When Microsoft released their new Windows Vista operating system to the general public in January 2007, their main marketing slogan consisted of one word: "Wow." Two days after Vista's release, I choked out a "wow" as I forked over hundreds of dollars to the perky sales lady at Best Buy and purchased Windows Vista Ultimate, the most expensive, feature-laden and resource-hungry version available. I had no real personal need or desire to use Vista, but keeping up with such things is part of my job as a computer repair guy.

My advice at the time was that people should not install or use Vista until Microsoft released its first bundle of security and bug fixes, known as a "service pack." I based this advice on my previous experience with Windows 2000 and XP, and their associated service packs. Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) was supposed to have been released in the second half of 2007, but didn't actually surface for general public release until a few weeks ago. My advice now is that you might still want to wait.

Computers infected with Vista SP1 have been falling apart all around the globe. Things that used to work, no longer work; systems crash and lock up; antivirus programs stop working and hardware fails. SP1 is starting to look less like a performance-enhancing upgrade, and more like a malicious computer virus.

Many computers made by companies such as Hewlett Packard, Gateway and Lenovo that use Intel hardware, and that previously worked with Vista, won't work with SP1. Sound drivers from Realtek, one of the biggest computer sound companies in the world, fail under SP1. Security devices from Symantec also are affected. Video devices from Nvidia, one of the world's biggest computer video companies, are wrecked by SP1.

One of the most dangerous "glitches" associated with SP1 is that certain antivirus products end up being blocked, leaving users vulnerable to attack. Blocked products include TrendMicro Internet Security 2008, BitDefender 10 and ZoneAlarm Security Suite 7.1.

In typical "it ain't us" fashion, Microsoft advises that users should update their programs and system drivers before installing SP1, and has even provided a handy list of items known to be affected by SP1s many problems. That's great for computer geeks like myself, who are used to performing such chores, but how are typical, non-geeky users supposed to deal with such a challenge? Most of my customers don't even know what a computer driver is (and no, it's not the person at the keyboard), much less how to update such a thing.

Problems like these are almost de rigueur for Microsoft products, and may be why Vista has been such a disappointing flop since its first release. While regular consumers have been virtually forced by major retailers (with Dell being a notable exception) to adopt Vista when buying a new computer, most large companies and major corporations have understandably been putting off using Vista until all, or at least most of the bugs have been shaken out.

They, too, remember the headaches that early adopters of Microsoft products have endured. It may be one thing for Grandma's computer to go down because of a flawed update, but for companies with hundreds or thousands of computers, such flaws are a recipe for company-wide disaster.

The good news for Windows XP users is that Microsoft has extended support for these machines until the year 2014. This means that security updates and patches will still be available through the Windows or Microsoft update Web sites. This makes repairing XP-based machines a more attractive alternative to buying brand new, incompatible, bug-infested Vista machines.

Still, many folks are dumbfounded by Microsoft's decision to halt OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) sales of XP in June of this year. If I had a bundle of money to spend, I'd start buying every copy of XP that I could lay my hands on at places like Best Buy and Circuit City. Somebody will make a mint selling these on eBay in years to come. It might be good to buy a copy or two just as cheap insurance against XP failures for the next six years.

In it's current, updated state, Windows XP is a relatively secure and stable operating system, but it's taken almost six years worth of patches and updates to get it this way. Don't be surprised if it takes Vista a similar amount of time to get up to speed. Meanwhile, Microsoft is already talking about its new replacement for Vista, code-named "Windows 7," which is said to be released in -- are you ready for this? -- late 2009 or early 2010.

Dave Moore has been repairing computers in Norman since 1984, when he borrowed $1,200 to buy a Commodore 64 system. He can be reached at 919-9901 or www.davemoorecomputers.com.