Yes, you have read it right. There is one edition of Windows Vista that will only allow users to boot into the operating system, and... and, nothing. That's it. Boot, and nothing else. Even the most basic and general functionality, features, capabilities inherent to operating systems dating back to the past century are not included into this edition of Windows Vista.

In all fairness, you all know that alongside Windows Vista Starter, Windows Vista Home Basic is the handicapped edition of the latest operating system from Microsoft. But I'll bet you never thought of the extent of the handicap. This is a sterile operating system, castrated of the large majority of the features integrated into Vista Home Premium, Business, Enterprise and Ultimate. Home basic is the erectile dysfunction of the Windows Vista platform.

This is the only conclusion that can be drawn from Dell's characterization of the Home Basic edition of Windows Vista. For your viewing pleasure and enjoyment, I have integrated on the left hand side a fragment of a screenshot taken from the official Dell website. Additionally, you can visit the online location yourselves and simply scroll down a couple of times in order to access it.

"Why Windows Vista on Dell? With the right hardware configuration and the right version of Windows Vista , Dell PCs can be designed to optimize the Windows Vista experience. Extensive testing has helped us understand what it takes to get the most out of Windows Vista. The chart below (on the left) offers a handy guide to help make sure your system is equipped to support the Windows Vista experience you want" reads the message posted by Dell.

And Dell goes on to say that Basic Windows Vista Experience - No Aero, is GOOD on 512MB RAM, on a modern processor (>800MHz), 15GB free (recommended), but delivers no Windows Aero experience. However, Dell reveals that Windows Vista Home Basic is "Great for... Booting the Operating System, without running applications or games." The obvious question that comes to mind is: has anybody over at Dell, ever booted a Windows Vista Home Basic?