Regarding Vista…it’s an upgrade like all the OS upgrades that come before it. That is, Microsoft has spent several years (six, I believe) since they released Windows XP rebuilding the underlying code in Windows. They’ve improved security, added a new “three dimensional” user interface, and generally tweaked things all over. If you want an overview of the “improvements” between Windows XP and Vista, you can read this blog entry from a Microsoftie. To get more ideas about Vista, do a Google search on “why vista?”

As for my own view- for most people, there is no strong reason to upgrade to Vista. If you buy a new computer, that’s the time to get Vista…or if you need to use an application and find it is only available for Windows Vista. I’d say waiting a year or two is a good idea.

You might ask “why did Kelly upgrade?” Well, d’uh, read my website 🙂 Seriously, though, its because I like new toys, and Vista has a cool new look and feel that I liked when I tried it earlier. It’s more “elegant”, adopts some characteristics familiar to people who have used Macintosh’s OS X, and has a ton of “hidden” changes within the underlying code base. I fully expected to encounter problems: however, I enjoy figuring things out. So long as most of the things I want/need work, and so long as I get some fun new toys to play with, I’m happy.

Regarding your second question- I can’t say that I’m aware of any specific problems with GeForce 5500s. Generally, it’s a good idea to upgrade your video card drivers (available at NVidia’s website) if you are encountering difficulties. I’m not sure exactly what kind of problem you are encountering/referring to, though.

Usually, problems are a combination of things: a particular video card with a particular driver and a particular version of DirectX will have a problem running a particular game. Change any one of the factors, and suddenly it will work. When I run into a problem, I usually try a few “logical” things (like upgrading my video card drivers and installing the latest version of DirectX…or re-installing it). If that doesn’t work, I start Googling, using the model of video card, the version of Windows, and the particular piece of software as keywords.

Hopefully that helps!