iPhone 3GS from AT&T. Free Shipping
Entered CNET Catalog: 10/19/2005
SKU: CNETWINVISTABUILD5231
Manufacturer: Microsoft Corp.
CNET editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 10/24/2005
Diagnostics
Under "confidence," Microsoft is touting Vista's ability to ward off potential problems in the future as well as recover quickly from disasters. Windows Vista Memory Diagnostics, a collection of tools, can detect and automatically resolve problems associated with defective physical memory. Windows Vista Disk Diagnostics, another collection of tools, monitors the health of the hard drive and can proactively warn users of impending disk drive failure, allowing users to backup their data and replace defective hardware before the situation turns critical. Network diagnostics tools will analyze connectivity and network access issues and either resolve the issues or provide the end user with the next steps to resolve the situation. A new Windows Vista Network Center replaces My Network Places and My Network Neighborhood with a hub for managing computers and devices on a local network. And in this release, we saw increased reliability in the transition in and out of sleep on our laptop, giving us greater confidence when we closed our laptop lid. According to Microsoft, this was accomplished by eliminating the chance for applications, services, and drivers to veto or block changes in system power states.
Collaboration
For the "connection" part of the Windows Vista motto, Microsoft wants to make connecting to a variety of devices faster, easier, and more secure and the synchronization of data among devices simpler. Toward that end, this build of Windows Vista includes a new Windows Mobility Center, including the tools to adjust display brightness, power plans, volume control among applications, wireless status, synchronization status, and presentation status. Sharing files and folder contents (peer-to-peer technology) is easier in this build of Windows Vista, including the ability to create e-mail with embedded links pointing to shared content. And this build of Vista includes the Microsoft XPS Document Writer, allowing you to convert any onscreen document into XPS documents, which can be digitally signed to ensure that no one has tampered with the contents in transit.
Internet Explorer for Windows Vista
Although we got a taste of the new IE in last month's build, Internet Explorer 7 for Windows Vista includes new security and interface features. IE 7 for Windows Vista includes a Phishing Filter to protect against malicious Web sites; ActiveX Opt-In, reducing the likelihood of potential ActiveX attacks; and a new Protected Mode, to protect users against the silent installation of malicious code. There are also new parental controls and a redesigned Favorites Center to provide quick access to History, RSS, and saved Favorites. The interface changes include Quick Tabs, thumbnails of each open tab for quick reference; Tab Groups, the ability to save groups of tabs; Page Zoom, which magnifies any part of any Web page; and Advanced Printing, which shrinks output to fit on your printer's chosen paper size.
Features previewed but not yet ready in build 5231
Within this build is a new Windows Media Player with program controls placed front and center, à la QuickTime, with the right-hand margin providing additional information about the track currently playing. We also saw a new Migration Wizard, for transferring the data from one hard drive to another; a new Power Management Center, for better laptop control; and even a new Windows calendar.
See our build 5231 slide show for a more detailed look inside this release.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4
User Rating: 
8/10
boosted boot Time
Pros: good looking os
Cons: piz no xbox 360 crasheding not on Vista
User Rating: 8/10
Give it a chance! So far it looks good
Pros: Nice update from the XP, nice firefox-like Internet Explorer 7
Cons: Nothing ground breaking
And it looks to me that IE 7 is stealing some of Firefox's ideas with the "tabs" thing. So, there's nothing new being brought to the table in terms of browser capabilities or any other major upgrades.
Nevertheless, it's a good update while I won't be needing it anytime soon, it's just nice to know it's finally being a reality.
User Rating: 
9/10
Amazing Improvement over previous versions
Pros: Leaps and bounds improvement over XP
Cons: Some of the new technologies are not being used
http://xbox360s.freepay.com/?r=22884680
User Rating: 9/10
Microsoft is continuing to impress with its innovative OS, Windows Vista.
Pros: Many new features, security improvements, etc
Cons: Still just a beta build, some may find Vista to be slow due to its graphical interface
The reason I rated 9/10 is because I am leaving the perfect score for the final build, provided that Vista continues in the same direction.
