Windows Vista

[jaketo]

So Microsoft has finally officially released Windows to the public.

I'm curious who has it on their PCs already, how the installation went, how it's working out for them, that kind of thing.

Personally I have a nice shiny copy of Vista Ultimate sitting on my shelf waiting for a few consecutive free evenings to do a full reinstall, I'm planning to take my time with it though! :)

Discuss!

[maroukai]

I too would like to know if its definately something that I should get for my computer.

I have heard pros and cons already from other sources but I rather have at least 5 or 6 places I can look for those types of information.

[vengefuldeath87]

i had vista enterprise a few weeks ago on my shiney core2duo, runs alrite, install was a bit slow, got 2 more keys for business, and another business x64 version coming soon. Not gonna install in on my laptop yet tho, as acer have no plans to release vista drivers, which sucks.

[Psycho]

How much did that set you back Jaketo ? :p

[Walaw]

Jake you are my nerd god ..

Is this something I should invest in at some point or wait until I buy a new comp?

~W

[Psycho]

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/productlist.php?groupid=33&catid=20 seems rather cheap here if anyone is looking to buy... :)

[jaketo]

I think the main issue at the minute is the avaialbility of Vista compatible hardware drivers, and also compatibility patches for software.

Whether it's because manufacturers have been slack or because Microsoft have been uncooperative, there's just a lot of current hardware that doesn't yet have full Vista support to the extent it just might not work under Vista, and also some major software houses are well behind too.

Microsoft provide their Upgrade Advisor (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/buyorupgrade/upgradeadvisor.mspx) which should tell you if your hardware will work or not, but I've found it's not exhaustive.

What I've been doing is checking all my hardware (lots of it!) with the manufacturer's website to check for Vista support. Because I tend to upgrade hardware often (I'm a g33k, you all know that! :)) I've found that all of the components in my main PC should be fully supported and the only thing I'm not sure of now is my webcam, which I can replace easily enough if I can't get it to work. Software isn't such a major issue, but some secuirty software vendors are havintg a hard time of it because of the way Vista is security hardened.

For anyone thinking of upgrading, I'd advise going through this process before you decide to upgrade with your current hardware. As Venge points out, Acer for example have no Vista drivers yet so trying to upgrade any Acer laptop would probably be fairly difficult. It may well prove to be the better option to wait until hardware upgrade time and buy a new PC with Vista bundled.

Overclockers.co.uk are always very cheap Psycho and very good (although I'm a little disappointed that they've switched from supplying modding kit to more conventional PC products! ;)) but these guys (http://www.cclonline.com/product-categories.asp?category_id=445) are even cheaper with Vista in the UK.

It's perhaps also worth mentioning that whilst buying an OEM version might seem attractive (if somewhat legally tenuous), I'm hearing rumours that a boxed OEM version can only be activated once, so be warned!

I've also bought a 500Gb external HDD so I can backup my PC before I start. I shall leave that running overnight and start the installation tomorrow if I can get out of work early enough :D

[vengefuldeath87]

w00, i just bought 2gb of dd2 6400 and an arctic freezer7, which means lots more fun overclocking, and pwning remco-'s pc when i get a new gfx card :p stupid crappy 7300GS, i want an 8800, tho i need a new psu too :( got 5 months till crysis to upgrade to vista on my laptop and upgrade my gfx card :p

[ILikePizza421]

I have a free upgrade to Vista with my version, but I heard it slows down single programs by 20%... that true from a user?

-Pizza

[Slayer_of_the_Immortals]

Well, if my understanding is correct Vista is much more...upscaled than XP, so it's very possibile that, on a system designed for XP, it could slow you down allot, because there's allot more to run.

[Dufresne]

Here are the issues I have with Vista.

1. OEM version can only be activated once, then you have to buy a new copy.

2. Once you install and activate, you can only change computers or hardware once before it will force you to buy a new copy.

3. 3rd party drivers/ software might not run, as Microsoft wants only genuine software/ drivers.

4. Digital rights management- if your videos/ music don't have a license and are not legit, Vista will lower the sound quality to horrible.

5. you are buying a license and not the rights to the software.

6. You cannot do a clean install with the upgrade version.

7. If you install the upgrade version, you must have a genuine copy of XP installed, and it then invalidates the XP cd key. (so can't use XP)

[jaketo]

Here are the issues I have with Vista.

