Windows Vista Operating System

Windows Vista Home Premium is the operating system for homes with advanced computer needs. It will help you use your laptop or desktop PC more effectively as well as enable you to enjoy new, exciting digital entertainment experiences - all with the benefit of added security and reliability.

New user interface

Windows Vista Home Premium has a new user interface named Windows Aero, which is both efficient and beautiful. This new interface makes it easier than ever before to find your way around the operating system.

It even makes it easier to accomplish multiple tasks at once by providing a three-dimensional, real-time, animated view of all of your open applications and documents.

Additionally, Windows Vista Home Premium helps you quickly find and organise large collections of documents, pictures, movies, videos, and music. By integrating search throughout the operating system, Windows Vista Home Premium helps you quickly find exactly what you are looking for.

Improved mobility

Windows Vista Home Premium makes it easy to take your home computing experience with you wherever you go. For example, Windows Vista Home Premium includes Tablet PC technology that enables you to interact with your Tablet PC-compatible computer with a digital pen or with your fingertip instead of having to use a keyboard.

Computers that include Windows Vista Home Premium and an auxiliary Windows SideShow display will also allow you to access key data even when your computer is off. It is also easier than ever to share files between other PCs in your household and to manage your laptop computer settings to more securely connect to your favorite WiFi hotspot.

More entertaining

Windows Vista Home Premium will improve every aspect of your digital entertainment experiences including viewing and sharing photos, video, TV, movies, music, games, and more. For example, Windows Vista Home Premium enables you to create your own DVDs and edit your own high-definition movies.

Most significantly, Windows Vista Home Premium includes all of the Windows Media Center capabilities for turning your PC into an all-in-one home entertainment centre. Windows Media Center in Windows Vista provides new ways for you to enjoy your music, photos, and DVD movies.

You can also use Windows Media Center to record and watch your favourite TV shows (even HDTV) and to access new kinds of online entertainment content.

You will also be able to connect Windows Vista Home Premium to your Microsoft Xbox 360 to extend your Media Center experience to multiple rooms in your home.

Whatever you choose to do with your home PC, Windows Vista Home Premium will deliver a more complete and satisfying computing experience.

The options

You can upgrade from your current edition of Microsoft Windows XP or Windows 2000 to a corresponding or better edition of Windows Vista by purchasing and installing an upgrade copy of Windows Vista.

Depending on which edition of Windows you are running and the edition of Windows Vista you would like to install, you have two options for the installation process:

In-place upgrade

You can upgrade in-place, which means you can install Windows Vista and retain your applications, files, and settings as they were in your previous edition of Windows.

Clean install

Upgrading to Windows Vista with a clean install means that you should use Windows Easy Transfer to automatically copy all your files and settings to an extra hard drive or other storage device, and then install Windows Vista.

After the installation is complete, Windows Easy Transfer will reload your files and settings on your upgraded PC. You will then need to reinstall your applications.