Windows Vista

Malte279 · **on:** August 30, 2007, 05:12:03 PM

As some of you know my old laptop "died" in early August and there was no way leading around getting a new one though it tore quite a hole in my budget.
The new laptop came with Windows Vista rather than Windows XP. I'm absolutely no expert about computers when it comes to technical questions, but I really begin to wonder which advantages Vista may hold to make up for all the problems and disadvantages I am dealing with ever since I got the new laptop.
Way too many programmes from Windows XP just won't run with Windows Vista. I'm typing my messages on my Dad's computer these days as it is impossible to use our wireless network with the new laptop (though I don't suppose this problem is Vista's fault). We have some real computer experts here in the GOF. I would be glad about a more competent judgement on Windows Vista. So far the program has been nothing but frustrating for me.

Petrie. · **Reply #1 on:** August 30, 2007, 07:45:17 PM

I'm probably not going to be first to tell you that there will be many things that either are

1.) too old to work on Vista
2.) do not have drivers (which tell the program how to run) for Vista
3.) the company is out of business and cannot update old software/hardware

I can't speak for wireless networks...I have not tested Vista to know, and I encourage everyone to hold out for a service pack to fix bugs, and to wait for companies to release Vista drivers for hardware (and sometimes they may choose not to do it, and you're stuck with stuff that won't work).

Maybe Austin knows more about Vista, but I think he's going to say pretty much what I did. Its going to be a long wait for updates.

landbeforetimelover · **Reply #2 on:** August 30, 2007, 09:02:17 PM

Well, I personally am tempted to go so far as to say that vista sucks. It's just too new and it's security is...well, let's just say that it's less than competent. Windows vista is essentially just a lot of visual crap and useless features that no one really needs. They're just cool and have no practical purpose to anyone(except microsoft cuz it makes them money). It's just windows xp with a different code so none of your programs work and you have to buy new ones and a bunch of usless visual stuff. As you could see with my themes thread, I can make windows xp pretty stylish and I have no need for vista. I had vista and I got rid of it in a week. I do however have much experience with vista. I get people bringing me vista computers to me almost every day. Let me give you an example of why vista is so bad.

computer 1: 512mb ram, 1ghz processor, 20gb hd;2gb used, windows xp professional

startup time for computer #1 is approx 1min40sec

computer 2: 2gb ram, 3ghz processor, 500gb hard drive;23gb used, vista ultimate

startup time for comptuer #2 would be about 2min12seconds.

with windows xp, the crap computer starts up faster than the great computer with vista. These are actually simulations I just made. The computers were totally wiped and had nothing on them. This is just the time it takes to start the os. The POST was not counted in this experiment.

and this is just startup time. It's the same with everything you do. If you had a computer with the same specs as the crap computer and you put vista on it, it would probably take about 10 minutes to boot.

The question you have to ask yourself is: what is vista really doing for me? Why do I need vista? Is having a colorful taskbar and having it say "windows vista" at startup really worth it being about 6X as slow as a xp computer?

The decision is yours Malte, but I sincerely recommend that you format your laptop and put windows xp pro onto it. Get a new theme from my theme topic if you just like the windows vista theme. I haven't posted it yet, but I do have a theme that'll make everything look exactly like vista. Well, have fun making you decision, but I'd think it would be obvious what you should do.

good luck!

Petrie. · **Reply #3 on:** August 30, 2007, 09:49:31 PM

I didn't want to suggest formatting and insalling XP being an additional added expense unless he can still save the license from the old laptop that no longer works.

landbeforetimelover · **Reply #4 on:** August 30, 2007, 09:51:15 PM

All he needs is the license though. He just needs to find his key and he can download a retail version of xp(meaning no illegal cracks, hacks, registry entires) and enter his code and it should work and be completely legal. Surely he kept his code even if he doesn't have the CD anymore.

Petrie. · **Reply #5 on:** August 30, 2007, 09:59:45 PM

Mine was printed on the bottom of my older laptop.

