<s>
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
is	O
a	O
major	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
developed	O
by	O
Microsoft	O
as	O
the	O
direct	O
successor	O
to	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
2001	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
this	O
5-year	O
gap	O
was	O
the	O
longest	O
time	O
span	O
between	O
successive	O
releases	O
of	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
Windows	O
desktop	B-General_Concept
operating	I-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
introduced	O
an	O
updated	O
graphical	B-Application
user	I-Application
interface	I-Application
and	O
visual	B-Application
style	I-Application
dubbed	O
"	O
Aero	O
,	O
"	O
a	O
new	O
search	O
component	O
called	O
"	O
Windows	B-Application
Search	I-Application
,	O
"	O
redesigned	O
networking	O
,	O
audio	O
,	O
print	O
,	O
and	O
display	O
sub-systems	O
,	O
and	O
new	O
multimedia	O
tools	O
such	O
as	O
Windows	B-Application
DVD	I-Application
Maker	I-Application
among	O
other	O
changes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
aimed	O
to	O
increase	O
the	O
level	O
of	O
communication	O
between	O
machines	O
on	O
a	O
home	O
network	O
,	O
using	O
peer-to-peer	O
technology	O
to	O
simplify	O
sharing	O
files	B-Operating_System
and	O
media	O
between	O
computers	O
and	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
included	O
version	O
3.0	O
of	O
the	O
.NET	B-Application
Framework	I-Application
,	O
allowing	O
software	B-Application
developers	I-Application
to	O
write	O
applications	O
without	O
traditional	O
Windows	B-Library
APIs	I-Library
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
removed	O
support	O
for	O
Itanium	B-General_Concept
and	O
devices	O
without	O
ACPI	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
these	O
new	O
features	O
and	O
security	O
improvements	O
garnered	O
praise	O
,	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
was	O
also	O
the	O
target	O
of	O
significant	O
criticism	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
of	O
its	O
high	O
system	O
requirements	O
,	O
more	O
restrictive	O
licensing	O
terms	O
,	O
lack	O
of	O
compatibility	O
,	O
longer	O
boot	B-Operating_System
time	I-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
excessive	O
authorization	O
prompts	O
from	O
User	O
Account	O
Control	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
these	O
and	O
other	O
issues	O
,	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
saw	O
lower	O
initial	O
adoption	O
and	O
satisfaction	O
rates	O
than	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
usage	O
did	O
exceed	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
pre-launch	O
two-year-out	O
expectations	O
of	O
achieving	O
200	O
million	O
users	O
,	O
with	O
an	O
estimated	O
330	O
million	O
Internet	O
users	O
in	O
January	O
2009	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
October	O
22	O
,	O
2010	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
ceased	O
sales	O
of	O
retail	O
copies	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
,	O
and	O
the	O
original	O
equipment	O
manufacturer	O
's	O
sales	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
ceased	O
the	O
following	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
market	O
share	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
fell	O
below	O
1%	O
by	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
2021	O
,	O
coinciding	O
with	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
11	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mainstream	O
support	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
ended	O
on	O
April	O
10	O
,	O
2012	O
,	O
and	O
extended	O
support	O
ended	O
on	O
April	O
11	O
,	O
2017	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
was	O
succeeded	O
by	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
.	O
,	O
0.18	O
%	O
of	O
PCs	O
run	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
began	O
work	O
on	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
,	O
known	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
by	O
its	O
codename	O
"	O
Longhorn	O
"	O
,	O
in	O
May	O
2001	O
,	O
five	O
months	O
before	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
originally	O
expected	O
to	O
ship	O
in	O
October	O
2003	O
as	O
a	O
minor	O
step	O
between	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
and	O
"	O
Blackcomb	O
"	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
planned	O
to	O
be	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
next	O
major	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
of	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
developers	B-Application
were	O
also	O
re-tasked	O
to	O
build	O
updates	O
to	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
and	O
Windows	B-Application
Server	I-Application
2003	I-Application
to	O
strengthen	O
security	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
this	O
reason	O
,	O
Longhorn	O
was	O
reset	O
to	O
start	O
work	O
on	O
componentizing	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
Server	I-Application
2003	I-Application
Service	O
Pack	O
1	O
codebase	O
,	O
and	O
over	O
time	O
re-incorporating	O
the	O
features	O
that	O
would	O
be	O
intended	O
for	O
an	O
actual	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
some	O
previously	O
announced	O
features	O
such	O
as	O
WinFS	B-Application
were	O
dropped	O
or	O
postponed	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
new	O
software	O
development	O
methodology	O
called	O
the	O
Security	O
Development	O
Lifecycle	O
was	O
incorporated	O
to	O
address	O
concerns	O
with	O
the	O
security	O
of	O
the	O
Windows	O
codebase	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
programmed	O
in	O
C	B-Language
,	O
C++	B-Language
and	O
assembly	B-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
Longhorn	O
became	O
known	O
as	O
Vista	B-Application
in	O
2005	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
early	O
development	O
stages	O
of	O
Longhorn	O
were	O
generally	O
characterized	O
by	O
incremental	O
improvements	O
and	O
updates	O
to	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
this	O
period	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
was	O
fairly	O
quiet	O
about	O
what	O
was	O
being	O
worked	O
on	O
,	O
as	O
their	O
marketing	O
and	O
public	O
relations	O
efforts	O
were	O
more	O
strongly	O
focused	O
on	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Windows	B-Application
Server	I-Application
2003	I-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
April	O
2003	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Occasional	O
builds	O
of	O
Longhorn	O
were	O
leaked	O
onto	O
popular	O
file	O
sharing	O
networks	O
such	O
as	O
IRC	B-Protocol
,	O
BitTorrent	B-Protocol
,	O
eDonkey	O
and	O
various	O
newsgroups	B-Application
,	O
and	O
so	O
most	O
of	O
what	O
is	O
known	O
about	O
builds	O
before	O
the	O
first	O
sanctioned	O
development	O
release	O
of	O
Longhorn	O
in	O
May	O
2003	O
is	O
derived	O
from	O
these	O
builds	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
also	O
privately	O
handed	O
out	O
to	O
a	O
select	O
group	O
of	O
software	B-Application
developers	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
an	O
evolutionary	O
release	O
over	O
build	O
3683	O
,	O
it	O
contained	O
several	O
small	O
improvements	O
,	O
including	O
a	O
modified	O
blue	O
"	O
Plex	O
"	O
theme	O
and	O
a	O
new	O
,	O
simplified	O
Windows	O
Image-based	O
installer	O
that	O
operates	O
in	O
graphical	O
mode	O
from	O
the	O
outset	O
,	O
and	O
completed	O
an	O
install	O
of	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
in	O
approximately	O
one	O
third	O
the	O
time	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
on	O
the	O
same	O
hardware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
most	O
notable	O
visual	O
and	O
functional	O
difference	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
came	O
with	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
new	O
search	O
interface	O
allowed	O
for	O
filtering	O
of	O
results	O
,	O
searching	O
for	O
Windows	O
help	O
,	O
and	O
natural-language	O
queries	O
that	O
would	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
integrate	O
with	O
WinFS	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Also	O
of	O
note	O
was	O
the	O
conversion	O
of	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
to	O
being	O
a	O
.NET	B-Application
application	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
builds	O
of	O
Longhorn	O
and	O
Vista	B-Application
were	O
identified	O
by	O
a	O
label	O
that	O
was	O
always	O
displayed	O
in	O
the	O
bottom-right	O
corner	O
of	O
the	O
desktop	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Typically	O
,	O
a	O
team	O
working	O
on	O
a	O
certain	O
feature	O
or	O
subsystem	O
would	O
generate	O
their	O
working	O
builds	O
which	O
developers	B-Application
would	O
test	O
with	O
,	O
and	O
when	O
the	O
code	O
was	O
deemed	O
stable	O
,	O
all	O
the	O
changes	O
would	O
be	O
incorporated	O
back	O
into	O
the	O
main	O
development	O
tree	O
at	O
once	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
name	B-Device
of	O
the	O
lab	O
in	O
which	O
any	O
given	O
build	O
originated	O
is	O
shown	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
build	O
label	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
date	O
and	O
time	O
of	O
the	O
build	O
follow	O
that	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
icons	O
used	O
in	O
these	O
builds	O
are	O
from	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
Windows	O
Hardware	O
Engineering	O
Conference	O
(	O
WinHEC	O
)	O
in	O
May	O
2003	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
gave	O
their	O
first	O
public	O
demonstrations	O
of	O
the	O
new	O
Desktop	B-Application
Window	O
Manager	O
and	O
Aero	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
sessions	O
for	O
developers	B-Application
and	O
hardware	O
engineers	O
at	O
the	O
conference	O
focused	O
on	O
these	O
new	O
features	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
Next-Generation	O
Secure	O
Computing	O
Base	O
(	O
previously	O
known	O
as	O
"	O
Palladium	O
"	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
was	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
proposed	O
solution	O
for	O
creating	O
a	O
secure	O
computing	O
environment	O
whereby	O
any	O
given	O
component	O
of	O
the	O
system	O
could	O
be	O
deemed	O
"	O
trusted	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Internally	O
,	O
some	O
Microsoft	O
employees	O
were	O
describing	O
the	O
Longhorn	O
project	O
as	O
"	O
another	O
Cairo	B-Application
"	O
or	O
"	O
Cairo.NET	O
"	O
,	O
referring	O
to	O
the	O
Cairo	B-Application
development	I-Application
project	I-Application
that	O
the	O
company	O
embarked	O
on	O
through	O
the	O
first	O
half	O
of	O
the	O
1990s	O
,	O
which	O
never	O
resulted	O
in	O
a	O
shipping	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
(	O
though	O
nearly	O
all	O
the	O
technologies	O
developed	O
in	O
that	O
time	O
did	O
end	O
up	O
in	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
and	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
was	O
shocked	O
in	O
2005	O
by	O
Apple	O
's	O
release	O
of	O
Mac	B-Application
OS	I-Application
X	I-Application
Tiger	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
Longhorn	O
builds	O
had	O
major	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
system	O
leaks	O
which	O
prevented	O
the	O
OS	O
from	O
performing	O
well	O
,	O
and	O
added	O
more	O
confusion	O
to	O
the	O
development	O
teams	O
in	O
later	O
builds	O
with	O
more	O
and	O
more	O
code	O
being	O
developed	O
which	O
failed	O
to	O
reach	O
stability	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
September	O
23	O
,	O
2005	O
front-page	O
article	O
in	O
The	O
Wall	O
Street	O
Journal	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
co-president	O
Jim	O
Allchin	O
,	O
who	O
had	O
overall	O
responsibility	O
for	O
the	O
development	O
and	O
delivery	O
of	O
Windows	O
,	O
explained	O
how	O
development	O
of	O
Longhorn	O
had	O
been	O
"	O
crashing	O
into	O
the	O
ground	O
"	O
due	O
in	O
large	O
part	O
to	O
the	O
haphazard	O
methods	O
by	O
which	O
features	O
were	O
introduced	O
and	O
integrated	O
into	O
the	O
core	O
of	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
,	O
without	O
a	O
clear	O
focus	O
on	O
an	O
end-product	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Allchin	O
went	O
on	O
to	O
explain	O
how	O
in	O
December	O
2003	O
,	O
he	O
enlisted	O
the	O
help	O
of	O
two	O
other	O
senior	O
executives	O
,	O
Brian	O
Valentine	O
and	O
Amitabh	O
Srivastava	O
,	O
the	O
former	O
being	O
experienced	O
with	O
shipping	O
software	O
at	O
Microsoft	O
,	O
most	O
notably	O
Windows	B-Application
Server	I-Application
2003	I-Application
,	O
and	O
the	O
latter	O
having	O
spent	O
his	O
career	O
at	O
Microsoft	O
researching	O
and	O
developing	O
