Is Vista Home Basic useful or useless?
By Jonathan Schlaffer
From my position this should be an open and shut case. Whatever purpose Vista Basic was serving, it is no longer needed. A couple of readers responded to this post in which they expressed feelings that Vista Basic was still useful. Perhaps it is time we explore these these points further.
Both of them described running Vista Home Basic on laptops that were “less than a year old” which is perfectly fine. That is the purpose this edition of the operating system was supposed to serve.
Vista Home Basic lacks Aero Glass and certain DRM “features” of the other editions of Vista which enables it to run on lower end hardware. I contend that is the only reason Microsoft commissioned this version of Vista.
Let’s take a trip back to November of 2006; computers with Vista were beginning to trickle out, at the time many of them had integrated graphics chips from Intel that were incapable of handling Aero Glass and the processors were just as limited. Installing any other edition besides Vista Basic of on these computers would have overwhelmed the system; it would have run but slowly.
Integrated graphics on laptops of this era were incapable of running Vista with Aero Glass. Intel eventually got around to updating its graphics chips but not before some consumers bought these laptops not realizing that Vista Basic was so limited. Some complained, others returned them and yet others were perfectly happy.
Vista has been out for a while now and the general consensus is that Microsoft could have done better. Almost every laptop and desktop computer sold today with integrated graphics (be it from Intel, ATi or nvidia) is capable of running Aero Glass.
I’m not saying you won’t encounter a few that can’t because they may have the older chips. If a PC has Vista Home Basic preinstalled, my advice is to avoid it, chances are pretty good that it can’t be upgraded to a better version of Vista get the Aero Glass functionality. On some it may be possible but it is best avoided.
The opposite is also true. If a computer comes with Vista Home Premium/Business or Ultimate then it is likely capable of running Aero Glass but it doesn’t hurt to double check the specs.
This is 2008. A good majority of modern systems ship with Aero Glass enabled and I’ve seen a more off the shelf systems sporting a dedicated graphics card. Therefore Vista Home Basic has outlived its usefulness; retailers weren’t happy with it, consumers weren’t happy with it so let’s let it die with what (if any) dignity it has left.
I realize that some of you may feel differently so I’ll put this to our readers, what do you think?
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March 15th, 2008
They should extend XP and wait for 7. Vista is pointless, and has zero improvements for 99% of home users. I could see it in the enterprise, there are some good benefits if you’re running Server 2008, but otherwise? meh.
March 16th, 2008
Vista is a better OS to XP if it was a less resource hog. Security, stability and feature are all improved in Vista.
When XP was first released people had similar reaction to XP. Everyone loved Windows 98… but by the time XP SP2 was released many were generally happy about XP. Hopefully Vista SP2 or so would improve things better…
I don’t get why MS would want to maintain 4 or 5 version of Vista though. Ultimate and Home would have been the 2 versions for Vista…
March 17th, 2008
What is improved in Vista, specifically? I can rattle off XP improvements:
Wireless,
USB worked
Restore points which were like magic to the AOL crowd.
Auto Dll rollback
Signed Drivers
Windows System File Protections
Built in firewall
And that’s just off the top of my head. After Aero, I can’t really come up with anything that’s more of a benefit to the user than it is to Microsoft.
Yes, XP had resistance when it first came out. I lost the use of my expensive Adaptive Firewire card, but the benefits of XP were pretty apparent, once the average computer hit 256 Meg of RAM. XP had a butt load of drivers, making the 98 drill of manufacturer drivers killing the OS much less likely.
I’m not real sure what these leaps in security are, unless it’s the signed drivers. Stability? Not horrible, but nowhere near XP. Features? I gave my list of what XP brought to the table. I’d be interested in one for Vista. If I was running a client to Server 2008, there are clear benefits to a Vista client for IT. But the user? Not so much.
By the time Vista is at a XP SP2 level, 7 will be out. All MS is doing with Vista is pissing people off. OSX and Linux are happy if the current policy of cramming an unwanted product to a pissed off public continues. When XP is no longer available next month, Vista will no longer be competing against XP, but against Non-MS OS’s. In 2001, Ms was the only viable choice. By the number of Macbooks, I’m seeing, that’s no longer true.
