When purchasing a new PC, you will find there
are many versions of the Microsoft Vista operating system. Because of the nature of our software, many other
agency management systems, and rating systems, we require an operating system
that can handle the advanced security settings only available to higher versions
of Vista (Business & Ultimate).
As the name implies, Home Basic and Home
Premium are for the home user and focused around entertainment and media. Vista
Business is geared more for the business network and focuses on security,
reliability, and remote desktop applications. Agency Advantage recommends that
their users purchase Vista Business or Vista Ultimate.
Vista Business and Vista Ultimate have the
following features that are useful for your office networking environment. These
are features that are not included with Vista Home Basic or Home Premium.
- Advanced file sharing and security
- Shadow copy
- Windows fax & scan
- Protection against hardware failure
- Encrypting file system
- Remote desktop connection
The advanced file sharing option is of
particular importance to our users who are using peer to peer and server based
networks. In order to properly run the application over a network, there must be
proper sharing and security settings configured on the computer. Vista Home
versions are very limited in their abilities to set file permissions.
In the past, some users reported that they were able to connect their
Vista Home Premium computer to their network and run the Agency Advantage
software without any problems. These same users reported that suddenly they were
no longer able to connect to the database. This sometimes occurred after they
did a Windows Update on the computer, but not always. When this happened, Agency
Advantage could not connect to the database. The Vista Home version would
sometimes leave many opened and duplicated files on the server. Sometimes
restarting the server and workstation would correct the problem. Most of the
time it would not, requiring an extensive and lengthy support call, only for the
problem to return the following day.
If purchasing a computer from Dell, Gateway, or
Best Buy, etc, make sure your salesman knows that you are purchasing a computer
for an office networking environment. They should recommend that you purchase
Vista Business or Ultimate. If you are ordering from a website, you may need to
specify the operating system. It is much easier to buy the computer with the
correct operating system on it, than to have to reformat, reinstall, or upgrade
the operating system later.
Purchase Vista and Vista Upgrades:
Microsoft Store
Amazon.com
Google.com - Vista Business Upgrade
Google.com - Vista Ultimate Upgrade
Also see:
Compare Vista Versions
Sharing folders on a Vista Business operating system
Microsoft
Article Regarding Vista Home & Joining a Domain
Remote Desktop Connection Limitations
Written by: Tina Stewart
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