So I loaded Windows Vista earlier this week. I know, I am and idiot, but I wanted to be able to say I'd tried it. And I know it's new, but it can't be that bad. I mean it's been RTM since November. Surely they've worked out the big problems...


Right.

So I get everything installed. It looks nice, I really like the new Aero interface. But everything is going a bit slow. I know I don't have a top of the line computer anymore, but a 4400+ x2 with 2GB of RAM, a WD Raptor boot drive and 2x7800GTX in SLI is certainly above the "recommended" requirements for Vista. I go and download the latest nVidia display drivers, which speeds things up a bit. I restore my steam backup and load up HL2. I start up the game and it's running choppy...

Vista doesn't support SLI. So one of my video cards is disabled. Great.

nVidia seems to be working on it, and I figure I can live without games for a week or so. So I load Nero. Not Supported. So I load Microsoft's own Visual Studio 2005. NOT SUPPORTED. Mother ****er.

I can't even get sound from my SB X-Fi's optical in from my xbox to play on my speakers. I run the xbox in PIP on my monitor to watch movies and TV on my monitor while I'm on the computer. But I can't get sound because they've replaced the mixer, and the new one doesn't allow you to unmute the inputs.

So I'm going back to XP. I made a Ghost image of my drive before I installed Vista, but I can't restore it because Ghost won't run on Vista...

This has all been a headache, and I suggest everyone wait until AT LEAST sp1 comes out.

Discuss.

I barely had any trouble when i was using the Beta. The occaisional crash, but i blame myself for those :/

Uh, can't you boot the Ghost CD and ghost it from there?

I'm running Visual Studio 2005 (The free express editions though) on Vista and it works fine.

Nero 7 also works perfectly fine.

The only thing I cant get working using official drivers is my Soundblaster live! 5.1. Though I found some 3rd part drivers which work fine.

I quite like vista so far. I got it free through my universities MSDNAA, though I wouldn't buy it. It's just not enough of an upgrade from XP to be worth it.

If you got it through MSDNAA for free, that means it'll probably be available for me soon at the same place. If it isn't already. I'll grab it to have it, but I definitely have zero intention of using it. I'll wait 2 or 3 years. Maybe longer.

Hell... It's what I did with XP. I used 2k for years before I finally installed XP. And I still prefer 2k over XP.

After using Beta 2, and RC1, I am scared of what Vista is like. I'm certainly in no rush to get it, and if I do, I'll probably dual boot.

I'm waiting for it to be released via MSDNAA, and then I'm going to dual-boot with Vista & XP Pro, just in case Vista goes

I'm planning on getting vista ultimate here in a few weeks, I missed the RC1 and whatnot, but I built my new system around the requirements for vista, so to get anything less would be just wrong :o.

I'm going to wait until some DX10 games come out and I have the money for both Vista and a DX10 card..

The money being the biggest issue, because I'm broke and soon to be homeless.

I will never buy Vista.

There is absolutely no compelling reason for me to do it. And in my opinion this will be Microsoft's laughing stock, and the beginning of the end for them.

Microsoft has alot more going on than desktop computing for them to just up and vanish.

I will agree that desktop computing is how they make the most of their money, though.

Lawl vista is the end of the world!

Can you read? I said the end of Microsoft.

I was liking Windows Vista, but there has a been a lot of little things adding up that have made me hate it.

Yeah, never gonna happen (at least not this generation of software). Not only will Microsoft still be there, but they will still be VERY strong, and you will be running Vista.

I put $50 on it.

What? The only way Microsoft will fail at the OS is if there's a better substitute that has Window's ease of use, which probably rules out most Linux variants. Even then it'd take some effort to dissuade the computer illiterate from buying Vista out of brand recognition.

As for upgrading, I'm pretty sure I've read that many new programs will only be compatible with Vista, so that automatically snares anyone who wants to run those programs in the easiest way possible.