1. OEM version can only be activated once, then you have to buy a new copy.

2. Once you install and activate, you can only change computers or hardware once before it will force you to buy a new copy.

3. 3rd party drivers/ software might not run, as Microsoft wants only genuine software/ drivers.

4. Digital rights management- if your videos/ music don't have a license and are not legit, Vista will lower the sound quality to horrible.

5. you are buying a license and not the rights to the software.

6. You cannot do a clean install with the upgrade version.

7. If you install the upgrade version, you must have a genuine copy of XP installed, and it then invalidates the XP cd key. (so can't use XP)


These are all very standard and very appropriate software licensing terms, and measures to prevent the use or distribution of pirated software or media. Anyone that has a problem with these frankly is someone who is perhaps trying to pirate the software.

Also, as far as I am aware -

2. The full version can be reinstalled and reactiviated as many times as you need to, as long as it's only installed on one PC concurrently.

5. Buying a license is the same as buying the rights to the software. You can never own software, only the rights to use it under the terms of the licensing agreement.

6. You can do a clean install with the upgrade version. When you start the upgrade, it will ask you what kind of install you want.

7. That is how upgrading works. You'd be buying an upgrade for Vista to your XP licence at a much lower price that full Vista retail, so you'd be using Vista instead of XP. If you want to use Vista as well as XP, you'll need to buy a full retial copy of Vista.

Anyway, the intention of this thread was to discuss Vista, not to discuss the mechanics and ethics of software licencing :)

[supermiget89]

I heard its supposed to have a "wow" factor to it. Kinda like what happens with new gaming consoles, but here with an operating system. I dont quite know how that works.

[vengefuldeath87]

the aero thing is pretty cool, and the 3d flip, but its nothing special or revolutionary.

[cham]

the aero thing is pretty cool, and the 3d flip, but its nothing special or revolutionary.
you know, considering it's a mac ripoff completely.

[Kalki]

Microsoft did not steal ideas from Mac OS X, here's the proof
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaIUkwPybtM

[jaketo]

Lol, I knew this would turn into a 'Vista vs Apple' thread! ;)

Has anyone except Venge actually used it yet?

[RiChardge]

Microsoft did not steal ideas from Mac OS X, here's the proof
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaIUkwPybtM

omg, the lame-ness..

Kinda shitty report =p doesnt prove shit =p...

[maroukai]

umm, guys I really need to know if it's worth me paying $99 to get it in March.

I need to know about Microsoft Office 2007 as well.

[Kalki]

Lol, I knew this would turn into a 'Vista vs Apple' thread! ;)

Has anyone except Venge actually used it yet?

Isn't that one of the most interesting aspects of MS' new OS though?
Especially now with Apple's move onto Intel hardware.
Maybe that's just me?

Anyways, we're thinking about setting up a small 2-3 desktop Vista-environment at work, with Office 2007, just to be able to spot what benefits it could have for us. But so far we haven't gotten that far.

In a large organization, like the one I work in, you tend to wait a while to make the baby diseases die off (sp1, or possibly sp2) before we consider migrating 17000 employees workstations to a new OS :P

[maroukai]

I wonder what are the big things about Office 2007 as well and how it works with Vista?

I am planning to buy both in March so I need a detailed statement.

After all I will be spending around $140 on both.

[jaketo]

Isn't that one of the most interesting aspects of MS' new OS though?
Especially now with Apple's move onto Intel hardware.
Maybe that's just me?

It's just you! ;)

(Ok, I agree, and the Apple/Intel thing is a very interesting development!)

In a large organization, like the one I work in, you tend to wait a while to make the baby diseases die off (sp1, or possibly sp2) before we consider migrating 17000 employees workstations to a new OS :P

Very sound practice. I'm not planning to widescale deploy Vista on any of the netwroks I manage until September probably.

I am however planning to smallscale deploy it at home this Monday/Tuesday. I have taken the two days off from work as holday especially (damn, such a g33k!), I'll keep you posted how it goes, lol :D

[vengefuldeath87]

ive never run xp on my vista pc, so i dont really have a point of comparison with it, so when i finally upgrade my laptop, i can see if there are actually any benifits.

[jaketo]

So finally, I am ready! :)

Armed with a nicely high spec PC, a 500Gb external HDD for backups, a Windows Vista Ultimate full retail DVD, a second PC for (browsing, banking etc whilst I wait, and probably downloading drivers that I missed!), several bottles of Coke and two days holiday from work, I am about to trash a very well installed and smoothly running PC just to see if Vista is any good or not :D

I'll update this later periodically if I ever get online again! :D

20:15hrs: Firstly, data backups, such fun. Might take a while.

