I might push the size of the partition a bit.
As for my wish list, I don't mean xp is the perfect op system, but I wished MS would have an alternative op system that would compete with linux for smaller size and efficiency. But I guess the relationship between customer and vender is a compromise, and you can't get everything you want.
I am not an expert with vista, if I had been using it more I might have a more educated opinion. But I know what it is like to work on huge software projects. You are always dealing with problems left by previous programmers from years back (short cuts, bugs not fixed) and no one really has a good grasp of the big picture. Problems with huge software projects are legendary, and academia has been trying to find solutions to those problems for years, with only modest success.
So I tend to be prejudiced towards believing the earlier complaints about vista had a kernel of truth to them. But I don't know for sure. And if 7 really is as great as they say, then I admire MS for pulling off a minor miracle.