methods	O
of	O
producing	O
high-quality	O
testing	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Srivastava	O
employed	O
a	O
team	O
of	O
core	O
architects	O
to	O
visually	O
map	O
out	O
the	O
entirety	O
of	O
the	O
Windows	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
,	O
and	O
to	O
proactively	O
work	O
towards	O
a	O
development	O
process	O
that	O
would	O
enforce	O
high	O
levels	O
of	O
code	O
quality	O
,	O
reduce	O
interdependencies	O
between	O
components	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
general	O
,	O
"	O
not	O
make	O
things	O
worse	O
with	O
Vista	B-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
Microsoft	O
decided	O
that	O
Longhorn	O
needed	O
to	O
be	O
further	O
componentized	O
,	O
work	O
started	O
on	O
builds	O
(	O
known	O
as	O
the	O
Omega-13	O
builds	O
)	O
that	O
would	O
componentize	O
existing	O
Windows	B-Application
Server	I-Application
2003	I-Application
source	O
code	O
,	O
and	O
over	O
time	O
add	O
back	O
functionality	O
as	O
development	O
progressed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Future	O
Longhorn	O
builds	O
would	O
start	O
from	O
Windows	B-Application
Server	I-Application
2003	I-Application
Service	O
Pack	O
1	O
and	O
continue	O
from	O
there	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
number	O
of	O
complaints	O
came	O
from	O
individual	O
developers	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Bill	O
Gates	O
himself	O
,	O
that	O
the	O
new	O
development	O
process	O
was	O
going	O
to	O
be	O
prohibitively	O
difficult	O
to	O
work	O
within	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
end	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
chose	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
as	O
confirmed	O
on	O
July	O
22	O
,	O
2005	O
,	O
believing	O
it	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
"	O
wonderful	O
intersection	O
of	O
what	O
the	O
product	O
really	O
does	O
,	O
what	O
Windows	O
stands	O
for	O
,	O
and	O
what	O
resonates	O
with	O
customers	O
,	O
and	O
their	O
needs	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
That	O
's	O
what	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
is	O
all	O
about	O
:	O
"	O
bringing	O
clarity	O
to	O
your	O
world	O
"	O
(	O
a	O
reference	O
to	O
the	O
three	O
marketing	O
points	O
of	O
Vista	B-Application
—	O
Clear	O
,	O
Connected	O
,	O
Confident	O
)	O
,	O
so	O
you	O
can	O
focus	O
on	O
what	O
matters	O
to	O
you	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
co-president	O
Jim	O
Allchin	O
also	O
loved	O
the	O
name	B-Device
,	O
saying	O
that	O
"	O
Vista	B-Application
creates	O
the	O
right	O
imagery	O
for	O
the	O
new	O
product	O
capabilities	O
and	O
inspires	O
the	O
imagination	O
with	O
all	O
the	O
possibilities	O
of	O
what	O
can	O
be	O
done	O
with	O
Windows	O
—	O
making	O
people	O
's	O
passions	O
come	O
alive.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
Longhorn	O
was	O
named	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
in	O
July	O
2005	O
,	O
an	O
unprecedented	O
beta-test	O
program	O
was	O
started	O
,	O
involving	O
hundreds	O
of	O
thousands	O
of	O
volunteers	O
and	O
companies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
of	O
these	O
was	O
distributed	O
at	O
the	O
2005	O
Microsoft	O
Professional	O
Developers	B-Application
Conference	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
subsequently	O
released	O
to	O
beta	O
testers	O
and	O
Microsoft	O
Developer	B-Application
Network	O
subscribers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
builds	O
that	O
followed	O
incorporated	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
planned	O
features	O
for	O
the	O
final	O
product	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
changes	O
to	O
the	O
user	B-Application
interface	I-Application
,	O
based	O
largely	O
on	O
feedback	O
from	O
beta	O
testers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
was	O
deemed	O
feature-complete	O
with	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
"	O
February	O
CTP	O
"	O
,	O
released	O
on	O
February	O
22	O
,	O
2006	O
,	O
and	O
much	O
of	O
the	O
remainder	O
of	O
the	O
work	O
between	O
that	O
build	O
and	O
the	O
final	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
product	O
focused	O
on	O
stability	O
,	O
performance	O
,	O
application	O
and	O
driver	B-Application
compatibility	O
,	O
and	O
documentation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
Intel	O
Developer	B-Application
Forum	O
on	O
March	O
9	O
,	O
2006	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
announced	O
a	O
change	O
in	O
their	O
plans	O
to	O
support	O
EFI	O
in	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
UEFI	B-Architecture
2.0	O
specification	O
(	O
which	O
replaced	O
EFI	O
1.10	O
)	O
was	O
not	O
completed	O
until	O
early	O
2006	O
,	O
and	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
of	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
announcement	O
,	O
no	O
firmware	O
manufacturers	O
had	O
completed	O
a	O
production	O
implementation	O
which	O
could	O
be	O
used	O
for	O
testing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
result	O
,	O
the	O
decision	O
was	O
made	O
to	O
postpone	O
the	O
introduction	O
of	O
UEFI	B-Architecture
support	O
to	O
Windows	O
;	O
support	O
for	O
UEFI	B-Architecture
on	O
64-bit	B-Device
platforms	O
was	O
postponed	O
until	O
Vista	B-Application
Service	O
Pack	O
1	O
and	O
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
2008	I-Device
and	O
32-bit	O
UEFI	B-Architecture
would	O
not	O
be	O
supported	O
,	O
as	O
Microsoft	O
did	O
not	O
expect	O
many	O
such	O
systems	O
to	O
be	O
built	O
because	O
the	O
market	O
was	O
quickly	O
moving	O
to	O
64-bit	B-Device
processors	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
Microsoft	O
had	O
originally	O
hoped	O
to	O
have	O
the	O
consumer	O
versions	O
of	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
available	O
worldwide	O
in	O
time	O
for	O
the	O
2006	O
holiday	O
shopping	O
season	O
,	O
it	O
announced	O
in	O
March	O
2006	O
that	O
the	O
release	O
date	O
would	O
be	O
pushed	O
back	O
to	O
January	O
2007	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
give	O
the	O
company	O
—	O
and	O
the	O
hardware	O
and	O
software	O
companies	O
that	O
Microsoft	O
depends	O
on	O
for	O
providing	O
device	B-Application
drivers	I-Application
—	O
additional	O
time	O
to	O
prepare	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Thus	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
unlikely	O
that	O
any	O
major	O
new	O
features	O
would	O
be	O
introduced	O
;	O
instead	O
,	O
work	O
would	O
focus	O
on	O
Vista	B-Application
's	O
fit	O
and	O
finish	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
just	O
a	O
few	O
days	O
,	O
developers	B-Application
had	O
managed	O
to	O
drop	O
Vista	B-Application
's	O
bug	O
count	O
from	O
over	O
2470	O
on	O
September	O
22	O
to	O
just	O
over	O
1400	O
by	O
the	O
time	O
RC2	O
shipped	O
in	O
early	O
October	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
they	O
still	O
had	O
a	O
way	O
to	O
go	O
before	O
Vista	B-Application
was	O
ready	O
to	O
RTM	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
's	O
internal	O
processes	O
required	O
Vista	B-Application
's	O
bug	O
count	O
to	O
drop	O
to	O
500	O
or	O
fewer	O
before	O
the	O
product	O
could	O
go	O
into	O
escrow	O
for	O
RTM	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
June	O
14	O
,	O
2006	O
,	O
Windows	O
developer	B-Application
Philip	O
Su	O
posted	O
a	O
blog	O
entry	O
which	O
decried	O
the	O
development	O
process	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
,	O
stating	O
that	O
"	O
The	O
code	O
is	O
way	O
too	O
complicated	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
the	O
pace	O
of	O
coding	O
has	O
been	O
tremendously	O
slowed	O
down	O
by	O
overbearing	O
process.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
same	O
post	O
also	O
described	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
as	O
having	O
approximately	O
50	O
million	O
lines	O
of	O
code	O
,	O
with	O
about	O
2,000	O
developers	B-Application
working	O
on	O
the	O
product	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
a	O
demonstration	O
of	O
the	O
speech	B-General_Concept
recognition	I-General_Concept
feature	O
new	O
to	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
at	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
Financial	O
Analyst	O
Meeting	O
on	O
July	O
27	O
,	O
2006	O
,	O
the	O
software	O
recognized	O
the	O
phrase	O
"	O
Dear	O
mom	O
"	O
as	O
"	O
Dear	O
aunt	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
developer	B-Application
with	O
Vista	B-Application
's	O
speech	B-General_Concept
recognition	I-General_Concept
team	O
later	O
explained	O
that	O
there	O
was	O
a	O
bug	O
with	O
the	O
build	O
of	O
Vista	B-Application
that	O
was	O
causing	O
the	O
microphone	O
gain	O
level	O
to	O
be	O
set	O
very	O
high	O
,	O
resulting	O
in	O
the	O
audio	O
being	O
received	O
by	O
the	O
speech	B-General_Concept
recognition	I-General_Concept
software	O
being	O
"	O
incredibly	O
distorted	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
build	O
5824	O
(	O
October	O
17	O
,	O
2006	O
)	O
was	O
supposed	O
to	O
be	O
the	O
RTM	O
release	O
,	O
but	O
a	O
bug	O
,	O
where	O
the	O
OOBE	O
hangs	O
at	O
the	O
start	O
of	O
the	O
WinSAT	O
Assessment	O
(	O
if	O
upgraded	O
from	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
)	O
,	O
requiring	O
the	O
user	O
to	O
terminate	O
the	O
msoobe.exe	O
by	O
pressing	O
Shift+F10	O
to	O
open	O
Command	O
Prompt	O
using	O
either	O
command-line	O
tools	O
or	O
Task	O
Manager	O
prevented	O
this	O
,	O
damaging	O
development	O
and	O
lowering	O
the	O
chance	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
hit	O
its	O
January	O
2007	O
deadline	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Development	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
came	O
to	O
an	O
end	O
when	O
Microsoft	O
announced	O
that	O
it	O
had	O
been	O
finalized	O
on	O
November	O
8	O
,	O
2006	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
concluded	O
by	O
co-president	O
of	O
Windows	O
development	O
,	O
Jim	O
Allchin	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
RTM	O
's	O
build	O
number	O
had	O
also	O
jumped	O
to	O
6000	O
to	O
reflect	O
Vista	B-Application
's	O
internal	O
version	O
number	O
,	O
NT	B-Device
6.0	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Jumping	O
RTM	O
build	O
numbers	O
is	O
common	O
practice	O
among	O
consumer-oriented	O
Windows	O
versions	O
,	O
like	O
Windows	B-Device
98	I-Device
(	O
build	O
1998	O
)	O
,	O
Windows	B-Device
98	I-Device
SE	O
(	O
build	O
2222	O
)	O
,	O
Windows	B-Device
Me	I-Device
(	O
build	O
3000	O
)	O
or	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
(	O
build	O
2600	O
)	O
,	O
as	O
compared	O
to	O
the	O
business-oriented	O
versions	O
like	O
Windows	B-Application
2000	I-Application
(	O
build	O
2195	O
)	O
or	O
Server	B-Application
2003	I-Application
(	O
build	O
3790	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
was	O
launched	O
for	O
general	O
customer	O
availability	O
on	O
January	O
30	O
,	O
2007	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
introduced	O
several	O
features	O
and	O
functionality	O
not	O
present	O
in	O
its	O
predecessors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	O
Aero	O
:	O
The	O
new	O
graphical	B-Application
user	I-Application
interface	I-Application
is	O
named	O
Windows	O
Aero	O
,	O
which	O
Jim	O
Allchin	O
stated	O
is	O
an	O
acronym	O
for	O
Authentic	O
,	O
Energetic	O
,	O
Reflective	O
,	O
and	O
Open	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
shell	I-Application
:	O
The	O
new	O
Windows	B-Application
shell	I-Application
offers	O
a	O
new	O
range	O
of	O
organization	O
,	O
navigation	O
,	O
and	O
search	O
capabilities	O
:	O
Task	O
panes	O
in	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
are	O
removed	O
,	O
integrating	O
the	O
relevant	O
task	O
options	O
into	O
the	O
toolbar	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Icons	O
of	O
certain	O
file	O
types	O
in	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
are	O
"	O
live	O
"	O
and	O
can	O
be	O
scaled	O
in	O
size	O
up	O
to	O
256	O
×	O
256	O
pixels	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
preview	O
pane	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
see	O
thumbnails	O
of	O
various	O
files	B-Operating_System
and	O
view	O
the	O
contents	O
of	O
documents	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
details	O
pane	O
shows	O
information	O
such	O
as	O
file	O
size	O
and	O
type	O
,	O
and	O
allows	O
viewing	O
and	O
editing	O
of	O
embedded	B-General_Concept
tags	I-General_Concept
in	O
supported	O
file	O
formats	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Start	O
menu	O
has	O
changed	O
as	O
well	O
;	O
incorporating	O
an	O
instant	B-Application
search	I-Application
box	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
All	O
Programs	O
list	O
