Product Description

Windows Vista Ultimate combines the best of work and play, into a single easy-to-use operating system. It's easier than ever to find, manage, and share information -- and it's safer than ever to connect, enjoy personal media and sync up personal devices. Fully designed for life on the go, you'll have all the features of Windows Vista Business and Windows Vista Home Premium in one package. Download cutting edge software and services exclusively through Windows Ultimate Extras, and enjoy entertainment on TVs throughout your home with Xbox 360 and other devices. It's the best way to enjoy work and play, with its easy connection to home and school networks. Accomplishing more each day has never been easier. Use your Windows Media Center to enjoy your favorite photos, music, TV, and movies on your PC and share them throughout the home of compatible device -- including your Xbox 360. Enhanced backup and restore -- Special safeguards help protect against hardware failure, user error and other causes of lost data Get a better tablet PC experience with enhanced handwriting recognition and precise pen navigation Connect to a company network or access your PC remotely from home Get up and running with existing data and applications -- fast and easy PC migration, even without dedicated IT support Supports Windows ReadyDrive technology for improved battery performance

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #705 in Software
• Brand: Microsoft
• Model: 66R-00002
• Released on: 2007-01-30
• Platforms: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 2000
• Format: DVD-ROM
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 3.00 pounds

Features

• Mobility-based operating system meets all your computing needs whether you're working from home, working on the road, or searching for entertainment options
• Combines all the features of a business-focused operating system, all the efficiency features of a mobility-focused operating system, and all of the digital entertainment features of a consumer-focused operating system
• Remotely connect to business networks; Windows BitLocker Drive Encryption provides improved levels of protection against theft for your important business data whether you are at home, on the road, or in the office
• Delivers all of the entertainment features available in Windows Vista Home Premium; includes everything you need to enjoy the latest in digital photography, music, movies, analog TV, or even HDTV
• Ideal for both business and home entertainment use

Amazon.com
The most comprehensive edition of Windows Vista, Windows Vista Ultimate (DVD-ROM) is the first operating system that combines all of the advanced infrastructure features of a business-focused operating system, all of the management and efficiency features of a mobility-focused operating system, and all of the digital entertainment features of a consumer-focused operating system.

Windows Sidebar gives you quick access to gadgets like picture slide shows, Windows Media Player controls, or news headlines. You pick the gadgets you want to see in Windows Sidebar. View larger.

Use Flip 3D to navigate through open windows using the scroll wheel on your mouse. View larger.

Compare Windows Vista editions.

Use Instant Search to quickly find the information you need. View larger.

Windows Vista Aero provides spectacular visual effects such as glass-like interface elements that you can see through.

The redesigned Windows Media Center in Windows Vista lets you enjoy your media throughout your home, even on your Xbox 360. View larger.

For the person who wants one operating system that is great for working from home, working on the road, and for entertainment, Windows Vista Ultimate is a no-compromise operating system that lets you have it all.

Easier, Faster Access to Information
Windows Vista Ultimate features Windows Aero, a new interface that delivers higher levels of efficiency for any business user. This easy-to-use interface makes it a snap to navigate through the operating system and from application to application. Most importantly, Windows Aero helps you juggle multiple tasks at once by providing a three-dimensional, real-time, animated view of all your open applications and documents. And for those businesses that do work in other countries, Windows Vista Ultimate supports all worldwide interface languages.

Breakthrough Windows Vista Experience
Designed to help you feel confident in your ability to view, find, and organize information and to control your computing experience, all editions of Windows Vista introduce a breakthrough user experience. The visual sophistication of Windows Vista helps streamline your computing experience by refining common window elements so you can better focus on the content on the screen rather than on how to access it. The desktop experience is more informative, intuitive, and helpful. And new tools bring better clarity to the information on your computer, so you can see what your files contain without opening them, find applications and files instantly, navigate efficiently among open windows, and use wizards and dialog boxes more confidently.

Work From Home
Windows Vista Ultimate includes all of the features that make it easy to remotely connect to business networks. This means that when you're working from home, you'll have advanced networking capabilities, such as the ability to join a domain, support for Group Policy, and access to features such as Remote Desktop. Windows Vista Ultimate also includes Windows BitLocker Drive Encryption that provides improved levels of protection against theft for your important business data whether you are at home, on the road, or in the office.

