Anilrgowda

Remember the hoopla surrounding the launch of Windows 95 a dozen years ago - complete with a Rolling Stones "Start me up" promotion? Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer said yesterday that the new Vista operating system represents a product that's even more important to the company.

Though, in this age of online purchases, the demand may not be apparent at store checkout lines.Microsoft held a launch event for businesspeople at a midtown Sheraton Hotel yesterday. Consumers can buy it starting Jan. 30; Vista was released to businesses Nov. 30.

The launch of Vista and Office 2007 is the first combined release since 1995 of the operating system and the Office suite.

Pat Esposito, chief executive of Impact Management, a software solutions company in Hicksville, said businesses are enthusiastic, in part because it's been five years since the last release, Windows XP. And he said Microsoft has done better in promoting the operating system in more markets, including Long Island.

Today a Microsoft Across America recreational vehicle equipped with computers demonstrating Vista and Office 2007 will be parked at his company's Hicksville office.

Michael Robinson, Micro-soft's manager for the metropolitan area, said, "Long Island is a very important part of our business."

Some experts are advising consumers to wait to upgrade until Microsoft irons out any problems.

But in its first year, Vista will likely be installed on 90 million computers, including 3.5 million in New York, according to a Microsoft-sponsored report released yesterday by the analyst firm IDC.

Microsoft is touting increased security and easier search capability of Vista. For example, Ballmer said, some companies clog computer USB ports with glue to prevent theft of information. With Vista, companies can block access to such ports.

Cyril Sebastian, Microsoft's Office platform technology specialist, said the Office suite makes it easier to uncover many features with a "ribbon" of options instead of a menu.

In fact, Ballmer said Microsoft founder Bill Gates congratulated the Excel team on what he thought was a new feature in Excel 2007 - but it had been there for several releases. Ballmer said Gates' gaffe shows how Excel 2007 highlights its wealth of features - even those that might have been hard to find before.