March 18th, 2008
Yes, there is still a place for Vista Home Basic. I have machines with all three consumer level versions. All work as they are expected. The Home Basic machine is an eMachines pc that could run any of them. However, I paid two hundred dollars for the machine, new. VHB was preinstalled. It is a machine connected to our large screen tv and it works very well. Yes, Premium or Ultimate would better for the television, however, this machine belongs to my wife, who uses it to browse the internet, email, taxes and an occasional letter or spreadsheet. VHB is fast, runs great in the 512mb that is in the machine, it is very, very stable (no blue screens in the year we’ve had it and only one true crash (no blue screen, though) and that was my fault–wrong driver for the video card I put in. VHB runs circles around XP in terms of stability and added functionality (parental controls–THE number one reason to buy Vista if you are a parent) and the Aero theme (no glass) looks far better than ‘classic’ or XP’s native ‘fisher price’ LUNA theme.
I think if any version of Vista could be done away with, it is Premium. I say that because Microsoft should only offer Vista Home Basic for low end machines OR people who just want a cheap Windows OS and do not care about pretty graphics, Vista Ultimate (which could be renamed to Premium) and Business. The ‘promise’ of Ultimate has not been fulfilled and I do feel a bit like I have been scammed. Having both Premium AND Ultimate is just confusing and offers no true benefit to us.
April 2nd, 2008
The facts about Vista Home Basic you have published is absolutely right and it’s such a useless OS especially with a laptop I own. It’s a Toshiba Satellite model with 2GB RAM and Intel Graphics facility and Vista Basic came pre-installed whether you like it or not..just another way Microsoft trying to shove down your throat their product. And without the Aero Glass feature Vista is of no use and only occupies your disc space. Rather I would go for XP and go for Vista theme packages that are available for free and that too without any trouble installing and running. Or on the other hand we can go for Linux just to show our solidarity to the OpenSource program and wait for some months until they come out with additional features like Glass for free. I hope the OpenSource forum over take Microsoft so that the Gates coterie can be side tracked from their monopolying specially in the asian countries. Keep spreading the word dude.
May 29th, 2008
I use Vista Home Basic, and I must say that I love it. Sure, I could have easily spent the extra $100 for Aero, Windows Mobile (I’m using a desktop), Media Center, the “premium” games that took Microsoft a day to make, and Windows Movie Maker HD (Probably the only feature that I would ever use). I don’t think of Vista Basic as an OS for low-end PC’s, but as more for people who aren’t interested in using all the “premium” features the higher versions come with. Sure, Aero looks nice. But, if I recall correctly, it uses about 64MB of memory. Doesn’t seem like much. But what about when you have multiple programs open (which I do quite freuently; I have Firefox, Word, and a download going on as a I write this comment)? Then Aero is using excess memory that could be dedicated to more important processes. Yes, you can use ReasyBoost (I use it with my 4GB Flash Drive), but that’s still nowhere near as fast as typical RAM.
If you don’t get the point:
Vista Home Basic is great for people who use the Internet and your basic productivity programs. If you feel that you need Media Center, then by all means, get Home Premium! But, I have never seen the need for such frivolous memory-wasting processes. Most of these “premium” features are designed for people who can’t figure it out on their own. If I want to watch a movie on my PC (which I don’t, I would use my 46″ DLP w/ my Blu-Ray player and HDMI & Digital Audio for a DVD/Blu-Ray disc), I’d use QuickTime or WMP. I don’t need all these features, and I don’t think many other people need them either.
So, the point? Vista Home Basic, in my opinion, is the fastest, least memory & hard drive wasting, and stablest of the 6 Vista versions.
August 14th, 2008
i have to agree 100% with alex’s statement on may 29th. i use VHB on my desktop. sure my pc is plenty powerful enough to run any version of vista but i chose VHB because i dont need or want media center or transparent glass. it doesnt interest me in the least. if i want media, i have a tv in my living room and one right beside my desk. in my opinion, home basic is by far the better vista.
“So, the point? Vista Home Basic, in my opinion, is the fastest, least memory & hard drive wasting, and stablest of the 6 Vista versions.” — well said!!