More Entertainment Options
Windows Vista Ultimate delivers all of the entertainment features available in Windows Vista Home Premium, and includes everything you need to enjoy the latest in digital photography, music, movies, analog TV, or even HDTV. Ultimate also has helpful tools such as Windows Photo Gallery and Windows Movie Maker to ensure that you have everything you need to collect, manage, and edit your digital content. It also includes Windows Media Center for turning your PC into an all-in-one home entertainment center.

Versatile Operation
Windows Vista Ultimate truly lives up to its name by delivering all of the features both business and home users want and need. It is the ideal solution for both a small-business owner who wants a single PC that he or she can use at the office, on the road, and at home, and for someone who wants a home PC that will be used primarily for entertainment purposes but that can also be used for business purposes such as connecting to a corporate network.

From the Manufacturer
Get EVERYTHING that Windows has to offer. Windows Vista Ultimate is the most complete version of Windows Vista. It includes all the features available in Windows Vista Home Premium and Windows Vista Enterprise. In this version, you get the best of advanced innovation for business usage scenarios, advanced productivity for mobility-focused usage, as well as the top of the line digital entertainment features that you can enjoy at home. You will love how Windows Vista Ultimate transforms your PC to be simply amazing for your home, on the go, or at the office.

Keep Your PC and Your Family Safer Online
Help keep the entire family safe online with Parental controls. Windows Vista also helps you protect your PC from the impact of viruses and spyware by alerting you when potentially dangerous software is trying to run on your computer. Windows Vista Ultimate uses Windows Defender to help protect your PC by regularly scanning your computer and offering to remove any spyware or other unwanted software that it finds.

All the Right Tools You Need to Work More Effectively
Now, Windows Vista Ultimate makes working from home or remotely more efficient because it includes all the advanced networking, security, and productivity features included in Windows Vista Business. It keeps your data more secure even on shared computers by encrypting the files of each user, provides flexible, integrated faxing and scanning capabilities that make it easier to send and receive faxes, scan documents and images, and share those resources with other people. Windows Vista Ultimate also helps boost your PC performance and makes it more responsive by caching key system information on a USB flash drive or other flash memory form factor. (This speeds performance because the flash memory can often be accessed more quickly than the hard disk). It also helps improve PC responsiveness and helps make system performance more consistent by tracking which applications are used most often and preloading them into memory for quick access.

Everything You Need to Be Fun and Creative at Home (or Even on the Go).
Sit back and enjoy your favorite television shows on your own time with Windows Media Center. Watch, pause and record your favorite TV or premium high-definition (HD) cable television content, find the program you want using the built-in television guide, listen to your favorite music and share your photos with family and friends in a slideshow set to the soundtrack of your choice--all on your PC or a TV screen. With Extender devices like the Xbox 360 connected to your home network, you can even enjoy all the digital media you have on your PC virtually anywhere in your home. With Windows Vista Ultimate, retain high-definition (HD) quality as you capture, edit, and publish movies from your HD camcorder and create professional-looking DVDs complete with transitions and chapters that you can enjoy in your home DVD player.

Features in Windows Vista Ultimate

The greatest Windows Vista experience available.

• Windows Aero--features stunning visual effects, including helpful animations, transparent glass menu bars, and live thumbnail previews of open programs.
• Windows Flip 3D--enables you to dynamically flip through your open programs in a three-dimensional, stacked view.
• Instant Search--Find anything on your PC and on the internet with search technologies integrated throughout Windows Vista.
• Windows Ultimate Extras--get new and exclusive software and services available only for Vista Ultimate customers.
• Use your PC in multiple languages--can run in a different language for each user.

• Windows Defender--helps safeguard your PC against spyware and security threats.
• Dynamic security protection--helps you browse the web more securely.
• Windows Backup and Restore Center--helps schedule automated backups of your important files and settings.
• Windows BitLocker Drive Encryption--helps to better protect your data against loss or theft if your mobile PC is ever lost or stolen.
• Anti-phishing technology--helps protect you from fraudulent websites that attempt to steal your personal information.
• Internet Explorer protected mode--helps prevent unwanted malicious software downloads.
• Parental Controls--manage the rules for your children's computer use including web access and games.

