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  • Overall Rating
    4 stars 4 Star Review
    Reviewed by: bslutsky

    Updated:12-27-07

    Duration of ownership:

    Strengths: It runs your computer

    Weaknesses: Initial tests indicate it is a little slower than Windows XP

    Overall Evaluation: Vista is getting a bad rap and that's good for you. Why? This product can be had dirt cheap -- under $40. As far as I am concerned, it's pretty much the equal of XP. Initial tests rate it a little slower but newer tests with newer drivers have it surpassing XP in speed, and of course it has new functionality.Some things you NEED to know: (1) Reviews say you are in for headaches if you install this over an old OS, but since this is the upgrade version supposedly you have to install it over an old OS, right? Wrong. Read this for a way to clean install it: http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/winvista_upgrade_clean.asp. Make sure you own an old OS though so you are really upgrading. (2) Some people will tell you that you should pay more for the Premium (or higher) version to get the new Aero interface. You could do that, or you can just enable Aero in Home Basic: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Enable-the-Aero-Interface-in-Windows-Vista-Home-Basic-49713.shtml.Well worth it if you can find it for less than $40!

  • Overall Rating
    1 stars 1 Star Review
    Reviewed by:

    Updated:12-04-07

    Duration of ownership:2 Months

    Strengths: Make Bill Gates Richer!!

    Weaknesses: Need a 6 Gig CPU and 8 Gig of ram

    Overall Evaluation: If you want every piece of software that you currently own to run just as slow as possible that this is the OS for you. I am positive that all new software will run slower too. If you haven't notice yet all new software is coming out with two sets of "Minimum" requirements. One for XP and one for Vista. It goes something like this. XP: CPU 1.5Gig, Ram 512Meg Vista: CPU 2.5Gig Ram 1Gig. And they leave out that even with more horse power Vista will still run the software slower.If you want to make a Billionaire even richer than by all means buy this OS! Notice how the price has come way down? It is because no one is buying this P.O.S.!

  • Overall Rating
    4 stars 4 Star Review
    Reviewed by: SC4SHURA

    Updated:11-23-07

    Duration of ownership:4 Months

    Strengths: Least expensive among Vista product.

    Weaknesses: Lack in Aero. Upgrade may cause troubles.

    Overall Evaluation: This is an upgrade version of Windows Vista for people who own Window XP. For those who are familiar with installing operating systems, it is not a good idea to override the existing OS. Upgrading an OS instead of new installation sometimes causes troubles.Vista Basic lacks in the famous (or infamous) Aero, which adds a nice and stylish look. If you prefer performance and functions of windows, you will not miss Aero much.Becasue Vista Basic is packed with essential features that are more than enough for everyday use plus security features that were absent in XP.Considering the price, this is a great choice for non-high-spec PC's

  • Overall Rating
    5 stars 5 Star Review
    Reviewed by: BigNinja

    Updated:06-08-07

    Duration of ownership:1 Days

    Strengths: Bargain priced, easy install over XP Home, and has all the features that most people use at home .

    Weaknesses: Not the best choice for use on laptops.

    Overall Evaluation: If you have XP Home, this is the upgrade to get. Else, if you have XP Pro, you will need to get the Vista Business Upgrade. You can use any of the Vistas but they will require a clean install. I prefer the Home Basic Upgrade because it is much cheaper and it doesn't contain the Aero feature that slows down my PC's performance. I have heard a lot of bad stories about Windows Vista but, to me, it seems to work better than XP. Programs seem to open faster, too.

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Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic
$36.99 • •Specs
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