vista market share was 8.11%.
Development of Vista
Main article: Development of Windows VistaMicrosoft began work on Windows Vista, known at the time by its codename Longhorn, in May 2001, five months before the release of Windows XP. It was originally expected to ship sometime late in 2003 as a minor step between Windows XP and Blackcomb, which was planned to be the company's next major operating system release. Gradually, "Longhorn" assimilated many of the important new features and technologies slated for Blackcomb, resulting in the release date being pushed back several times. Many of Microsoft's developers were also re-tasked to build updates to Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 to strengthen security. Faced with ongoing delays and concerns about feature creep, Microsoft announced on August 27, 2004, that it had revised its plans. The original Longhorn, based on the Windows XP source code, was scrapped, and Longhorn's development started anew, building on the Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 codebase, and re-incorporating only the features that would be intended for an actual operating system release. Some previously announced features such as WinFS were dropped or postponed, and a new software development methodology called the Security Development Lifecycle was incorporated in an effort to address concerns with the security of the Windows codebase, which is programmed in C, C++ and Assembly.
After Longhorn was named Windows Vista in July 2005, an unprecedented beta-test program was started, involving hundreds of thousands of volunteers and companies. In September of that year, Microsoft started releasing regular Community Technology Previews (CTP) to beta testers. The first of these was distributed at the 2005 Microsoft Professional Developers Conference, and was subsequently released to beta testers and Microsoft Developer Network subscribers. The builds that followed incorporated most of the planned features for the final product, as well as a number of changes to the user interface, based largely on feedback from beta testers. Windows Vista was deemed feature-complete with the release of the "February CTP", released on February 22, 2006, and much of the remainder of work between that build and the final release of the product focused on stability, performance, application and driver compatibility, and documentation. Beta 2, released in late May, was the first build to be made available to the general public through Microsoft's Customer Preview Program. It was downloaded by over five million people. Two release candidates followed in September and October, both of which were made available to a large number of users.
While Microsoft had originally hoped to have the consumer versions of the operating system available worldwide in time for Christmas 2006, it was announced in March 2006 that the release date would be pushed back to January 2007, in order to give the company–and the hardware and software companies that Microsoft depends on for providing device drivers–additional time to prepare. Development of Windows Vista came to an end when Microsoft announced that it had been finalized on November 8, 2006.
New or changed features
Main article: Features new to Windows VistaWindows Vista developed features and functionalities not present in its predecessors.
End-user
- Windows Aero: The new graphical user interface is named Windows Aero, which Jim Allchin stated is an acronym for Authentic, Energetic, Reflective, and Open. Microsoft intended the new interface to be cleaner and more aesthetically pleasing than those of previous Windows versions, including new transparencies, live thumbnails, live icons, and animations, thus providing a new level of eye candy. Laptop users report, however, that enabling Aero shortens battery life.
- Windows Shell: The new Windows shell differs significantly from the shell in Windows XP, offering a new range of organization, navigation, and search capabilities. Windows Explorer's task pane has been removed, integrating the relevant task options into the toolbar. A "Favorite links" pane has been added, enabling one-click access to common directories. The address bar has been replaced with a breadcrumb navigation system. The preview pane allows users to see thumbnails of various files and view the contents of documents. The details pane shows information such as file size and type, and allows viewing and editing of embedded tags in supported file formats. The Start menu has changed as well; it no longer uses ever-expanding boxes when navigating through Programs. The word "Start" itself has been removed in favor of a blue Windows Pearl.
- Instant Search (also known as search as you type) : Windows Vista features a new way of searching called Instant Search, which is significantly faster and more in-depth (content-based) than the search features found in any of the previous versions of Windows.
- Windows Sidebar: A transparent panel anchored to the side of the screen where a user can place Desktop Gadgets, which are small applets designed for a specialized purpose (such as displaying the weather or sports scores). Gadgets can also be placed on other parts of the desktop.
- Windows Internet Explorer 7: New user interface, tabbed browsing, RSS, a search box, improved printing, Page Zoom, Quick Tabs (thumbnails of all open tabs), Anti-Phishing filter, a number of new security protection features, Internationalized Domain Name support (IDN), and improved web standards support. IE7 in Windows Vista runs in isolation from other applications in the operating system (protected mode); exploits and malicious software are restricted from writing to any location beyond Temporary Internet Files without explicit user consent.
- Windows Media Player 11, a major revamp of Microsoft's program for playing and organizing music and video. New features in this version include word wheeling (incremental search or "search as you type"), a new GUI for the media library, photo display and organization, the ability to share music libraries over a network with other Windows Vista machines, Xbox 360 integration, and support for other Media Center Extenders.
- Backup and Restore Center: Includes a backup and restore application that gives users the ability to schedule periodic backups of files on their computer, as well as recovery from previous backups. Backups are incremental, storing only the changes each time, minimizing disk usage. It also features Complete PC Backup (available only in the Ultimate, Business, and Enterprise versions), which backs up an entire computer as an image onto a hard disk or DVD. Complete PC Backup can automatically recreate a machine setup onto new hardware or hard disk in case of any hardware failures. Complete PC Restore can be initiated from within Windows Vista or from the Windows Vista installation CD in the event the PC is so corrupt that it cannot start up normally from the hard disk.
