Windows Vista

[Winston001]

Everything you ever wanted to know about Windows Vista (Australia). http://stuffucanuse.com/j_windowspg/j_windows.htm

[BuFfY]

Pyro has the test version on his computer, I think it is awesome! It comes with really cool games (well cool for kids anyway!)

[scracha]

Well...for what they're worth. My thoughts on Vista RC1. I've been using it for a few weeks now and been letting the girlfriend play on it (thought it'd be interesting to see how the "average" XP user got on).

Installation is nice but why the hell do I have to create a username halfway through. Stupid stupid stupid. I want to setup the options at the start (as per Suse Linux) and then piss off and have lunch while it's installing.

Complete bitch getting my soundcard to work. My bluetooth dongless just don't have Vista drivers either.

I love the extra large icons view for thumbnails.

Spent ages trying to figure out how to view hidden files as the "folder options" appears to now just be in the control panel.

The sidebar and it's gadgets are a worthwhile addition...but again XP can have this and pretty much every other OS has had it for ages. Cripes..I think my Mac had it in 1998? Of course I've got kiwibikers RSS feed (as well as Tearoha's) on my sidebar.

Dunno if I like the "start search" area doubling as a the old "run" command. The semantics of it are all wrong.

I added "startup" tools like the narrator (useless) and the magnifier (also useless) and I'm buggered if I could find an "official" way of stopping them starting up. Tried the usual registry and start menu places. Also tried msconfig (it's still there). Ended up searching the registry. 3 or 4 places it's in so I just hacked the values to remove references to them. Doesn't seem to have killed it but this isn't the point.
HKCU\software\microsoft\windows nt\currentversion\accessibility
HKCU\software\microsoft\windows nt\currentversion\accessibilityTemp
HKCU\software\microsoft\windows nt\currentversion\session1

The "windows defaults" options screen is now very useful.

I wish the sidebar could be made larger.

I wish it had proper DPI scaling so that I could just zoom in and out.

Windows Help seems miles better (and quicker) than the old version.

IE7 seems a step backwards IMHO. I'll keep using Firefox.

The "mail" program that ships with Vista is MILES better than Outlook Express. Note sure if it's as good
as Thunderbird but time will tell. Certainly it's a lot happier with IMAP folders than either
Outlook or Outlook express. Unticking "check for new mail in all folders" helps a lot as
does telling it to only download headers for most folders.

The "a program needs your permission" dialogue is a complete PITA. Maybe there should be a hidden
registry hack to disable it. Joe Public wouldn't know how to do this so it would stop them
screwing up their PC but for advanced users it's a real annoyance.

I also noticed that IE7 appears to be "sandboxed". If I download an app and then try to execute it while logged in as an Admin it doesn't give this installation app Admin priviledges. This is probably a good thing.


The ALT Tab thingie is now much much nicer too.

Overall, it's nice but I just can't see how the hell it took them so many years. It's not the leaps
and bounds advance that Win3.1 -> Win95 -> winNT -> WinXP (ok..last one is debatable) was.

[RantyDave]

I just can't see how the hell it took them so many years. It's not the leaps and bounds advance that Win3.1 -> Win95 -> winNT -> WinXP (ok..last one is debatable) was.
The explaination for both is the same: They set off on a more ambitious track (Longhorn), had to ditch it, and restarted a couple of years back on a "so, let's just modify XP then" plan.

Dave

[Flyingpony]

How many MB of ram and GB of disk space does Vista require?

[Flyingpony]

Ended up searching the registry. 3 or 4 places it's in so I just hacked the values to remove references to them. Doesn't seem to have killed it but this isn't the point.
HKCU\software\microsoft\windows nt\currentversion\accessibility
HKCU\software\microsoft\windows nt\currentversion\accessibilityTemp
HKCU\software\microsoft\windows nt\currentversion\session1
I think you should be looking in the "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Run" section where applications are listed for starting up with Windows. It's also quite possible they're a service. Take a look in Control panel Administrative Tools services.

Note: The above is based upon Windows 2000/XP knowledge.

[GR81]

How many MB of ram and GB of disk space does Vista require?
it says 512 but 1Gb is needed to run it nicely.
as for hdd, it'll take up about 10gb from memory on install.

its definitely worth it tho, i was running the x64 for a while and loved it.
id almost be tempted to pay for it when its released *gasp*

[ArcherWC]

id almost be tempted to pay for it when its released *gasp*


You are soooooo full of it

[GR81]

You are soooooo full of it
i learn from the best!

[James Deuce]

it says 512 but 1Gb is needed to run it nicely.
as for hdd, it'll take up about 10gb from memory on install.

its definitely worth it tho, i was running the x64 for a while and loved it.
id almost be tempted to pay for it when its released *gasp*
2GB of RAM if you don't want to run into the memory contention issues we've experienced when trying to run it as a business machine. Also it's really needs a 7000 series Nvidia PCI-X video card or equivalent when things get busy or it becomes an utter dog.

[NighthawkNZ]

it says 512 but 1Gb is needed to run it nicely.
as for hdd, it'll take up about 10gb from memory on install.

its definitely worth it tho, i was running the x64 for a while and loved it.
id almost be tempted to pay for it when its released *gasp*

kewl... :gob: I can run Vista no problem... just can't run any other problem else it will run like my commodore 64 on tape drive :rolleyes:

I might go an pre book it then :blink:

[GR81]

there are quite a few different versions available.