Apparently you missed me blatantly mocking you. Its stupid to not upgrade to vista ever. Seriously, it just sounds like your trying to be a stupid anti "micro$oft" fanboy. Vista is supposed to be the best thing evar.

Hype is not a reason for me to buy something. It may bea good reason for you, but not for me.

Okay fine, but theres still no good reason to claim its the downfall of microsoft.

The reason I say that is that Vista doesn't seem to do anything that people need. what does it do differently or better than XP does? Just about nothing... it's just a piece of useless trash that microsoft hopes will sell just because it's "slick" and "new." It has a new interface? So what? XPs interface is great.

It's just a ploy to screw over the gamers who need DX10 ----and therefore Vista---to play the latest games.

I'll bet that you also believe that the 9-11 tragedy is all a big conspiracy from the United States government.

So you're basically saying that Vista is nothing because windows XP can do what you need it to right now?

Wow, great argument. Vista is still new, when XP came out there wasn't much for it either because it was new. Give it awhile when things will start getting made for Vista.

Except that your completely and utterly wrong.

And #2, you're freaking paranoid.
Here you go! Fair reviews from someone whos been following Vista and actually knows what he's talking about:

Security updates:
http://winsupersite.com/reviews/winvista_05b.asp

Performance:
http://winsupersite.com/reviews/winvista_05c.asp

Reliabilty:
http://winsupersite.com/reviews/winvista_05d.asp

Internet:
http://winsupersite.com/reviews/winvista_05e.asp

Digital Media:
http://winsupersite.com/reviews/winvista_05g.asp

Networking:
http://winsupersite.com/reviews/winvista_05h.asp

And if you get bored and want to read anything else:
http://winsupersite.com/vista/

Um, no... You see, MS has already stated that DX10 is Vista only. So it's not a conspiracy, it's the truth.

From a developer standpoint, I think Vista is better than XP. WPF, .NET 3.0.

As for the downfall of Microsoft should Vista fail outright. Ha? Are you kidding? First of all, examine the alternatives. Linux: Still mouthbreather territory. Any attempts to make the OS user friendly and you will have neckbearded drones in an uproar. MacOS: Available only on machines that are still overpriced. It will take a price drop of their MacBooks/G5 desktops (those still exist?) to PC levels or a port TO PC architecture for MacOS to become viable. Now lets examine where people get their OS. People get their operating systems from: Dell, HP, Toshiba, Sony, and Gateway. In other words, most people get their OS from the brand spanking new machine they get. Those machines will come preloaded with Windows Vista! The "I all ready have a computer" crowd might be slow to upgrade but people still drop $$ on new machines.

Anyone who says vista has better "performance" than xp is a moron. Just like anyone who says xp has better "performance" than win2k is a moron. Just like someone who says win2k has better "performance" than winme is a moron. Just like anyone who says winme has better "performance" than win98 is a moron. Just like anyone who says win98 has better "performance" than win95 is a moron.

The system requirements are going UP not down. That is a very clear indicator that it doesn't "perform" as well on the same hardware. It may APPEAR to run faster once you get a brand new computer, but that's not because MS has increased "performance" it's because the underlying hardware is so much faster. Hardware has gotten 500% faster, but do your programs load up 500% faster? Does the operating system load 500% faster? Is the user interface 500% snappier?

I doubt it.

Oh and of course I pulled the 500% number out of my ***. I bet it's more. I was running win95/98 on a P1 75 or something. Just go try to load XP or Vista on that and then tell me how it performs better.

I know little about Vista but this is truth. That is why Microsoft can do what they want because they are currently in a better position than anyone else. Lol, neckbeards.

I see...

Vista makes better utilisation of higher spec systems than XP does, even though the baseline requirements are higher. Get a super-duper top-of-the-range PC and Vista will run better on it than XP does, which will run better than 2k does which will run better than ME and so on.

Vista loads to the desktop much faster than XP ever did on my computer and I have exactly the same stuff running on startup.