- Windows Mail: A replacement for Outlook Express that includes a new mail store that improves stability, and features integrated Instant Search. It has the Phishing Filter like IE7 and Junk mail filtering that is enhanced through regular updates via Windows Update.
- Windows Calendar is a new calendar and task application.
- Windows Photo Gallery, a photo and movie library management application. It can import from digital cameras, tag and rate individual items, adjust colors and exposure, create and display slideshows (with pan and fade effects) and burn slideshows to DVD.
- Windows DVD Maker, a companion program to Windows Movie Maker that provides the ability to create video DVDs based on a user's content. Users can design a DVD with title, menu, video, soundtrack, pan and zoom motion effects on pictures or slides.
- Windows Media Center, which was previously exclusively bundled in a separate version of Windows XP, known as Windows XP Media Center Edition, has been incorporated into the Home Premium and Ultimate editions of Windows Vista.
- Games and Games Explorer: Games included with Windows have been modified to showcase Vista's graphics capabilities. New games are Chess Titans (3D Chess game), Mahjong Titans (3D Mahjong game) and Purble Place (A small collection of games, oriented towards younger children. Including: A matching game, a cake-creator game, and a dress-up puzzle game). A new Games Explorer special folder contains shortcuts and information to all games on the user's computer.
- Windows Mobility Center is a control panel that centralizes the most relevant information related to mobile computing (brightness, sound, battery level / power scheme selection, wireless network, screen orientation, presentation settings, etc.).
- Windows Meeting Space replaces NetMeeting. Users can share applications (or their entire desktop) with other users on the local network, or over the Internet using peer-to-peer technology (higher versions than Starter and Home Basic can take advantage of hosting capabilities, Starter and Home Basic editions are limited to "join" mode only)
- Shadow Copy automatically creates daily backup copies of files and folders. Users can also create "shadow copies" by setting a System Protection Point using the System Protection tab in the System control panel. The user can be presented multiple versions of a file throughout a limited history and be allowed to restore, delete, or copy those versions. This feature is available only in the Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate editions of Windows Vista and is inherited from Windows Server 2003.
- Windows Update: Software and security updates have been simplified, now operating solely via a control panel instead of as a web application. Windows Mail's spam filter and Windows Defender's definitions are updated automatically via Windows Update. Users who choose the recommended setting for Automatic Updates will have the latest drivers installed and available when they add a new device.
- Parental controls: Allows administrators to control which websites, programs and games each Limited user can use and install. This feature is not included in the Business or Enterprise editions of Vista.
- Windows SideShow: Enables the auxiliary displays on newer laptops or on supported Windows Mobile devices. It is meant to be used to display device gadgets while the computer is on or off.
- Speech recognition is integrated into Vista. It features a redesigned user interface and configurable command-and-control commands. Unlike the Office 2003 version, which works only in Office and WordPad, Speech Recognition in Windows Vista works for any accessible application. In addition, it currently supports several languages: British and American English, Spanish, French, German, Chinese (Traditional and Simplified) and Japanese.
- New fonts, including several designed for screen reading, and improved Chinese (Yahei, JhengHei), Japanese (Meiryo), and Korean (Malgun) fonts. ClearType has also been enhanced and enabled by default.
- Improved audio controls allow the system-wide volume or volume of individual audio devices and even individual applications to be controlled separately. New audio functionalities such as Room Correction, Bass Management, Speaker Fill and Headphone virtualization have also been incorporated.
- Problem Reports and Solutions, a control panel that allows users to view previously sent problems and any solutions or additional information that is available.
- Windows System Assessment Tool is a tool used to benchmark system performance. Software such as games can retrieve this rating and modify its own behavior at runtime to improve performance. The benchmark tests CPU, RAM, 2-D and 3-D graphics acceleration, graphics memory and hard disk space.
- Windows Ultimate Extras: The Ultimate edition of Windows Vista provides, via Windows Update, access to some additional features. These are a collection of additional MUI language packs, Texas Hold 'Em (a Poker game) and Microsoft Tinker (a strategy game where the character is a robot), BitLocker and EFS enhancements that allow users to back up their encryption key online in a Digital Locker, and Windows Dreamscene, which enables the use of videos in MPEG and WMV formats as the desktop background. On April 21, 2008, Microsoft launched two more Ultimate Extras; three new Windows sound schemes, and a content pack for Dreamscene. Various DreamScene Content Packs have been released since the final version of DreamScene was released.
- Reliability and Performance Monitor includes various tools for tuning and monitoring system performance and resources activities of CPU, disks, network, memory and other resources. It shows the operations on files, the opened connections, etc.
- Disk Management: The Logical Disk Manager in Windows Vista supports shrinking and expanding volumes on-the-fly.
- Windows Anytime Upgrade: is a program that allows a user to upgrade their computer running Vista to a higher edition. For example, a computer running Windows Vista Home Basic can be upgraded to Home Premium or better. The advantages of using Anytime Upgrade are that your programs and data aren't erased, it just installs the extra features of the edition you're upgrading to, and the price is less to upgrade than to replace your installation of Windows with the edition you wish to upgrade to. Anytime Upgrade is no longer available for Vista.
Core
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Windows Vista is intended to be a technology-based release, to provide a base to include advanced technologies, many of which are related to how the system functions and thus not readily visible to the user. An example is the complete restructuring of the architecture of the audio, print, display, and networking subsystems; although the results of this work are visible to software developers, end-users will only see what appear to be evolutionary changes in the user interface.
