**********UPDATE*************
Sort-of. While I’m not happy with the DRM situation, it is performing better after upgrading my drivers.

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Yes.

Don’t let any Microsoft fanboys convince you otherwise: Windows Vista is no good.

They crippled the sound system:
** They removed all support for existing hardware audio acceleration – no 3d sound. Why? DRM.
** Digital outputs no longer work correctly – volume cuts out, certain sounds do not play, you cannot get surround. DRM.
** All music played through WMP is piped through a process that ensures the protection of the audio path, and consequentially uses up 15% of my dual-core, 4600+ athlon 64 x2 cpu. You guessed it: DRM.

This is not a change that was made to pave the way for revolutionary new features. The only reason they destroyed the audio subsystem was to invade our privacy, treat us like criminals, force us to buy new expensive hardware that is no better than the old hardware, and keep the entertainment industry happy. These changes were not designed to improve performance or features – they quite literally intentionally removed features and performance.

They crippled the video system:
** Not sure how they managed this one, but no single 3d game performs as well in vista as it did in XP. There is an inexplicable drop in framerate with accompanying audio studdering on games made a year before the hardware being used.

They crippled bluetooth support:
** The included bluetooth stack only supports OBEX and serial port – no support for audio of any kind. How much do you want to bet this happened out of fear that people could use bluetooth to violate the protected digital path (DRM)?

Digital Rights Management ruined Vista. What should have been an improvement has become a giant step backwards. The operating system is no longer there to let you work and play as efficiently as possible; now it is there to make sure you aren’t violating any copyright pseudo-laws at whatever cost necessary. The OS is not monitoring your system to ensure it is running at peak performance, or stability, or safety; it is monitoring your actions for signs of pseudo-illegal activity, and it can pull the plug on you at will.

Availablity and performance are out the window. Hollywood own Vista, and doesn’t care that it broke everything.

I want a refund.

EDIT:

So I got fed up, and I am going back to XP. Upgrading to XP, if you will.

When MS went from 98 / 2000 to XP, memory was the big issue. A slower CPU could run it fine with enough RAM. Especially if you disabled Visual styles.

It was possible to strip down XP a bit and get performance equivalent or better than 98 / 2k.

No such possibility exists with Vista. It is a giant leap backwards in performance.