Windows vista home premium upgrade with service pack 1

Beware !!! Read some of the product reviews below...

Source: Amazon.com

horrible, bug prone operating system, May 16, 2008
By Jeff Wilson "Jeff" (Los Angeles)

For me, the measure of any operating system today is a) the frequency of bugs, b) ease of virus attacks, and c) when there is a bug, the time and ease with which it can be resolved. Vista is relatively untested on b). On a) and c), this is probably my worst experience ever with an operating system. The first problem I had was corruption of the Windows Installer. I spent 12 hours on the phone with Microsoft and was elevated through several levels of advanced tech support. After all of this, their response was "your Windows Installer has been corrupted by something in Microsoft Outlook." So , their final advice was to wipe out my hard disk, and reload everything. When I told them I no longer had my disks for Outlook (which I last installed in '04), they said I would have to buy a new version -- though the corruption was caused by 2 of their programs. I couldn't waste the time, so bought a new version of Outlook. Recently I had hardware problems with my new pc, so was sent a replacement by Dell. Have been reloading all my soft/hardware, and guess what -- major problems with Vista. Truly extraordinary. I feel Microsoft really should suffer for this horrific piece of software. Too bad they're such a huge monopoly, or they would either be out of business or on their death bed.


HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE!, May 12, 2008
By Asad Ibric

I am still hating having to use VISTA On this PC !!!!!!! MY PDA can't sync even though its WM5, My printers don't work my camera doesn't work on it nothing works even after installing vista drivers my games don't work my computer crashed last night and I had to do a system restore which led me to write this review! ITS HORRIBLE. MICROSOFT Puts out third rate products! STEVE BALLMER, the CEO, has a masters in ECONOMICS AND MATHEMATICS. this guy knows how to make MONEY not make an operating system, compare that with a copmany like google where the CEO actually has a computer related masters so you can tell their stuff is awesome.


It's still a piece of crap!, May 3, 2008
By Skip Morgan (Phoenix, AZ USA)

It's obvious the Microsoft folks are here pumping (or pimping) this junk. I've always been a Windows advocate, but I will think twice before buying another computer with a new MS operating system. Most PC makers offer no or few choices when selling their computers. I think the long term result will be: 1. consumers waiting much longer to upgrade their systems, or 2. consumers converting to Apple.

I've spent double the cost of my new laptop on software and peripherals just so it can run on Vista, and still have issues. Microsoft should be ashamed of deploying this system, and PC makers should be ashamed of not offering XP as a choice.

If you believe the reviews here that tout the advantages of Vista you'll regret it. Do yourself a favor and Google "Vista problems" before buying.


Dependably unreliable..., April 27, 2008
By Jeff Christiaansen "The Fffej" (Wyoming)

Microsoft should be totally embarrased. My old Windows 98 was far more reliable. Support is appallingly poor and the software is riddled with failures. I can count on almost any program having to be shut down and having to restart due to errors. If nothing else, it is dependably unreliable. I do have stronger words to describe it, but I would like this to be G rated.

I am dumping it for XP Pro...


Problems with the way item was described., April 26, 2008
By Moses Huang "Moses Huang" (Sunnyvale Ca USA)

Item was described as "Windows Vista Home Premium with SP1 upgrade"
It should be "Windows Vista Home Premium Upgrade version with SP1.

I was led to believe this was a full version of Vista with the SP1 upgrade

As it turned out this is an upgrade version of Windows. When I did a clean install on my new system it will not activate on line. I had to get Microsoft help to have it activated as upgrading from an XP install. When I complained about this Amazon immediately shipped me another similar item which I had to return. In anycase this was a bad experience and even though I did save some money it was not worth the hassle. And I still do not have a full version Vista in case I need to re-install due to system crash. So if this review is worth anything, please bring it to whoever is selling this, this is misleading advertising and poor service. If the product is not what it is purported to be sending me another copy is worthless effort.


A realistic review, April 24, 2008
By Richard J. Garcia (CA United States)

I wouldn't normally suggest this but do not upgrade! Vista takes the only good thing about Microsoft products - which is the advantage of an interface that you already know - and breaks it. Vista really is different than any of the previous versions of windows but in the worst of ways. Here's a typical example. Want to do something simple like search for a file? Too bad! They have a much faster version of search with just one problem - no place to enter the search criteria. Overall I think that the only people who have gained from Vista are Apple and Linux users since there should be more defections with the Vista fiasco.


Garbage - Stick with XP as Long as You Can, May 30, 2008
By Legal Reader (New York, NY USA)

We ran one PC on Vista for the last year and several on XP. After a year of frustration and garbage performance from Vista, we just spent $300 to switch the Vista PC over to XP. Stay away from this stinker.


Don't do it, you'll be sorry. I know I am, May 16, 2008
By jerseygirl (nj)

I used this to upgrade from Home Basic which came installed on my Dell laptop. It wouldn't install because it said I needed SP1. So I downloaded SP1 then did the upgrade (the whole process took about 12 hours). First problem - no speakers. On-line chat with Dell resolved that. Then I discovered my BitDefender now said it had expired, although it had 655 days left. To top it all off, most of the premium features didn't work (Aero, Sync Center). I was 3 hours on-line with Microsoft, with the tech connected to my computer. He didn't know what he was doing and I finally ended it. Dell tried to reinstall SP1, saying it looked like it didn't install correctly. But it didn't work, since it was already there. Then they tried to do a system restore, but the "Repair Computer" option wasn't there. I ended up having to redo the partitions and reinstall Vista from the disks that came with the laptop, making it less than "out of the box" - meaning I then had to reinstall the drivers. What I thought would be fun and make life a little easier, computer wise ended up sucking 3 days out of my life. Fortunately thanks to Dell (and the $$ I paid for a three year gold warranty) my computer will be fine. But I bought a Dell desktop with XP this morning


The reason why new computer sales are off, July 25, 2008
By Abovealldonoharm "naturalhealth" (United States)

Who wants to buy a new computer if you have this operating system?