Vista includes technologies such as ReadyBoost and ReadyDrive, which employ fast flash memory (located on USB drives and hybrid hard disk drives) to improve system performance by caching commonly used programs and data. This manifests itself in improved battery life on notebook computers as well, since a hybrid drive can be spun down when not in use. Another new technology called SuperFetch utilizes machine learning techniques to analyze usage patterns to allow Windows Vista to make intelligent decisions about what content should be present in system memory at any given time. It uses almost all the extra RAM as disk cache. In conjunction with SuperFetch, an automatic built-in Windows Disk Defragmenter makes sure that those applications are strategically positioned on the hard disk where they can be loaded into memory very quickly with the least amount of physical movement of the hard disk’s read-write heads.
As part of the redesign of the networking architecture, IPv6 has been fully incorporated into the operating system and a number of performance improvements have been introduced, such as TCP window scaling. Earlier versions of Windows typically needed third-party wireless networking software to work properly, but this is not the case with Vista, which includes more comprehensive wireless networking support.
For graphics, Vista introduces a new Windows Display Driver Model and a major revision to Direct3D. The new driver model facilitates the new Desktop Window Manager, which provides the tearing-free desktop and special effects that are the cornerstones of Windows Aero. Direct3D 10, developed in conjunction with major graphics card manufacturers, is a new architecture with more advanced shader support, and allows the graphics processing unit to render more complex scenes without assistance from the CPU. It features improved load balancing between CPU and GPU and also optimizes data transfer between them. WDDM also provides video content playback that rivals typical consumer electronics devices. It does this by making it easy to connect to external monitors, providing for protected HD video playback and increasing overall video playback quality. For the first time in Windows, graphics processing unit (GPU) multitasking is possible, enabling users to run more than one GPU-intensive application simultaneously.
At the core of the operating system, many improvements have been made to the memory manager, process scheduler and I/O scheduler. The Heap Manager implements additional features such as integrity checking in order to improve robustness and defend against buffer overflow security exploits, although this comes at the price of breaking backward compatibility with some legacy applications. A Kernel Transaction Manager has been implemented that enables applications to work with the file system and Registry using atomic transaction operations.
Security-related
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Improved security was a primary design goal for Vista. Microsoft's Trustworthy Computing initiative, which aims to improve public trust in its products, has had a direct effect on its development. This effort has resulted in a number of new security and safety features.
User Account Control, or UAC is perhaps the most significant and visible of these changes. UAC is a security technology that makes it possible for users to use their computer with fewer privileges by default, with a view to stopping malware from making unauthorized changes to the system. This was often difficult in previous versions of Windows, as the previous "limited" user accounts proved too restrictive and incompatible with a large proportion of application software, and even prevented some basic operations such as looking at the calendar from the notification tray. In Windows Vista, when an action is performed that requires administrative rights (such as installing/uninstalling software or making system-wide configuration changes), the user is first prompted for an administrator name and password; in cases where the user is already an administrator, the user is still prompted to confirm the pending privileged action. Regular use of the computer such as running programs, printing, or surfing the Internet does not trigger UAC prompts. User Account Control asks for credentials in a Secure Desktop mode, in which the entire screen is dimmed, and only the authorization window is active and highlighted. The intent is to stop a malicious program misleading the user by interfering with the authorization window, and to hint to the user the importance of the prompt.
Testing by Symantec Corporation has proven the effectiveness of UAC. Symantec used over 2,000 active malware samples, consisting of backdoors, keyloggers, rootkits, mass mailers, trojan horses, spyware, adware, and various other samples. Each was executed on a default Windows Vista installation within a standard user account. UAC effectively blocked over 50 percent of each threat, excluding rootkits. 5 percent or less of the malware that evaded UAC survived a reboot.
Internet Explorer 7's new security and safety features include a phishing filter, IDN with anti-spoofing capabilities, and integration with system-wide parental controls. For added security, ActiveX controls are disabled by default. Also, Internet Explorer operates in a protected mode, which operates with lower permissions than the user and runs in isolation from other applications in the operating system, preventing it from accessing or modifying anything besides the Temporary Internet Files directory. Microsoft's anti-spyware product, Windows Defender, has been incorporated into Windows, providing protection against malware and other threats. Changes to various system configuration settings (such as new auto-starting applications) are blocked unless the user gives consent.
Whereas prior releases of Windows supported per-file encryption using Encrypting File System, the Enterprise and Ultimate editions of Vista include BitLocker Drive Encryption, which can protect entire volumes, notably the operating system volume. However, BitLocker requires approximately a 1.5-gigabyte partition to be permanently not encrypted and to contain system files in order for Windows to boot. In normal circumstances, the only time this partition is accessed is when the computer is booting, or when there is a Windows update that changes files in this area, which is a legitimate reason to access this section of the drive. The area can be a potential security issue, because a hexadecimal editor (such as dskprobe.exe), or malicious software running with administrator and/or kernel level privileges would be able to write to this "Ghost Partition" and allow a piece of malicious software to compromise the system, or disable the encryption. BitLocker can work in conjunction with a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) cryptoprocessor (version 1.2) embedded in a computer's motherboard, or with a USB key. However, as with other full disk encryption technologies, BitLocker is vulnerable to a cold boot attack, especially where TPM is used as a key protector without a boot PIN being required too.
