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.

A great man once said that one day there would be a computer in every household and he was scorned and derided. Fact of the matter is today we all have more computers in our home than we even realise ourselves.

The positive aspect of this is if you are employed as a computer support support technician this day and age, I don’t think there would be any reason that you would be without a job, and the situation can only get better in reality

If I look at my own household I think things are starting to get out of hand because not only do we have the normal clutch of games machines, play station, wii, Nintendo game and DS (I keep resisting the urge to go to mad) but we have our own computer network with three Pc’s and a laptop all connected.

Computers make life go a little bit smoother and routine tasks a tad simpler and lets face it we all hanker after as much convenience as possible but what about the internet and security factor?

Identity theft is becoming an increasing problem and we are constantly hearing in the news about hard drives turning up on e-bay or second hand computers being sold full of data, but this is only one aspect of the problem.

I know, that’s not totally reassuring, but it should relieve you some when surfing the web for Christmas gifts. It’s doubtful that your personal information will be received by third parties. The cool thing about reputable web-stores is their security. The majority of them have very secure transaction pages.

Viruses can also be a threat to your security not only as they could potentially delete your data but also they can introduce keylogging software onto your computer as well.

Of course a little parental intervention goes a long way here, so it is well worth starting to instil good internet protocols into your kids as soon as they start to use the internet. Help them understand the potential dangers with this and viruses as well. If they think there beloved computer is at risk I’ll guarantee that they will take notice of what you say.

Viruses will never cease to exist as long as PCs are around. I continually hear my friends and family members whine about computer viruses, but they are still happy to send unknown e-mails back and forth to each other full of links to goodness knows where.

Start your child’s internet security and antivirus education as early as possible because if the parents won’t listen, you’ll have a tough time convincing a teenager.

For more information about computer support and security contact you local computer specialist at Computer Repair UK.