21:00hrs: LMAO, first major decision. Which DVD do I watch whilst I wait for my backups to finish? ;)

23:50hrs: Thoroughly enjoyed 'War of the Worlds' :) Backups finished, just making a few notes about one or two system settings.

00:15hrs: All prep work done. Three hours isn't bad for me, and I'm a particularly fussy b*stard. Installation time proper :D

01:45hrs: Pleasantly surprised. A clean install of Vista and I'm at a useable desktop with no errors whatsoever after 90 minutes. Device Manager doesn't look too shoddy either :)

05:00hrs I'm shocked by how simply that went! I've got some apps and games to reinstall but basically it's finished, and completely without a hitch! Time for some bed I guess, more later :D

[WhiteBlaster]

Screw Windows Vista. They have too much bugs. Most of the softwares are not comparable with it. The reason why they release it is to make up the investment, like 1.6 billion on this project. We have to wait for a while before they fix all the glitches. :yawn:

[Johnnyk]

that's compatible, bud. and too many bugs.

and is that verifiable or just the babble of a mac-lover?

[vengefuldeath87]

vista is so far a whole lot more stable than xp was when it came out, and im actually pretty impressed with it. Ive now upgraded my laptop too, so im actually using it on a daily basis, and besides the fact apache and nero image drive wont work, and iis is being a pain to get working with php, its pretty decent.

[wicked_reaper]

My computer is running a hybrid between windows xp professional and windows vista ultimate. It runs very good but, it was a pain to get the features from vista that i wanted. The reason i did it was because i still wanted xp pro it works pretty good but i liked some of vistas features.

[ubergold]

i have several beta keys and installed several times. i have only had one trouble. the tv tuner card i own is OLD and no drivers exist for vista. besides that one thing vista runs great! no slow down whatsoever!

but then again.... im running the following setup

core 2 duo e6600 2.4ghz 4mb cache 1066fsb
2gb ram 4-4-3-8 timings at ddr3-800
2x 250gb seagate perp hard drives
p5b-deluxe mobo
750 watt pc power cooling psu
x1900xt gfx card 256mb version (waiting to upgrade to dx10)

as you can see. my rig is nearly top top of the line... so that might be another reason it runs so smoothly! :p

[vengefuldeath87]

i do think you need dual core and 2gb of ram minimum to run vista properly, or at least how its supposed to run.

[wicked_reaper]

1 GHz 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor¹).

1 GB of system memory.

Support for DirectX 9 graphics with a WDDM driver, 128 MB of graphics memory (minimum)², Pixel Shader 2.0 and 32 bits per pixel.

40 GB of hard drive capacity with 15 GB free space.

That came strait from the vista update page from windows.

[wicked_reaper]

Ans system requirement are diffferent because of the different types of vista go to http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windowsvista/aa905075.aspx
This shows all requirements needed to run vista

[jaketo]

Yo wicked_reaper

Please resist the temptation to double post and instead discover the joys if the 'Edit' button on your previous post :)

Thanks

J

[wicked_reaper]

Sorry about that i'm new to PR.

[jaketo]

Hehehe, no need for sorries, we're very glad to have you here :)

The double-posting thing is something everyone does and mods have to comment to keep it to a minimum. Don't worry about it ;)

[ElvishTormentor]

ok guys,

I have a dell laptop with pentium M 1.6Ghz, 1.5 GB of RAM and a 128MB graphics card.

I just installed Vista Business a couple of days ago and I frankly don't see what everyone is talking about in terms of a lack of compatibility and bugs. So far in these last two days, the only problem I've faced is that I've not been able to install mIRC properly but other then that everything works perfectly. The new aero system works really well and I don't care if some design cues were stolen off a mac, I would prefer a right click to a control+click any day.

All my games are compatible and all the hardware I have is compatible as well. And in terms of performance, since I did a clean install I only installed the programs that I used regularly so I got rid of some of the junk background processes(like spybot which really wasn't much use), so basically the performance is better than before and there is a huge improvement in File Transfer times within the system.

I just tried moving my 8gb photos folder and it took about half the time it usually would take on XP. Also, the fact that I can control the processor throttling now is a dream come true. I used to feel like pulling my hair out when it came to the newer games because while running it, the throttling would kick in and the game would literally slow to a crawl. That's not a problem anymore.

