Software & Apps > Windows 427 427 people found this article helpful 5 Reasons to Stick With Windows Vista Plus, one big reason not to By Keith Ward Keith Ward Writer Towson University Keith Ward is a former Lifewire writer with over 25 years' experience writing about Microsoft products and creating and Windows tutorials. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on January 6, 2022 Reviewed by Chris Selph Reviewed by Chris Selph Chris Selph is a CompTIA-certified technology and vocational IT teacher. He also serves as network & server administrator and performs computer maintenance and repair for numerous clients. lifewire's editorial guidelines Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email In This Article Expand Jump to a Section Vista Is Similar to Windows 7 Vista Is Secure Application Compatibility Is Not a Problem Vista Is Stable Vista Saves Money One Big Reason Not to Stick With Windows Vista Windows Vista was not Microsoft’s most-loved release. People look at Windows 7 with nostalgia, but you don't hear much love for Vista. Microsoft has mostly forgotten it, but Vista was a good, solid operating system with many things going for it. If you’re considering upgrading from Vista to Windows 7 or later, here are five reasons to stick with it (and one huge reason not to). Microsoft ended support for Windows Vista in 2017. We recommend upgrading to Windows 10 or Windows 11. Upgrading from Vista to a new Windows version requires a clean install. You have to purchase the new operating system or a computer that runs it already. Windows 11 Compatibility Check: Can You Run It on Your Computer? Vista Is Similar to Windows 7 Windows 7 is, at its core, Vista. The underlying engine is the same. Windows 7 adds a lot of polish and refinement to the fundamental Vista underpinnings. That doesn’t mean the two products are twins. Windows 7 is faster and easier to use, but they have most of the same parts under the hood. Microsoft Vista Is Secure Vista is a secure, properly locked-down operating system. One of the innovations it introduced was User Account Control. Although a pain in the neck at first with its endless prompts, UAC was a considerable step up for security and was refined over time to be less annoying. Application Compatibility Is Not a Problem One of Vista's main problems from the outset was the way it broke many XP programs. Microsoft promised broad compatibility and didn't deliver until later. Still, updates and service packs eventually took care of most of those issues, and software companies finally updated their drivers until just about everything worked with Vista. Vista Is Stable Vista was used and tweaked for years all over the world. Microsoft discovered and corrected most of the problems, leading to a rock-solid OS that doesn’t often crash for most users. Vista Saves Money You cannot directly upgrade to Windows 7 from XP, meaning that the upgrades come from Vista. It may be hard for many to justify the increased cost for Windows 7 or later when Vista does many of the same things and does them well. One Big Reason Not to Stick With Windows Vista Microsoft ended Windows Vista support in 2017. That means there won't be any more Vista security patches or bug fixes and no more technical help. Operating systems that are no longer supported are more vulnerable to malicious attacks than newer operating systems. Ready to upgrade? Here's how to do a clean install of Windows 11. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit