• Improved security.

Critical system files are checked using hashes to ensure that they are not taken over by spyware. Windows will BSOD rather than install a rootkit.

IE 7 runs in a special mode below any other user permissions. This alone makes it more secure than any other browser. Even though IE7 is much improved, I still use Firefox . Firefox is a much much better browser and safer than IE7 with the right free addons installed.

UAC is an invaluable tool, but it is not Vista's primary security enhancement. It's sole purpose is to provide a way for only certain apps that the user specifies to run in elevated mode. Vista has multiple layers of security.

• Improved stability.

Yes Vista has a registry. No, installing older, faulty apps will not mess it up. Older apps think they are installing keys in the registry, but really they are installing keys in a "virtual" registry that does not affect the main registry. Apps that are not run in elevated access cannot modify system keys that could potentially make the system unstable. They can only create/modify keys in their permission status.

Most of the drivers have been moved into user mode from kernel mode. For example, my nVidia driver has crashed, but instead of going to a BSOD, my screen flickered, and a balloon popped up in my notification area stating "Driver ------ has crashed and has been successfully restored". In XP, I would have received a BSOD.

• Improved usability.

Desktop search has been around for XP. Vista's, however, is much improved. Press the Windows Key, type in a program, file, control panel, website address, etc. and Vista will load the appropriate file. No more complicated steps to open the Device manager-simply type in "Device Manager", and push enter, and Vista will launch Device Manager. You can also filter folders by clicking on the down arrow beside each header. For example, you could filter a huge list of files that end in .xls and are larger than 10 mb. Also, settings/features are arguably easier to find in Vista than XP. Load the Control panel in the new mode (not classic mode!) and type in what you want to do, say change your screen saver. As you type, Vista will filter the list to show you the screensaver option. I do some tech support for family and friends, and this feature alone saves me a ton of headaches.

• Sleep mode.

This is a small thing, but sleep mode has been improved. When the computer is put into sleep mode, the contents of the memory are also written to the HD, so if the power goes out, the battery is removed, etc., Vista will resume from hibernation instead of doing a cold boot.

• Networking.

Ask anyone who moves huge files around and they will tell you that copying files across a network is much faster in Vista than XP. Because of the rewritten network stack, overhead is drastically reduced. Once you get used to the new network GUI, it is much easier to find and change settings than it ever was in XP. Not to mention that Vista has multiple modes of networking that you can change depending if you are on a public network (hides your computer from other devices), private(enables file sharing and makes your computer visible to others) and work (similar to private). You can change the mode with a click of a button. Vista also includes diagnostics that can diagnose network problems and fix them. For instance, I could not connect to my home network once, and I ran the Vista diagnostics. It told me that there was an IP conflict, and it asked me what I wanted to do. I pushed "Get new IP address". For me, I could easily have done this manually, but for an average user, this is a dramatic step forward in useability.

• Audio.

If you don't care about sound, ignore this point. I am a bit of an audiophile, so I appreciate good sound. Vista's audio stack has been rewritten to force most of the driver in user mode instead of kernel mode. Therefore, if the audio driver crashes, chances are it will be in the user mode, and will not cause a BSOD. Vista allows for all sorts of advanced audio features, like phantom speakers, adjusting your speakers for your particular environment, array microphones, etc. For free. It also supports audio up to 192 kHz instead of 96, which is standard on most high-end cards. You can also adjust the sound per app, so if you are playing music for an event, you can mute everything else. This way, you won't get annoying beeps and other noises ruining your music.

• Memory Management.

This is a common issue I see everywhere. No, Vista is not a resource hog. No, do not get Vista if you have 512 mb of RAM and you expect to run lots of apps and expect Vista to run as fast as XP. Vista preloads your frequently used apps in memory, so when you need them, they will load almost instantaneously. I frequently see arguments that go along the lines of "I don't want Vista to load apps into memory. What happens when I want to load another app?" Simple. Vista instantly clears the preloaded apps to load your app. Your app will seem like it loads slower because your other cached apps loaded instantly, but there is no performance decrease, compared to having all your apps loading from your HD. I personally run all sorts of apps, from games (which can take up to 3 gigs of RAM!), to notepad, and each one loads just as fast or faster than XP. When you close an app that takes a huge amount of memory, you may see some HD activity, but that is because Vista is preloading your apps. This HD activity should be done in the background, with no performance decrease. After I run a game , I do notice some HD activity for a few minutes, but it does not affect the performance of my computer.