A variety of other privilege-restriction techniques are also built into Vista. An example is the concept of "integrity levels" in user processes, whereby a process with a lower integrity level cannot interact with processes of a higher integrity level and cannot perform DLL–injection to a processes of a higher integrity level. The security restrictions of Windows services are more fine-grained, so that services (especially those listening on the network) have no ability to interact with parts of the operating system they do not need to. Obfuscation techniques such as address space layout randomization are used to increase the amount of effort required of malware before successful infiltration of a system. Code Integrity verifies that system binaries have not been tampered with by malicious code.
As part of the redesign of the network stack, Windows Firewall has been upgraded, with new support for filtering both incoming and outgoing traffic. Advanced packet filter rules can be created that can grant or deny communications to specific services.
The 64-bit versions of Vista require that all device drivers be digitally signed, so that the creator of the driver can be identified.
System management
Main article: Management features new to Windows VistaWhile much of the focus of Vista's new capabilities has highlighted the new user-interface, security technologies, and improvements to the core operating system, Microsoft also adding new deployment and maintenance features:
- The Windows Imaging Format (WIM) provides the cornerstone of Microsoft's new deployment and packaging system. WIM files, which contain a HAL-independent image of Windows Vista, can be maintained and patched without having to rebuild new images. Windows Images can be delivered via Systems Management Server or Business Desktop Deployment technologies. Images can be customized and configured with applications then deployed to corporate client personal computers using little to no touch by a system administrator. ImageX is the Microsoft tool used to create and customize images.
- Windows Deployment Services replaces Remote Installation Services for deploying Vista and prior versions of Windows.
- Approximately 700 new Group Policy settings have been added, covering most aspects of the new features in the operating system, as well as significantly expanding the configurability of wireless networks, removable storage devices, and user desktop experience. Vista also introduced an XML-based format (ADMX) to display registry-based policy settings, making it easier to manage networks that span geographic locations and different languages.
- Services for UNIX has been renamed "Subsystem for UNIX-based Applications," and is included with the Enterprise and Ultimate editions of Vista. Network File System (NFS) client support is also included.
- Multilingual User Interface–Unlike previous versions of Windows (which required the loading of language packs to provide local-language support), Windows Vista Ultimate and Enterprise editions support the ability to dynamically change languages based on the logged-on user's preference.
- Wireless Projector support
Developer
Windows Vista includes a large number of new application programming interfaces. Chief among them is the inclusion of version 3.0 of the .NET Framework, which consists of a class library and Common Language Runtime and OS/2 environment just like its NT predecessors. Version 3.0 includes four new major components:
- Windows Presentation Foundation is a user interface subsystem and framework based vector graphics, which makes use of 3D computer graphics hardware and Direct3D technologies. It provides the foundation for building applications and blending together application UI, documents, and media content. It is the successor to Windows Forms.
- Windows Communication Foundation is a service-oriented messaging subsystem that enables applications and systems to interoperate locally or remotely using Web services.
- Windows Workflow Foundation provides task automation and integrated transactions using workflows. It is the programming model, engine and tools for building workflow-enabled applications on Windows.
- Windows CardSpace is a component that securely stores digital identities of a person, and provides a unified interface for choosing the identity for a particular transaction, such as logging into a website.
These technologies are also available for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 to facilitate their introduction to and usage by developers and end users.
There are also significant new development APIs in the core of the operating system, notably the completely re-designed audio, networking, print, and video interfaces, major changes to the security infrastructure, improvements to the deployment and installation of applications ("ClickOnce" and Windows Installer 4.0), new device driver development model ("Windows Driver Foundation"), Transactional NTFS, mobile computing API advancements (power management, Tablet PC Ink support, SideShow) and major updates to (or complete replacements of) many core subsystems such as Winlogon and CAPI.
There are some issues for software developers using some of the graphics APIs in Vista. Games or programs built solely on the Windows Vista-exclusive version of DirectX, version 10, cannot work on prior versions of Windows, as DirectX 10 is not available for previous Windows versions. Also, games that require the features of D3D9Ex, the updated implementation of DirectX 9 in Windows Vista are also incompatible with previous Windows versions. According to a Microsoft blog, there are three choices for OpenGL implementation on Vista. An application can use the default implementation, which translates OpenGL calls into the Direct3D API and is frozen at OpenGL version 1.4, or an application can use an Installable Client Driver (ICD), which comes in two flavors: legacy and Vista-compatible. A legacy ICD disables the Desktop Window Manager, a Vista-compatible ICD takes advantage of a new API, and is fully compatible with the Desktop Window Manager. At least two primary vendors, ATI and NVIDIA provided full Vista-compatible ICDs. However, hardware overlay is not supported, because it is considered as an obsolete feature in Vista. ATI and NVIDIA strongly recommend using compositing desktop/Framebuffer Objects for same functionality.
Installation
Windows Vista is the first Microsoft operating system that can be installed only on an NTFS partition.
It is also the first Microsoft operating system that provides support for loading drivers for SCSI/IDE/SATA/RAID controllers from any source other than floppy disks prior to its installation.
Removed features
Main article: Features removed from Windows VistaSome notable Windows XP features and components have been replaced or removed in Windows Vista, including several shell and Windows Explorer features, multimedia features, networking related functionality, Windows Messenger, NTBackup, the network Messenger Service, HyperTerminal, MSN Explorer, Active Desktop, and the replacement of NetMeeting with Windows Meeting Space. Windows Vista also does not include the Windows XP "Luna" visual theme, or most of the classic color schemes that have been part of Windows since the Windows 3.x era. The "Hardware profiles" startup feature has also been removed, along with support for older motherboard technologies like the EISA bus, APM and Game port support (though on the 32-bit version game port support can be enabled by applying an older driver). IP over FireWire (TCP/IP over IEEE 1394) has been removed as well. The IPX/SPX Protocol has also been removed, although it can be enabled by a third-party plug-in.
Editions
Main article: Windows Vista editionsWindows Vista ships in six different editions. These are roughly divided into two target markets, consumer and business, with editions varying to cater for specific sub-markets. For consumers, there are four editions, with three available for economically more developed countries. Windows Vista Starter edition is for Netbooks and small Pc's. Windows Vista Home Basic is intended for budget users and is available only in emerging markets. Windows Vista Home Premium covers the majority of the consumer market, and contains applications for creating and using multimedia. The home editions cannot join a Windows Server domain. For businesses, there are three editions. Windows Vista Business is specifically designed for small and medium-sized businesses, while Windows Vista Enterprise is only available to customers participating in Microsoft's Software Assurance program. Windows Vista Ultimate contains the complete feature-set of both the Home and Business (combination of both Home Premium and Enterprise) editions, as well as a set of Windows Ultimate Extras, and is aimed at enthusiasts.
All editions except Windows Vista Starter support both 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit (x64) processor architectures.
In the European Union, Home Basic N and Business N versions are also available. These come without Windows Media Player, due to EU sanctions brought against Microsoft for violating anti-trust laws. Similar sanctions exist in South Korea.
Visual styles
Windows Vista has four distinct visual styles.
- Windows Aero
- Vista's premier visual style, Windows Aero, is built on a new desktop composition engine called Desktop Window Manager. Windows Aero introduces support for 3D graphics (Windows Flip 3D), translucency effects (Glass), live thumbnails, window animations, and other visual effects, and is intended for mainstream and high-end video cards. To enable these features, the contents of every open window are stored in video memory to facilitate tearing-free movement of windows. As such, Windows Aero has significantly higher hardware requirements than its predecessors. The minimum requirement is for 128 MB of graphics memory, depending on resolution used. Windows Aero (including Windows Flip 3D) is not included in the Starter and Home Basic editions.
- Windows Vista Standard
- This style is a variation of Windows Aero without the glass effects, window animations, and other advanced graphical effects such as Windows Flip 3D. Like Windows Aero, it uses the Desktop Window Manager, and has generally the same video hardware requirements as Windows Aero. This visual style is included with Home Basic edition only as a "cheap" replacement of Windows Aero style.
- Windows Vista Basic
- This style has aspects that are similar to Windows XP's "Luna" visual style with the addition of subtle animations such as those found on progress bars. It does not employ the Desktop Window Manager, as such, it does not feature transparency or translucency, window animation, Windows Flip 3D or any of the functions provided by the DWM. The Basic mode does not require the new Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) for display drivers, and has similar video card requirements to Windows XP. For computers with video cards that are not powerful enough to support Windows Aero, this is the default graphics mode. Prior to Service Pack 1, a machine that failed Windows Genuine Advantage validation would also default to this visual style.
- Windows Standard
- The Windows Standard (or Windows Classic) visual style is similar to that of Windows 2000 and Microsoft's Windows Server line of operating systems. It does not use the Desktop Window Manager, and does not require a WDDM driver. As with previous versions of Windows, this visual style supports color schemes, which are collections of color settings. Windows Vista includes six color schemes: four high-contrast color schemes and the default color schemes from Windows 95/Windows 98 (titled "Windows Classic") and Windows 2000/Windows Me (titled "Windows Standard").
Hardware requirements
Computers capable of running Windows Vista are classified as Vista Capable and Vista Premium Ready. A Vista Capable or equivalent PC is capable of running all editions of Windows Vista although some of the special features and high-end graphics options may require additional or more advanced hardware. A Vista Premium Ready PC can take advantage of Vista's high-end features.
Windows Vista's Basic and Classic interfaces work with virtually any graphics hardware that supports Windows XP or 2000; accordingly, most discussion around Vista's graphics requirements centers on those for the Windows Aero interface. As of Windows Vista Beta 2, the NVIDIA GeForce 6 series and later, the ATI Radeon 9500 and later, Intel's GMA 950 and later integrated graphics, and a handful of VIA chipsets and S3 Graphics discrete chips are supported. Although originally supported, the GeForce FX 5 series has been dropped from newer drivers from NVIDIA. The last driver from NVIDIA to support the GeForce FX series on Vista was 96.85. Microsoft offers a tool called the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor to assist Windows XP and Vista users in determining what versions of Windows their machine is capable of running. Although the installation media included in retail packages is a 32-bit DVD, customers needing a CD-ROM or customers who wish for a 64-bit install media are able to acquire this media through the Windows Vista Alternate Media program. The Ultimate edition includes both 32-bit and 64-bit media. The digitally downloaded version of Ultimate includes only one version, either 32-bit or 64-bit, from Windows Marketplace.
