Vista comparison version

Windows Vista is available in six different marketing editions. With the exception of Windows Vista Starter, all editions support both bit x86 and bit x64 processor architectures.

On 5 September , Microsoft announced USD pricing for the four editions available through retail-channels. It has made available new license and upgrade-license SKUs for each edition. Microsoft characterizes the packaging for the retail-editions of Windows Vista as "designed to be user-friendly, [ The Windows Vista disc itself uses a holographic design similar to the discs that Microsoft has produced since Windows Windows Vista Starter Edition desktop, as denoted by the watermark on the bottom right corner.

These editions can run bit programs by running them within the WOW64 subsystem. Most bit programs can run natively, though applications that rely on device drivers will not run unless those device drivers have been written for bit Windows. Most older hardware doesn't have the necessary support to get the drivers written. Other applications may have difficulty as well. For example, the Visual Basic 6 IDE will run natively on bit editions, but will not run at all on bit editions.

Adobe Premier Elements is bit and the full Adobe Premier is available for bit Vista - with more capability but at a much higher price. Various reviewers have reported that the bit editions of Windows Vista outperform their bit counterparts in synthetic benchmarks such as PassMark.

Those who work with extremely large files may realize noticeably greater gains in performance, in some cases as dramatic as ten times the previous speed. This is because bit applications can address larger amounts of memory and thus result in less file swapping — one of the biggest factors that can affect data processing speed.

If you need to join an Active Directory domain, then the Windows Vista Business edition is essential. One pointer for choosing this edition is that you are currently running XP pro rather than XP home. These latest bulk-install techniques extend to Vista. If yes, then consider the Home Premium edition. The business version does not have the Windows Media Center.

OK, go ahead and order the Windows Vista Ultimate edition. Vista Ultimate also has the complete PC Backup imaging tool. In this specialist case, the bit editions of Vista Business or Vista Ultimate may be for you. One day buying a bit edition of Vista may be the best option, but for non-developers that day will not be in early The consensus of opinion in the spring of was that manufacturers had not produced sufficient bit drivers and software applications to risk installing any of the bit editions of Vista.

In which case, your supplier has probably contacted you about upgrading to Windows Vista Enterprise under the Volume License agreement. Ordinary people cannot get hold of Vista Enterprise thus you can cross this edition off your short list; opt for Vista Business edition instead. In addition, you have to be a member of one of emerging markets to get a copy of this Starter Vista edition.

BitLocker brings encryption support to removable disks such as USB drives. Such devices can be protected by a passphrase, a recovery key, or be automatically unlocked on a computer. Share this comparison:. If you read this far, you should follow us:. Diffen LLC, n. Windows 7 vs. Windows Vista. Comparison chart Differences — Similarities —. Gadgets Windows Vista introduced Gadgets and a sidebar which provides the ability to anchor Gadgets to the side of the user's desktop.

Windows Explorer Libraries. Follow Share Cite Authors. Share this comparison: If you read this far, you should follow us: "Windows 7 vs Windows Vista. Comments: Windows 7 vs Windows Vista. Ask a question. Quick access. Search related threads. Remove From My Forums. Answered by:. Archived Forums.

Windows Vista Announcements. Sign in to vote. Has anyone come across a MS URL or external article that offers a side by side comparison of the versions e.