The only bug(more like irritating point) I have seen is the fact that windows plays it a little too safe at times while asking for confirmations of running programs (one of the pc vs mac ads makes fun of this). But after a couple of days, once I've set the program access info for my regular use programs, that is no longer an issue and in hindsight it seems like a decent security measure.

overall, I do agree that the vista improvements can seem skin deep at first. But as you keep using it, you realize that there are so many little conveniences put in that once u start using this, going back to XP seems like a drag and a real bore to look at.

[StrikerForce1]

dual core 2.8 ghz, 1 gb ram and 256mb video and vista was flying.
installed all the versions as i downloaded the billgates iso and the appropiate cracks
i like the user permissions aspect on vista, close to linux, yet as bullshit full as all of microz0fts crap. if it werent for koc or gaming, i wouldnt really use the windows at all....

anywayas, tried the voice feature a few months ago and i was on irc speaking and not touching the keyboard, which was pretty interesting...
interface is horrible, i fucking hate the vista eye candy and how a tweakign only means you either add or remove the things...
* StrikerForce1 likes beryl
* StrikerForce1 suggests everyone gets a linux distro and stops clicking
* StrikerForce1 explains how to install explorer in linux and run ddl for those who want to click

overall, vista wont be on my pc again anytime soon.

[emike55]

Yes, I agree linux is the only way to go ;).

[Agent_47]

Here are the issues I have with Vista.



6. You cannot do a clean install with the upgrade version.

7. If you install the upgrade version, you must have a genuine copy of XP installed, and it then invalidates the XP cd key. (so can't use XP)

I trialed the various Vista software for Microsoft from start to finished product and I really love Vista Ultimate.
I have also done a clean install on my laptop plus I'm running both XP pro and Vista Ultimate operating systems on this computer without any problems.

Using the DDL in Vista is a whole lot faster than in XP which is an added bonus.

~Agent_47

[DaNzO]

Agent I'm the PC man, I need you to send me your computer so i can steel it. :D

[Serym]

Im not going to upgrade to Vista til i have too!The earliest ill upgrade to it is after the first SP comes out.Its also a lot of money for something that isnt really that much different to what i have now.
XP works fine for me,if i need a driver i can get it,i get a new piece of software/game it runs etc.
So im going to wait......even tho my new system is more than capable of running it :)

p.s.
any 1 got a brand new dell 24" tft monitor they wanna give me? lol

[Sir_Martian_Man]

I love vista so far - i run it on 4 systems. 2 laptops - 2 desktops. I range from P4's to Duo2's. I use Vista Ultimate and Vista Enterprise. It is so much faster than XP - better memory handling, great throttling features.

The biggest problem with vista is advanced users. Microsoft did move everthing, and it takes a little while to figure it all out. Also, learn the UAC - use your admin rights wisely.

So far I really have enjoyed it. I have been testing it since Longhorn Alpha 2. i would say at least give it a try, probably the best OS Microsoft has done since Windows 3.11

[vengefuldeath87]

i killed uac while i was installing drivers, it pissed me off that quick :p

[WhiteCanadianKid]

you could always download... [Edit - blah blah blah etc /J]

but aside from that I will probably be getting vista when it becomes the main operating system. For now there's still a lot of programs that won't work on vista, so I'll just wait, I'm sure vista will eventually become the most used operating system like XP is right now, it's just a matter of time :P

[jaketo]

Thanks for that WCK, but please avoid discussing pirated software on this forum in future.

[Psycho]

So would you recommend buying it or not.. im debating that very issue right now :p

[jaketo]

So would you recommend buying it or not..

I'd recommend it :)

[Sir_Martian_Man]

i recommend it!!

[WhiteBlaster]

I don't recommend upgrading to vista. There are too issues. First, you can't downgrade your windows, second, most of your old softwares can't be installed on vista. Third, the security is high and you couldn't even send files to your friends. One of my friends has vista, soon or later he is going to become a baldy. :P

[jaketo]

I don't recommend upgrading to vista. There are too issues. First, you can't downgrade your windows, second, most of your old softwares can't be installed on vista.

So far I've not had any problems with installing any software that you'd find on a home user's PC. I'm beginning to think that it may even be better than XP for running older software, and XP was pretty good.

Third, the security is high and you couldn't even send files to your friends.