As for other performance, generally Vista is 5-10% slower in games (Though this was about 20% before I installed the latest ATI drivers) but not noticeably slower on the desktop. Actually, I'd say explorer is more responsive, though this is probably because the desktop uses DirectX.

Some parts are slower, some are faster. Though I'd assume vista would be really slow on a computer with 512mb ram.

From personal experience, ME didn't have better "performance" than anything.

Like, I could take a shoebox, and put a rat in it, and it would have better "performance" as a computer than an ME box.

I'm just waiting till I get a new rig and most of the minor bugs get worked out.

I'm getting vista free because I bought one of those computers from Costco where if you have bought it between November 2006 - April 2007, you get it for free.

You mean, the same deal every store had?

Yeah. I got my lappy from bestbuy. They'll send me a Vista Home Premium upgrade disc for free. No thanks; I'd rather have a real disc, so I can do a real format. None of that upgrade crap.

I dont know about vista but with earlier "upgrade" versions you just had to put the win98 disk or whatever in during install to show you had it.

Windoze Pissta amirite amirite

I'd rather get a decent version. Home sucks--no Aero, and a lot of its features are gimped worse than JediKirby.

I plan to keep from upgrading for as long as possible.
But I know I'll have to eventualy. That or just stop useing the computer.

vista has advantages but none that I would be able to take advantage of for atleast a year or more and even if I could, I couldn't afford to.

And of course there is the spite factor because it irritates me that whatever MS puts out is adopted as the standard before it's even released.
So, yeah.

Restistance is futile, blah, blah, instert obligatory M$/monopoly joke here.


And there's nothing wrong with neckbeards.

I'd agree with you on the G5 Desktops, but the laptops are really competitively priced for the power they contain (just picked up a Macbook, actually).

I would've kept using Vista, but it did not have support for my IDE controller card, rendering two of my hard drives (one 160GB, the other 200GB) worthless. Once that is fixed, I'll move back.

You have no idea what you're talking about. As Detty pointed out, Vista makes a far better utilization of higher-end hardware. The point of Aero Glass is to completely offload the rendering of the GUI from the CPU to the GPU, thus freeing resources for important tasks. Moving the mouse around on my XP system, which is an Athlon XP 3000, can take up 20% or more of the CPU. On Vista I can fling it around all day long and my CPU never spikes above 2-3%. I can even drag a window around, while it has 3 HD movies playing inside of it, without the CPU going over say 4-5%. That's unthinkable on XP.

As far as drivers on Vista, yes, not everything will be supported. Same with 98 to XP. At least with Vista there's a chance your XP drivers will still work. Creative's in a rut because EAX doesn't work, but good riddance to that piece of crap. DX10 + simple software DSP and you have something far better than EAX could dream of. Or, even simpler, OpenAL. OpenAL through something like FMOD works too.

I was quite surprised that I could get drivers for my prosumer level E-MU 1212m soundcard straight from Windows update.

I'm not some MS pundit or anything. I think they have some amazing engineers but often pricks for execs. Vista caters too much towards satisfying the content industry's wet dream of DRM than it does to consumers, for example. Microsoft still hasn't adopted a predictable 6 or 12 month release cycle, which is becoming increasingly necessary with the complexity of modern software, and as a result, Vista's going to have quite a few problems, I'm sure. But I think the benefits outweigh that. Namely security and performance.

And as for DX10, Microsoft isn't backporting it to XP because they can't. It's not some corporate conspiracy to entice you to buy Vista. Jesus ****ing christ, get a grip on reality, people.

System requirements are going up becauusee...all together now. Hardware is getting faster and faster and cheaper! *shocking music in background* I'm sorry that this OS doesn't run on a 486 like you would want it. Like I said, Vista is catered NOT to you. It is catered to the every day individual who usually buys their OS with their new computer, and doesn't write in Perl. And usually said new computer comes with nearly the latest in hardware.