Vista Capable | Vista Premium Ready | |
---|---|---|
Processor | 800 MHz | 1 GHz |
Memory | 512 MB | 1 GB |
Graphics card | DirectX 9.0 capable | DirectX 9.0 capable and WDDM 1.0 driver support |
Graphics memory | 32 MB | 128 MB |
HDD capacity | 20 GB | 40 GB |
HDD free space | 15 GB | |
Optical drives | DVD-ROM drive (Only to install from DVD-ROM media) | |
^1 Even though this is Microsoft's stated minimum processor speed for Windows Vista, it is possible to install and run the operating system on early IA-32 processors such as a Intel Pentium II/III and older Celeron and AMD Athlon (K7 and Thunderbird), K6/K6-2/K6-III and AMD K5 with or without SSE instructions. Windows Vista is not compatible with processors older than Pentium II (such as Original Pentium and Pentium MMX) because it requires a i686 (Intel) or RISC86 (AMD) Compliant Processors with an ACPI Compliant motherboard). |
Physical memory limits
Maximum limits on physical memory (RAM) that Windows Vista can address vary depending on the both the Windows version and between 32-bit and 64-bit versions. The following table specifies the maximum physical memory limits supported:
Version | Limit in 32-bit Windows | Limit in 64-bit Windows |
---|---|---|
Windows Vista Ultimate | 4 GB | 128 GB |
Windows Vista Enterprise | ||
Windows Vista Business | ||
Windows Vista Home Premium | 16GB | |
Windows Vista Home Basic | 8GB | |
Windows Vista Starter | 1 GB | — |
Processor limits
The total maximum number of logical processors in a PC that Windows Vista supports is: 32 for 32-bit; 64 for 64-bit.
The maximum number of physical processors in a PC that Windows Vista supports is: 2 for Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate, and 1 for Starter, Home Basic, and Home Premium.
Service packs
Microsoft occasionally releases service packs for its Windows operating systems to fix bugs and add new features.
Service Pack 1
Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) was released on February 4, 2008, alongside Windows Server 2008 to OEM partners, after a five-month beta test period. The initial deployment of the service pack caused a number of machines to continually reboot, rendering the machines unusable. This caused Microsoft to temporarily suspend automatic deployment of the service pack until the problem was resolved. The synchronized release date of the two operating systems reflected the merging of the workstation and server kernels back into a single code base for the first time since Windows 2000. MSDN subscribers were able to download SP1 on February 15, 2008. SP1 became available to current Windows Vista users on Windows Update and the Download Center on March 18, 2008. Initially, the service pack only supported 5 languages – English, French, Spanish, German and Japanese. Support for the remaining 31 languages was released on April 14, 2008.
A whitepaper published by Microsoft near the end of August 2007 outlined the scope and intent of the service pack, identifying three major areas of improvement: reliability and performance, administration experience, and support for newer hardware and standards.
One area of particular note is performance. Areas of improvement include file copy operations, hibernation, logging off on domain-joined machines, JavaScript parsing in Internet Explorer, network file share browsing, Windows Explorer ZIP file handling, and Windows Disk Defragmenter. The ability to choose individual drives to defragment is being reintroduced as well.
Service Pack 1 introduced support for some new hardware and software standards, notably the exFAT file system, 802.11n wireless networking, IPv6 over VPN connections, and the Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol.
Booting a system using Extensible Firmware Interface on x64 systems was also introduced; this feature had originally been slated for the initial release of Vista but was delayed due to a lack of compatible hardware at the time. Booting from a GUID Partition Table–based hard drive greater than 2.19 TB is supported (x64 only).
Two areas have seen changes in SP1 that have come as the result of concerns from software vendors. One of these is desktop search; users will be able to change the default desktop search program to one provided by a third party instead of the Microsoft desktop search program that comes with Windows Vista, and desktop search programs will be able to seamlessly tie in their services into the operating system. These changes come in part due to complaints from Google, whose Google Desktop Search application was hindered by the presence of Vista's built-in desktop search. In June 2007, Google claimed that the changes being introduced for SP1 "are a step in the right direction, but they should be improved further to give consumers greater access to alternate desktop search providers". The other area of note is a set of new security APIs being introduced for the benefit of antivirus software that currently relies on the unsupported practice of patching the kernel (see Kernel Patch Protection).
An update to DirectX 10, named DirectX 10.1, marked mandatory several features that were previously optional in Direct3D 10 hardware. Graphics cards will be required to support DirectX 10.1. SP1 includes a kernel (6001.18000) that matches the version shipped with Windows Server 2008.
The Group Policy Management Console (GPMC) was replaced by the Group Policy Object Editor. An updated downloadable version of the Group Policy Management Console was released soon after the service pack.
SP1 enables support for hotpatching, a reboot-reduction servicing technology designed to maximize uptime. It works by allowing Windows components to be updated (or "patched") while they are still in use by a running process. Hotpatch-enabled update packages are installed via the same methods as traditional update packages, and will not trigger a system reboot.
Service Pack 2
Service Pack 2 for Windows Vista was released to manufacturing on April 28, 2009, and released to Microsoft Download Center and Windows Update on May 26, 2009. In addition to a number of security and other fixes, a number of new features have been added. However, it did not include Internet Explorer 8: Windows Vista Service Pack 2 is build 6002.18005.090410-1830.
