Anyone upgrading to MS Vista?

[The Bookseller]

I just want to say thank you all for the info. I don't plan of updating soon (I will need a new PC next year) but this thread will prepare me to the upcoming fact. Thanks!

[dw2649]

I just upgraded to Vista 64 bit today. Everything seemed to go just fine. I have got to say that I am impressed with it. It is much better than windows XP in my opinion. I have had very few problems with the new operating system except for the fact that my Linksys Wired Print Server is not currently compatible with Windows Vista (but they say that they should have the updated drivers for it out in a "few days". Also, the UAC seems to be blocking my favorite internet browser (Firefox) or one of the addons to it, so I just turned UAC off for the time being until the problem is fixed.

By the way, for the people asking about Installing Itunes on Windows Vista in a prior thread, I had no problem doing it whatsoever. The most important things that I found helped me in the installation were the fact that that I did a clean installation of windows( B/C per microsoft's instructions you cannot start an installation of a 64 bit operating system from within a 32 bit operating system like windows xp pro). Also, make sure that you deauthorize your Itunes account from the computer that you are upgrading prior to installing the new operating system. Then, when the new operating system and all the software is installed, reauthorize the computer on your Itunes account. This makes sure that your computer is only taking up one authorization (instead of two because the Itunes store does not know that your computer is the same one as before and therefore would treat it as 2 seperate computers.)

Oh, and one more suggestion if you are thinking about upgrading to vista:
If you can afford it, go to the computer store and buy a program such as Acronis True Image 10 (or norton ghost versions 7 or 8 if you can find them) and an external hard drive. Then use the program such as Acronis True Image to create an image of your hard drive prior to upgrading the operating system and store it on the external drive. The image includes the operating system as well as some, if not all, of the programs on your system at the time as well as all your my documents and settings. That way if the upgrade to windows vista goes haywire for you, you can just use the image to go back to your prior operating system very quickly and easily.

if anybody has any questions about Vista I'll try to answer them as best I can, but be aware that I am still playing around with it and have not figured out everything yet.

Daniel

[dw2649]

I heard apple is working with microsoft on this and should be getting it fixed within the next couple of weeks. Oh well.

I'll be upgrading my laptop to vista in a couple of weeks just as soon as I can get more memory for my laptop from Dell (2 512K memory chips just doesn't cut it with vista ultimate, so I'll need 2 1GB RAM chips, which are currently on 1-2 week backorder). But since I am planning on upgrading my laptop to 64 bit vista (yes, my laptop can handle it), the Itunes upgrade problem won't really matter since I'll have to do a clean installation of Windows anyway no matter whether i purchase the upgrade or full version (can't upgrade to a 64 bit operating system from within a 32 bit Windows according to Microsoft).

Well, I just upgraded and I have to say I like Vista better than XP. File transfers and installations seem to go much faster than on XP. The installation seemed to go much faster than my last XP installation, only taking 30-60 minutes (last one took well over an hour minimum). I also think the layout is much better and much more streamlined, although I admit it takes a bit of getting used to. Microsoft seems to have taken a page out of the Apple OS X GUI in this regaurd. I still, however, am having some problems as not all the hardware and software I use have been upgraded to support Vista (mainly my linksys wired Print Server, but no biggie as the printer is not to far from where the laptop usually is so I can just plug it in directly via a USB port on the back of my laptop if needed.)

In regards to the Itunes/ Vista Problem, I have not encountered any so far (maybe I am just lucky) and Apple has not even released 7.0.3 yet. I did deauthorize my Itunes account on my laptop prior to upgrading so that Itunes would see my laptop as the same computer, not a different one.

I am, however, going to keep my desktop at XP until I get a new desktop as I do not think it could handle Vista at all ( i had to add more memory to my laptop for it to handle vista properly, and the laptop I only bought back in October '06.).

If anybody has any vista questions, please let me know.

[GrumpyFan]

I realize this is dated, but I just wanted to add my 2 cents.

DW got a new laptop with Vista on it, and she is not a fan, nor am I. It came with 512meg of ram, but is very slow to startup and shutdown, plus hibernation/sleep tends to cause problems. Some of her applications will not run without repeatedly giving her the warning of being a non-supported or questionable application. Mind you these ran fine on XP.

Personally, I'm not real impressed with it either, and I'll stick with XP for a while longer. At this point I don't see any need or want to switch.

[Tygger7]

My husband is a developer/technical guru, and we had to purchase a new desktop system earlier this year (a few months after Vista was released). In short, he HATES it and is ready to throw out the new computer and switch to Mac. His main gripes:

1. Speed - Even though our new computer far EXCEEDS the minimum requirements for Vista, it is almost as slow as our 5-year old XP machine. We didn't see any improvement in performance, which has been frustrating for what we spent.

2. iTunes - What a nightmare. Even with all the patches and updates, iTunes is volatile and unstable. It frequently locks up and you have to reboot.

3. Other non-Microsoft Software - Another nightmare. Try finding Vista compatible software. My husband does a lot of recording (via an Audiofire interface, with Cubase software), and he still can't get a version to play nice with Vista. Again, system crashes are way too common.

4. Stability - This is a joke. Vista is EXTREMELY unstable, and we can't do any task without it locking up and crashing at least on a daily basis. Even the "compatible" Microsoft programs don't work well...they crash as often as the non-MS programs do.

It's so bad, that he's considering reloading our brand new pc with XP (Alienware and some Dell business systems can still be purchased with XP). So, if you can't find a computer that will allow you to purchase it with XP, don't waste your time and money with Vista...it's just not worth it.

Hope this helps!

[DisFan01]

I'm a computer nerd, and I have heard that Vista only works fine if you buy an entirely new system. If you'd rather keep your computer, then you should install XP (at any store), but if you want a new computer, they all (or at least a lot) come with Vista now.

[Magic Smiles]

My DS computer is under an Extended Service Plan through Best Buy. He now needs a new mother board which HP cannot come up with as the computer is almost 3 years old. His computer still works, but Best Buy broke a clip off that holds some piece when they were installing a new video card. They are willing to replace the whole CPU, but then we have to take VISTA. All his programs and computer games are for XP. Will he run into lots of problems with his old video games?
I have also heard lots of horror stories about Vista. We have it for my DH laptop (Toshiba sent it to us free on release), but won't be installing it until at least the first few Service Packs are released. Even though Vista states that it only need 512 RAM, I have heard that you need a MINIMUM of 2 GIG RAM to run it smoothly. Our laptop has that, but we are still waiting.

[wdwfansince75]

I am somewhat concerned about saying anything negative about Vista, since I suspect there are MS placed spies watching my every keystroke.
It is a disaster! It is not much of an improvement for the average user. It makes your PC almost as good as a Mac, without the speed of a Mac......Most games are not compatible. You have to download patches or Vista versions of software and drivers for most printers, external hard drives, and other periferals. And my ISP still (after 9 months) doesn't have a security suite compatible with Vista.

I do a lot of research and downloads from governmental sites, mostly state sites. I also do some state site applications for workforce development grants. Several states advise that they are not yet compatible with Vista. Some states don't tell you, but obviously are not yet compatible.
I've got to run. Just saw an SUV with Washington state plates drive slowly around the cul de sac. Fortunately, my mailbox is not Vista compatible either, so they may not recognize my address.

[future_imagineer]

I despise Microsoft. I despise Windows. I especially despise Windows Vista.