uses	O
a	O
horizontal	O
scroll	O
bar	O
instead	O
of	O
the	O
cascading	O
flyout	O
menu	O
seen	O
in	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
Search	I-Application
:	O
A	O
new	O
search	O
component	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
,	O
it	O
features	O
instant	B-Application
search	I-Application
(	O
also	O
known	O
as	O
search	B-Application
as	I-Application
you	I-Application
type	I-Application
)	O
,	O
which	O
provides	O
instant	B-Application
search	I-Application
results	O
,	O
thus	O
finding	O
files	B-Operating_System
more	O
quickly	O
than	O
the	O
search	O
features	O
found	O
in	O
previous	O
versions	O
of	O
Windows	O
and	O
can	O
search	O
the	O
contents	O
of	O
recognized	O
file	O
types	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
can	O
search	O
for	O
certain	O
metadata	O
such	O
as	O
name	B-Device
,	O
extension	O
,	O
size	O
,	O
date	O
or	O
attributes	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	O
Sidebar	O
:	O
A	O
transparent	O
panel	O
,	O
anchored	O
to	O
the	O
right	O
side	O
of	O
the	O
screen	O
,	O
wherein	O
a	O
user	O
can	O
place	O
Desktop	B-Application
Gadgets	I-Application
,	O
which	O
are	O
small	O
applets	O
designed	O
for	O
a	O
specialized	O
purpose	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
displaying	O
the	O
weather	O
or	O
sports	O
scores	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gadgets	B-Application
can	O
also	O
be	O
placed	O
on	O
the	O
desktop	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
Internet	I-Application
Explorer	I-Application
7	I-Application
:	O
New	O
user	B-Application
interface	I-Application
,	O
tabbed	O
browsing	O
,	O
RSS	O
,	O
a	O
search	O
box	O
,	O
improved	O
printing	O
,	O
Page	O
Zoom	O
,	O
Quick	O
Tabs	O
(	O
thumbnails	O
of	O
all	O
open	O
tabs	O
)	O
,	O
Anti-Phishing	O
filter	O
,	O
several	O
new	O
security	O
protection	O
features	O
,	O
Internationalized	B-Language
Domain	I-Language
Name	I-Language
support	O
(	O
IDN	B-Language
)	O
,	O
and	O
improved	O
web	O
standards	O
support	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IE7	B-Application
in	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
runs	O
in	O
isolation	O
from	O
other	O
applications	O
in	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
(	O
protected	O
mode	O
)	O
;	O
exploits	O
and	O
malicious	O
software	O
are	O
restricted	O
from	O
writing	O
to	O
any	O
location	O
beyond	O
Temporary	O
Internet	O
Files	B-Operating_System
without	O
explicit	O
user	O
consent	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
Media	I-Device
Player	I-Device
11	I-Device
,	O
a	O
major	O
revamp	O
of	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
program	O
for	O
playing	O
and	O
organizing	O
music	O
and	O
video	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
New	O
features	O
in	O
this	O
version	O
include	O
word	B-Application
wheeling	I-Application
(	O
incremental	B-Application
search	I-Application
or	O
"	O
search	B-Application
as	I-Application
you	I-Application
type	I-Application
"	O
)	O
,	O
a	O
new	O
GUI	B-Application
for	O
the	O
media	O
library	O
,	O
photo	O
display	O
and	O
organization	O
,	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
share	O
music	O
libraries	O
over	O
a	O
network	O
with	O
other	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
machines	O
,	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
integration	O
,	O
and	O
support	O
for	O
other	O
Media	O
Center	O
Extenders	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
Defender	I-Application
:	O
An	O
antispyware	O
program	O
with	O
several	O
real-time	O
protection	O
agents	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Backup	O
and	O
Restore	O
Center	O
:	O
Includes	O
a	O
backup	O
and	O
restore	O
application	O
that	O
gives	O
users	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
schedule	O
periodic	O
backups	O
of	O
files	B-Operating_System
on	O
their	O
computer	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
recovery	O
from	O
previous	O
backups	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
also	O
features	O
Complete	O
PC	O
Backup	O
(	O
available	O
only	O
in	O
the	O
Ultimate	O
,	O
Business	O
,	O
and	O
Enterprise	O
editions	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
backs	O
up	O
an	O
entire	O
computer	O
as	O
an	O
image	O
onto	O
a	O
hard	B-Device
disk	I-Device
or	O
DVD	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Complete	O
PC	O
Backup	O
can	O
automatically	O
recreate	O
a	O
machine	O
setup	O
onto	O
new	O
hardware	O
or	O
hard	B-Device
disk	I-Device
in	O
case	O
of	O
any	O
hardware	O
failures	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Complete	O
PC	O
Restore	O
can	O
be	O
initiated	O
from	O
within	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
or	O
from	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
installation	O
CD	O
if	O
a	O
PC	O
is	O
so	O
corrupt	O
that	O
it	O
cannot	O
start	O
normally	O
from	O
the	O
hard	B-Device
disk	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Protocol
Mail	I-Protocol
:	O
A	O
replacement	O
for	O
Outlook	O
Express	O
that	O
includes	O
a	O
new	O
mail	O
store	O
that	O
improves	O
stability	O
,	O
and	O
features	O
integrated	O
instant	B-Application
search	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
has	O
a	O
Phishing	O
Filter	O
like	O
Internet	B-Application
Explorer	I-Application
7	I-Application
and	O
Junk	O
mail	O
filtering	O
that	O
is	O
enhanced	O
through	O
regular	O
updates	O
via	O
Windows	O
Update	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Protocol
Calendar	I-Protocol
is	O
a	O
new	O
calendar	B-Protocol
and	O
task	O
application	O
that	O
integrates	O
with	O
Windows	O
Contacts	O
and	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Mail	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
compatible	O
with	O
various	O
calendar	B-Protocol
file	O
types	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
popular	O
iCalendar	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
Photo	I-Device
Gallery	I-Device
,	O
a	O
photo	O
and	O
movie	O
library	O
management	O
application	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
can	O
import	O
from	O
digital	O
cameras	O
,	O
tag	B-General_Concept
and	O
rate	O
individual	O
items	O
,	O
adjust	O
colors	O
and	O
exposure	O
,	O
create	O
and	O
display	O
slideshows	O
(	O
with	O
pan	O
and	O
fade	O
effects	O
)	O
through	O
Direct3D	B-Application
and	O
burn	O
slideshows	O
to	O
a	O
DVD	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
DVD	I-Application
Maker	I-Application
,	O
a	O
companion	O
program	O
to	O
Windows	B-Application
Movie	I-Application
Maker	I-Application
that	O
provides	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
create	O
video	O
DVDs	O
based	O
on	O
a	O
user	O
's	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
Media	I-Device
Center	I-Device
,	O
which	O
was	O
previously	O
exclusively	O
bundled	O
in	O
a	O
separate	O
edition	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
,	O
known	O
as	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
Media	I-Application
Center	I-Application
Edition	I-Application
,	O
has	O
been	O
incorporated	O
into	O
the	O
Home	O
Premium	O
and	O
Ultimate	O
editions	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Games	O
:	O
Most	O
of	O
the	O
standard	O
computer	O
games	O
included	O
in	O
previous	O
versions	O
of	O
Windows	O
have	O
been	O
redesigned	O
to	O
showcase	O
Vista	B-Application
's	O
new	O
graphical	O
capabilities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
New	O
games	O
available	O
in	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
are	O
Chess	B-Application
Titans	I-Application
(	O
3D	O
Chess	B-Application
game	O
)	O
,	O
Mahjong	B-Application
Titans	I-Application
(	O
3D	O
mahjong	B-Application
solitaire	I-Application
game	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
Purble	B-Application
Place	I-Application
(	O
a	O
small	O
collection	O
of	O
games	O
,	O
oriented	O
towards	O
younger	O
children	O
,	O
including	O
a	O
matching	O
game	O
,	O
a	O
cake-creator	O
game	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
dress-up	O
puzzle	O
game	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Purble	B-Application
Place	I-Application
is	O
the	O
only	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
new	O
games	O
available	O
in	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
Home	I-Application
Basic	O
edition	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
InkBall	B-Application
is	O
available	O
for	O
Home	O
Premium	O
(	O
or	O
better	O
)	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
not	O
available	O
in	O
the	O
Home	O
editions	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
,	O
but	O
is	O
available	O
in	O
the	O
Business	O
,	O
Enterprise	O
,	O
and	O
Ultimate	O
editions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	O
Meeting	O
Space	O
replaces	O
NetMeeting	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	O
HotStart	O
enables	O
compatible	O
computers	O
to	O
start	O
applications	O
directly	O
from	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
startup	O
or	O
resume	O
by	O
the	O
press	O
of	O
a	O
button	O
—	O
this	O
enables	O
what	O
Microsoft	O
has	O
described	O
as	O
appliance-like	O
availability	O
,	O
which	O
allows	O
computers	O
to	O
function	O
in	O
a	O
manner	O
similar	O
to	O
a	O
consumer	O
electronics	O
device	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
DVD	B-Device
player	I-Device
;	O
the	O
feature	O
was	O
also	O
designed	O
to	O
provide	O
the	O
instant-on	O
feature	O
availability	O
that	O
is	O
traditionally	O
associated	O
with	O
mobile	B-Application
devices	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shadow	O
Copy	O
automatically	O
creates	O
daily	O
backup	O
copies	O
of	O
files	B-Operating_System
and	O
folders	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
feature	O
is	O
available	O
only	O
in	O
the	O
Business	O
,	O
Enterprise	O
,	O
and	O
Ultimate	O
editions	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
and	O
is	O
inherited	O
from	O
Windows	B-Application
Server	I-Application
2003	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	O
Update	O
:	O
Software	O
and	O
security	O
updates	O
have	O
been	O
simplified	O
,	O
now	O
operating	O
solely	O
via	O
a	O
control	O
panel	O
instead	O
of	O
as	O
a	O
web	B-Application
application	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Protocol
Mail	I-Protocol
's	O
spam	O
filter	O
and	O
Windows	B-Application
Defender	I-Application
's	O
definitions	O
are	O
updated	O
automatically	O
via	O
Windows	O
Update	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
feature	O
is	O
not	O
included	O
in	O
the	O
Business	O
or	O
Enterprise	O
editions	O
of	O
Vista	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	O
SideShow	O
:	O
Enables	O
the	O
auxiliary	O
displays	O
on	O
newer	O
laptops	O
or	O
supported	O
Windows	O
Mobile	B-Application
devices	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
meant	O
to	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
display	O
device	O
gadgets	B-Application
while	O
the	O
computer	O
is	O
on	O
or	O
off	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Speech	B-General_Concept
recognition	I-General_Concept
is	O
integrated	O
into	O
Vista	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
features	O
a	O
redesigned	O
user	B-Application
interface	I-Application
and	O
configurable	O
command-and-control	O
commands	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
the	O
Office	O
2003	O
version	O
,	O
which	O
works	O
only	O
in	O
Office	O
and	O
WordPad	O
,	O
Speech	B-General_Concept
Recognition	I-General_Concept
in	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
works	O
for	O
any	O
accessible	O
application	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
New	O
fonts	O
,	O
including	O
several	O
designed	O
for	O
screen	B-General_Concept
reading	I-General_Concept
,	O
and	O
improved	O
Chinese	O
(	O
Yahei	O
,	O
JhengHei	O
)	O
,	O
Japanese	O
(	O
Meiryo	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
Korean	O
(	O
Mulgan	O
)	O
fonts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
benchmark	O
tests	O
CPU	B-General_Concept
,	O
RAM	B-Architecture
,	O
2-D	O
and	O
3-D	O
graphics	B-Architecture
acceleration	I-Architecture
,	O
graphics	O
memory	B-Architecture
and	O
hard	B-Device
disk	I-Device
space	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	O
Ultimate	O
Extras	O
:	O
The	O
Ultimate	O
edition	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
provides	O
,	O
via	O
Windows	O
Update	O
,	O
access	O
to	O
some	O
additional	O
features	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
are	O
a	O
collection	O
of	O
additional	O
MUI	O
language	O
packs	O
,	O
Texas	O
Hold	O
'	O
Em	O
(	O
a	O
Poker	O
game	O
)	O
and	O
Microsoft	O
Tinker	O
(	O
a	O
strategy	O
game	O
where	O
the	O
character	O
is	O
a	O
robot	O
)	O
,	O
BitLocker	O
and	O
EFS	O
enhancements	O
that	O