This is actually a good thing, and it's very manageable. Vista doesn't really stop you from doing anything, it just asks you to confirm that it is actually you doing it and not some rogue process running under your security context.

One of my friends has vista, soon or later he is going to become a baldy. :P

That is possibly one of the most random things I've read in a long time, cool :D

[Psycho]

mmk so would an oem copy be good or ? like this one for instance.. https://www.laptopcompany.com.au/Script/MCH/ShopProductS.asp?ObjectID=9D99BDD9-D0D5-4391-B840-CC64E5A106F6

[Peacemaker786]

I have Vista Home Premium.

Pretty cool,

BUT IT DOESN'T RUN IRIS FOR ME!!!

help

=]

[conflag]

Vista 64 bit Enterprise
Core2Duo
4GB ram

Runs great! I have had very little issues that I could not overcome with some work around. My biggest complaint is that Cisco will not release a vpn client for 64 bit vista. So I have to keep a VM of XP to use vpn...

I run Steam (Counter-Strike:Source, HL2, call of duty, etc.), Medieval II, Ghost Recon, and other games with no issues. Even the clickers for koc work (gotta run as administrator, though).

UAC may suck, but so does a virus or malware. Never disable, jut remove your password so that all you have to do is click continue. It will prevent auto installing of anything maliciously and it also restricts access to certain folders on the root of C:\.

I scored a 5.2 on the Windows experience index with the geforce 8800 gts. My laptop is less beefy with 2gb ram, 1.7Ghz proc and an Nvidia Quadro NVS 110m and it scored a 3.0 which is quite bearble.

I run Ubuntu 7.04 on my other machine and am also very happy with that OS, so do take these comments as a biased Windows junkie. :)

[Nara]

Help I can't get Msn messenger to sign in, the little men go round and round and round and round etc :censored:

Nara

[vengefuldeath87]

using 7 or live? 7 has issues with vista.

[Nara]

Windows live 8.1

I may have a look in my saved old files and see if i can download an old one tomorrow

Nara

[jaketo]

Nara, it may well be the Windows Firewall that's blocking MSN.

Vista is built to be more secure from the ground up, which includes strangely blocking some of its own applications sometimes :confused:

[jaketo]

Found out today talking to a friend of mine at MS that Vista SP1 will more likely be as much of a partial overhaul of the interface as the normal bug-fixing that comprises most SPs.

Apparently the main man behind the design of the new interface for MS Office 2007 has been drafted into the Vista team for this very purpose.

This may of course, just be a vicious rumour. I'll see if I can find substantiating reference to it later on ;)

[Apotheosis]

I dont like the new office... its just not as user-friendly IMO

[emike55]

xD another thing I love about vista! They changed so much from XP to vista that many users are lost as to where most things are, not so much for myself but I've heard of many stories. I mostly love the huge difference from office 2003 to office 2007. There is no reason for a program to make that huge of a jump, I mean nothing is like it was in office 2003. Officer 2007 can be comparable with making a completely different program. Having the office 2007 designer on the vista interface team just makes me afraid and god I hope they have an option to return it back from whatever they design =P.

[vengefuldeath87]

i hate 2007 and am very glad 2003 works fine on vista :p i do tend to skip versions of office tho :p went 2000, then 2003 cos 2002 sucked, and now im gonna be skipping another version :p

[Matman]

I love vista and I love Office 2007. Once you find all the cool stuff vista does. For instance you can hit start and in search type lets say Word and it will open the word program. Type in the name of your program and it will open. It has voice recognition built in also if you like that. and the Gadets are awsome.

and Office 07 is da bomb. I love the new ribbons insted of going to the tools/whatever you need. You can however turn off the ribbons and make it just l ike 03 if you wish. But lots of cool things in 07 now. Like saving to PDF and the recovery tool of you save over something on accident. Lots of cool stuff just got to be able to try new things.

[Nemesis-]

Any idea when the SP will be released?

[jaketo]

Short answer, no.

It's the source of fairly intense speculation by many people.

Google (http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=vista+%22sp1%22+%22release+date%22&btnG=Search&meta=) for it and every hit you get will have a different story behind it.

According to MS (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windowsvista/bb738089.aspx), it's in beta to a group of selected testers, but they've given no indication of release date yet.

