The Beautiful Impending Doom of My Windows Vista Monster

Authored by Scott Goldberg on January 18, 2007 - 8:19am.

Readying myself for Windows Vista over the last few weeks has felt like the coming of a newborn: I’ve done loads of research, read the opinions of those who’ve tried it, and even decided a new computer was necessary to carry the enormous burden Vista will bring. The decision was made no easier by PC Magazine’s extensive coverage, which included as many reasons to invest in Vista as reasons not to. It turns out I’m a sucker for strong language, however, because John Clyman’s words offered the final tipping point: “If you're buying a new consumer PC this spring, it probably makes sense to get Vista. Soon, there won't be much of a choice; according to Microsoft's support life cycle, retail PC buyers will have only a year after Vista's release to buy Windows XP.” Yachtzee! Carrying the burden of a 5-year-old laptop on my desk meant that to have this bundle of joy, I would need to move from my studio bachelor pad to an overly expensive 2-bedroom suburban palace.

And like a parent preparing the house for its first child, I read review after bloody review that warned of the disaster Vista will cause should it not be given a proper carriage. In this case, a minimum of 2GB of RAM, at least 120GB of memory, and a Core 2 Duo Intel processor, just to make sure you can handle the baby’s fickle mood. Sheesh! None of that comes very cheap, and if you’re like me and operating on a budget well south of $3000, expect the added features to punch up the dial $500-$1000 bucks, depending on the manufacturer. You’re likely to fall somewhere beyond the top of that figure if you plan to play games. Vista will be a beautiful child, yes, but it will be the one with the mischievous underbelly no one notices because of its darling exterior. Meanwhile, you can’t help looking at it every day and thinking, “You know, my life was less expensive and much less complicated before you came around.”

I'm 27 now, but this could be me after a month
with my new baby Vista

I arrived at the Toshiba Satellite M115-S3144 (and by the way, would someone explain why a PC must have such an absurd title? Can’t we keep it simple, and give each model a clever new name? Fine, it’s in the “Satellite” family, and it needs to be distinguished from other Satellites. But at least replace the “M115-S3144” with something cool. Even natural disasters have nicknames. Call it the Toshiba Satellite Sangre de Cristo for God’s sake. It’s not a huge deal.).

Toshiba does a great job providing everything you need for Vista from the beginning, so the price you see is almost the price you get. After adding security and warranty features, the package came to $1450, which is pretty remarkable for a computer with Core 2 Duo and 2GB of RAM as basic features (and yes, I’m preparing for a complete wreck of a computer here, but the price…oh the price…).

So why am I diving in, you might ask? Simple: I want the newest thing. Yes, I say that without shame. Windows Vista, which I sampled at CES, is like a fluorescent bug zapper, a gorgeous shiny light I just can’t keep myself from desiring. And here’s the other thing: I have faith in Microsoft. I realize there’s no reason to, and Mac fans will scratch there heads at that, but not me. I believe the pressure on Microsoft to produce something outstanding with Vista is too much for them to fail. As far as press goes, most Microsoft rivals have had better recent years than that wire-framed glasses, front-of-the-class, nerdy image that the boys in Washington have somehow been saddled with. So I’m betting that Vista will work, and work well.

It had better, anyway, or I’ll be writing my review next month with baggy dark circles under my eyes and a whisper to you saying, “Hey friend, it looks cute and cuddly, sure, but stay away. Stay away while you still can! Cherish your youth, and stay away!”

Scott Goldberg