: I think even my newer one is like that.

landbeforetimelover · **Reply #6 on:** August 30, 2007, 10:02:57 PM

Yeah. They usually come with a little sticker. Here's one on a desktop Malte:

Just look on the bottom of your laptop for one of these stickers Malte. If there isn't one, it's either cuz it ripped off, it's an illegal copy of windows, or it was upgraded to xp and wasn't programmed with it in the factory.

Nimrod · **Reply #7 on:** August 31, 2007, 01:34:40 AM

I don¥t know very much about Vista, but my dad has a new laptop with Vista :^.^:

Sky · **Reply #8 on:** August 31, 2007, 03:20:00 AM

I heard that Vista can't run Adobe Photoshop. o_O
If it's true, then I'm doomed. T.T
I'm getting a laptop with Vista on it since you can't buy a new laptop with XP these days. <_<

landbeforetimelover · **Reply #9 on:** August 31, 2007, 03:33:26 AM

Formatting a vista laptop with xp is easy as pie. I do it all the time. :^.^:

DarkHououmon · **Reply #10 on:** August 31, 2007, 03:35:29 AM

I don't know if that's true or not.

landbeforetimelover · **Reply #11 on:** August 31, 2007, 03:39:21 AM

to format a vista laptop to xp this is what I do:

startup laptop and insert windows 98 cd.

boot with windows 98 cd and format the thing in fat16

when all data has been erased, I pop in the windows xp cd and format to ntfs and install windows xp

when xp starts, there's like 16 colors, the usb ports don't work, and neither does the mouse or keyboard on some models. I go to the control panel and say "add new hardware". when It can't find it, I pop in the vista cd and tell it to look on there. It installs the necessary drivers from the cd and I reboot. Then I've got a perfect xp computer!

DarkHououmon · **Reply #12 on:** August 31, 2007, 03:41:16 AM

That doesn't sound "easy as pie" to me.

Littlefoot · **Reply #13 on:** August 31, 2007, 03:42:03 AM

Hello brother, Malte

Hi brother, tell me what’s the problem with you wireless connection. I use Windows Vista and work every day with it since the first beta came out. I was a Vista Beta tester and I can say that I’m sure I can help you. I have two PCs one with my project of XP hybrid and the other with Vista. Brother the most important thing, tell me if you are using MCafee Internet Security. If you want send me the datails in a mail.

Vista is a good OS with a lot of advantages and more trusted than XP is at the moment. For gamers is this is the best time to get Vista because the revolution of DirectX 10 and the DX10.1 with the service pack 1. The new games will come with some more advanced system shader 4 and you can only get this with DX 10. With DX 10 you can get the best image quality, rendering and more realistic graphics ever. Some of drawing and photo image program will use the same technology and Windows XP can’t offer you this support.

Lot of people always said bad things about new OS because some don’t want to change, are afraid to change or sometimes is too expensive. I remember when Windows XP went out for the first time, many people were criticizing it saying that it was a bad operating system and in the end they accepted it. This will happen with Vista.

Vista has some incompatibilities issues with some programs but with little changes you can make them work. The big problem I found with Vista is the incompatibility with printers but every company is working out very hard to get the correct drivers.

Every Windows Vista is design to run for a specific machine. That’s why there are some different versions of it, Ex. Home Basic, Home Premium and Ultimate. Starter Edition is the most basic edition of the all ones. I tasted them all in different computers and get really good results. Widnows Vista Home Basic can run very good in a machine with 1.6 Dual Core processor with 512 of Ram I tested in an old AMD 3000+ 2.2 GHZ Single Core with 512 of ram and worked just fine with a good start up time 45 secs. Home Premium is a bit heavier but with 1 GB of ram and a dedicated 128 mb of Ram of video in the same machine runs fine.