- Windows Search 4.0 (currently available for SP1 systems as a standalone update)
- Feature Pack for Wireless adds support for Bluetooth 2.1
- Windows Feature Pack for Storage enables the data recording onto Blu-ray media
- Windows Connect Now (WCN) to simplify Wi-Fi configuration
- Improved support for resuming with active Wi-Fi connections
- Enables the exFAT file system to support UTC timestamps, which allows correct file synchronisation across time zones
- Support for ICCD/CCID smart cards
- Support for VIA 64-bit CPUs
- Improves audio and video performance for streaming high-definition content
- Improves Windows Media Center (WMC) in content protection for TV
- Provides an improved power management policy that is up to 10% more efficient than the original in some configurations
Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 share a single service pack binary, reflecting the fact that their code bases were joined with the release of Server 2008. Service Pack 2 is not a cumulative update meaning that Service Pack 1 must be installed first.
Platform Update
The Platform Update for Windows Vista was released on October 27, 2009. It includes major new components that shipped with Windows 7, as well as updated runtime libraries. It requires Service Pack 2 of Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008 and is listed on Windows Update as a Recommended download.
The Platform Update allows application developers to target both Windows Vista and Windows 7. It consists of the following components:
- Windows Graphics runtime: Direct2D, DirectWrite, Direct3D 11, DXGI 1.1, and WARP;
- Updates to Windows Imaging Component;
- Updates to XPS Print API, XPS Document API and XPS Rasterization Service;
- Windows Automation API (updates to MSAA and UI Automation);
- Windows Portable Devices Platform; (adds support for MTP over Bluetooth and MTP Device Services)
- Windows Ribbon API;
- Animation Manager Library.
Some updates will also be available as separate releases for both Windows XP and Windows Vista:
- Windows Management Framework: Windows PowerShell 2.0, Windows Remote Management 2.0, BITS 4.0
- Remote Desktop Connection 7.0 (RDP7) client
Although extensive, the Platform Update does not bring Windows Vista to the level of features and performance offered by Windows 7. For example, even though Direct3D 11 runtime will be able to run on D3D9-class hardware and WDDM drivers using "feature levels" first introduced in Direct3D 10.1, Desktop Window Manager has not been updated to use Direct3D 10.1.
Microsoft also has released Platform Update Supplement for Windows Vista and for Windows Server 2008 (KB2117917), which brings many Direct2D and DirectWrite fixes from Windows 7 SP1 to Windows Vista SP2 with Platform Update installed. Another update, KB2505189 fixes another DirectWrite bug on Vista SP2 with Platform Update.
Marketing campaign
The Mojave Experiment
Main article: The Mojave ExperimentIn July 2008, Microsoft introduced a web-based advertising campaign called the "Mojave Experiment", that depicts a group of people who are asked to evaluate the newest operating system from Microsoft, calling it Windows 'Mojave'. Participants are first asked about Vista, if they have used it, and their overall satisfaction with Vista on a scale of 1 to 10. They are then shown a demo of some of the new operating system's features, and asked their opinion and satisfaction with it on the same 1 to 10 scale. After respondents rate "Mojave", they are then told that they were really shown a demo of Windows Vista. The object was to test "A theory: If people could see Windows Vista firsthand, they would like it." According to Microsoft, the initial sample of respondents rated Vista an average of 4.4 out of 10, and Mojave received an average of 8.5, with no respondents rating Mojave lower than they originally rated Windows Vista before the demo. The "experiment" has been criticized for deliberate selection of positive statements and not addressing all aspects of Vista.
Reception
A Gartner research report predicted that Vista business adoption in 2008 would overtake that of XP during the same time frame (21.3% vs. 16.9%) while IDC had indicated that the launch of Windows Server 2008 served as a catalyst for the stronger adoption rates. As of January 2009, Forrester Research had indicated that almost one third of North American and European corporations had started deploying Vista. At a May 2009 conference, a Microsoft Vice President said "Adoption and deployment of Windows Vista has been slightly ahead of where we had been with XP" for big businesses.
In its first year of availability, PC World rated it as the biggest tech disappointment of 2007, and it was rated by InfoWorld as No. 2 of Tech's all-time 25 flops. The internet-usage market share for Windows Vista after two years of availability, in January 2009, was 20.61%. This figure combined with World Internet Users and Population Stats yielded a user base of roughly 330 million, which exceeded Microsoft's two-year post launch expectations by 130 million. The internet user base reached before the release of its successor (Windows 7) was roughly 400 million according to the same statistical sources.
Within its first month, 20 million copies of Vista were sold, double the amount of Windows XP sales within its first month in October 2001, five years earlier. Shortly after however, due to Vista's relatively low adoption rates and continued demand for Windows XP, Microsoft continued to sell Windows XP until June 30, 2008, instead of the previously planned date of January 31, 2008. There were reports of Vista users "downgrading" their operating systems, as well as reports of businesses planning to skip Vista. A study conducted by ChangeWave in March 2008 showed that the percentage of corporate users who were "very satisfied" with Vista was dramatically lower than other operating systems, with Vista at 8%, compared to the 40% who said they were "very satisfied" with Windows XP.
