Vista check: An OS tool confirms startup pains

As with using any new computer operating system, pioneering Microsoft's new Vista OS is an activity with high potential for failures, troubleshooting, and cussing. And unlike any other OS before it, Vista comes with a tool that allows you to monitor how well (or how poorly) Vista is working on your computer.

We've been running the tool, known as Vista Reliability Monitor, on a new desktop since the beginning of February. It uses a scale from 1 (worst) to 10 (best). According to Microsoft, the Monitor's score considers how well the system has handled time changes and software uninstalls. It also scores a full range of failures, including those by applications that stopped working and/or were terminated; the hard-disk or memory; and Vista itself.

The score for our PC, shown in the screen shot (click for a larger view) above, is currently 3.07 and has gone lower than that--as low as a dismal 1.29. The low score reflects the unfortunate reality of new operating systems, as well as the (admirably) tough way the Monitor scores Vista performance.

New OSs never work with every peripheral and piece of software right off the bat. Some components do make the transition from old OS to new seamlessly; we had no trouble with our PC's printer and external USB hard drive, for example. But many more don't work or play well with the new system, at least at first. If you load applications that aren't yet compatible with Vista, the Monitor takes note and responds by lowering the index score. Trying stubbornly to reload those applications just to be certain they don't work further degrades the score. The same applies to trying out supposed updates to the application that also don't work and using (obviously unsuccessfully) hardware that doesn't yet have working Vista drivers.

Utilities like disk defraggers, antivirus software, and firewalls are especially notorious for failure to work with new OSs. With Vista, Microsoft has built the utilities you'll likely need, except for antivirus, into the new OS, but in versions that are less full featured than the third-party versions, and you may want to pay to upgrade the Vista versions (which generally aren't available yet).

Consumers of a new OS, then, are to some degree trapped in a corporate technology tussle. Microsoft may say it's up to the third-party hardware and software makers to have all their applications, drivers and firmware updated for the new OS. The third parties may counter by saying the new OS should be able to run all the existing software and hardware with no updates necessary.

What does our test (and the above reality) mean if you're poised to go Vista? They add to the good reasons not to rush into using the new OS. If past OSs are a guide, the landscape will change for the better. More drivers and application fixes will invariably arrive through Vista's first year, culminating in the first service pack, probably in the second half of 2007. By then, the hardware and software manufacturers should have most if not all of their products Vista-compatible.

Already have Vista, or can't wait to buy a new PC until the bugs are worked out? You may then want to use Monitor to confirm (or challenge) your feeling that all is going well, or badly. I'll cover how to use the tool in another blog entry soon.

-- Richard Fisco, Senior Project Leader

Comments

[Jim C]

Bought a laptop that came with Vista.
Hardly any of my older programs will work in Vista. Some even load, and if you check the math, it is incorrect.
What a waste of my time and money. I am going to give Bill Gates some more of my money and order WinXp and start over.
If I had known I would have them install Xp before I bought or NO Sale.

[katherine debrow]

directed to this site from Yahoo Answers. I have read Consumer Reports on and off for many years; always found interesting and helpful info. Thanks!! Keep up excellent work.

[Brian Bulat]

The Vista Welcome Center used to explain new features of the operating system display videos that are blurry. What a catch 22.

The solitaire game that has been with all previous windows versions is totally bug ridden.

The power management features work intermitantly. My computer put to sleep sometimes wakens without operator input. My computer put to sleep sometimes will not reawaken requiring a reboot.

[William F Kelleher]

Just purchased a new gateway computer with Vista on board. I have attempted to upgrade to Vist Ultimate with no success and seemingly no way to either get my money back or to attempt another download from Gateway. They refer me to "Windows Locker" which tells me that I have nothing stored there. The OS will not operate with my USB Hub and quite a bit of my software which worked fine with XP. I tried to install XP on the computer and couldn't. I gues tomorrow In will uninstall Vista and go from there. So far I am out $159. This is a mess. I should have bought an Apple Computer.

[jessica]

I bought a new laptop on 1-30-07 and I have had so many problems with it! Everytime I've tried to install or download (from my computer company's website) software, a problem has occured and I've had to contact tech support. After trying to install McAfee my laptop is completely useless. It has, i assume,crashed. It hasn't even been 3 months since i bought it. Does anyone have an opinion on what has caused this catastrophe? Is it all bc of Vista?!

[David Seafler]

I'm not sure if the complaints I have are with Vista or Acer.I know so far I do not like Vista. It isn't easier to usethan XP.I really don't like the the graphics. I also think it's a pain to find files with. It really seems to be a resource hog.

Maybe part of it is due to it being the Home Basic version but I've got the Home Basic version of XP in 7 other computers and they don't give me the frustration level that this thing does.

I'm going this morning to buy yet another tower (E-Machines)...this one may be one of the last I can find that still has XP on it. I'll probably keep this thing and see if Microsoft can make it more useful. In the meantime I need to use my old programs and hardware.It's cheaper for me to buy a new computer than to replace all of them.