English: Windows Vista logo. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Windows Vista is now approaching nine (9) years old and showing its age. Microsoft ended its mainstream support of this operating system in April 2012, and has stated that Windows Vista will reach end-of-life (and end support) in April 2017. Identical to what happened with users of Windows XP, end-of-life means that Microsoft will no longer release security patches to help protect the operating system from the newest form of malware attacks. Therefore, your critical information will be less secure, and your whole computing environment will be more at risk for viruses, Trojans, other malware, slowdowns and shutdowns. How much does downtime cost you?

Never a popular operating system, Windows Vista currently maintains a desktop operating system market share of less than 2.3% according to data from NetMarketShare (http://www.netmarketshare.com/). What this means to you is that less equipment is compatible with Windows Vista.   So why are you still using Windows Vista? Are you waiting for the next big thing (Windows 10)? Now, this is not a reason to wait since Microsoft recently announced that the new Windows 10 will be a free upgrade for those users with Windows 7 or Windows 8. Notice that Vista is not one of the operating systems that will be able to get a free upgrade. The free upgrade to Windows 10 for computers with Windows 7 or newer operating system is available the first year after the Windows 10 release. Currently Windows 10 is expected to be ready for back-to-school this Fall.

As always, we do not recommend upgrading to a new operating system when it is first released because there will typically be numerous bugs and hiccups that will need to be corrected in the months following the initial release. We ask our customers not to be “early adopters” and to wait at least four (4), or more, months after initial release before upgrading to the newest operating system. Therefore, the time we will recommend for our customers to upgrade to Windows 10 is no earlier than in 2016. This is just another reason for Windows Vista users to upgrade now to Windows 7, or in some cases to Windows 8.1.

Computers running Windows Vista have been reported to operate slower than the same hardware system running Windows 7. One such report is from PCStats.com. In their report, PCStats.com ran multiple tests on various hardware platforms alternating between the two operating systems. According to pcstats.com, most computer users can expect productivity gains when using Windows 7 over Windows Vista, with the most significant improvements occurring when the user runs intensive multi-threaded tasks while simultaneously running other applications. (see: http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=2507&page=5). Statistics indicate that people using Windows Vista are also less productive, and will experience higher maintenance costs than if working with Windows 7 or newer operating systems. Since the Windows Vista operating system is slower than Windows 7, and is more buggy and less secure, upgrading to a Windows 7 computer system now will reduce the total cost of ownership of your computer. This savings is especially true if your current Windows Vista computer laptop or desktop is adversely affecting your productivity or would cost a lot to repair. Virus removal or replacing defective hardware cost well over $100. Plus, your downtime is worth even more!

Please contact Cantrell’s Computer Sales & Service for more information! Wade Cantrell is the owner of Cantrell’s Computer Sales & Service which is a value-added retailer and service center located in Pleasant Hill, California.  We have been serving Central Contra Costa County customers since 1998. For further advice on computers and computer-based solutions, virus removal, and computer repair, call Wade or any member of his award-winning staff at (925)827-1200.