Home Premium is heavy for the fact of the new Aero Desktop engine it runs a bit slow cause the video essentials that it use requires a more heavy video card not an integrated one that’s the problems that a lot of people have and even some technician didn’t know. Windows Vista Ultimate, well the heaviest of all versions requires a machine with a processor running at 3.4 GHZ or a Dual Core equivalent 2.4 X2(Dual Core) with 2 GB of Ram with a dedicated Direct X 10 based video card with 256 of ram. The Aero desktop DreamScene Media Center and lot of more features make it too much heavier. I saw people trying to run Vista in PC with 512 of ram and too low processors and that’s why Vista won’t run efficiently or sometimes don’t run. Boot load time in a machine like this is a nightmare.

If you want to know if your PC has the essentials to run Vista follow this link

http://www.nzone.com/content/nzone/srl/nzo...asp?gameid=3596

If you find lot of spelling errors is just I’m not a master with English I hope this can help you to decided.

landbeforetimelover · **Reply #14 on:** August 31, 2007, 03:48:35 AM

I just love xp and I see no advantages at all to windows vista. Xp will do just about everything vista does and what vista does that xp can't do isn't necessary for me. I will only make the change when they have service pack 2 out. Even then I don't want it but I'll need it. Malte here really has no use for vista unless he's a gamer or has such an incredibly fast computer that it doesn't matter. The truth of the matter is that most people just want a computer that'll get online fast and let them chat. I just use computers to make me money. I don't see the need for all the visual stuff. <_<

Quote

I saw people trying to run Vista in PC with 512 of ram and too low processors and that’s why Vista won’t run efficiently or sometimes don’t run. Boot load time in a machine like this is a nightmare.

LOL. I did that once just to try it out. The computer had the absolute minimum requirements at 512mb ram and 800mhz. It was hell!

In the end, vista does nothing that I need and it takes up a lot of power for nothing but visual crap. I like the new version on Demonoid.com that's vista lite. It has nothing in it but what's necessary. No visual crap!

Too bad it's illegal

action9000 · **Reply #15 on:** August 31, 2007, 03:53:36 AM

Quote

So far the program has been nothing but frustrating for me.

If you can re-install Windows XP, you may be happier in the long run despite the pain it will be initially.

Vista just isn't ready yet...well, Vista may be ready but the world isn't. The support (drivers, programs, etc) just isn't there yet. In 6 months to a year it may have a decent home, but until Vista becomes The Replacement for XP (XP is still going strong), Vista is just a pretty face without the useability of XP.

I wish I could offer you some help, Malte, but my Vista experience is basically Zero. My advice would be, unless you Need Vista for whatever reason, kill it and use XP, where all of your old programs will work as expected.

Vista is still too iffy for the consumer market.

Littlefoot · **Reply #16 on:** August 31, 2007, 04:39:04 AM

I always tell people to not follow others with decisions or everything, is better to try or experimenting.

Landbeforetimelover

About this : “Malte here really has no use for vista unless he's a gamer or has such an incredibly fast computer that it doesn't matter.”

Maybe X or Y OS is not good for you but it doesn’t mean is not good for other user. You can’t predict it. You are not this person.

All depend of the necessity of the user or just to answer a question like I’ll be ready for the upcoming things? or This program will work with this new OS? Technology change so fast, sometime is good to try a new thing before and not after it came and then you will be like omg, mmm what I have to do with this…

Malte, if you don't like Vista, and you wanna change to XP ask at the store where you bought it, see if you can change it, or if it messes with your guarantee and you lose it. Read closely the terms of Warranty of this laptop.

DarkHououmon · **Reply #17 on:** August 31, 2007, 12:47:12 PM

To be honest, I do not see what's so bad about Windows Vista. It is new yes, and it probably still has some glitches. But hey, wasn't Windows XP just like that once? Wasn't it once riddled with compatability problems and glitches? I could be wrong. But as far as I know, Windows Vista isn't causing anymore problems than Windows XP caused when it first came out. I am willing to try Vista. I'm not going to let some bad reviews of it decide for me. I've seen the sleek design of Windows Vista and frankly I like it. I am probably just going to get a computer that has Vista already on it, though. At this point, this computer is just Vista Capable, not really fully ready for Vista.