Never in the history of the business world has one company been allowed to force customers to constantly buy new, inferior products.

I put off buying a computer because I had heard horror stories.

Vista is like operating systems before XP. It just suddenly freezes and you have to turn your computer off to make it work again.

I'm doing constant damage to my computer by being forced to turn off the power.

The new office software is beyond confusing. Absolutely nothing is the same.

Buy this at your peril!


Windows SP-1 Upgrade, July 15, 2008
By A.C. (Northeast, United States)

Although I purchased this as an upgrade, it did not work on my HP Laptop.
It over-wrote all files! Fortunately, I had backed up my computer. It took over 15 hours for full restoration.

Beware if you have not backed up your data you may loose everything on your machine.


So Little for So Much, July 9, 2008
By Filip Galiza (Pittsburgh, PA USA)

I've been a Windows user since... Windows 1.0. I purchased a Dell laptop with Vista on it and I must say that after the first 24hrs of honeymoon (looking at the pretty new mouse trail, listening to the new sounds, etc...) the really bloated and inefficient OS starts to show its ugly face. It operates like its predecessor with a more visual and accoustical punch, but esthetics aside, like an American SUV, this thing is a hog. It takes a ton of RAM, a lot more of CPU speed and a bucket load of HD space. Frankly the security and other upgrades are miniscule when you compare to all the things the OS requires to run smoothly.

In the end you get a couple new pony tricks instead of a tighter security integration and easier usability experience. All of this is at a heavy hardware premium. Many simple tasks and operations start to become a headache as they are over complicated to execute leaving you with an uneasy feeling of why you got this damn thing... Stay with the older OS.


Vista Upgrade, a challenge - Are you sure you want Vista?, July 7, 2008
By Peter Cook (Northern VA)

The all-purpose upgrade is only 'all-purpose' after several hours on the phone and in chat sessions with very courteous and willing people from far, far away. Seems MS forgets to include all the set-up steps in their
'works with XP & 2K' upgrade to Vista. Oh, and did you know that you will lose your reliable laser printer and many of your other PRE-Vista hardware and software tools....either MS doesn't speak their language or they do not speak Vista. It is like going back to the early days of IBM....the new model comes out and you can toss the old one, only MS is not the maker of the com-pooters...??? Apple keeps looking better and better, though so much more priceyl; if Mr. Jobs weren't such an eletist, marketing at the highest prices and caring nothing about the consumer's wants or needs....
You will appreciate the Vista help folks, when you finally are able to be transferred to them....they have a special department just for helping you load the software....if that doesn't give you a clue as to the holes in their programming, you will find out when you load the DVD. Good luck.


SP1 Creates New Issues, April 8, 2008
By Jeffrey Bennett (Falls Church, VA USA)

I have had windows vista home premium installed on my computer for some time now. The new features are mostly pretty flourishes that anyone can live without. The only new feature that I enjoyed was the instant search feature in the start menu and I have noticed that on my friends slower computers, that even that doesn't work correctly.

The biggest issue I had with vista was not the fact that it was essentially a prettiness update, it simply crashed more than any operating system I have ever used. I would close my laptop screen and open it up again and the system would lock out and restart itself regardless of what I had open. Further, there were numerous driver issues. Slowly, overtime, through the traditional patching system, Microsoft did resolve most of these issues. I still had the crashing problem, but it had been been minimized. Naturally, I installed SP1 upon it's arrival hoping that it would fix my remaining issues with this half-baked operating system....

The bottom line that you need to know:

SP1 caused MY OLD ISSUES TO COME BACK.
SP1 caused MORE ISSUES WITH DRIVERS THAN I HAD WITH REGULAR VISTA
SP1 was clearly prematurely developed and is still a baby operating system intent on keeping up with the fancy visual features in Mac and is STILL NOT READY FOR PRIME TIME.

I do NOT recommend SP1 for anyone. Please stick with XP. If you don't, there's a great chance you'll regret it.


Wish I Was Running XP, April 14, 2008
By EK

After using Vista for about two weeks, I absolutely hated it. I was seriously considering taking back my new laptop. Fortunately, I realized that I could shut off UAC. This is the annoying feature that CONSTANTLY asks you if Vista is allowed to perform any given action. Getting rid of that has made me content using Vista.

My other gripes are the same ones you will find everywhere else. Compared to XP, Vista is slow and hogs large amounts of resources. Simply put, it is fairly inefficient. Make sure your computer goes above and beyond the recommended specs.

In the end, I wish I could go back to XP, and I won't buy a Mac. So, I guess I am stuck here for a while.


Terrible Product ! ! - See the Non-Upgrade Version For Real Reviews, April 13, 2008
By Minagpa (Everywhere, Earth)

I am an advanced/expert Windows user, computing since the days of DOS. It is simply a fact that this Vista OS is absolutely terrible. Look into actual reviews, not those posted by Microsoft employees. You will regret purchasing Vista I assure you. Read the reviews under the full product, not the upgrade which has very, very few reviews posted. If you have not yet bought a new computer, I suggest you buy a MAC. I, unfortunately, recently bought another IBM computer, and esp. with the Vista OS (which I am replacing with XP) am regreting it daily.