Comparison of Windows Vista and Windows XP
This page is a comparison of Windows Vista and Windows XP. Windows XP is currently the dominant operating system in the desktop and personal computer markets, with a market share above 70% as of April 2008 [1]. Windows Vista is Microsoft's successor to Windows XP, and currently holds a market share of 14.57%.
Windows XP and Windows Vista differ considerably in regards to their security architecture, networking technologies, management and administration, shell & user interface, and mobile computing. Windows XP has suffered widespread criticism for security problems, performance and presence of product activation. Windows Vista has received mixed reception. Like XP, Vista has received some criticism for issues with security, performance and product activation. Another common criticism of Vista concerns the integration of new forms of digital rights management (DRM) into the operating system, and User Account Control (UAC) security technology.
Compatibility
Both XP and Vista had compatibility issues when they were released. Programs that required real-mode DOS to run didn't run properly in Windows XP, since XP did not come with MS-DOS like Windows 9x/ME. Windows XP introduced the "Compatibility Mode" feature, which is still present in Vista.
Windows Vista, on the other hand, is facing compatibility problems with many of the games and utility programs that previously worked in XP and now can no longer work under Vista, not even in a virtual machine environment. As of July 2007, there are about 2000 applications with the 'Vista Compatibility Logo' [2]. That may sound like a lot, but is actually an extremely low percentage compared to the number of programs that can currently work under XP, either natively or in simulation modality.
Performance
Various performance tests have proved that XP outperforms Vista in certain productivity areas [3] [4]. File copy operations proved to be one area where Vista performs better than XP. A 1.25 GB file was copied from a network share to each desktop. For XP, it took 2 minutes and 54 seconds, for Vista with SP1 it took 2 minutes and 29 seconds. This test was done by CRN Test Center.
Security features
| Windows XP | Windows Vista | |
|---|---|---|
| Windows Defender | Available as a free download [5] | Yes |
| Windows Firewall | Yes | Yes |
| Windows Security Center | Yes | Yes |
| BitLocker Drive Encryption | No | Yes |
| Parental controls | No | Yes |
| User Account Control | No | Yes |
| Data Execution Prevention | Yes | Yes |
Shell & User Interface
Visual Styles
Luna is the default visual style in Windows XP. It is available in three color schemes: Default (blue), Olive Green, and Silver. Windows XP Media Center Edition comes with Royale as default theme. The look and feel of Windows XP can be customized using software such as WindowBlinds. Now in its sixth version, it supports alpha blending effects similar to the compositing of Windows Vista, but on XP.
In most editions of Windows Vista, the default theme is Windows Aero. Aero offers translucent window effects, as well as live thumbnails, animated transitions and Flip 3D. However, it requires a higher-end video graphics card, DirectX 9 support and 32-bit color; otherwise, Windows Vista is displayed using "Windows Vista Basic" visual style.