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8K views 62 replies 16 participants last post by  Guvner57 
#1 ·
Well,... bought my wife a new laptop for Christmas. Dunno why she does not like the souped up, overclocked monster desktop I built her, but, laptops are,...ok I guess.
Other than the fact that it came with Vista,....hmmm.... got two words for this and can't decide which better describes it, ... ICK, or ... YUCK, ....OK, OK, I can think of many other words to describe it but I won't go there.

This is the first machine I've bought in many, many, many years (I prefer to build them) and was really surprised at all the junk that is loaded on them these days,... deleted or un-installed ~1.08GHz of junk.
 
#3 ·
I've done the same as you Sonnie. My Vista upgrade has collected dust since it arrived. I've seen how poorly it runs and have no desire to slow down any of my machines.

Mark - how much is 1.08GHz of junk? LOL! :rofl: :neener:

mech
 
#4 ·
Like all of MS's Operatings systems, definitely wait until at least Service Pack 2 is out.

I work for a big company and we're something like 2-3 years behind the 'most current' OS Microsoft has out. Sounds odd at first, you'd think a multibillion dollar a year company would be bleeding edge, but the truth is they'd rather play it safe and wait until all the kinks are ironed out... and that's usually sometime after SP2 comes out.

That's my personal recommendation for us consumers... wait for SP2. Sonnie and Mech I'd also check your free upgrade vouchers and make sure they don't expire. If they do, I'd say go ahead and get the disc and just shelve it until SP2.

Oh, not that this matters because I think everyone now has a DVD Rom in their computer, but you need a DVD drive to install Vista. The disc image is over 2Gigs in size!

In the past I usually had one system sitting here with the latest and greatest OS on it for testing purposes and so I could get used to the OS, but my wife decided to blow up her PC and the spares so no more test units for now :(

In March I will be building a HTPC from the ground up as an HTS project and I'll be installing Vista on that. Not because I am in love with it or anything like that, but to identify any problems that people may run into. Wish I had a free upgrade, that way I wouldn't have to shell out the bucks for it!
 
#5 ·
Been a couple of days now, and it is NOT growing on me in any way, shape, or form. Just about ready to wipe it out and install XP, except for two little issues; 1. my wife has not complained one bit about it :coocoo: 2. not sure if there are drivers (or lack there of) or other reasons that would prevent XP from running properly on this laptop. :dunno:
 
#6 ·
I have Vista 32 running on a UMPC (Fujitsu U810) and Vista 64 running on a E6600 desktop. No real problems. It does help to learn how to turn things that are not required off (use msiexec as needed). Also set back the look and feel to classic Windows.

What are you trying to do that Vista is stopping?

It does a much nicer job of burning CD's for use in the car for me -- includes artist name, song title, etc for car player LCD display.
 
#10 ·
Also set back the look and feel to classic Windows.
What are you trying to do that Vista is stopping?
Oh,... nuthin'. Bought the laptop for my wife. Everything works, I just really don't like the,...ummm "feel" of it. Or the look of it. Then again maybe I'm just fighting the change. I get the feeling Vista is just a big flop, it's right there with Millenium and 2000 in my book. :hide:
 
#7 ·
I actually installed Vista on my wifes machine as soon as it came out. She has been running it great with no real problems. I love the new eye candy! I am about to rebuilt my desktop and put Vista on it. Also going to be putting on Visual Studio 2008! :) Vista is here to stay. SP1 comes out here soon and it should help things.
 
#8 ·
Hello, got a new HP Pavillion with Intel Dual Core Quatro 2.6 Ghz and 2Gig memory. It came with Vista Home premium and many trial stuff from Micosoft (office, etc.).

What I really like is the new user interface and the Media Center. All my CD are on that PC now and it plays verry fine using the bulit in RCA digital coax output.

But yes, some "old" software does not work yet with Vista and you got to upgrade some. But many new PC only supports Vista...
 
#9 ·
Something else to think about is that Vista is more secure than earlier MS operating systems and there is some debate as to whether or not you need to run additional antivirus software.

A week or two after getting my laptop to run REW, I reformatted the hard drive and reintalled Vista. Did not reinstall the antivirus software (McAffee). Laptop boots and runs noticably faster.

Now I would be hesitant to recommend that everyone should eliminate their antivirus software, but if your computer is only going to be used for something very limited, what's the harm. Worst that can happen is that you reload your OS.
 
#11 ·
I also bought an HP Pavilion but it is an AMD X2 also 2 gig mem.

The interface is one of the things I really don't like. I just like to get in there and do what I want to do, I really hate having to follow a "script". Couple of examples, I really hate Kodak's Easy Share Software and Harmony's set-up program. Probably sounds like I'm making a bigger deal of it than it really is.

