Computer issues

[Opus106]

[Sergeant Rock]

Yep, that's my level of computer expertise 

Sarge

[SonicMan46]

My computer:



How many floppy drives does your computer have?

Boy, that brings back some happy memories - my first computer, purchased in 1980!  After buying an extra floppy drive & a Hayes modem, the total package was about $3000; with inflation that would probably be $6000+ in today's dollars!    We used that computer for 6 yrs or so, until a switch to an IBM w/ a 20 MB HD + an early DOS version!  Should have switched to a Mac, but the decision was out of my hands, since we were getting the computers via an academic discount on our fringe accounts! 

[orbital]

Now I'm having a whole lot of fun with Vista    ...compatiblility problems with favorite software and hardware. I'll work it out eventually but it is the reason I haven't been active in the forum for the last week.

Sarge

I hear you. I got a new laptop this week, and have formatted and reinstalled Vista three times before i could get it up and running. I hope yours came with SP1 already installed because mine wasn't and when the update feature prompted me to install it, it just wouldn't  A stupid error message with hardly any explanation.
I went to microsoft website for a solution and a technician told me to basically wipe out all the previous update logs, which naively, I did. then Vista of course thought there were not any updates made for the computer and reinstalled all those previous updates again SP1 would still not install though. So as a last resort I downloaded the full SP1 file (500+MB) reformattd the hard drive and reinstalled Vista. Before windows would start with updates I installed the big file then it worked fine 

[SonicMan46]

Orbital & Sarge - good luck w/ VISTA - got a new Dell laptop last year w/ VISTA - I've been fine SO FAR!  I've been doing the regular updates but the SP1 has not been 'offered' - have not checked w/ hardware compatibility since my computer is now a year old - since all seems stable, I'm reluctant to even attempt a SP1 download - I think VISTA is going to be a 'short-lived' MS disaster, likely replaced by 2009 (although MS is stating 2010) - will be interesting - Dave 

[DavidRoss]

Neither the HP notebook I bought with Vista nor the PC I cobbled together for wifey with Vista have given any trouble whatsoever.  And I still laugh my ass off at how Jobs's masterful spinning of myth continues to con Apple fanboys into believing that black is white and down is up.

[cx]

Orbital & SargeI think VISTA is going to be a 'short-lived' MS disaster

Why? I have Vista on two PC's and have had no problems whatsoever. I am very comfortable with the GUI also. XP was a worse experience (though I started from the initial release and then updated SP's).

[SonicMan46]

Why? I have Vista on two PC's and have had no problems whatsoever. I am very comfortable with the GUI also. XP was a worse experience (though I started from the initial release and then updated SP's).

Well, common knowledge, I guess - just 'google' VISTA + one of the popular computer magazines, such as PC Magazine or PC World (I subscribe to both) - should get plenty of hits related to attitudes toward VISTA - I've had it on a new Dell laptop for nearly a year and also have not had a problem w/ the OS, but the hardware is new & I load only VISTA approved software; many others have had 'terrible' (and yes 'disastrous' experiences); also, checkout any of the computer forums - I belong to CyberTech Help, which has an OS section, including one on VISTA - read some of the 'horror' stories there.

MS did very little w/ VISTA when released last year (and much less than was planned orginally) - the OS remains an outdated behemoth of bloated code, there in large part to make legacy hardware and software compatible (which has not really been entirely successful).  MS really needs to do a complete re-writing of its OS from the ground-up - yes, it will be a pain because old hardware & software will not work, but the company can't just keep 'piling on' more BS code and hope that the OS will continue to work!

Of course, the other issue is that large companies and corporations are NOT buying into VISTA at all, nor will they likely in the future; I'm a physician at a major university medical center - I'm currently typing on my office computer which is running XP - there are absolutely no plans to replace computers w/ VISTA at my institution - I suspect that my next 'office' computer will be running MS's newest OS when released and not VISTA; my son is an IT person in Indianopolis and responsible for deploying software/hardware in a larger company there - his department has NO plans in buying VISTA - if MS is to make $$, they need to release their next OS as quickly as possible.  VISTA will go down in history as a 'short-lived mistake', like a number of other MS products.  Hey, I may be WRONG?  But, I doubt it!  BTW, my other home laptop is running Ubuntu, preparing myself for a switch if need be!    Might even consider returning to Apple - that's where I started - 

[orbital]

Why? I have Vista on two PC's and have had no problems whatsoever. I am very comfortable with the GUI also. XP was a worse experience (though I started from the initial release and then updated SP's).

The same computer that I bought 2 months ago was the same brand/model(Dell 1525). I was so happy with it that I bought another one. But this installation was problematic. No clear reason why. They both have the same components (actually this new one is even a bit faster). That's the scary part. Why would two computers with the same setup react differently to SP1 installation?

[cx]

many others have had 'terrible' (and yes 'disastrous' experiences); also, checkout any of the computer forums - I belong to CyberTech Help, which has an OS section, including one on VISTA - read some of the 'horror' stories there.

I guess since I never had any problems I never bothered to read any troubleshooting forums. I also don't really have many friends who have Vista -- most of them have stayed with XP or have macs. Thanks for your post.