allow	O
users	O
to	O
back	O
up	O
their	O
encryption	O
key	O
online	O
in	O
a	O
Digital	O
Locker	O
,	O
and	O
Windows	O
DreamScene	O
,	O
which	O
enables	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
videos	O
in	O
MPEG	O
and	O
WMV	B-Device
formats	O
as	O
the	O
desktop	B-Application
background	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reliability	O
and	O
Performance	O
Monitor	O
includes	O
various	O
tools	O
for	O
tuning	O
and	O
monitoring	O
system	O
performance	O
and	O
resources	O
activities	O
of	O
CPU	B-General_Concept
,	O
disks	O
,	O
network	O
,	O
memory	B-Architecture
and	O
other	O
resources	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
shows	O
the	O
operations	O
on	O
files	B-Operating_System
,	O
the	O
opened	O
connections	O
,	O
etc	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Disk	O
Management	O
:	O
The	O
Logical	O
Disk	O
Manager	O
in	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
supports	O
shrinking	O
and	O
expanding	O
volumes	B-Application
on-the-fly	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	O
Anytime	O
Upgrade	O
:	O
is	O
a	O
program	O
that	O
allows	O
a	O
user	O
to	O
upgrade	O
their	O
computer	O
running	O
Vista	B-Application
to	O
a	O
higher	O
edition	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
a	O
computer	O
running	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
Home	I-Application
Basic	O
can	O
be	O
upgraded	O
to	O
Home	O
Premium	O
or	O
better	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Anytime	O
Upgrade	O
is	O
no	O
longer	O
available	O
for	O
Vista	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Apps	O
purchased	O
from	O
Windows	O
Marketplace	O
are	O
managed	O
by	O
Microsoft	O
Account	O
credentials	O
,	O
which	O
are	O
used	O
to	O
access	O
a	O
user	O
's	O
digital	O
locker	O
that	O
stores	O
the	O
app	O
and	O
its	O
associated	O
information	O
(	O
e.g.	O
,	O
licenses	B-License
)	O
off-site	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Vista	B-Application
includes	O
technologies	O
such	O
as	O
ReadyBoost	O
and	O
ReadyDrive	O
,	O
which	O
employ	O
fast	O
flash	B-Device
memory	I-Device
(	O
located	O
on	O
USB	O
flash	O
drives	O
and	O
hybrid	B-Device
hard	I-Device
disk	I-Device
drives	I-Device
)	O
to	O
improve	O
system	O
performance	O
by	O
caching	O
commonly	O
used	O
programs	O
and	O
data	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
manifests	O
itself	O
in	O
improved	O
battery	O
life	O
on	O
notebook	O
computers	O
as	O
well	O
,	O
since	O
a	O
hybrid	B-Device
drive	I-Device
can	O
be	O
spun	O
down	O
when	O
not	O
in	O
use	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
new	O
technology	O
called	O
SuperFetch	O
utilizes	O
machine	O
learning	O
techniques	O
to	O
analyze	O
usage	O
patterns	O
to	O
allow	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
to	O
make	O
intelligent	O
decisions	O
about	O
what	O
content	O
should	O
be	O
present	O
in	O
system	O
memory	B-Architecture
at	O
any	O
given	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
uses	O
almost	O
all	O
the	O
extra	O
RAM	B-Architecture
as	O
disk	B-General_Concept
cache	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
conjunction	O
with	O
SuperFetch	O
,	O
an	O
automatic	O
built-in	O
Windows	B-Application
Disk	I-Application
Defragmenter	I-Application
makes	O
sure	O
that	O
those	O
applications	O
are	O
strategically	O
positioned	O
on	O
the	O
hard	B-Device
disk	I-Device
where	O
they	O
can	O
be	O
loaded	O
into	O
memory	B-Architecture
very	O
quickly	O
with	O
the	O
least	O
physical	O
movement	O
of	O
the	O
hard	B-Device
disk	I-Device
's	O
read-write	O
heads	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
redesign	O
of	O
the	O
networking	O
architecture	O
,	O
IPv6	B-Protocol
has	O
been	O
fully	O
incorporated	O
into	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
and	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
performance	O
improvements	O
have	O
been	O
introduced	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
TCP	B-Protocol
window	I-Protocol
scaling	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Earlier	O
versions	O
of	O
Windows	O
typically	O
needed	O
third-party	O
wireless	O
networking	O
software	O
to	O
work	O
properly	O
,	O
but	O
this	O
is	O
not	O
the	O
case	O
with	O
Vista	B-Application
,	O
which	O
includes	O
more	O
comprehensive	O
wireless	O
networking	O
support	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
graphics	O
,	O
Vista	B-Application
introduces	O
a	O
new	O
Windows	B-Device
Display	I-Device
Driver	I-Device
Model	I-Device
and	O
a	O
major	O
revision	O
to	O
Direct3D	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
new	O
driver	B-Application
model	O
facilitates	O
the	O
new	O
Desktop	B-Application
Window	O
Manager	O
,	O
which	O
provides	O
the	O
tearing-free	O
desktop	B-Application
and	O
special	O
effects	O
that	O
are	O
the	O
cornerstones	O
of	O
Windows	O
Aero	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Direct3D	B-Application
10	O
,	O
developed	O
in	O
conjunction	O
with	O
major	O
graphics	O
card	O
manufacturers	O
,	O
is	O
a	O
new	O
architecture	O
with	O
more	O
advanced	O
shader	O
support	O
,	O
and	O
allows	O
the	O
graphics	B-Architecture
processing	I-Architecture
unit	I-Architecture
to	O
render	O
more	O
complex	O
scenes	O
without	O
assistance	O
from	O
the	O
CPU	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
features	O
improved	O
load	O
balancing	O
between	O
CPU	B-General_Concept
and	O
GPU	B-Architecture
and	O
also	O
optimizes	O
data	O
transfer	O
between	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WDDM	B-Device
also	O
provides	O
video	O
content	O
playback	O
that	O
rivals	O
typical	O
consumer	O
electronics	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
the	O
first	O
time	O
in	O
Windows	O
,	O
graphics	B-Architecture
processing	I-Architecture
unit	I-Architecture
(	O
GPU	B-Architecture
)	O
multitasking	O
is	O
possible	O
,	O
enabling	O
users	O
to	O
run	O
more	O
than	O
one	O
GPU-intensive	O
application	O
simultaneously	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
core	O
of	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
,	O
many	O
improvements	O
have	O
been	O
made	O
to	O
the	O
memory	B-Architecture
manager	O
,	O
process	O
scheduler	O
and	O
I/O	O
scheduler	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Heap	O
Manager	O
implements	O
additional	O
features	O
such	O
as	O
integrity	O
checking	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
improve	O
robustness	O
and	O
defend	O
against	O
buffer	B-General_Concept
overflow	I-General_Concept
security	O
exploits	O
,	O
although	O
this	O
comes	O
at	O
the	O
price	O
of	O
breaking	O
backward	O
compatibility	O
with	O
some	O
legacy	O
applications	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Kernel	B-Operating_System
Transaction	O
Manager	O
has	O
been	O
implemented	O
that	O
enables	O
applications	O
to	O
work	O
with	O
the	O
file	B-Application
system	I-Application
and	O
Registry	B-Protocol
using	O
atomic	B-General_Concept
transaction	I-General_Concept
operations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Improved	O
security	O
was	O
a	O
primary	O
design	O
goal	O
for	O
Vista	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
was	O
often	O
difficult	O
in	O
previous	O
versions	O
of	O
Windows	O
,	O
as	O
the	O
previous	O
"	O
limited	O
"	O
user	O
accounts	O
proved	O
too	O
restrictive	O
and	O
incompatible	O
with	O
a	O
large	O
proportion	O
of	O
application	O
software	O
,	O
and	O
even	O
prevented	O
some	O
basic	O
operations	O
such	O
as	O
looking	O
at	O
the	O
calendar	B-Protocol
from	O
the	O
notification	O
tray	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
,	O
when	O
an	O
action	O
is	O
performed	O
that	O
requires	O
administrative	O
rights	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
installing/uninstalling	O
software	O
or	O
making	O
system-wide	O
configuration	O
changes	O
)	O
,	O
the	O
user	O
is	O
first	O
prompted	O
for	O
an	O
administrator	O
name	B-Device
and	O
password	O
;	O
in	O
cases	O
where	O
the	O
user	O
is	O
already	O
an	O
administrator	O
,	O
the	O
user	O
is	O
still	O
prompted	O
to	O
confirm	O
the	O
pending	O
privileged	O
action	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
User	O
Account	O
Control	O
asks	O
for	O
credentials	O
in	O
a	O
Secure	O
Desktop	B-Application
mode	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
the	O
entire	O
screen	O
is	O
dimmed	O
,	O
and	O
only	O
the	O
authorization	O
window	O
is	O
active	O
and	O
highlighted	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
was	O
executed	O
on	O
a	O
default	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
installation	O
within	O
a	O
standard	O
user	O
account	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Internet	B-Application
Explorer	I-Application
7	I-Application
's	O
new	O
security	O
and	O
safety	O
features	O
include	O
a	O
phishing	O
filter	O
,	O
IDN	B-Language
with	O
anti-spoofing	O
capabilities	O
,	O
and	O
integration	O
with	O
system-wide	O
parental	O
controls	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
added	O
security	O
,	O
ActiveX	B-Application
controls	I-Application
are	O
disabled	O
by	O
default	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Also	O
,	O
Internet	B-Application
Explorer	I-Application
operates	O
in	O
a	O
protected	O
mode	O
,	O
which	O
operates	O
with	O
lower	O
permissions	O
than	O
the	O
user	O
and	O
runs	O
in	O
isolation	O
from	O
other	O
applications	O
in	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
,	O
preventing	O
it	O
from	O
accessing	O
or	O
modifying	O
anything	O
besides	O
the	O
Temporary	O
Internet	O
Files	B-Operating_System
directory	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
's	O
anti-spyware	O
product	O
,	O
Windows	B-Application
Defender	I-Application
,	O
has	O
been	O
incorporated	O
into	O
Windows	O
,	O
protecting	O
against	O
malware	O
and	O
other	O
threats	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Whereas	O
prior	O
releases	O
of	O
Windows	O
supported	O
per-file	O
encryption	O
using	O
Encrypting	O
File	B-Application
System	I-Application
,	O
the	O
Enterprise	O
and	O
Ultimate	O
editions	O
of	O
Vista	B-Application
include	O
BitLocker	O
Drive	O
Encryption	O
,	O
which	O
can	O
protect	O
entire	O
volumes	B-Application
,	O
notably	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
volume	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
BitLocker	O
requires	O
approximately	O
a	O
1.5-gigabyte	O
partition	O
to	O
be	O
permanently	O
not	O
encrypted	O
and	O
to	O
contain	O
system	O
files	B-Operating_System
for	O
Windows	O
to	O
boot	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
normal	O
circumstances	O
,	O
the	O
only	O
time	O
this	O
partition	O
is	O
accessed	O
is	O
when	O
the	O
computer	O
is	O
booting	B-Operating_System
,	O
or	O
when	O
there	O
is	O
a	O
Windows	O
update	O
that	O
changes	O
files	B-Operating_System
in	O
this	O
area	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
a	O
legitimate	O
reason	O
to	O
access	O
this	O
section	O
of	O
the	O
drive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
area	O
can	O
be	O
a	O
potential	O
security	O
issue	O
,	O
because	O
a	O
hexadecimal	O
editor	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
dskprobe.exe	O
)	O
,	O
or	O
malicious	O
software	O
running	O
with	O
administrator	O
and/or	O
kernel	B-Operating_System
level	O
privileges	O
would	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
write	O
to	O
this	O
"	O
Ghost	O
Partition	O
"	O
and	O
allow	O
a	O
piece	O
of	O
malicious	O
software	O
to	O
compromise	O
the	O
system	O
,	O
or	O
disable	O
the	O
encryption	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
BitLocker	O
can	O
work	O
in	O
conjunction	O
with	O
a	O
Trusted	O
Platform	O
Module	O
(	O
TPM	O
)	O
cryptoprocessor	O
(	O
version	O
1.2	O
)	O
embedded	O
in	O
a	O
computer	O
's	O
motherboard	B-Device
,	O
or	O
with	O
a	O
USB	O
key	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
as	O
with	O
other	O
full	O
disk	O
encryption	O
technologies	O
,	O
BitLocker	O
is	O
vulnerable	O
to	O
a	O
cold	B-Operating_System
boot	I-Operating_System
attack	O
,	O
especially	O
where	O
TPM	O
is	O
used	O
as	O
a	O
key	O
protector	O
without	O
a	O
boot	B-Operating_System
PIN	O
being	O
required	O
too	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
variety	O
of	O
other	O
privilege-restriction	O
techniques	O
are	O
also	O
built	O
into	O
Vista	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
security	O
restrictions	O
of	O
Windows	O
services	O
are	O
more	O
fine-grained	O
,	O
so	O
that	O
services	O
(	O
especially	O
those	O
listening	O
on	O
the	O
network	O
)	O
cannot	O
interact	O
with	O
parts	O
of	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
they	O
do	O
not	O
need	O
to	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Code	B-General_Concept
integrity	I-General_Concept
verifies	O
that	O
system	O
binaries	O
have	O
not	O
been	O
tampered	O
with	O
by	O
