Review: Top 5 Improvements In Vista RC1

last looked at Microsoft Windows Vista

On Sept. 1, Microsoft began rolling out Vista Release Candidate 1 (RC1), raising hopes that all of the major issues have been resolved in the months since the beta two version. And it appears those hopes have been largely fulfilled.

RC1 brings measurable improvements to Vista and should help assuage some key concerns about the operating system, such as compatibility, performance and readiness for Microsoft's planned ship date of January 2007. RC1 also brings a stable enough version of Vista so that system builders and integrators can learn the ins and outs of the platform before gold code hits manufacturing.

Microsoft typically has put out a release candidate before shipping the gold code of a product, an indication that the feature set and user interface are pretty much complete.

Test Center engineers took a long hard look at Vista RC1 and saw some major improvements that bode well for solution providers looking to jump on the Vista bandwagon next year. That said, RC1 is far from final code, and some issues still must be resolved before Microsoft can release the final Vista product, which will probably lead to an RC2 version. Those issues include upgrade compatibility from Windows XP and final code updates for Internet Explorer, along with some other applications.

But for now, here's a look at the top five improvements that RC1 brings since the beta releases of Vista:

1. INSTALLATION
With the Vista beta, installation was a long, arduous process. In some cases, it took more than two hours to install and configure the OS. Installation also often failed on some notebook computers and some newer desktop PCs.

RC1 addresses those problems with a much-improved installation process. Installers can now boot directly from the DVD without having to worry about unexpected prompts and misidentified hardware derailing the install, or having to wonder if the installation has frozen.

Whereas installation took as much as two hours in tests of the Vista beta, RC1 reduced the installation time to less than an hour on the same equipment. In addition, several systems that refused to accept the Vista betas readily worked with RC1.

Installation problems have been resolved to the extent that system builders should have no qualms about testing Vista on their various hardware platforms and ramping up for the operating system's availability early next year.

NEXT: Drivers and performance. 2. DRIVER SUPPORT
The Vista beta lacked the hardware support needed by the mainstream to use yesterdays, today's and tomorrow's PCs to the fullest.

In fact, the lack of drivers was a major stumbling block in terms of testing the platform to see how it would fit into corporate environments or interact with the latest hardware.

Many installation problems, too, were directly related to the lack of compatible drivers, the Test Center found.

Yet those problems vanished with RC1's updated driver set. Installers will find that the improved driver support is nothing less than impressive, with the ability to support a much broader range of hardware.

The Test Center installed Vista RC1 on several systems, including notebooks and desktops that had problems with the Vista beta. RC1 handled all of the test systems quite well.

All major hardware components were identified and installed properly, though some minor hardware devices -- such as a proprietary EVDO modem and some video capture cards -- weren't identified properly.

In most cases, beta drivers or XP drivers were able to bring those components into the mix.

3. PERFORMANCE
Without question, RC1 brings a much needed performance boost to Vista.

Previous tests of the Vista beta showed that the OS was almost painful to use, with slow response times, slow application launches, and very slow boot-up and shutdown times, even on the latest and greatest hardware.

RC1 has made all of that pain a memory by speeding up Vista in every area. Users will now find the OS as snappy as XP, which is quite impressive when you consider all of Vista's added functionality.

Microsoft targeted several areas to push the envelope on performance. Some changes included moving some of the security processes (such as Windows Defender) to a lower-priority I/O, which reduces the burden on the system but still offers adequate protection.

Other performance enhancements include improved boot-up and shutdown times plus the ability for a system to wake from sleep mode in seconds.

Much of the improvements come from technologies such as Windows SuperFetch and Windows ReadyBoost -- fancy names for disk caching utilities that reduce the need to read and write from disk.

Those technologies also benefit security by lessening the performance impact from Windows BitLocker Drive Encryption and Anti-Virus scanning tools.

NEXT: Security, multimedia and a final word on Vista RC1. 4. SECURITY
Security has been job No. 1 for the Vista development team. So even though many of the security enhancements may come across as minor changes, the truth is that those changes will have a major impact on keeping systems secure.

Simple controls in RC1 fortify Vista's resiliency to attack. For example, an improved Internet Explorer toolbar is armed with BHO and VAT mechanisms to prevent malicious code infections via the Web browser. Also, Windows Defender features automatic signature updates and enhanced scanning to help tame spyware and adware.

Some changes were made to make system security less intrusive for users. Case in point: Some prompts -- such as when users connect to a network or need to install high-priority updates -- have been eliminated.

Other security enhancements include improved parental and user-account security controls.

5. MULTIMEDIA
Vista RC1 takes some big steps forward in terms of working with multimedia content.

Users will find native support for HD-DVD and BD-DVD formats, and the photo gallery, DVD Maker and Movie Maker applications sport improved interfaces and have sharper performance.

What's more, RC1 now supports thousands of multimedia devices, ranging from digital cameras to MP3 players to output devices -- a much-needed development for those working with audio and video.

Presentation tools have been enhanced as well. The Meeting Maker applet, for instance, allows users to collaborate and share information much more easily.

Many of these enhancements affect network connectivity, so Microsoft also has improved wireless connectivity by simplifying the connection steps and supporting an increased number of wireless network devices.

THE BOTTOM LINE
Simply put, Vista is no longer a drag to use, thanks to the RC1 improvements, and the OS has made key strides toward becoming a reality for the legions of Windows users.

Although much more work still must be done before Vista is market-ready, Microsoft has advanced the platform far enough for solution providers to get familiar with the OS and test the ability to deploy or build Vista-based systems.