Vista is not getting anywhere near any of my desktop's :nono:
 
#13 ·
I have found vista to be fine. It takes a little more machine to run it, and there are some differences, but I have not had any problems with it compared to the move to XP. I agree, people are resistant to change.
 
#14 ·
I will be installing Vista on the HTPC I'm building. I do expect some quirks but in the end think it will be fine.

For you guys that have it installed, what's your take on the multimedia features?
 
#15 ·
I'm running Vista on my home PC and it's fine. It does have 2GB RAM but RAM is dirt cheap these days. I don't notice it being any slower (I do have a very nice video card which means Aero runs fine)

I had issues with Nvidia's drivers at first but otherwise, I think it's no worse than XP...at least there is no reason for me to switch back to XP. There are a few programs which I run in XP compatibility mode but other than that, I have had no other reason to complain about it.

I was in the market for a handheld PC and I decided to buy one of Sony's VAIO UX series PC's that come with Vista.

I bought a 3850 ATi card and I run Call of Duty 4 on it on a AMD x4200
 
#16 ·
I have been consulting, building pc's and doing basic tech support on the side for about 10 years now. It maybe just my Autistic traits but I find Vista to be confusing to navigate, a real resource hog (especially on run of the mill home pcs), not compatible with old people who are trying to upgrade from 95' and is basically a bloated DOS/network controller. The only reason I run XP now is for compatibilty with my clients otherwise I would rather be running one of the many available linux distros.
I guess for those with the time to sit down and learn its quirks theres probably nothing to horrid about it, but for average everyday people (the ones who rely on me to advise them on the easiest and cheapest wordprocessor/email computer to get) its just too much.
 
#23 ·
I would rather be running one of the many available linux distros.
Not meaning to hijack this thread but which linux would you recommend. I was given a live cd of Ubuntu 7.10 to try out. It seems to work ok but my laptops keyboard is not fully functional, ALT-GR does not work etc. Not being too computer savvy makes me a bit hesitant to make the switch, ideally would like to run both XP and linux. Any thoughts?
 
#17 ·
Hello again,

I understand that many people wants to stay with their old operating system. But if you want to go Microsoft, you do not have choice: You must go Vista. It is like saying that you stay with windows 95 or 3.11 and thay you will not upgrade. It's ok if you do not change your PC or software but...

The choice you have, if you do not want to go Vista, is eventualy to switch to Mac or Linux. But you can not stay XP for the future.

JP
 
#20 ·
Thats what I don't like about it, for majority of my clients they have to learn a whole new operating system, previously the jump from 95 to 98 was small, then 98 to ME was small also. Unfortunately from ME to Xp was a step which meant that I had to spend an extra 4 hours with each client tutoring how to navigate, install and run programs with compatibility issues. But on Vista I can't do this as I no longer have the time that 4 hours became ???. Basically MS are making very complicated operating systems for people who only want to wright letters, send emails and occasionaly surf the web. My cliants aren't interested in multitasking, network compatability/sharing, 3D games, multiple monitors or hard drive control and maintenance.

What would you recommend as a word processor containing spell check thats compatible with MS Word?
What wbassett said, open office is a very good alternative and one that I would recommend alot more often if my clients were able to adapt to new software easliy. The only reason I would tend to promote MS and maintstream software like Norton AV over the free stuff is for the 24/7 tech support these companies provide, which in turn saves me a lot of time sorting out minor issues. So in short if your friend is computer savy and doesn't mind surfing forums/manuals problem solving then get open office.
 
#18 ·
drf,

What would you recommend as a word processor containing spell check thats compatible with MS Word?

I have a friend who would like to add word processing to her Vista laptop but doesn't want to spend to get the latest version of Word.

For compatibility purposes, does it make more sense to find an older version that can be bought for less?
 
#24 ·
Any thoughts?
Get a second computer while you learn linux, The learning curve for linux varies depending on the distro and the user (obviously) but I have seen both experienced PC users take upto 4 months to iron out device issues and user habit issues and I have seen noobs make the change overnight. You may ask why change if there are issues that need remedeing? well 99% of the time once linux is up and running the amount of unexpected conflicts and crashes significantly reduce. When I started to learn debian (jumping in at the deep end) I had it running on a second PC right beside my main pc so I could jump between manuals and forums while running the OS.

Ubuntu is probably one of the more stable releases as it is basically debian with a gnome interface. For those who want to know: debian is a command based OS like the original DOS except much more powerfull, and gnome is a graphical user interface that is designed to allow people to control command prompt based os's like debian from a desktop environment. If ubuntu becomes an issue and you still want to play with linux then may I suggest Xandros 3 desktop, It was supposedly design to coax windows users to try linux.

And now a disclaimer:
It has been a while since I last played with linux or ran in geek circles :whistling: so my current understanding and thus advice on linux may be a little outdated or mis-informational.