malicious	O
code	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
64-bit	B-Device
versions	O
of	O
Vista	B-Application
require	O
that	O
all	O
device	B-Application
drivers	I-Application
be	O
digitally	O
signed	O
,	O
so	O
that	O
the	O
creator	O
of	O
the	O
driver	B-Application
can	O
be	O
identified	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
much	O
of	O
the	O
focus	O
of	O
Vista	B-Application
's	O
new	O
capabilities	O
highlighted	O
the	O
new	O
user	B-Application
interface	I-Application
,	O
security	O
technologies	O
,	O
and	O
improvements	O
to	O
the	O
core	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
,	O
Microsoft	O
also	O
adding	O
new	O
deployment	O
and	O
maintenance	O
features	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
WIM	O
files	B-Operating_System
,	O
which	O
contain	O
a	O
HAL-independent	O
image	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
,	O
can	O
be	O
maintained	O
and	O
patched	O
without	O
having	O
to	O
rebuild	O
new	O
images	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	O
Images	O
can	O
be	O
delivered	O
via	O
Systems	B-Protocol
Management	I-Protocol
Server	I-Protocol
or	O
Business	O
Desktop	B-Application
Deployment	O
technologies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	O
Deployment	O
Services	O
replaces	O
Remote	O
Installation	O
Services	O
for	O
deploying	O
Vista	B-Application
and	O
prior	O
versions	O
of	O
Windows	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Approximately	O
700	O
new	O
Group	O
Policy	O
settings	O
have	O
been	O
added	O
,	O
covering	O
most	O
aspects	O
of	O
the	O
new	O
features	O
in	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
significantly	O
expanding	O
the	O
configurability	O
of	O
wireless	O
networks	O
,	O
removable	O
storage	O
devices	O
,	O
and	O
user	O
desktop	B-Application
experience	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Vista	B-Application
also	O
introduced	O
an	O
XML-based	O
format	O
(	O
ADMX	O
)	O
to	O
display	O
registry-based	O
policy	O
settings	O
,	O
making	O
it	O
easier	O
to	O
manage	O
networks	O
that	O
span	O
geographic	O
locations	O
and	O
different	O
languages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Services	O
for	O
UNIX	O
,	O
renamed	O
as	O
"	O
Subsystem	B-Operating_System
for	I-Operating_System
UNIX-based	I-Operating_System
Applications	I-Operating_System
"	O
,	O
comes	O
with	O
the	O
Enterprise	O
and	O
Ultimate	O
editions	O
of	O
Vista	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Network	B-Protocol
File	I-Protocol
System	I-Protocol
(	O
NFS	O
)	O
client	O
support	O
is	O
also	O
included	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Multilingual	O
User	B-Application
Interface	I-Application
–	O
Unlike	O
previous	O
versions	O
of	O
Windows	O
(	O
which	O
required	O
the	O
loading	O
of	O
language	O
packs	O
to	O
provide	O
local-language	O
support	O
)	O
,	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
Ultimate	O
and	O
Enterprise	O
editions	O
support	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
dynamically	O
change	O
languages	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
logged-on	O
user	O
's	O
preference	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
includes	O
a	O
large	O
number	O
of	O
new	O
application	O
programming	O
interfaces	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Chief	O
among	O
them	O
is	O
the	O
inclusion	O
of	O
version	O
3.0	O
of	O
the	O
.NET	B-Application
Framework	I-Application
,	O
which	O
consists	O
of	O
a	O
class	B-Application
library	I-Application
and	O
Common	O
Language	O
Runtime	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
Presentation	I-Device
Foundation	I-Device
is	O
a	O
user	B-Application
interface	I-Application
subsystem	O
and	O
framework	O
based	O
vector	O
graphics	O
,	O
which	O
makes	O
use	O
of	O
3D	O
computer	O
graphics	O
hardware	O
and	O
Direct3D	B-Application
technologies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
successor	O
to	O
Windows	B-Application
Forms	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
Communication	I-Application
Foundation	I-Application
is	O
a	O
service-oriented	O
messaging	O
subsystem	O
that	O
enables	O
applications	O
and	O
systems	O
to	O
interoperate	O
locally	O
or	O
remotely	O
using	O
Web	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	O
Workflow	B-Operating_System
Foundation	O
provides	O
task	O
automation	O
and	O
integrated	O
transactions	O
using	O
workflows	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
programming	O
model	O
,	O
engine	O
,	O
and	O
tools	O
for	O
building	O
workflow-enabled	O
applications	O
on	O
Windows	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
CardSpace	I-Application
is	O
a	O
component	O
that	O
securely	O
stores	O
digital	O
identities	O
of	O
a	O
person	O
,	O
and	O
provides	O
a	O
unified	O
interface	O
for	O
choosing	O
the	O
identity	O
for	O
a	O
particular	O
transaction	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
logging	O
into	O
a	O
website	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
technologies	O
are	O
also	O
available	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
and	O
Windows	B-Application
Server	I-Application
2003	I-Application
to	O
facilitate	O
their	O
introduction	O
to	O
and	O
usage	O
by	O
developers	B-Application
and	O
end-users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
also	O
significant	O
new	O
development	O
APIs	B-General_Concept
in	O
the	O
core	O
of	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
,	O
notably	O
the	O
completely	O
re-designed	O
audio	O
,	O
networking	O
,	O
print	O
,	O
and	O
video	O
interfaces	O
,	O
major	O
changes	O
to	O
the	O
security	O
infrastructure	O
,	O
improvements	O
to	O
the	O
deployment	O
and	O
installation	O
of	O
applications	O
(	O
"	O
ClickOnce	B-Application
"	O
and	O
Windows	B-Application
Installer	I-Application
4.0	O
)	O
,	O
new	O
device	B-Application
driver	I-Application
development	O
model	O
(	O
"	O
Windows	B-Application
Driver	I-Application
Foundation	I-Application
"	O
)	O
,	O
Transactional	O
NTFS	B-Application
,	O
mobile	O
computing	O
API	B-General_Concept
advancements	O
(	O
power	O
management	O
,	O
Tablet	B-Device
PC	I-Device
Ink	O
support	O
,	O
SideShow	O
)	O
and	O
major	O
updates	O
to	O
(	O
or	O
complete	O
replacements	O
of	O
)	O
many	O
core	O
subsystems	O
such	O
as	O
Winlogon	O
and	O
CAPI	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
some	O
issues	O
for	O
software	B-Application
developers	I-Application
using	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
graphics	O
APIs	B-General_Concept
in	O
Vista	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Games	O
or	O
programs	O
built	O
solely	O
on	O
the	O
Windows	O
Vista-exclusive	O
version	O
of	O
DirectX	B-Application
,	O
version	O
10	O
,	O
cannot	O
work	O
on	O
prior	O
versions	O
of	O
Windows	O
,	O
as	O
DirectX	B-Application
10	I-Application
is	O
not	O
available	O
for	O
previous	O
Windows	O
versions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Also	O
,	O
games	O
that	O
require	O
the	O
features	O
of	O
D3D9Ex	O
,	O
the	O
updated	O
implementation	O
of	O
DirectX	B-Application
9	I-Application
in	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
are	O
also	O
incompatible	O
with	O
previous	O
Windows	O
versions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
a	O
Microsoft	O
blog	O
,	O
there	O
are	O
three	O
choices	O
for	O
OpenGL	B-Application
implementation	O
on	O
Vista	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
application	O
can	O
use	O
the	O
default	O
implementation	O
,	O
which	O
translates	O
OpenGL	B-Application
calls	O
into	O
the	O
Direct3D	B-Application
API	B-General_Concept
and	O
is	O
frozen	O
at	O
OpenGL	B-Application
version	O
1.4	O
,	O
or	O
an	O
application	O
can	O
use	O
an	O
Installable	O
Client	O
Driver	B-Application
(	O
ICD	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
comes	O
in	O
two	O
flavors	O
:	O
legacy	O
and	O
Vista-compatible	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
legacy	O
ICD	O
disables	O
the	O
Desktop	B-Application
Window	O
Manager	O
,	O
a	O
Vista-compatible	O
ICD	O
takes	O
advantage	O
of	O
a	O
new	O
API	B-General_Concept
,	O
and	O
is	O
fully	O
compatible	O
with	O
the	O
Desktop	B-Application
Window	O
Manager	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
least	O
two	O
primary	O
vendors	O
,	O
ATI	O
and	O
NVIDIA	O
provided	O
full	O
Vista-compatible	O
ICDs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
hardware	B-Architecture
overlay	I-Architecture
is	O
not	O
supported	O
,	O
because	O
it	O
is	O
considered	O
as	O
an	O
obsolete	O
feature	O
in	O
Vista	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
ATI	O
and	O
NVIDIA	O
strongly	O
recommend	O
using	O
compositing	O
desktop/Framebuffer	O
Objects	O
for	O
same	O
functionality	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
is	O
the	O
first	O
Microsoft	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
:	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
unifies	O
the	O
previously	O
separate	O
OEM	O
and	O
retail	O
distributions	O
of	O
Microsoft	O
Windows	O
;	O
a	O
license	O
for	O
the	O
edition	O
purchased	O
determines	O
which	O
version	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
is	O
eligible	O
for	O
installation	O
,	O
regardless	O
of	O
its	O
originating	O
source	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
OEM	O
and	O
retail	O
versions	O
of	O
Windows	O
before	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
were	O
maintained	O
separately	O
on	O
optical	O
media	O
—	O
users	O
with	O
a	O
manufacturer-supplied	O
disc	O
could	O
not	O
use	O
a	O
retail	O
license	O
during	O
installation	O
,	O
and	O
users	O
with	O
a	O
retail	O
disc	O
could	O
not	O
use	O
an	O
OEM	O
license	O
during	O
installation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
notable	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
features	O
and	O
components	O
have	O
been	O
replaced	O
or	O
removed	O
in	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
,	O
including	O
several	O
shell	O
and	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
features	O
,	O
multimedia	O
features	O
,	O
networking	O
related	O
functionality	O
,	O
Windows	B-Application
Messenger	I-Application
,	O
NTBackup	O
,	O
the	O
network	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Messenger	I-Protocol
service	I-Protocol
,	O
HyperTerminal	B-Protocol
,	O
MSN	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
,	O
Active	O
Desktop	B-Application
,	O
and	O
the	O
replacement	O
of	O
NetMeeting	B-Protocol
with	O
Windows	O
Meeting	O
Space	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
result	O
,	O
BOOTMGR	O
in	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
and	O
later	O
versions	O
replaces	O
the	O
functions	O
performed	O
by	O
NTLDR	O
in	O
all	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
versions	O
up	O
to	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
and	O
directly	O
executes	O
winload.exe	O
,	O
the	O
system	O
loader	O
used	O
to	O
continue	O
the	O
Windows	O
boot	B-Operating_System
process	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
also	O
does	O
not	O
include	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
"	O
Luna	O
"	O
visual	O
theme	O
,	O
or	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
classic	O
color	O
schemes	O
that	O
have	O
been	O
part	O
of	O
Windows	O
since	O
the	O
Windows	O
3.x	O
era	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
"	O
Hardware	O
profiles	O
"	O
startup	O
feature	O
has	O
also	O
been	O
removed	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
support	O
for	O
older	O
motherboard	B-Device
technologies	O
like	O
the	O
EISA	B-Device
bus	I-Device
,	O
APM	B-Device
and	O
game	B-Protocol
port	I-Protocol
support	O
(	O
though	O
on	O
the	O
32-bit	O
version	O
game	B-Protocol
port	I-Protocol
support	O
can	O
be	O
enabled	O
by	O
applying	O
an	O
older	O
driver	B-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IP	O
over	O
FireWire	B-Protocol
(	O
TCP/IP	O
over	O
IEEE	B-Protocol
1394	I-Protocol
)	O
has	O
been	O
removed	O
as	O
well	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Support	O
for	O
the	O
original	O
release	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
(	O
without	O
a	O
service	O
pack	O
)	O
ended	O
on	O
April	O
13	O
,	O
2010	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mainstream	O
support	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
officially	O
ended	O
on	O
April	O
10	O
,	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
is	O
no	O
longer	O
offering	O
no-charge	O
incident	O
support	O
,	O
warranty	O
claims	O
,	O
or	O
design	O
fixes	O
for	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Extended	O
Support	O
phase	O
,	O
Vista	B-Application
users	O
were	O
still	O
able	O
to	O
get	O
security	O
updates	O
,	O
and	O
could	O
still	O
pay	O
for	O
support	O
per	O
incident	O
,	O
per-hour	O
,	O
or	O
in	O
other	O