• Windows Media Center--Watch, pause and rewind live TV or enjoy your entire digital entertainment library on your PC or television.
• Windows DVD Maker--burn your photo slide shows and home movies to DVD.
• Extend Windows Media Center--enjoy your digital entertainment on TVs throughout your home with an Xbox 360 or other media extender.
• Games for Windows--are available on your PC or online for every age and ability
• DirectX 10 --enables Windows Vista to run the latest, most graphically advanced PC games in the market.
• Windows Games Explorer--helps you install, manage, and enjoy all of your games in one easy-to-access location.
• Three new premium games--includes Mahjong Titans, Chess Titans, and InkBall,
• Windows Movie Maker--helps you capture, edit, and publish your digital home movies in standard or high-definition format.
• Windows Media Player 11--new features are designed to help you manage your library of digital music, photos, and video and synch with a variety of portable players.

• Fast Sleep and Resume--Pause and resume your computer session in just seconds while conserving your battery life in sleep mode.
• Network and Sharing Center--helps you more easily and securely connect to wireless networks.
• Windows Mobility Center--saves time by giving you quick access to key mobile system settings.
• Remote Desktop--connect more easily with remote PCs.
• Windows Fax and Scan--helps you send, organize and share faxes and scans.
• Domain Join--it's easier than ever to confidently connect with company or school networks.
• Windows Meeting Space--helps you wirelessly connect your mobile PC to a friend's PC for sharing files--even when you're not connected to the Internet.
• Sync Center--helps keep your portable devices synchronized with your PC.
• The best version of Windows for notebook PCs with enhanced Tablet Technology.

Customer Reviews

It is what it is
I continued using XP as long as I thought I could before installing Vista in December, 2008. I intentionally purchased the original retail release without SP1 just to say I had the same experiences as the original purchasers a year or so ago. The package arrived from Microidea, the outside seller, on time, as promised. I give Microidea 5 stars as a reseller, would buy from them again without reservation and can recommend Microidea to other Amazon customers. I'm a little more experienced than many retail users and I knew what to do with the original Vista release. It took a couple hours to monkey with to get up and running after searching for the continuous reboot and other issues that required web searches to locate fixes. If you're a relatively novice user, however, I would seriously recommend paying the extra $20 or so to get the version sith SP1 incorporated in the DVD. After upgrading to the SP1 download, I can report that all the things that people complain about with Vista are still waiting in the hedgerows to ambush you. Maybe the world will be lucky and Windows 7 will have settings so that applications I install will be able to open & operate without the user account "grey screen of annoyance" permission request.

I like it!
I've just started using Vista Ultimate. The translucent theme is attractive. The user interface is somewhat different between XP Pro and VU. Some things are more intuitive but other things are not. The presentation of the Start menu has changed a little and now it also includes a search feature. Searching for a file has also changed. The user can now search indexed files (for speed) in addition to search all of the content (as it was done in XP). There may be a lot under the hood that's changed from XP but it's not readily apparent. Going from XP to VU is a lot like going from W95 to W2K or XP. I think it will be easier for the newer users.

The major change is UAC. Yes, UAC can come across as annoying but it's really doesn't get in the way. It's not much different than running under SELINUX with the exception that there doesn't appear to be any way to temporarily disable it. Disabling it permanently is possible but I wouldn't recommend it. I'm extremely careful yet occasionally with XP I've come across questionable things that have been installed without my awareness. I'm hoping UAC will help. For those who don't know, UAC means that the administrator runs as a normal user but can change security status on an as-needed basis. It also means that programs that need administrator privileges will not run unnoticed which lessens the chance of a malicious program suddenly executing.

If one remembers, one of the first Apple/MAC ads emphasized that Windows had a lot of security patches but the MAC didn't -- implying the MAC had stronger security. This ad appeared just prior to the Month of Apple Bugs (Jan,2007) where 31 MAC security faults were detailed. To now chortle over Windows being made even more secure is, quite frankly, cheesy and misleading.

Overall, I rate VU 5-star

Horrible OS
I regret every minute I use this OS.

It is a resource hog and an immature operating system. There is too much visual 'fluff' and not enough utility to the OS.

Looks like I'm going back to XP