You can try and download the Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Beta Overview from here (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=090deaf6-2eaa-4aaa-8b3b-2e199db4a97d&displaylang=en) if you're really that interested! :p

[Nemesis-]

Hehe. My only interest in Vista is DX10. So I'll just wait. :)

[jaketo]

Did I mention that apparently MS will be releasing SP3 for Windows XP as well? ;)

[Banished Angel]

What will this sp3 contain all knowing jaketo? lol

[jaketo]

Lol, I have noooo idea :)

The expectation with both SP1 for Vista and SP3 for XP is that they will be released to allow client PCs running Vista and XP to integrate fully with a Windows Server 2008 environment, which is due out next year, with better support for Win2K8 GPs etc.

MS have their service pack roadmap here (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/lifecycle/servicepacks.mspx), which at least details current release dates.

It's very unusual for them to release a service pack for a version of Windows that isn't the latest, but the take-up of Vista has been so slow in the corporate arena so they don't really have much choice for now. Look for example at Dell who recently reversed their decision to stop supplying PCs with XP due to customer demand.

[Vieri]

MS will stop selling license for Windows XP next year. This will push those people who doesn't like Vista (like me) to eventually upgrade to Vista.

A little bit about my experience on using Vista. It's a RAM hungry monster. I have a test Vista machine (P4D 3GHz, 2GB RAM) at work. It's a clean installation and only has the OS on it, nothing else but when it's turned on, it already used up 60% of memory. And I don't find the GUI friendly enough for me. Don't get me wrong though, the GUI of Vista and Office 2007 are nice. I guess I will stick with Windows XP and Linux for now.

Just my 2 cents.

Vieri

[ChaosKuRi]

Well, Jaketo told me to talk about Vista here, so I am.

I like Vista, I like the new upgrades.

I know it slows your computer down, but I still like it!

[emike55]

I don't exactly like Vista, but not enough to downgrade. Especially since if I downgraded I wouldn't have a legit serial. Vista is a little to hungry for resources for my taste, not to mention compatibility issues. It is just a rough OS, of course most of microsoft's products when first released are rough.

[KibaInuzuka]

yeah really rough since its been awhile and vista is still uncompatible with so many things. i dint exactly downgrade but just bought the old XP OS so i can do more of what i want.

[Cowbell King]

It works great on my rig, it has less compatibility for tweaking and stuff like that but thats why i have linux installed too. Some old games don't work but that proboly because i have 64 bit. But one big problem is that itunes will not work with 64 bit at all but there are ways to get around that.

[Psycho]

Just installed Vista SP1 RTM and well although im not thoroughly impressed it does feel snappier and faster than it did before but to be honest I was expecting more

[jaketo]

Just installed Vista SP1 RTM and well although im not thoroughly impressed it does feel snappier and faster than it did before but to be honest I was expecting more

The list of alleged improvements (http://technet2.microsoft.com/WindowsVista/en/library/005f921e-f706-401e-abb5-eec42ea0a03e1033.mspx?mfr=true)is comprehensive but a lot of it is aimed at Vista in use as a client OS on a corporate network.

[HiddenKenshin]

I4ve been running a Home Preium on my eprsonal laptop and a Vista Business on my work laptop. The latter is a beast of an HP and I raun applications ranging from SQL Server2055 to Visual Studio, as well as MAcromedia and adobe photohop CS3.
Only problem, Vista no longs supports IPX/SPX net protocol, which means I can no longer play Red Laert 2 over LAN. Only reason why I still dual boot XP. Then again, IPX/SPX is ancient.

Never had a single problem with Vista, nor with office. HOWEVER, it did take a little while to get used to, especially the Office ribbon things, but once you're used to it, I can make lenghty spreadsheets 50% faster.

I've come to dislike the current H8 VISTA OMFG >=( that is currently going rampant throughout the net.

[vengefuldeath87]

im surprised that you can even install red alert 2 on vista :p i thought you could play over tcp/ip for lan too, but its been a long time since ive played it.

[Banished Angel]

Vista runs really slow, but then again, I don't have the most powerful setup in the world.

AMD 4400+ dual core processor clocked at 2.3ghz
1gb RAM
NVIDIA GeForce 6150SE

[vengefuldeath87]

get another 1gb of ram, and disable aero, and it will run well. aero gives you almost nothing extra, just some fancy effects, but will really kill your resources, ive got an 8800gts and 4gb ram and it still slows down my pc with it turned on.

[Kalki]

"SQL Server2055" - ok, I think your comp needs to be buff for that.
Could you get me a copy? I'll sell it to Microsoft...
"Hey here's your RDBMS in 50 years, now gimme some cash".