ways	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
also	O
made	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
product	O
information	O
available	O
through	O
its	O
online	O
Knowledge	O
Base	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
April	O
11	O
,	O
2017	O
,	O
support	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
ended	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
in	O
2020	O
announced	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
disable	O
the	O
Windows	O
Update	O
service	O
for	O
SHA-1	O
endpoints	O
and	O
since	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
did	O
not	O
get	O
an	O
update	O
for	O
SHA-2	O
,	O
Windows	O
Update	O
Services	O
are	O
no	O
longer	O
available	O
on	O
the	O
OS	O
as	O
of	O
late	O
July	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
as	O
of	O
April	O
2021	O
,	O
the	O
old	O
updates	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
are	O
still	O
available	O
on	O
the	O
Microsoft	O
Update	O
Catalog	O
,	O
or	O
through	O
,	O
a	O
community-driven	O
third	O
party	O
replacement	O
for	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
update	O
servers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
shipped	O
in	O
six	O
different	O
editions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
Starter	O
edition	O
is	O
aimed	O
at	O
low-powered	O
computers	O
with	O
availability	O
only	O
in	O
emerging	O
markets	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
Home	I-Application
Basic	O
is	O
intended	O
for	O
budget	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
Home	I-Application
Premium	O
covers	O
the	O
majority	O
of	O
the	O
consumer	O
market	O
and	O
contains	O
applications	O
for	O
creating	O
and	O
using	O
multimedia	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
home	O
editions	O
cannot	O
join	O
a	O
Windows	B-General_Concept
Server	I-General_Concept
domain	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
Business	O
is	O
specifically	O
designed	O
for	O
small	O
and	O
medium-sized	O
enterprises	O
,	O
while	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
Enterprise	O
is	O
only	O
available	O
to	O
customers	O
participating	O
in	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
Software	O
Assurance	O
program	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
Ultimate	O
contains	O
the	O
complete	O
feature-set	O
of	O
both	O
the	O
Home	O
and	O
Business	O
(	O
combination	O
of	O
both	O
Home	O
Premium	O
and	O
Enterprise	O
)	O
editions	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
a	O
set	O
of	O
Windows	O
Ultimate	O
Extras	O
,	O
and	O
is	O
aimed	O
at	O
enthusiasts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
editions	O
except	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
Starter	O
support	O
both	O
32-bit	O
(	O
x86	B-Device
)	O
and	O
64-bit	B-Device
(	O
x64	B-Device
)	O
processor	B-General_Concept
architectures	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
come	O
without	O
Windows	B-Device
Media	I-Device
Player	I-Device
,	O
due	O
to	O
EU	O
sanctions	O
brought	O
against	O
Microsoft	O
for	O
violating	O
anti-trust	O
laws	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
has	O
four	O
distinct	O
visual	O
styles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Vista	B-Application
's	O
default	O
visual	B-Application
style	I-Application
,	O
Windows	O
Aero	O
,	O
is	O
built	O
on	O
a	O
desktop	B-Application
composition	O
engine	O
called	O
Desktop	B-Application
Window	O
Manager	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
enable	O
these	O
features	O
,	O
the	O
contents	O
of	O
every	O
open	O
window	O
are	O
stored	O
in	O
video	O
memory	B-Architecture
to	O
facilitate	O
tearing-free	O
movement	O
of	O
windows	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
such	O
,	O
Windows	O
Aero	O
has	O
significantly	O
higher	O
hardware	O
requirements	O
than	O
its	O
predecessors	O
:	O
systems	O
running	O
Vista	B-Application
must	O
have	O
video	O
card	O
drivers	O
compatible	O
with	O
the	O
Windows	B-Device
Display	I-Device
Driver	I-Device
Model	I-Device
(	O
WDDM	B-Device
)	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
minimum	O
graphics	O
memory	B-Architecture
required	O
is	O
128MB	O
,	O
depending	O
on	O
the	O
resolution	O
used.Windows	O
Aero	O
is	O
not	O
included	O
in	O
the	O
Starter	O
and	O
Home	O
Basic	O
editions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
variant	O
of	O
Windows	O
Aero	O
,	O
dubbed	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
Standard	O
,	O
lacking	O
the	O
glass	O
effects	O
,	O
window	O
animations	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
advanced	O
graphical	O
effects	O
,	O
is	O
included	O
in	O
Home	O
Basic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
Basic	O
This	O
visual	B-Application
style	I-Application
does	O
not	O
employ	O
the	O
Desktop	B-Application
Window	O
Manager	O
;	O
as	O
such	O
,	O
it	O
does	O
not	O
feature	O
transparency	O
or	O
translucency	O
,	O
window	O
animation	O
,	O
Windows	O
Flip	O
3D	O
or	O
any	O
of	O
the	O
functions	O
provided	O
by	O
the	O
DWM	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
default	O
visual	B-Application
style	I-Application
on	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
Starter	O
and	O
on	O
systems	O
without	O
WDDM-compatible	O
display	O
drivers	O
,	O
and	O
has	O
similar	O
video	O
card	O
requirements	O
to	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Before	O
Service	O
Pack	O
1	O
,	O
a	O
machine	O
that	O
failed	O
Windows	O
Genuine	O
Advantage	O
validation	O
would	O
also	O
default	O
to	O
this	O
visual	B-Application
style	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	O
Standard	O
The	O
Windows	O
Standard	O
and	O
Windows	O
Classic	O
visual	O
styles	O
reprise	O
the	O
user	B-Application
interface	I-Application
of	O
Windows	O
9x	O
,	O
Windows	B-Application
2000	I-Application
and	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
line	O
of	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
with	O
previous	O
versions	O
of	O
Windows	O
,	O
this	O
visual	B-Application
style	I-Application
supports	O
custom	O
color	O
schemes	O
,	O
which	O
are	O
collections	O
of	O
color	O
settings	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
includes	O
four	O
high-contrast	O
color	O
schemes	O
and	O
the	O
default	O
color	O
schemes	O
from	O
Windows	B-Device
98	I-Device
(	O
titled	O
"	O
Windows	O
Classic	O
"	O
)	O
and	O
Windows	O
2000/Windows	O
Me	O
(	O
titled	O
"	O
Windows	O
Standard	O
"	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Computers	O
capable	O
of	O
running	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
are	O
classified	O
as	O
Vista	B-Application
Capable	O
and	O
Vista	B-Application
Premium	O
Ready	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Vista	B-Application
Capable	O
or	O
equivalent	O
PC	O
is	O
capable	O
of	O
running	O
all	O
editions	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
although	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
special	O
features	O
and	O
high-end	O
graphics	O
options	O
may	O
require	O
additional	O
or	O
more	O
advanced	O
hardware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Vista	B-Application
Premium	O
Ready	O
PC	O
can	O
take	O
advantage	O
of	O
Vista	B-Application
's	O
high-end	O
features	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
's	O
Basic	O
and	O
Classic	O
interfaces	O
work	O
with	O
virtually	O
any	O
graphics	O
hardware	O
that	O
supports	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
or	O
2000	O
;	O
accordingly	O
,	O
most	O
discussion	O
around	O
Vista	B-Application
's	O
graphics	O
requirements	O
centers	O
on	O
those	O
for	O
the	O
Windows	O
Aero	O
interface	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
Beta	O
2	O
,	O
the	O
NVIDIA	O
GeForce	O
6	O
series	O
and	O
later	O
,	O
the	O
ATI	O
Radeon	B-Device
9500	I-Device
and	O
later	O
,	O
Intel	O
's	O
GMA	O
950	O
and	O
later	O
integrated	O
graphics	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
handful	O
of	O
VIA	B-Device
chipsets	I-Device
and	O
S3	O
Graphics	O
discrete	O
chips	O
are	O
supported	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
last	O
driver	B-Application
from	O
NVIDIA	O
to	O
support	O
the	O
GeForce	O
FX	O
series	O
on	O
Vista	B-Application
was	O
96.85	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
offered	O
a	O
tool	O
called	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
Upgrade	O
Advisor	O
to	O
assist	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
and	O
Vista	B-Application
users	O
in	O
determining	O
what	O
versions	O
of	O
Windows	O
their	O
machine	O
is	O
capable	O
of	O
running	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
the	O
installation	O
media	O
included	O
in	O
retail	O
packages	O
is	O
a	O
32-bit	O
DVD	O
,	O
customers	O
needing	O
a	O
CD-ROM	B-Device
or	O
customers	O
who	O
wish	O
for	O
a	O
64-bit	B-Device
install	O
media	O
can	O
acquire	O
this	O
media	O
through	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
Alternate	O
Media	O
program	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Ultimate	O
edition	O
includes	O
both	O
32-bit	O
and	O
64-bit	B-Device
media	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
digitally	O
downloaded	O
version	O
of	O
Ultimate	O
includes	O
only	O
one	O
version	O
,	O
either	O
32-bit	O
or	O
64-bit	B-Device
,	O
from	O
Windows	O
Marketplace	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
maximum	O
amount	O
of	O
RAM	B-Architecture
that	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
can	O
support	O
varies	O
,	O
depending	O
on	O
both	O
its	O
edition	O
and	O
its	O
processor	B-General_Concept
architecture	O
,	O
as	O
shown	O
in	O
the	O
table	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
maximum	O
number	O
of	O
logical	O
processors	O
in	O
a	O
PC	O
that	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
supports	O
is	O
:	O
32	O
for	O
32-bit	O
;	O
64	O
for	O
64-bit	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
maximum	O
number	O
of	O
physical	O
processors	O
in	O
a	O
PC	O
that	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
supports	O
is	O
:	O
2	O
for	O
Business	O
,	O
Enterprise	O
,	O
and	O
Ultimate	O
,	O
and	O
1	O
for	O
Starter	O
,	O
Home	O
Basic	O
,	O
and	O
Home	O
Premium	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
occasionally	O
releases	O
updates	O
such	O
as	O
service	O
packs	O
for	O
its	O
Windows	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
to	O
fix	O
bugs	O
,	O
improve	O
performance	O
and	O
add	O
new	O
features	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
Service	O
Pack	O
1	O
(	O
SP1	O
)	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
February	O
4	O
,	O
2008	O
,	O
alongside	O
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
2008	I-Device
to	O
OEM	O
partners	O
,	O
after	O
a	O
five-month	O
beta	O
test	O
period	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
synchronized	O
release	O
date	O
of	O
the	O
two	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
reflected	O
the	O
merging	O
of	O
the	O
workstation	O
and	O
server	O
kernels	B-Operating_System
back	O
into	O
a	O
single	O
code	O
base	O
for	O
the	O
first	O
time	O
since	O
Windows	B-Application
2000	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
SP1	O
became	O
available	O
to	O
current	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
users	O
on	O
Windows	O
Update	O
and	O
the	O
Download	O
Center	O
on	O
March	O
18	O
,	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Areas	O
of	O
improvement	O
include	O
file	O
copy	O
operations	O
,	O
hibernation	O
,	O
logging	O
off	O
on	O
domain-joined	O
machines	O
,	O
JavaScript	O
parsing	O
in	O
Internet	B-Application
Explorer	I-Application
,	O
network	O
file	O
share	O
browsing	O
,	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
ZIP	O
file	O
handling	O
,	O
and	O
Windows	B-Application
Disk	I-Application
Defragmenter	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Service	O
Pack	O
1	O
introduced	O
support	O
for	O
some	O
new	O
hardware	O
and	O
software	O
standards	O
,	O
notably	O
the	O
exFAT	B-Application
file	I-Application
system	I-Application
,	O
802.11n	O
wireless	O
networking	O
,	O
IPv6	B-Protocol
over	O
VPN	B-Application
connections	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Secure	B-Protocol
Socket	I-Protocol
Tunneling	I-Protocol
Protocol	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Booting	B-Operating_System
a	O
system	O
using	O
Extensible	B-Architecture
Firmware	I-Architecture
Interface	I-Architecture
on	O
x64	B-Device
systems	O
was	O
also	O
introduced	O
;	O
this	O
feature	O
had	O
originally	O
been	O
slated	O
for	O
the	O
initial	O
release	O
of	O
Vista	B-Application
but	O
was	O
delayed	O
due	O
to	O
a	O
lack	O
of	O
compatible	O
hardware	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Booting	B-Operating_System
from	O
a	O
GUID	B-Application
Partition	I-Application
Table	I-Application
–	O