[SPman]

Some more stuff on Vista - sounds ominous.
http://www.publicaddress.net/default,3836.sm#post3836

[Fub@r]

its definitely worth it tho, i was running the x64 for a while and loved it.
id almost be tempted to pay for it when its released *gasp*

I thought about installing the 64bit version with a view to trying it and maybe for the forst time in life actually buying Windows until..................I read that with the 64bit version you can only install Microsft approved and digitally signed drivers.

In the past you would get a window saying it was Microsoft signed continue anyway......with 64bit Vista you will not get this option. Based on my previous experience with Windows and signing drivers I don't want to be stuck running 3 yr old drivers because they haven't bothered to approve any others.

I have Vista running on my old machine a 2600XP with 768MB ram. Runs mint as although at idle Windows is consuming over half the available ram

[GR81]

i never had that problem in the 3months i was running the software.

weird.

maybe its ok for RC1 but not final release?

[riffer]

The ALT Tab thingie is now much much nicer too.

I disagree. It's completely bloody useless. What's the point of having all your windows hidden by the window in front of it.

Typical Microsoft letting eye candy cloud the idea, which is to help the user get information.

Look here (http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/expose/)for how it should be done.

[scracha]

I think you should be looking in the "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Run" section where applications are listed for starting up with Windows. It's also quite possible they're a service. Take a look in Control panel Administrative Tools services.

Note: The above is based upon Windows 2000/XP knowledge.

First place I looked dude. It's not in there. Did the services.msc thing too.

[scracha]

I disagree. It's completely bloody useless. What's the point of having all your windows hidden by the window in front of it.

Typical Microsoft letting eye candy cloud the idea, which is to help the user get information.

Look here (http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/expose/)for how it should be done.

I'm not sure what you mean. You press ALT-TAB and it shows you a thumbnail of all your open windows, TAB to the app you want and viola. I can't see how it's "eye candy" or how it hides other windows.

Right or wrong, the fact of the matter is that like most users I NEED to use whatever OS Microsoft supplies as most of the software (not to mention hardware drivers) out there is written for it. The not so small matter of the price of Apple hardware is another issue for most people.

I'm just saying that pressing ALT-TAB on Vista is miles better than on XP. There are many things I DONT like about OS-X. Pressing function keys or the tilde is a PITA if you're a touch typer. The minimise & close buttons are far too small and I think finder is bloody awful and completely counter-intuitive.

On the whole though, I like the OS-X interface, it spanks Vista and KDE.

[scracha]

Can't for the life of me find drivers for the TV card and the Scanner. Bugger...

Methinks I'll get plenty of work care of Microsoft's latest offering.

[scracha]

I take it back. The bundled mail application fails miserably when handling most IMAP servers. Back to Thunderbird for me.

[alexthekidd]

Well i just installed the Full Version fo Vista - Windows Vista Ultimate 64bit Edition, note full version, not beta or rc :)

really nothing to write home about, few flashy bits and pieces, runs fairly well but am not happy about no vista compatible drivers for mi card!!!

oh well will wait for drivers on the 30th and then await first DX10 games

[scracha]

Well i just installed the Full Version fo Vista - Windows Vista Ultimate 64bit Edition, note full version, not beta or rc :)

really nothing to write home about, few flashy bits and pieces, runs fairly well but am not happy about no vista compatible drivers for mi card!!!


On a corporate PC then? I'd take stable and useable over "flashy" any day.

[alexthekidd]

hmmm not exactly a corporate computer, maybe n RTm version i found on BT :lol:

[V4ME]

My IT guru/developer at work got a free evaluation copy - He says one of the downsides of Vista is that if you try playing illegal mp3's etc that the system will shut down!!! - anyone else heard of this?
Why do you have to have broadband to run Vista? (IS THIS TRUE)
Does Vista come with it's very own, clever, spyware?

:dodge:

[vifferman]

The S/W company I work for is redeveloping all our software to run on Vista, so I think most/all the developers have it.
Not me, I'm glad to say, and I'll try and stay clear of it, as my apps probably won't run on it.

[NighthawkNZ]

Does Vista come with it's very own, clever, spyware?


:scratch: Errr... its Windows... of course it does...???

[scracha]

Does Vista come with it's very own, clever, spyware?
:dodge:

Basically yes. It goes into "spastic" mode about that reduces it's abilities if it can't talk to it's evil overlords for 24 hours. Can you imagine the calamity when say, 90% of corporate desktops are running Windoze and the evil empire's servers go down?

Watch out for the BT versions of Vista, apparently about 80% of them come with some form of trojan.

[JimO]

i got a G5 imac 20 inch screen far better than any pc with or without vista

[NighthawkNZ]

i got a G5 imac 20 inch screen far better than any pc with or without vista

same old same old...

my giga byte is bigger than your mega byte... :whocares:

[scracha]

i got a G5 imac 20 inch screen far better than any pc with or without vista

Yawn. My 286 is faster than your Atari ST which is faster than your Acorn Electron which is faster than your Atari 800 which is faster than your Commodore 64 which is faster than your ZX81 which maybe spanks your Vic20, etc etc.

Why would anyone spend a fortune on a G5 and yet scrimp and get a measly 20 inch screen? I'm sure Gateway FX530 owners would just laugh at your setup.

FWIW I still use my ancient P2 Toshiba lapdog for email and surfing for the sole reason it chucks out a lot less heat than my "modern" one. Goes in the cupboard in winter tho :yes:

[V4ME]

I got a Mini Mac and a PC - Love them both for different reasons. Mostly do my video editing and music on the mac but run my adobe software on the PC as it is soo slow and cumbersome on the mac (mini one at least)

It seems vista might persuade me otherwise to try some video editing etc on my PC.

PS - I also used to own an Acorn - Risc PC and loved that too until I could not get any software and servicing etc here in NZ.