By Jeff Bertolucci
October 15, 2009

Farewell, Vista. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out. Windows 7 has arrived, and soon Vista will be retired to the Microsoft Hall of Shame alongside such notorious stinkers Windows Me and Microsoft Bob.

Too harsh a judgment? Perhaps. To some Vista wasn’t so bad, but a loud and vocal group of Vista haters never let us forget the much maligned OS’s shortcomings. Still, there’s no denying that Vista has had more than its fair share of woes, and that Microsoft was wise to replace it less than three years after its debut.


Here are five things we won’t miss about Vista:

1. Too much nagging
Vista’s User Account Control(UAC), designed as a security feature to prevent security breaches, did its job a little too well. Its pop-up warnings, preceded by screen blackouts, appeared when users attempted even mundane tasks, such as setting the system clock. Newbies were scared; experts were annoyed. There were workarounds, of course, but most users didn’t bother. Windows 7 will be considerably less pesky.

2. Slow, slow, slow
Vista had some cool graphics and utilities, including the slick Aero interface and handy Sidebar applets, but all that excess code was a drag on performance, particularly if you were foolish enough to run Vista on a PC that met the minimum system requirements. Microsoft says Windows 7 is faster, but the verdict is still out. One developer claims Win 7 boots slower than Vista. The PC World Test Center reports that Win 7 is faster overall, but not by much.

3. You never liked my hardware
Users often grumbled about Vista’s lousy driver support, and industry analysts questioned the thoroughness of Microsoft’s driver-testing process. Will Windows 7 be any better? Some early testers have managed to get Win 7 running on decrepit, XP-era hardware, but not without the occasional driver glitch. Hopefully, Win 7′s trimmer code means it’ll run better than Vista on older PCs.

4. Blasé backup
Vista’s File Backup utility was too feeble. It wouldn’t let you backup specific files and folders, and it bypassed files it thought were part of the OS. Window’s 7 improved Backup Center correct these deficiencies, and also lets you backup to a network volume (but only in the Professional and Ultimate versions).

5.Too many garbage apps
Say, Vista users, when’s the last time you fired up Windows Movie Maker or Windows Mail? As every Windows user knows, apps bundled with the OS generally aren’t very good. As part of its slimmer, trimmer approach to Windows 7, Microsoft has left out these two lackluster utilities, as well as the equally forgettable Windows Photo Gallery. Still want them? Go to Windows Live Essentials. They’re free to download.

Shane O’Neill
CIO.com

Here we highlight top-selling netbooks, from the (relatively) high end to the under-$300 range.

HP 2140 Mini-Note
This is Hewlett-Packard‘s tough business-class netbook, designed for road warriors who need durability and long battery life (six-cell battery, seven-plus hours).

Cost: Approx $456.99
Screen size: 10.1 inches
CPU: 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270
RAM: 1GB, expandable to 2GB
Storage: 160GB hard drive
Battery: 6-cell
Operating System: Windows XP Home
Weight: 1.36Kg

Samsung NC10
The NC10 cool blue netbook is Samsung‘s general purpose offering with strong battery life (6 cell) and a slightly larger keyboard than most netbooks.

Cost: Approx $434.95
Screen size: 10.2 inches
CPU: 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270
RAM: 1GB
Storage: 160GB hard drive
Battery: 6-cell
Operating System: Windows XP Home
Weight: 1.31Kg

Dell Inspiron Mini 9
The super-light Dell Inspiron Mini 9 offers the choice between Windows XP Home and Ubuntu Linux. Windows XP will cost you more.

Cost: Ranges from $250 to $400, depending on how machine is customized. (Source: Dell Website)
Screen size: 8.9 inches
CPU: 1.6GHz Intel Atom
RAM: 512MB (Linux) or 1GB (Windows XP)
Storage: 16GB SSD
Battery: 4-cell
Operating System: Windows XP Home or Ubuntu Linux
Weight: 1.04Kg

MSI Wind U100
MSI Wind netbooks usually crack the top best-sellers lists. Key features are its light weight and ergonomically designed keyboard, which is just 20% smaller than a full-sized laptop keyboard.

Cost: Approx $379.99
Screen size: 10 inches
CPU: 1.6-GHz Intel Atom
RAM: 1GB, 2GB max
Storage: 160GB hard drive
Battery: 6-cell
Operating System: Windows XP Home
Weight: 1.17Kg

Lenovo Ideapad S10
The Ideapad S10 is Lenovo‘s recent entry into netbooks. The standout feature of this glossy white netbook is a touchpad that supports multi-touch gestures through fingertip movements on the touchpad.

Cost: Approx $349.99
Screen size: 10.2 inches
CPU: 1.6-GHz Intel Atom N270
RAM: 1GB
Storage: 160GB hard drive
Battery: 3-cell
Operating System: Windows XP Home
Weight: 1.17Kg

HP Mini 1000 XP Edition
The Mini 1000 is renowned for its slimness and spacious keyboard, which HP claims is 92% the size of a full-size laptop keyboard.

Cost: Approx $329
Screen size: 8.9 or 10.2 inches
CPU: 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270
RAM: 512MB or 1GB
Storage: Up to 80GB hard drive or up to 32GB SSD
Battery: 3-cell or 6-cell
Operating System: Windows XP Home
Weight: 1.13Kg

Acer Aspire One AOA150-1126
The Acer Aspire Ones battle the Asus Eee PCs for the top-selling netbook. This light-as-a-feather netbook boasts nearly six hours of battery life, a stylish look and sharp screen resolution at an affordable price.

Cost: Approx $319
Screen size: 8.9 inches
CPU: 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270
RAM: 1GB
Storage: 160GB Hard Drive
Battery: 6-cell
Operating System: Windows XP Home
Weight: 0.997Kg