Error Forum Blog

s Vista’s desktop search good enough to supplant Google’s Desktop search? Apparently the Vista search bandwagon is filling up.

In a research note dated Feb. 26, Global Equities analyst Trip Chowdhry said his informal consumer checks indicate that new Vista users “like the interface and accuracy of Microsoft Desktop Search. They were using Google Desktop search before.”

Chowdhry’s comments echo some of the ZDNet reviewers who have cited Vista search as an advantage. For instance, George Ou calls Vista search the new operating system’s killer feature.

Ou reports: “I find myself using the search feature tens of times all through the day when I had hardly used search more than once a week on Windows XP.”

Ed Bott reports:

Yes, you have lots of third-party desktop search options for Windows XP. I’ve tried them all and never found one that was reliable enough for daily use. What makes Vista’s search so useful is the fact that it’s integrated directly into the operating system, so you can search in the Start menu, in Control Panel, in Explorer windows, and in common dialog boxes. I miss this capability most when I sit down at a Windows XP machine and try to find a specific Control Panel option. It also just works. I haven’t had to rebuild indexes or mess with search settings on any Vista PCs in my office.

Chowdhry’s comments in the Feb. 26 note were similar to those made a few days earlier. The difference this time is that Google Desktop Search potentially losing share to Vista is put into a broader perspective of negatives the analyst compiled. He argues that Google shares are pricey because the company’s new initiatives–notably Answers, Metro WiFi and Froogle–are failing to get traction. Google Web search dominance remains.

It’s unclear how large Chowdhry’s sample size was or whether his early thesis about Google Desktop Search losing to Vista is valid. But given the comments from Bott and Ou it’s clear that Vista’s desktop search has some mojo and merits watching.

Chowdhry also adds that Google Maps may suffer from the launch of Vista. “Microsoft is moving fast to adopt and deliver Web 2.0 products and technologies. Contacts tell us that Microsoft has included Atlas Toolkit, including Microsoft’s Virtual Earth API’s in Visual Studio to ease development of Web 2.0 Mashups,” said Chowdhry.

The overall thesis is that people who used Google Gadgets on XP will start using Microsoft’s Vista gadgets.

Source:http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=4555

High-performance hard drives from Western Digital Corp. earned the highest score possible when tested with the Windows Experience Index utility, a new feature in Windows Vista, WD announced today.  The results indicate that the new Windows Vista operating system will run optimally when installed on WD Caviar SE16 500 GB and WD Raptor 150 GB SATA hard drives.  The Windows Experience Index measures performance capabilities of PCs and their components and calculates a score telling users how well the operating system will run using those components.  WD also announced that all of WD’s latest-generation hard drives now are certified to run Windows Vista.The WD Raptor 150 GB hard drive, the world’s only 10,000 RPM SATA drive, and the newest-generation WD Caviar SE16 500 GB SATA hard drive each received a perfect score — a 5.9 — on a scale of between 1 and 5.9.  Other WD Caviar drives also scored in the highest performance level.  Computer systems receiving a 5.0 score or higher are defined by Microsoft as the highest performers and supporting high-end, graphics-intensive experiences such as multiplayer and 3D gaming and recording and playback of HDTV content.  WD tested the drives in its performance lab in Lake Forest, Calif.

When buying a new computer or upgrading their existing one, consumers use the Windows Experience Index tool to make informed choices of PC component brands and features.  “The Windows Experience Index is a valuable resource,” said Don Bennett, vice president and general manager of WD’s Desktop Storage group.  “Users who are upgrading or building a new system with Windows Vista and want maximum performance should put these two drives at the top of their list.”

The WD Raptor and the WD Caviar SE16 drive families have won many awards from publications such as Maximum PC, Tom’s Hardware Guide and PC World.

New users of Windows Vista will place increasing demands on their hard drives.  The minimum system requirements include 15 GB of free storage.  Use of storage-hungry and multimedia applications, including Microsoft Office(R) 2007 software, Windows Photo Gallery, Windows Movie Maker, Windows Media Center and Windows Backup, will require large amounts of hard drive capacity. Uncompressed digital video, for example, can require up to 13 GB per hour, and compressed high-definition video for TV playback can absorb as many as 8 GB per hour, depending on file size, format and other factors.

Vista’s exclusive new DirectX(R) 10 suite of multimedia application programming interfaces is designed for performance enthusiasts and benefits from the fastest SATA hard drives available, such as those that achieve a 5.9 on the Windows Experience Index: WD Caviar SE16 500 GB and WD Raptor 150 GB.

Source:http://www.bootdaily.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=325&Itemid=59

QUESTION: I read your article in my local paper about Vista. I just bought a new computer that is Vista-ready, and the program will be sent at no charge.

Before I install it, I wanted your advice. My PC has a 500-gigabyte hard drive with a 300-gigabyte personal drive. It has 2 gigabytes of RAM along with an Envida 7300 media card.Should I install Vista or just let it rest in its package?

ANSWER: That sounds like a high-end computer. You should be in good shape as far as installing Vista and getting good performance.

However, I think you should wait before installing it. Microsoft is already at work on bug fixes for Vista.

Wait two or three months and then install Vista. The program will search for updates and you’ll have a solid operating system.

Q: Are you a proponent of service contracts on HDTVs?

A: I think there’s a case for them. In general, I am against service contracts, but with an item as expensive as an HDTV and with some of the potential problems you can encounter, you end up with a judgment call.

I did not purchase a service contract with my HDTV, and that has worked out fine for me.

I would never buy one for a PC or almost any other gadget.

But I would not second-guess anyone’s decision to buy the contract for an HDTV.
Source:http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070219/NEWS09/702190301/1011/BUSINESS