[jaketo]

I had a really interesting conversation last night with a bunch of guys who know their stuff about technology and the IT business in general.

Our main topic was about how Microsoft are faring currently in the marketplace, especially with Vista and Windows Server 2008, and I'm beginning to think that Micorsoft are going to relegate Vista soon and concentrate on Windows 7. To coin a phrase, "they're going to 'Windows ME' Vista".

I have absolutely no basis in fact for this bold statement other than my instincts and knowledge of the business and marketplace, I just wanted to post it somehwere public so that in the future I can refer to it and say 'I told you so!' :D

[HiddenKenshin]

"SQL Server2055" - ok, I think your comp needs to be buff for that.
Could you get me a copy? I'll sell it to Microsoft...
"Hey here's your RDBMS in 50 years, now gimme some cash".

*shifty eyes*

I'm an ALIEN.

From the FUTURE.

From another DIMENSION.

With a TYPING DISABILITY...

erm... I only have THREE LONG FINGERS.

Which makes sense because, int he future, in outer space in another dimension, we're so advanced that we use SQL server 2055 and developed 3 long fingers because we type a lot and we flip each other off all the time.

True story.

im surprised that you can even install red alert 2 on vista :p i thought you could play over tcp/ip for lan too, but its been a long time since ive played it.

No, to my utter dismay, RA2 only supports IPX over LAN. Works over the net without a problem, though. Also, I disabled UAC within the first 10 minutes of booting Vista for the first time, and it'll save you BOATLOADS of problems, such as needing to run apps as adminsitrator etc.

[Kalki]

I had a really interesting conversation last night with a bunch of guys who know their stuff about technology and the IT business in general.

Our main topic was about how Microsoft are faring currently in the marketplace, especially with Vista and Windows Server 2008, and I'm beginning to think that Micorsoft are going to relegate Vista soon and concentrate on Windows 7. To coin a phrase, "they're going to 'Windows ME' Vista".

I have absolutely no basis in fact for this bold statement other than my instincts and knowledge of the business and marketplace, I just wanted to post it somehwere public so that in the future I can refer to it and say 'I told you so!' :D

"Windows XP, built on NT technology" - was something like that... NT stands for New Technology, right? Reinteration...

[Banished Angel]

get another 1gb of ram, and disable aero, and it will run well. aero gives you almost nothing extra, just some fancy effects, but will really kill your resources, ive got an 8800gts and 4gb ram and it still slows down my pc with it turned on.


Yeah, I'm planing on getting another 2 gigs of RAM in the next couple of months so i will have a total of three. I disabled aero, but it didn't seem to make much of a difference. My computer idles at 75% RAM usage lol. I can't even watch videos much on my computer because it laggs and the audio and video get off track with each other. I checked, and my computer usage when watching a video is 100% on both cores, and my RAM usage is 90%. lol

[vengefuldeath87]

i was playing about and booted my pc with only 1gb in, and it went a shit heap slower, ran pretty well on 2, and now with 3gb its pretty smooth, wish cs3 and netbeans would load quicker than a week tho :p

[emike55]

Netbeans takes forever to load and I've got an okay set up at...
-2.0 GHz Core 2 Duo 2MB L2
-2 GB ram
-Geforce 8600m 256MB

I mean I have sat there once for literally 10 minutes waiting for it to load =P.

I am either going to duel linux or XP on here soon to see what this thing can do without vista, most likely linux because that will really give me the best speed I can get.

[HiddenKenshin]

Netbeans takes forever to load and I've got an okay set up at...
-2.0 GHz Core 2 Duo 2MB L2
-2 GB ram
-Geforce 8600m 256MB

I mean I have sat there once for literally 10 minutes waiting for it to load =P.

I am either going to duel linux or XP on here soon to see what this thing can do without vista, most likely linux because that will really give me the best speed I can get.
I've got a simular set-up for my personal laptop(2.2 ghz, but 128 shared mb gfx), and even though anything java related makes me run into the opposite direction, arms flailing, I used to run eclipse and it would start pretty fast without a problem? Not sure if netbeans is that much heavier on the system.

I'm almost constantly running VMware with a 30something gig image, again, no problem. I can run Adobe PS3 at the same time as well.
I do run CCleaner, silently at each start up. I have a process guard that allows me to easily track start up processes and I only boot the bare minimum. I *DON'T* run an antivirus and I haven't for the past 3 years. Never had a problem either. I've got notbook hardware control to make sure my processor is running on max performance. Maybe those add to the performance...