For more info try here:
 
#25 ·
I knew the L word would eventually creep up. Personally I really don't see it as a viable alternative for a mainstream desktop unless you have a lot of time on your hands. It makes switching from XP to Vista seem like a stroll on the sidewalk.
 
#29 ·
Definitely, except that those who have succesfully made the leap will tell you that linux is a viable mainstream alternative. However I suspect if linux cost $600 and windows was open source the arguments would be exactely opposite.

Get a Mac and don't worry about it
:gah: :boxer:

To be honest I have no idea what the current generation of macs are like.
 
#26 ·
I think if someone is trying to avoid problems with an operating system, they're not likely to try one that inherantly has a strong learning curve much less have to buy a second computer to use while they figure out their linux box.

But then again...I'm always up to a good challenge.
 
#27 ·
I agree with drf, warpdrive and JimP... Linix is cool and 'sexy' but there is a bit of a learning curve and sometimes driver issues.

As much as people sometimes hate MS, when setup right it can be a very stable OS. I can't remember when the last time I had a system crash.

One of the problems Windows has is it has to accomodate a huge range of third party hardware and software, so that causes a lot of time and space to have drivers for everything, even if it's a general driver to get a card up and running and then have the latest one applied. Linux may or may not have drivers and Mac has a tight, almost closed environment.

I personally like Windows. I remember the days of DOS and 3.1 and now it's a breeze and in my opinion much better and more stable. I'm going to get clubbed to death for this I know it... but Gates took computers from a command line interface to a more intuitive graphical interface that was easier for new users to understand.

I do know that Apple and even the often forgotten Amiga's has gui's a long long time and it's nothing new, but the IBM Compatable PC is undeniably more widely used and for that platform he really revolutionized things.

I used to have an Amiga and was a die hard Amiga fan and supporter. It was doing things with video back when IBM compatibles were struggling with stereo sound. Not only could it play video, but it was being used as a non-linear editing system with the addition of the Video Toaster. It really was a power house that was years ahead of its time, but poorly marketed and it died a lonely death.

It took me awhile to accept Windows, especially 3.1 with the extended memory issues, but 98SE was a breakthrough in my opinion. I've used NT, XP, Server 2000 and a slew of other operating systems at work, including Sun and AIX and now I'm getting formal training on Linux as well. Still Windows is the easiest and most accomodating for most people.

Again, don't club me to death! That's an opinion. I do respect Mac's, and went through a time when I was curious about Linux, but when I couldn't get everything up and running I scrapped Linux and went back to 98SE. I still say wait until at least SP2 is released and more hotfixes are put out. Vista is an early adoption right now and there will be some issues with it, but for a person that has the hardware and can work through any new OS problems that always crop up, I think it will eventually be worth the upgrade. Especially for the media integration end of things.
 
#28 ·
Get a Mac and don't worry about it
 
#30 ·
The latest Mac's are intel based and will run XP and Vista flawlessly in emulation but this is not the usual emulation as it is fully compatible with all software that runs on a PC and runs faster and better than a PC. I have a close friend who has a new mac and says its the best investment he ever made.
 
#32 ·
Interesting conversation,.... I do not have a problem with Vista, nor do I have a probem learning some of the new stuff in Vista. I just don't like the look/feel of it. Really have not had it long enough to evaluate it's stability and all the new stuff it offers.
 
#33 ·
I have found it to be perfectly stable for what I do. The only issues that I have found have had to do with added levels of security, which can be tedious, and the annoying fact that when installing software, you can get a request for authorization that is not prioritized to the front of the window layers, so you don't notice it. Other than that, it seems very nice to me and everything that I have used has run fine. My calibration software has had no problems, other than making sure that I had the latest version of everything. The search feature in the start menu works great.
 
#35 ·
As an engineering student we are actually advised not to switch to Vista due to compatability issues with networking and current software. Even the new office had quite a learning curve the first few times I used it and I got frustrated when completing a spreadsheet took 3 times as long because I had to relearn excel. I can sympathize with the older crowd who just want to use the same computer every day and not have to relearn it to do the same things. I have and probably always will use a mac.. except for those pesky engineering apps that only run on windows...
 
#36 ·
I got frustrated when completing a spreadsheet took 3 times as long because I had to relearn excel.
I do not understand the Excel issue. I run MS Office 2003 with Excel on a Vista 64 PC with no problems or new learning curve. The same Excel that I previously used with XP.

Doesn't everyone know that you do not have to put up with a lot of the "new look and feel" of Vista if you configure the user perferences to do Standard Windows or Classic Windows. Turn off the Aero stuff, reset your mouse pointers to Windows Standard or Windows Black, change Explorer/Control Panel/WMP to use classic menus, etc. Then you mostly get back the old familiar Windows "look and feel" but with a lot of improvements & extra features under the hood. IMHO & IME.
 
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