In the beginning, most everyone eagerly awaited each “upgrade” that windows provided, such as Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows ME and Windows XP. Waiting for this new version, Windows Vista, was fraught with anticipation as well. However, mixed Windows Vista reviews became the norm. Most printers would not work with Vista, games seemed slow to respond and it seemed like no matter what you tried, you kept getting the message that Vista would not work with your particular hardware or software.

Of course, Microsoft gave us the standard story about anything new is bound to have bugs or problems and they were working overtime to get them fixed. They were busy getting all of the windows downloads updated, offering computer help if they could. There were many compatibility, graphical and performance issues to be resolved. Microsoft now tells us that nearly 77,000 hardware products are supported, which is more than double the number supported at launch and that in 9 out of 10 cases when you plug in a device it should just work, with no installation disc required.

Additional improvements that Microsoft has touted about their latest star include supporting 97 of the top 100 consumer software programs, which include Adobe Photoshop, AppleiTunes, etc. And they claim that Windows Vista now has more than 2,700 applications certified to work with the system and more are being added every day.

So, even with all of the issues described, does Microsoft still feel that Vista is the better operating system? When asked, they said that Windows XP is a great operating system as was its predecessor, Windows ME but with more and more people investing in identity theft products, security is high on everyone’s agenda. Their goal is to always make each new version of Windows better and more secure than the last and feel that they have done just that with the Vista operating system. So what are some of the major highlights that they feel Vista has over XP?

There are definitely improvements in some areas. For example, parents will likely appreciate the more powerful parental controls, allowing them to feel secure in knowing they are able to make the internet a little bit safer for their children. Windows Vista also boasts a 60% less likelihood of being infected with spyware or malware over windows XP service pack 2. While keeping the phrase “work smarter not harder” in mind, they have created Windows Mobility Center, Sync Center and Windows Meeting Space, which were all designed to make your work easier. They have also kept entertainment in mind with the Windows Media Center where you can edit an HD video, watch and record TV and organize your photos with Windows Photo Gallery.