[emike55]

I think it's mostly netbeans not so much computer performance, it is the only program that I have that takes forever. To be more specific netbeans 6.0, since I upgraded that takes a while to load, I was obviously exaggerating in my first post but it takes 1 minute 20 seconds to load it on average for me and the one time it did take a very long time it was 5 minutes. =P, I don't blame it specifically on Vista, but the fact that Vista takes so much in the resource department just to idle is a rather bad design concept if you ask me.

[Banished Angel]

Well, Microsoft wanted to make a copy of Mac, and they didn't know how to balance the system out. The end product was Vista. The next OS from Microsoft will be a much more stable version of Vista.

[jaketo]

Well, Microsoft wanted to make a copy of Mac, and they didn't know how to balance the system out. The end product was Vista. The next OS from Microsoft will be a much more stable version of Vista.

An interesting cooment :)

Any substantiation for that?

[Banished Angel]

I'm afraid all i have are the claims you've heard many times before. But even you must admit that xp and vista are very different. Vista resembles Mac OSX a lot more than xp.

[jaketo]

I'm afraid all i have are the claims you've heard many times before. But even you must admit that xp and vista are very different. Vista resembles Mac OSX a lot more than xp.

Yeah, it does, bigtime, can't argue with that :)

I just get annoyed by Mac-ophiles insisting that Apple invented the GUI and that every other GUI is a rip-off

BTW - I'm not saying that you're a Mac-ophile BA!!

[Banished Angel]

Lol, i have no problems with Macs, i just prefer Windows. I'm just saying that i can't give Microsoft full credit on originality and innovation.

[emike55]

I think we all know Microsoft is not above copying the competition ;).

[Psycho]

Well SP1 is officially out for public use http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=b0c7136d-5ebb-413b-89c9-cb3d06d12674&DisplayLang=en :)

[Dark_Elve]

Well Im just thinking about using Windows Xp again until they do something with vista:)

[Banished Angel]

I downloaded vista sp1, and i'm not seeing much of a difference. I'll give it a few days.

[emike55]

SP1 Killed my Zone Alarm Security Suite, though it was a little out of date before I did the windows update (maybe ZA came out with a patch for SP1 in the mean time). Basically said my driver was out of date and it refused to give me internet access until I uninstalled ZA. All is well now, just not the first thing I like to see after an update =P...besides that all is smooth and will have to find out exactly was improved with that update.

[Psycho]

Its always nice to see your computer say its come across a critical error as soon as you load windows after installing then not give you any type of description :p

That said here is a list of drivers that may cause Vista SP1 to either refuse to install or cause issues afterwards

* Realtek AC'97
o For x86-based computers: Alcxwdm.sys - version 6.0.1.6242 or earlier
o For x64-based computers: Alcwdm64.sys - version 6.0.1.6242 or earlier

SigmaTel
o For x86-based computers: Sthda.sys - version 5.10.5762.0 or earlier
o For x64-based computers: Sthda64.sys - version 5.10.5762.0 or earlier

SigmaTel
o For x86-based computers: Stwrt.sys - version 6.10.5511.0 or earlier
o For x64-based computers: Stwrt64.sys - version 6.10.5511.0 or earlier

Creative Audigy
o For x86-based and x64-based computers: Ctaud2k.sys - version 6.0.1.1242 or earlier
o For x86-based computers: P17.sys – all versions (This was originally a Windows XP-based driver.)

Conexant HD Audio
o For x86-based computers: Chdart.sys - version 4.32.0.0 or earlier
o For x64-based computers: Chdart64.sys - version 4.32.0.0 or earlier

Biometric (Fingerprint) Sensors

* AuthenTec Fingerprint Sensor with the Atswpdrv.sys driver file – version 7.7.1.7 or earlier
* UPEK Fingerprint Sensor with the Tcusb.sys driver file – version 1.9.2.99 or earlier

Display drivers

* Intel Display
o For x86-based computers: Igdkmd32.sys – versions between and including driver 7.14.10.1322 and 7.14.10.1403
o For x64-based computers: Igdkmd64.sys – versions between and including driver 7.14.10.1322 and 7.14.10.1403

[jaketo]

Went on fine for me, no problems whatsoever, but then again no noticeable effects either...!

Seems to be mainly audio drivers that are causing problems, surprise..! :p