based	O
hard	B-Device
drive	I-Device
greater	O
than	O
2.19TB	O
is	O
supported	O
(	O
x64	B-Device
only	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
of	O
these	O
is	O
desktop	B-Application
search	I-Application
;	O
users	O
will	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
change	O
the	O
default	O
desktop	B-Application
search	I-Application
program	O
to	O
one	O
provided	O
by	O
a	O
third	O
party	O
instead	O
of	O
the	O
Microsoft	O
desktop	B-Application
search	I-Application
program	O
that	O
comes	O
with	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
,	O
and	O
desktop	B-Application
search	I-Application
programs	O
will	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
seamlessly	O
tie	O
in	O
their	O
services	O
into	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
changes	O
come	O
in	O
part	O
due	O
to	O
complaints	O
from	O
Google	B-Application
,	O
whose	O
Google	B-Application
Desktop	I-Application
Search	I-Application
application	O
was	O
hindered	O
by	O
the	O
presence	O
of	O
Vista	B-Application
's	O
built-in	O
desktop	B-Application
search	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2007	O
,	O
Google	B-Application
claimed	O
that	O
the	O
changes	O
being	O
introduced	O
for	O
SP1	O
"	O
are	O
a	O
step	O
in	O
the	O
right	O
direction	O
,	O
but	O
they	O
should	O
be	O
improved	O
further	O
to	O
give	O
consumers	O
greater	O
access	O
to	O
alternate	O
desktop	B-Application
search	I-Application
providers	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
other	O
area	O
of	O
note	O
is	O
a	O
set	O
of	O
new	O
security	O
APIs	B-General_Concept
being	O
introduced	O
for	O
the	O
benefit	O
of	O
antivirus	B-Application
software	I-Application
that	O
currently	O
relies	O
on	O
the	O
unsupported	O
practice	O
of	O
patching	O
the	O
kernel	B-Operating_System
(	O
see	O
Kernel	B-Operating_System
Patch	O
Protection	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
update	O
to	O
DirectX	B-Application
10	I-Application
,	O
named	O
DirectX	B-Application
10.1	I-Application
,	O
marked	O
mandatory	O
several	O
features	O
that	O
were	O
previously	O
optional	O
in	O
Direct3D	B-Application
10	O
hardware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Graphics	O
cards	O
will	O
be	O
required	O
to	O
support	O
DirectX	B-Application
10.1	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
SP1	O
includes	O
a	O
kernel	B-Operating_System
(	O
6001.18000	O
)	O
that	O
matches	O
the	O
version	O
shipped	O
with	O
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
2008	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hotpatch-enabled	O
update	O
packages	O
are	O
installed	O
via	O
the	O
same	O
methods	O
as	O
traditional	O
update	O
packages	O
,	O
and	O
will	O
not	O
trigger	O
a	O
system	B-Operating_System
reboot	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Service	O
Pack	O
2	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
and	O
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
2008	I-Device
was	O
released	O
through	O
different	O
channels	O
between	O
April	O
and	O
June	O
2009	O
,	O
one	O
year	O
after	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
SP1	O
,	O
and	O
four	O
months	O
before	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
it	O
did	O
not	O
include	O
Internet	B-Application
Explorer	I-Application
8	I-Application
,	O
but	O
instead	O
was	O
included	O
in	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
,	O
which	O
was	O
released	O
four	O
months	O
after	O
Vista	B-Application
SP2	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
and	O
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
2008	I-Device
share	O
a	O
single	O
service	O
pack	O
binary	O
,	O
reflecting	O
the	O
fact	O
that	O
their	O
code	O
bases	O
were	O
joined	O
with	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Server	B-Device
2008	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Platform	O
Update	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
was	O
released	O
on	O
October	O
27	O
,	O
2009	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
includes	O
major	O
new	O
components	O
that	O
shipped	O
with	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
updated	O
runtime	O
libraries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
requires	O
Service	O
Pack	O
2	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
or	O
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
2008	I-Device
and	O
is	O
listed	O
on	O
Windows	O
Update	O
as	O
a	O
Recommended	O
download	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Platform	O
Update	O
allows	O
application	B-Application
developers	I-Application
to	O
target	O
both	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
and	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
updates	O
are	O
available	O
as	O
separate	O
releases	O
for	O
both	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
and	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
:	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
extensive	O
,	O
the	O
Platform	O
Update	O
does	O
not	O
bring	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
to	O
the	O
level	O
of	O
features	O
and	O
performance	O
offered	O
by	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
even	O
though	O
Direct3D	B-Application
11	O
runtime	O
will	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
run	O
on	O
D3D9-class	O
hardware	O
and	O
WDDM	B-Device
drivers	O
using	O
"	O
feature	O
levels	O
"	O
first	O
introduced	O
in	O
Direct3D	B-Application
10.1	O
,	O
Desktop	B-Application
Window	O
Manager	O
has	O
not	O
been	O
updated	O
to	O
use	O
Direct3D	B-Application
10.1	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2011	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
released	O
the	O
Platform	O
Update	O
Supplement	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
and	O
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
2008	I-Device
,	O
which	O
contains	O
several	O
bug	O
fixes	O
and	O
performance	O
improvements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
has	O
released	O
an	O
update	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
SP2	O
to	O
resolve	O
the	O
BlueKeep	O
security	O
vulnerability	O
(	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
affects	O
the	O
Remote	B-Protocol
Desktop	I-Protocol
Protocol	I-Protocol
in	O
older	O
Windows	O
versions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Subsequent	O
related	O
flaws	O
,	O
(	O
collectively	O
known	O
as	O
DejaBlue	O
)	O
do	O
not	O
affect	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
or	O
earlier	O
versions	O
of	O
Windows	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
installation	O
of	O
this	O
patch	O
changed	O
the	O
build	O
number	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
from	O
6002	O
to	O
6003	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
remediated	O
issues	O
related	O
to	O
this	O
vulnerability	O
with	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
a	O
patch	O
in	O
August	O
2019	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
SP2	O
,	O
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
2008	I-Device
SP2	O
,	O
and	O
later	O
versions	O
of	O
Windows	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
vulnerability	O
related	O
to	O
Windows	B-Application
Defender	I-Application
that	O
affected	O
the	O
way	O
the	O
Malware	O
Protection	O
Engine	O
operates	O
(	O
)	O
was	O
reported	O
in	O
May	O
2017	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
Windows	B-Application
Defender	I-Application
scanned	O
a	O
specially	O
crafted	O
file	O
,	O
it	O
would	O
lead	O
to	O
memory	B-Architecture
corruption	O
,	O
potentially	O
allowing	O
an	O
attacker	O
to	O
control	O
the	O
affected	O
machine	O
or	O
perform	O
arbitrary	O
code	O
execution	O
in	O
the	O
context	O
of	O
LocalSystem	O
;	O
the	O
vulnerability	O
was	O
exacerbated	O
by	O
the	O
default	O
real-time	O
protection	O
settings	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
Defender	I-Application
,	O
which	O
were	O
configured	O
to	O
automatically	O
initiate	O
malware	O
scans	O
at	O
regular	O
intervals	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2008	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
introduced	O
a	O
web-based	B-Application
advertising	O
campaign	O
called	O
the	O
"	O
Mojave	O
Experiment	O
"	O
,	O
which	O
depicts	O
a	O
group	O
of	O
people	O
who	O
are	O
asked	O
to	O
evaluate	O
the	O
newest	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
from	O
Microsoft	O
,	O
calling	O
it	O
Windows	O
'	O
Mojave	O
 '	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Participants	O
are	O
first	O
asked	O
about	O
Vista	B-Application
,	O
if	O
they	O
have	O
used	O
it	O
,	O
and	O
their	O
overall	O
satisfaction	O
with	O
Vista	B-Application
on	O
a	O
scale	O
of	O
1	O
to	O
10	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
are	O
then	O
shown	O
a	O
demo	O
of	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
new	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
's	O
features	O
,	O
and	O
asked	O
their	O
opinion	O
and	O
satisfaction	O
with	O
it	O
on	O
the	O
same	O
1	O
to	O
10	O
scale	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
respondents	O
rate	O
"	O
Mojave	O
"	O
,	O
they	O
are	O
then	O
told	O
that	O
they	O
were	O
shown	O
a	O
demo	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
object	O
was	O
to	O
test	O
"	O
A	O
theory	O
:	O
If	O
people	O
could	O
see	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
firsthand	O
,	O
they	O
would	O
like	O
it.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Microsoft	O
,	O
the	O
initial	O
sample	O
of	O
respondents	O
rated	O
Vista	B-Application
an	O
average	O
of	O
4.4	O
out	O
of	O
10	O
,	O
and	O
Mojave	O
received	O
an	O
average	O
of	O
8.5	O
,	O
with	O
no	O
respondents	O
rating	O
Mojave	O
lower	O
than	O
they	O
originally	O
rated	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
before	O
the	O
demo	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
"	O
experiment	O
"	O
has	O
been	O
criticized	O
for	O
deliberate	O
selection	O
of	O
positive	O
statements	O
and	O
not	O
addressing	O
all	O
aspects	O
of	O
Vista	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
the	O
launch	O
of	O
Vista	B-Application
,	O
Microsoft	O
also	O
made	O
a	O
lime	O
flavored	O
sparkling	O
water	O
available	O
to	O
campus	O
visitors	O
and	O
developers	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
received	O
mixed	O
to	O
negative	O
reviews	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
of	O
its	O
release	O
and	O
throughout	O
its	O
lifespan	O
,	O
mainly	O
for	O
its	O
much	O
higher	O
hardware	O
requirements	O
and	O
perceived	O
slowness	O
compared	O
to	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
received	O
generally	O
positive	O
reviews	O
from	O
PC	O
gamers	O
who	O
praised	O
the	O
advantages	O
brought	O
by	O
DirectX	B-Application
10	I-Application
,	O
which	O
allowed	O
for	O
better	O
gaming	O
performance	O
and	O
more	O
realistic	O
graphics	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
support	O
for	O
many	O
new	O
capabilities	O
featured	O
in	O
new	O
GPUs	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
many	O
DirectX	B-Application
9	I-Application
games	O
initially	O
ran	O
with	O
lower	O
frame	O
rates	O
compared	O
to	O
when	O
they	O
were	O
run	O
on	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
mid-2008	O
,	O
benchmarks	O
suggested	O
that	O
the	O
SP1	O
update	O
improved	O
performance	O
to	O
be	O
on	O
par	O
with	O
(	O
or	O
better	O
than	O
)	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
in	O
terms	O
of	O
game	O
performance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Peter	O
Bright	O
of	O
Ars	O
Technica	O
wrote	O
that	O
,	O
despite	O
its	O
delays	O
and	O
feature	O
cuts	O
,	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
was	O
"	O
a	O
huge	O
evolution	O
in	O
the	O
history	O
of	O
the	O
NT	B-Device
platform	O
 [ ... ] 	O
The	O
fundamental	O
changes	O
to	O
the	O
platform	O
are	O
of	O
a	O
scale	O
not	O
seen	O
since	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
NT	B-Device
[	O
3.1	O
;	O
the	O
first	O
version ]	O
.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
continuation	O
of	O
his	O
previous	O
assessment	O
,	O
Bright	O
stated	O
that	O
"	O
Vista	B-Application
is	O
not	O
simply	O
XP	B-Application
with	O
a	O
new	O
skin	O
;	O
core	O
parts	O
of	O
the	O
OS	O
have	O
been	O
radically	O
overhauled	O
,	O
and	O
virtually	O
every	O
area	O
has	O
seen	O
significant	O
refinement	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
terms	O
of	O
the	O
magnitude	O
and	O
extent	O
of	O
these	O
changes	O
,	O
Vista	B-Application
represents	O
probably	O
the	O
biggest	O
leap	O
that	O
the	O
NT	B-Device
platform	O
has	O
ever	O
seen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Never	O
before	O
have	O
significant	O
subsystems	O
been	O
gutted	O
and	O
replaced	O
in	O
the	O
way	O
they	O
are	O
in	O
