VAST VISTA: A choice of three consumer versions of Windows confronts buyers.

Bangalore: Three versions of Windows Vista confront buyers. That is not to say that PC owners — at last count there were about 50 million of them in India, 9 out of 10 being users of an earlier Windows version — know quite what to do now.
This is partly because Microsoft, while asking us to say `wow!' at all the new features, has been rather coy with practical details — like who must upgrade, who would be better off upgrading — and how much it is all going to cost.

Launch event
The main launch event in Mumbai was replete with Bollywood `masala' — but scant on earthy details such as how much each of the confusingly plentiful `avatars' of Vista will set us back in rupees.
Here's some help: There are three consumer versions of Vista that one can buy off the shelf — and a fourth called Starter Edition that is special to India: It will be only be sold pre-installed on entry-level PCs marketed here.
The three `shrink wrapped' versions range from the Home Basic, for those who browse the Net, write letters and e-mails — and do little else with their PC. If your PC has multimedia attachments that allow you to watch movies, play music and play graphics-rich games, the Home Premium version is for you (It corresponds roughly to what was called Windows XP Media Centre Edition).
For those who want to mix business and pleasure — the full suite of office functionality as well as infotainment features — there is Windows Vista Ultimate. But, you still need to separately install the latest version of the productivity suite, Microsoft Office 2007, to get most of the common business features.
Basic hardware
Microsoft says the basic hardware required is a modern chip (that is 800 MHz or faster); 512 MB of memory, 20 GB of hard disk and a graphics processor with what is called DirectX 9. This might just work for the Starter edition — but except allowing you to search both your desktop and the Internet with a click or two, it will miss out on most the features that take Vista beyond the old XP.
Our take: If so, why bother to upgrade? For the Premium and Ultimate versions, Microsoft recommends 1 GB of memory and a graphics card with at least 128 MB of its own memory. It also suggests at least 40 GB of hard disk. All three versions will take up about 15 GB of your disk space. After trying out the evaluation editions, we think users will need at least 2 GB of RAM to (as a famous petrol slogan of yesteryear went) ``fill up and feel the difference.''
The difference is mainly the much-touted Aero effect where 3D combined with a translucent `glass' effect has all your pages and open applications seeming to stand up in a see-through file on the screen. All versions boast of extremely user-friendly `parental controls' to monitor kids' surfing — and enhanced security features against junk mail (spam) and malicious mail — but it is too early to say how effective they are. And be warned: you still need to install a third party anti-virus software — unless you like to live dangerously.
Key question
Now the key question: Which Vista will work on your present PC? Microsoft has created a special download called Vista Upgrade Adviser at www.windowsvista.com, which examines your hardware and software and recommends what will work best for you. When I tried it on my AMD Athlon XP 2400-based PC currently running Windows XP, it suggested I could go in for Home Premium but it warned that my Xerox laser printer and Nero software for a Samsung Combo CD-DVD drive might not work. It has no issues with my HP deskjet printer.
Common peripherals
This is likely to happen with a lot of common peripherals. Our feedback is that the problem will bug many users for at least 6-8 months more since there are hardly any accessories or PC devices that include a Vista driver today.
So finally: Who should upgrade? If you are currently running a version older that XP — like Win 98 — then you have no choice since you are stuck with a `dead' version: You might as well change to one of the new Vista versions. If you are buying a new PC or laptop, it is good to insist on getting a Vista flavour pre installed. This will probably be cheaper than buying one separately since the shop shelf cost is likely to be Rs. 6000 to Rs. 10,000 at least (this is our market perception; Microsoft is not saying). If you are a Windows XP user you might like to change to Vista — if you must have the undoubtedly strong safety and search features. Or you might like to `wait and watch' till the compatibility issues are sorted out.