Windows Vista makes your laptop lighter!

Actually, that title’s not entirely true. But wouldn’t it be good if it was!
 
What I can say with absolute conviction is that installing the final RTM version of Windows Vista on my laptops has given them a new lease of life. The installation itself was a breeze – the most complicated thing being the requirement to upgrade the BIOS on my Toshiba machines. Once that was done, I managed to install Windows Vista and the 2007 Microsoft Office system in about 30 minutes. And my PCs (and me) have never been happier.
 
Like consumers outside of Microsoft I’ll now have to wait until the 30th January before being able to install Windows Vista on my home computers. And having to switch back and forth between operating systems really highlights the differences. The things that I miss most on my Windows XP machines are having powerful search tools everywhere I go, being able to start up the computer from standby in a matter of seconds, and, though I never thought I’d hear myself saying this, the 3D flip tool (left) that makes switching between open programs both fun and amazingly quick.
 
30th January cannot come soon enough