The same computer that I bought 2 months ago was the same brand/model(Dell 1525). I was so happy with it that I bought another one. But this installation was problematic. No clear reason why. They both have the same components (actually this new one is even a bit faster). That's the scary part. Why would two computers with the same setup react differently to SP1 installation?

Yeah, strange. Could be a hardware problem though.

[drogulus]

     Some of the Vista problems are caused by the User Account Control. If you don't need it turn it off.

[SonicMan46]

     Some of the Vista problems are caused by the User Account Control. If you don't need it turn it off.

Agree!    UAC (User Account Control) can be a nuisance; of course, the feature is present in VISTA to enhance security in the OS, thus disabling UAC has been a contentious issue - just 'google' the term and plenty of 'hits' will provided explanations for disabling this aspect of VISTA and others will explain 'why' the feature should be left on - not an easy decision - on my Dell laptop w/ VISTA, I've left UAC enabled and have easily 'worked around' it; once understood, does not seem to be that intrusive, but others will disagree (in fact, check my reference to the computer forum link for some conflicing opinions).

Also, if you're 'stuck' w/ VISTA like me, do some reading - one good book is from the Annoyances Website - I've been buying these for years now, but the one on VISTA is quite useful - 

[M forever]

Vista is simply not an option for many users, no matter how nice it may or may not be. I run a lot of programs on my laptop for setup of professional cinema, sound, and automation equipment and none of these works (yet?) under Vista. Plus, even if some of the more recent ones and the ones for equipment that is still manufactured do get a Vista version, there are still a lot of legacy devices one comes across in the field for which there will be no such no versions. It has been difficult enough in that respect to migrate from DOS/Windows95-98 to NT and XP and all that, with a lot of problems and pain and a lot of elaborate and ocmplicated solution like running older OS in Virtual PC etc, so it is a scandal that MS wants to force people to go to Vista - there are conutless people out there who run similar professional interface software for all sorts of equipment.

[drogulus]

   Even with UAC turned off Vista still asks me if I really want to run the program I just clicked on. I think this is useful and so I don't disable it. That's enough protection for a single user like me. If you need multiple accounts then UAC makes sense. The Administrator can control privileges and access for the other users.

[Gurn Blanston]

Vista is simply not an option for many users, no matter how nice it may or may not be. I run a lot of programs on my laptop for setup of professional cinema, sound, and automation equipment and none of these works (yet?) under Vista. Plus, even if some of the more recent ones and the ones for equipment that is still manufactured do get a Vista version, there are still a lot of legacy devices one comes across in the field for which there will be no such no versions. It has been difficult enough in that respect to migrate from DOS/Windows95-98 to NT and XP and all that, with a lot of problems and pain and a lot of elaborate and ocmplicated solution like running older OS in Virtual PC etc, so it is a scandal that MS wants to force people to go to Vista - there are conutless people out there who run similar professional interface software for all sorts of equipment.

I agree with this. Even if Vista worked perfectly, I have a large investment in software that I use for business and pleasure which would have to be similarly upgraded. Not gonna do it.

If Vista will indeed be replaced within the next year or 2, then my current (up-to-date with all the patches) XP is doing very well, and I can't imagine a reason I would change it at this point. If I were going to jump through the various hoops needed to upgrade my OS, it would have to be for a hell of a lot better system than Vista appears to be.



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Listening to:
Paul Badura-Skoda - WAM Sonata in C for Fortepiano K 330 300h 2nd mvmt

[Opus106]

BTW, my other home laptop is running Ubuntu, preparing myself for a switch if need be!   

I think if we have enough people we could start a Linux thread. 

[SonicMan46]

I think if we have enough people we could start a Linux thread. 

Well, no need to - checkout THIS THREAD that I started late last year - not much interest then, but could always be re-activated! 

[Opus106]

Thanks for the links. Thread revived.

[drogulus]

I agree with this. Even if Vista worked perfectly, I have a large investment in software that I use for business and pleasure which would have to be similarly upgraded. Not gonna do it.

If Vista will indeed be replaced within the next year or 2, then my current (up-to-date with all the patches) XP is doing very well, and I can't imagine a reason I would change it at this point. If I were going to jump through the various hoops needed to upgrade my OS, it would have to be for a hell of a lot better system than Vista appears to be.



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Listening to:
Paul Badura-Skoda - WAM Sonata in C for Fortepiano K 330 300h 2nd mvmt

   At this point sticking to XP until the next OS appears might not be a bad idea for someone who uses their computer for work. For so-called power users (mostly gamers and hobbyists who hot rod their rigs or build them for maximum performance) XP is simply faster. I'm not really one of those, though I play games and test my system, I don't overclock. I did have a computer built to my specifications 6 years ago, and it was the best one I've ever owned. It had only what I wanted on it.
   
     I changed over because I like to try different things, and I wanted to use the new no-resample feature for audio. I'm disappointed to find it doesn't do what they say. It doesn't leave sample rates as they are, it resamples them back! Ughh...There are ways around this, but if you managed to get XP working with 44.1 kHz you might as well stay with it.

   Maybe the best strategy is to changes the OS with every other new release, like Win 98, skip ME, Win 2000/XP, skip Vista, then go with the next one.