Vista.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
others	O
in	O
the	O
tech	O
industry	O
echoed	O
these	O
sentiments	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
directing	O
praise	O
towards	O
the	O
massive	O
amount	O
of	O
technical	O
features	O
new	O
to	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
received	O
the	O
"	O
Best	O
of	O
CES	O
"	O
award	O
at	O
the	O
Consumer	O
Electronics	O
Show	O
in	O
2007	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
's	O
then	O
much	O
smaller	O
competitor	O
Apple	O
noted	O
that	O
,	O
despite	O
Vista	B-Application
's	O
far	O
greater	O
sales	O
,	O
its	O
own	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
did	O
not	O
seem	O
to	O
have	O
suffered	O
after	O
its	O
release	O
,	O
and	O
would	O
later	O
invest	O
in	O
advertising	O
mocking	O
Vista	B-Application
's	O
unpopularity	O
with	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Computer	O
manufacturers	O
such	O
as	O
Dell	O
,	O
Lenovo	O
,	O
and	O
Hewlett-Packard	O
released	O
their	O
newest	O
computers	O
with	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
pre-installed	O
;	O
however	O
,	O
after	O
the	O
negative	O
reception	O
of	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
,	O
they	O
also	O
began	O
selling	O
their	O
computers	O
with	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
CDs	O
included	O
because	O
of	O
a	O
drop	O
in	O
sales	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Gartner	O
research	O
report	O
predicted	O
that	O
Vista	B-Application
business	O
adoption	O
in	O
2008	O
would	O
overtake	O
that	O
of	O
XP	B-Application
during	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
frame	O
(	O
21.3	O
%	O
vs.	O
16.9	O
%	O
)	O
while	O
IDC	O
had	O
indicated	O
that	O
the	O
launch	O
of	O
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
2008	I-Device
served	O
as	O
a	O
catalyst	O
for	O
the	O
stronger	O
adoption	O
rates	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
January	O
2009	O
,	O
Forrester	O
Research	O
had	O
indicated	O
that	O
almost	O
one	O
third	O
of	O
North	O
American	O
and	O
European	O
corporations	O
had	O
started	O
deploying	O
Vista	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
a	O
May	O
2009	O
conference	O
,	O
a	O
Microsoft	O
Vice	O
President	O
said	O
"	O
Adoption	O
and	O
deployment	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
has	O
been	O
slightly	O
ahead	O
of	O
where	O
we	O
had	O
been	O
with	O
XP	B-Application
"	O
for	O
big	O
businesses	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Within	O
its	O
first	O
month	O
,	O
20	O
million	O
copies	O
of	O
Vista	B-Application
were	O
sold	O
,	O
double	O
the	O
amount	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
sales	O
within	O
its	O
first	O
month	O
in	O
October	O
2001	O
,	O
five	O
years	O
earlier	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shortly	O
after	O
however	O
,	O
due	O
to	O
Vista	B-Application
's	O
relatively	O
low	O
adoption	O
rates	O
and	O
continued	O
demand	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
,	O
Microsoft	O
decided	O
to	O
sell	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
until	O
June	O
30	O
,	O
2008	O
,	O
instead	O
of	O
the	O
previously	O
planned	O
date	O
of	O
January	O
31	O
,	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
were	O
reports	O
of	O
Vista	B-Application
users	O
"	O
downgrading	O
"	O
their	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
back	O
to	O
XP	B-Application
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
reports	O
of	O
businesses	O
planning	O
to	O
skip	O
Vista	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
study	O
conducted	O
by	O
ChangeWave	O
in	O
March	O
2008	O
showed	O
that	O
the	O
percentage	O
of	O
corporate	O
users	O
who	O
were	O
"	O
very	O
satisfied	O
"	O
with	O
Vista	B-Application
was	O
dramatically	O
lower	O
than	O
other	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
,	O
with	O
Vista	B-Application
at	O
8%	O
,	O
compared	O
to	O
the	O
40%	O
who	O
said	O
they	O
were	O
"	O
very	O
satisfied	O
"	O
with	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
internet-usage	O
market	O
share	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
after	O
two	O
years	O
of	O
availability	O
,	O
in	O
January	O
2009	O
,	O
was	O
20.61	O
%	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
internet	O
user	O
base	O
reached	O
before	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
its	O
successor	O
(	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
)	O
was	O
roughly	O
400	O
million	O
according	O
to	O
the	O
same	O
statistical	O
sources	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
received	O
mixed	O
reviews	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Moreover	O
,	O
some	O
concerns	O
have	O
been	O
raised	O
about	O
many	O
PCs	O
meeting	O
"	O
Vista	B-Application
Premium	O
Ready	O
"	O
hardware	O
requirements	O
and	O
Vista	B-Application
's	O
pricing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
in	O
2005	O
Microsoft	O
claimed	O
"	O
nearly	O
all	O
PCs	O
on	O
the	O
market	O
today	O
will	O
run	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
"	O
,	O
the	O
higher	O
requirements	O
of	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
"	O
premium	O
"	O
features	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Aero	O
interface	O
,	O
affected	O
many	O
upgraders	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
the	O
UK	O
newspaper	O
The	O
Times	O
in	O
May	O
2006	O
,	O
the	O
full	O
set	O
of	O
features	O
"	O
would	O
be	O
available	O
to	O
less	O
than	O
5	O
percent	O
of	O
Britain	O
's	O
PC	O
market	O
"	O
;	O
however	O
,	O
this	O
prediction	O
was	O
made	O
several	O
months	O
before	O
Vista	B-Application
was	O
released	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
continuing	O
lack	O
of	O
clarity	O
eventually	O
led	O
to	O
a	O
class	O
action	O
against	O
Microsoft	O
as	O
people	O
found	O
themselves	O
with	O
new	O
computers	O
that	O
were	O
unable	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
new	O
software	O
to	O
its	O
full	O
potential	O
despite	O
the	O
assurance	O
of	O
"	O
Vista	B-Application
Capable	O
"	O
designations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
Mike	O
Nash	O
(	O
Corporate	O
Vice	O
President	O
,	O
Windows	O
Product	O
Management	O
)	O
commented	O
,	O
"	O
I	O
now	O
have	O
a	O
$	O
2,100	O
e-mail	O
machine	O
"	O
because	O
of	O
his	O
laptop	O
's	O
lack	O
of	O
an	O
appropriate	O
graphics	O
chip	O
so	O
hobbled	O
Vista	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Criticism	O
of	O
upgrade	O
licenses	B-License
pertaining	O
to	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
Starter	O
through	O
Home	O
Premium	O
was	O
expressed	O
by	O
Ars	O
Technicas	O
Ken	O
Fisher	O
,	O
who	O
noted	O
that	O
the	O
new	O
requirement	O
of	O
having	O
a	O
prior	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
already	O
installed	O
was	O
going	O
to	O
irritate	O
users	O
who	O
reinstall	O
Windows	O
regularly	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
has	O
been	O
revealed	O
that	O
an	O
Upgrade	O
copy	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
can	O
be	O
installed	O
clean	O
without	O
first	O
installing	O
a	O
previous	O
version	O
of	O
Windows	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
user	O
must	O
then	O
reinstall	O
that	O
same	O
copy	O
of	O
Vista	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Vista	B-Application
will	O
then	O
activate	O
on	O
the	O
reinstall	O
,	O
thus	O
allowing	O
a	O
user	O
to	O
install	O
an	O
Upgrade	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
without	O
owning	O
a	O
previous	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
with	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
,	O
separate	O
rules	O
still	O
apply	O
to	O
OEM	O
versions	O
of	O
Vista	B-Application
installed	O
on	O
new	O
PCs	O
:	O
Microsoft	O
asserts	O
that	O
these	O
versions	O
are	O
not	O
legally	O
transferable	O
(	O
although	O
whether	O
this	O
conflicts	O
with	O
the	O
right	O
of	O
first	O
sale	O
has	O
yet	O
to	O
be	O
clearly	O
decided	O
legally	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Initially	O
,	O
the	O
cost	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
was	O
also	O
a	O
source	O
of	O
concern	O
and	O
commentary	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
majority	O
of	O
users	O
in	O
a	O
poll	O
said	O
that	O
the	O
prices	O
of	O
various	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
editions	O
posted	O
on	O
the	O
Microsoft	O
Canada	O
website	O
in	O
August	O
2006	O
make	O
the	O
product	O
too	O
expensive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
BBC	O
News	O
report	O
on	O
the	O
day	O
of	O
Vista	B-Application
's	O
release	O
suggested	O
that	O
,	O
"	O
there	O
may	O
be	O
a	O
backlash	O
from	O
consumers	O
over	O
its	O
pricing	O
plans	O
—	O
with	O
the	O
cost	O
of	O
Vista	B-Application
versions	O
in	O
the	O
US	O
roughly	O
half	O
the	O
price	O
of	O
equivalent	O
versions	O
in	O
the	O
UK.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Vista	B-Application
in	O
2006	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
has	O
reduced	O
the	O
retail	O
,	O
and	O
upgraded	O
the	O
price	O
point	O
of	O
Vista	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Originally	O
,	O
Vista	B-Application
Ultimate	O
was	O
priced	O
at	O
$399	O
,	O
and	O
Home	O
Premium	O
Vista	B-Application
at	O
$239	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
supports	O
additional	O
forms	O
of	O
DRM	O
restrictions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
aspect	O
of	O
this	O
is	O
the	O
Protected	O
Video	O
Path	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
designed	O
so	O
that	O
"	O
premium	O
content	O
"	O
from	O
HD	B-Operating_System
DVD	I-Operating_System
or	O
Blu-ray	O
Discs	O
may	O
mandate	O
that	O
the	O
connections	O
between	O
PC	O
components	O
be	O
encrypted	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Peter	O
Gutmann	O
,	O
security	O
researcher	O
and	O
author	O
of	O
the	O
open	O
source	O
cryptlib	B-Language
library	O
,	O
claims	O
that	O
these	O
mechanisms	O
violate	O
fundamental	O
rights	O
of	O
the	O
user	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
fair	O
use	O
)	O
,	O
unnecessarily	O
increase	O
the	O
cost	O
of	O
hardware	O
,	O
and	O
make	O
systems	O
less	O
reliable	O
(	O
the	O
"	O
tilt	O
bit	O
"	O
being	O
a	O
particular	O
worry	O
;	O
if	O
triggered	O
,	O
the	O
entire	O
graphic	O
subsystem	O
performs	O
a	O
reset	O
)	O
and	O
vulnerable	O
to	O
denial-of-service	O
attacks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Proponents	O
have	O
claimed	O
that	O
Microsoft	O
had	O
no	O
choice	O
but	O
to	O
follow	O
the	O
demands	O
of	O
the	O
movie	O
studios	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
the	O
technology	O
will	O
not	O
actually	O
be	O
enabled	O
until	O
after	O
2010	O
;	O
Microsoft	O
also	O
noted	O
that	O
content	O
protection	O
mechanisms	O
have	O
existed	O
in	O
Windows	O
as	O
far	O
back	O
as	O
Windows	B-Device
ME	I-Device
,	O
and	O
that	O
the	O
new	O
protections	O
will	O
not	O
apply	O
to	O
any	O
existing	O
content	O
,	O
only	O
future	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
User	O
Account	O
Control	O
(	O
UAC	O
)	O
is	O
an	O
important	O
part	O
of	O
Vista	B-Application
's	O
security	O
infrastructure	O
as	O
it	O
blocks	O
software	O
from	O
silently	O
gaining	O
administrator	O
privileges	O
without	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
knowledge	O
,	O
it	O
has	O
been	O
widely	O
criticized	O
for	O
generating	O
too	O
many	O
prompts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
has	O
led	O
many	O
Vista	B-Application
UAC	O
users	O
to	O
consider	O
it	O
troublesome	O
,	O
with	O
some	O
consequently	O
either	O
turning	O
the	O
feature	O
off	O
or	O
(	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
Enterprise	O
or	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
Ultimate	O
users	O
)	O
putting	O
it	O
in	O
auto-approval	O
mode	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
End-users	O
of	O
licenses	B-License
of	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
acquired	O
through	O
OEM	O
or	O
volume	O
licensing	O
may	O
downgrade	O
to	O
the	O
equivalent	O
edition	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Downgrade	O
rights	O
are	O
not	O
offered	O
for	O
Starter	O
,	O
Home	O
Basic	O
or	O
Home	O
Premium	O
editions	O
of	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
licenses	B-License
acquired	O
through	O
an	O
OEM	O
,	O
a	O
user	O
may	O
also	O
downgrade	O
to	O
the	O
equivalent	O
edition	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Customers	O
licensed	O
for	O
use	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
Enterprise	O
are	O
generally	O
licensed	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
Pro	O
,	O
which	O
may	O
be	O
downgraded	O
to	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
Business	O
.	O
</s>