One final note: Vista's improved management system completely eliminates "WinRot", the condition that would cause Windows to run slower the longer you used it. Vista's performance is the same if I use it every day with no reboots.

• Better written/looking apps.

With Expression Blend and the WPF framework, developers can create amazing apps in a short time. Look at the new Yahoo messenger for Vista. Expression Blend enables graphic designers to throw together a prototype, and make changes, etc. The programmers take the GUI, and attach code to it. To see why this is revolutionary, look at the way it has been done in the past: The graphic designers create a GUI. The programmers take the GUI, usually written in Flash, and duplicate it using their software. Consequently, the final app does not always have the look and feel that the graphic designers wanted, and the interface had to be created two times. Plus, WPF programs inevitably look "cool". Try the new NY times reader. Yes, some of this is available in XP, but it is native to Vista, and consequently runs faster.

Note that I have not included other features, like the Sidebar, voice recognition, etc. This is because they are either rarely used, or something similar can be found in XP. However, writing gadgets for the Sidebar is simpler than writing gadgets for the other apps, IMO.

• Other common issues:

If you install Vista and immediately copy tons of photos/files/videos in your user folder, Vista will try to index them all. Your HD may be thrashing, but it should not interfere with your daily work. If it does, there is something wrong with your computer, perhaps RAID drivers, faulty HD, etc. After Vista finishes indexing your files, your HD will stop thrashing. I have had Vista installed for 3+ months and my HD never randomly thrashes. Whatever you do, DO NOT and I repeat DO NOT disable different services to try to stop the thrashing. Look at the "services" tab in the task manager and notice how many of Windows services are already "stopped." Windows will only enable the services if they are needed. You will get no performance increase by disabling the services. Any negligible performance increase will be offset by system instability.

• Drivers:

The latest Creative Audigy driver has worked almost perfectly for my usage. I can play 24-bit audio now without noticable crackling and popping - the same with games. Although it does not include EAX for DirectSound and no DTS decoding, I am relatively happy with it. I would rather Creative start with a small, stable driver with fairly few well-working features than trying to add all the features and in the process create a buggy driver. Same with nVidia. Check out their 101.41 beta drivers. Contrary to some people believe, all the games utilizing OpenGL and DirectX run faster in Vista than XP on my computer. For example, I would get playable, but low framerates on Half Life 2 in XP, running at around 1600 X1080 on my GeForce 6800 Go card. With Vista, I can run it at 1920 X 1200 with a noticable framerate improvement, especially in larger scenes. This performance increase has affected all my games. Period. I can pretty much up the resolution in any game while noticing the same or slightly faster framerates that I received at the lower resolution on XP. I can't speak for all computers, but on every computer I have installed Vista on, nearly every device was recognized and installed. Part of the experience of being an early adopter is driver issues, especially since the driver model for audio, network, and video changed drastically with Vista.

• DRM:

This one is a big one. Contrary to popular opinion and several well publicized articles, Vista does not "infect" your computer with DRM management. The only time the DRM features are enabled is when playing back HD-DVD or Blu-Ray content that the content producer specifically enabled on that particular disc No other content on the computer is affected, even the other content that is being viewed/played at the same time. If your computer's hardware fails to pass the test specified in the HD-DVD or Blu-Ray , the output will be degraded for that particular piece of content only. If you have other content playing, it will not be affected . No, sadly, open source apps will never be allowed to play the protected content because the HD groups specify that the maker of the app must be a part of their group and sign an agreement stating that he will not release the keys he has given publicly. If the app maker does, his keys will be revoked and his player will not be able to play HD content. Period. If Apple wants OS X to play protected content, they will need to provide similar DRM features to their OS. I absolutely HATE these DRM systems. Studios should not treat every customer like a criminal! Even though I am somewhat of a Windows fanboy, I feel anyone should play their media in any player, with any OS.