In his keynote speech at the 2008 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Bill Gates talked about what he called the commercial success of Windows Vista. “I’m pleased to say that we’ve got over 100 million people using Vista now, and that’s a very significant milestone,” he said.

Many commentators regard that figure as disappointing, however. One forecast speculated that 270m units would be sold during 2007. Microsoft’s numbers may lag the market, since the vitally important Christmas selling season is barely over. Microsoft officials have pointed out that it’s difficult to know how many units of Vista are in use in large corporations since the licenses they buy allow them to deploy either Vista or XP.

In addition, the shipping of Vista’s Service Pack 1 (SP1) later this quarter should shake the market into action.

Richard Shim, research manager at analysis firm IDC, said, “Vista has received a lukewarm response because Microsoft hasn’t made a good case for upgrading”.

Another commented, “Office 2007 only takes marginal advantage of Vista. The impact of Vista is still alive,” he added. “It’s not as influential as it was, but I wouldn’t call it a failure”.

Robert X. Cringely, the veteran technology writer over at PBS, recently forecast that “Microsoft will indefinitely extend the life of Windows XP, acknowledging the failure of Windows Vista, which will require another generation of hardware (and another $5 billion in R and D) to finally look good three years from now.”

According to Ed Bott over at ZNet the case for Windows Vista Service Pack 1 just got a lot stronger.

“When SP1 ships sometime in early 2008, it will strip away one of Vista’s most annoying features and remove one of the most persistent objections to Vista’s adoption.”

Microsoft will remove the reduced functionality mode — the so-called “kill switch” — from the operating system, “restoring the Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) program to its original role as a series of persistent but nonlethal notifications”.

WGA senior product manager Alex Kochis talking to reporters and analysts, said, “Based on customer feedback, we will not reduce user functionality on systems determined to be non-genuine”.

With SP1 installed, a Windows Vista system that fails validation, which Microsoft terms “non genuine”, will continue to work exactly as before, except for some minor annoyances. The desktop background will be black. If you change it, a scheduled task will paint it black again one hour later, and you’ll see a small “Activate Now” alert in the same location, which apparently you can ignore.

Sounds hairy, though.

If you do, take a look at Microsoft’s new website devoted to just that.

“Seeing Windows Vista for the first time may leave you searching for words. Many people just say “Wow.” Here are 100 reasons why.”

Here are a just a few of the “reasons” :

#1. It makes using your PC a breeze.
Windows Vista features a breakthrough design and easy-to-use organizational tools that make it simpler to get things done and get on with life! Find what you need instantly, on your PC or on the web, with Instant Search. Bring more clarity to your tasks with the spectacular Windows Aero user experience and Windows Flip 3D, allowing you to see everything you’re working on at a glance.

#9. Unchain your mobile PC.
Network and Sharing Center lets you set up a wireless network at home so you can experience the freedom of working from your living room, backyard, or anywhere in your home.

#15. Because your PC remembers to back up for you.
Windows Backup and Restore Center offers improved backup and restore functions, with automatically scheduled backups to preserve priceless digital photos, music, movies, and documents.

#23. Because it’s like a digital candy store.
You choose the fun—TV, games, music, movies, home videos, or photo slide shows—Windows Vista has all of your entertainment in one convenient place. Enjoy it on your PC, or gather friends and family around your home entertainment center, and let the good times roll!

Fair enough, but will anyone read the whole 100 reasons?

According to The Register, a batch of laptops pre-installed with Windows Vista Home Premium has been infected with a 13-year-old boot sector virus.

The consignment of infected Medion laptops – which could number anything up to 100,000 shipments – had been sold in Danish and German branches of retail giant Aldi. The computers had been loaded with Microsoft’s latest operating system Vista and Bullguard’s anti-virus software, which failed to detect and remove the malware.

Bullguard says on its website, “Stoned.Angelina is a low-risk boot virus that infects the MBR (Master Boot Record) of hard disks. This is a very old virus. Apart from its ability to spread from computer to computer, it carries no payload (damage) to the systems it infects.”

Virus Bulletin technical consultant John Hawes said, “This is a reminder that old viruses never really die. Malware that’s been off the radar for years often pops up when least expected, after someone digs out an old floppy or boots up an ancient system, and security firms have a duty to maintain protection against older threats for just this kind of eventuality.”

Storm in a teacup? Looks like it.