Amid the negative reviews and reception, there were also significant positive reviews of Vista, most notably among PC gamers and the advantages brought about with DirectX 10, which allows for better gaming performance and more realistic graphics, as well as support for many new capabilities brought about in new video cards and GPUs. However, many DirectX 9 games initially showed a drop in frame rate compared to that experienced in Windows XP. Though in mid-2008, benchmarks suggested that Vista SP1 was on par with (or better than) Windows XP in terms of game performance. Around the release of Windows 7 in October 2009, a survey by Valve Corporation indicated that 40.41% of gamers were running DirectX 10 systems. The survey also indicated that DirectX 10 was supported on 83.21% of DirectX10 capable OS’s (Windows Vista, Windows 7 beta and Windows 7 represented 48.56% of the survey) and that 42.27% of these OS’s were 64-bit.
Criticism
Main article: Criticism of Windows VistaWindows Vista has received a number of negative assessments. Criticism targets include protracted development time (5–6 years), more restrictive licensing terms, the inclusion of a number of technologies aimed at restricting the copying of protected digital media, and the usability of the new User Account Control security technology. Moreover, some concerns have been raised about many PCs meeting "Vista Premium Ready" hardware requirements and Vista's pricing.
Hardware requirements
While Microsoft claimed "nearly all PCs on the market today will run Windows Vista", the higher requirements of some of the "premium" features, such as the Aero interface, have had an impact on many upgraders. According to the UK newspaper The Times in May 2006, the full set of features "would be available to less than 5 percent of Britain’s PC market"; however, this prediction was made several months before Vista was released. This continuing lack of clarity eventually led to a class action against Microsoft as people found themselves with new computers that were unable to use the new software to its full potential despite the assurance of "Vista Capable" designations. The court case has made public internal Microsoft communications that indicate that senior executives have also had difficulty with this issue. For example, Mike Nash (Corporate Vice President, Windows Product Management) commented "I now have a $2,100 e-mail machine" because his laptop's lack of an appropriate graphics chip so hobbled Vista.
Licensing
Criticism of upgrade licenses pertaining to Windows Vista Starter through Home Premium was expressed by Ars Technica's Ken Fisher, who noted that the new requirement of having a prior operating system already installed was going to cause irritation for users who reinstall Windows on a regular basis. It has been revealed that an Upgrade copy of Windows Vista can be installed clean without first installing a previous version of Windows. On the first install, Windows will refuse to activate. The user must then reinstall that same copy of Vista. Vista will then activate on the reinstall, thus allowing a user to install an Upgrade of Windows Vista without owning a previous operating system. As with Windows XP, separate rules still apply to OEM versions of Vista installed on new PCs: Microsoft asserts that these versions are not legally transferable (although whether this conflicts with the right of first sale has yet to be clearly decided legally).
Cost
Initially, the cost of Windows Vista was also a source of concern and commentary. A majority of users in a poll said that the prices of various Windows Vista editions posted on the Microsoft Canada website in August 2006 make the product too expensive. A BBC News report on the day of Vista's release suggested that, "there may be a backlash from consumers over its pricing plans—with the cost of Vista versions in the US roughly half the price of equivalent versions in the UK." Since the release of Vista in 2006, Microsoft has reduced the retail, and upgrade price point of Vista. Originally, Vista Ultimate was priced at $399, and Home Premium Vista at $239. These prices have since been reduced to $319 and $199 respectively.
Digital rights management
Windows Vista supports additional forms of digital rights management restrictions. One aspect of this is the Protected Video Path, which is designed so that "premium content" from HD DVD or Blu-ray Discs may mandate that the connections between PC components be encrypted. Depending on what the content demands, the devices may not pass premium content over non-encrypted outputs, or they must artificially degrade the quality of the signal on such outputs or not display it at all. Drivers for such hardware must be approved by Microsoft; a revocation mechanism is also included, which allows Microsoft to disable drivers of devices in end-user PCs over the Internet. Peter Gutmann, security researcher and author of the open source cryptlib library, claims that these mechanisms violate fundamental rights of the user (such as fair use), unnecessarily increase the cost of hardware, and make systems less reliable (the "tilt bit" being a particular worry; if triggered, the entire graphic subsystem performs a reset) and vulnerable to denial-of-service attacks. However despite several requests for evidence supporting such claims Peter Gutmann has never supported his claims with any researched evidence. Proponents have claimed that Microsoft had no choice but to follow the demands of the movie studios, and that the technology will not actually be enabled until after 2010; Microsoft also noted that content protection mechanisms have existed in Windows as far back as Windows Me, and that the new protections will not apply to any existing content (only future content).
As of 2012, over five years after the release of Vista, this criticism has become moot. Protected Video Path has never been enabled, and this "issue" hasn't impacted a single user. The HD-DVD consortium disbanded so no future enabling is possible on that format. No studio has issued any announcement stating plans to enable the feature on Blu-ray as of 2012.
User Account Control
Although User Account Control (UAC) is an important part of Vista's security infrastructure, as it blocks software from silently gaining administrator privileges without the user's knowledge, it has been widely criticized for generating too many prompts. This has led many Vista UAC users to consider it annoying and tiresome, with some consequently either turning the feature off or putting it in auto-approval mode. Responding to this criticism, Microsoft altered the implementation to reduce the number of prompts with SP1. Though the changes have resulted in some improvement, it has not alleviated the concerns completely.
See also
- History of Microsoft Windows
- Microsoft Security Essentials
- Comparison of Microsoft Windows versions
- Comparison of Windows Vista and Windows XP
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