Window's Vista
 

I am looking at buying a laptop PC and I keep hearing 2 sides about VISTA. So, I came here to find out, how good or bad is VISTA? Just about every laptop comes with vista now. So all opinions are appreciated. Thanks...

[url=http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=9720310]Walmart.com : HP 15.4" Pavilion dv6809wm Laptop PC w/ AMD Turion 64 X2 Dual-Core Processor TL-60 : Computers[/url]

Here is a link to the one that I am looking at. Any tips on others would be great I am looking to spend about $600 to $700...

Re: Window's Vista
 

Might as well go for Vista because I think Microsoft is no longer selling XP.

Re: Window's Vista
 

Go Vista. The people complaining about it are the people that didn't have the PCs to handle it. I've been impressed with Vista and it's treated me well. Microsoft decided to do what Mac has been doing for years and not support legacy hardware. That caused a lot of folks upgrading to have issues. Now days everything is developed for Vista. I have had few to no problems with it. Just make sure you go turn off the "Are you sure" type things. They are annoying, but simple to disable.

Re: Window's Vista
 

I have a Dell XPS 720 H2C with Vista and I can tell you Vista is a piece of shit...It's sluggish and a memory hog...Windows Media Player started crashing constantly and I tried to uninstall it but you can't!!!! I had to reinstall the entire OS to fix the issue! Oh and the constant updates, it's really annoying. numerous software have glitches too (i.e. HP's Photo Smart software).

Anyone considering switching to Vista from XP should really reconsider because there's no real value in switching. Vista offers nothing new. If you're getting a new machine you really don't have an option anymore. Every PC comes with Vista now.

Re: Window's Vista
 

I'm running Windows Vista Business SP1 on a Dell Dimension C521 (AMD Athlon 64 3500+, 2GB Memory) here at work, and I have had virtually no trouble whatsoever.

If you are running XP currently, I wouldn't recommend upgrading to Vista, unless you buy all new equipment...

Redskins8588 - that machine should run Vista just fine. The only thing that I'm not a fan of is the low resolution of that laptop (1280x800). Other than that, all the specs seem to be fine, and you should have no problems with it. Happy Computering.

Re: Window's Vista
 

I have an hp pavillion with 2G ram that works great with vista. I imagine it would be faster with xp, but have no probs with it. Also I've had the pavillion for over a year and been impressed with it. Far better quality than either of my in law's gateway laptops.

Re: Window's Vista
 

I'm pretty unbiased between the two, and honestly Vista is just fine. We run and will continue to run Windows XP here where I work until support TOTALLY ends for XP OR the next OS comes out.

I have XP on my home machine and will keep it until I absolutely have to. Vista is most definitely a memory hog, but honestly much like anything, it depends on your level of computer experience. This is what I do for a career, so pretty much I never have problems with my machines at home.

Re: Window's Vista
 

[QUOTE=BDBohnzie;456561]Redskins8588 - that machine should run Vista just fine. The only thing that I'm not a fan of is the low resolution of that laptop (1280x800). Other than that, all the specs seem to be fine, and you should have no problems with it. Happy Computering.[/QUOTE]

Thanks, I am using the unit as a secondary PC. I have a Desktop that I love. I want a laptop because I am starting to attend RIT on-line and as a family we tend to travel a bit too much, so I want a laptop to take with me. As for the resolution what do you recommend? Most that I have looked at has the 1280x800 res. How much worse would it be compared to my dell flat panel monitor?

Re: Window's Vista
 

1280x800 is just a weird resolution...probably because the laptop is a 15.4 inch screen, but I guess it's because I'm not thinking in terms of screen size.

1280x800 is probably fine for a 15.4, but I know I've seen cheaper 17's that have that resolution. 1280 width is the equivalent of a 17 inch flat panel display for the most part, so it should be fine, especially if it's going to be a secondary PC.

Re: Window's Vista
 

I have vista and I haven't had any problems with it. If the computer comes with vista already installed, you will be fine.

Re: Window's Vista
 

[QUOTE=saden1;456541]I have a Dell XPS 720 H2C with Vista and I can tell you Vista is a piece of shit...It's sluggish and a memory hog...Windows Media Player started crashing constantly and I tried to uninstall it but you can't!!!! I had to reinstall the entire OS to fix the issue! Oh and the constant updates, it's really annoying. numerous software have glitches too (i.e. HP's Photo Smart software).

Anyone considering switching to Vista from XP should really reconsider because there's no real value in switching. Vista offers nothing new. If you're getting a new machine you really don't have an option anymore. Every PC comes with Vista now.[/QUOTE]


I've had so many WMP issues, specifically related to WMP sharing services which as you've said can only be fixed with the good ol' nuke and pave. Other than that, I've had no real issues with Vista. I'm running a home-built pc, Vista Ultimate 64, quad core proc and 8 gbs of Ram.

Re: Window's Vista
 

Don't go large with your laptop screen if you're using it to travel. I have a huge monitor on my laptop and it's a real hassle to cart around. I couldn't even find a computer bag for it. Finally I found a north face backpack that I could fit it in, but wasn't a pre-made laptop bag.

Re: Window's Vista
 

The problem with Vista is it adds little over XP but is very very resource hungry: requires tons of memory, computing power, graphics card, etc.

Fortunately for Microsoft, things are working out quite well in that all of these things have become incredibly dirt cheap. You can get an Acer X1200 for $450, and it comes with 4 GB of memory, 300+GB HD, a decent Nvidea graphics card, and a dual-core from AMD (not as good as Intel's but look at what you are paying). All this runs Vista without any problem whatsoever.

So if you are buying TODAY, you have resources to spare to "enjoy" vista. But any hardware bought before 2008 probably cost a fortune or will struggle mightily running Vista.

They are forcing you to upgrade hardware by killing XP.

Re: Window's Vista
 

[quote=724Skinsfan;456530]Might as well go for Vista because I think Microsoft is no longer selling XP.[/quote]

Might as well get XP because they're already developing Vista's replacement since it was a dud.


Seriously, Vista is HORRIBLE, we're having a lot of issues with it at my office (forced upgrade) and compatibility issues with printers, accounting software. phones and palms aren't synching and other crap problems.

Re: Window's Vista
 

[quote=steveo395;456612]I have vista and I haven't had any problems with it. If the computer comes with vista already installed, you will be fine.[/quote]

If you never install anything else, connect to a network or try wireless devices... :D

Re: Window's Vista
 

i got an everex amd 64x2 with 17" screen and a real gfx card for 650... only comp i could find with a gaming type gfx card under 1200 :( it's big and the battery life isn't great, but neither of those things matter to me. i like the big screen, full size keyboard, ability to use it for games, etc

as far as a carrying case, it fits perfectly in my backpack(doesn't wiggle around), so it's easy to take it on trips/airplanes/etc.

as far as vista - just like xp, you can disable all that extra crap and make it look like win2000 or 95. after you've done that and updated it with the latest patches, it's not really any different.

Re: Window's Vista
 

[quote=Buster;456678]Might as well get XP because they're already developing Vista's replacement since it was a dud.


Seriously, Vista is HORRIBLE, we're having a lot of issues with it at my office (forced upgrade) and compatibility issues with printers, accounting software. phones and palms aren't synching and other crap problems.[/quote]

uh, didn't your IT guys test that stuff BEFORE "upgrading" the office computers? xp support is good for 10 more years i believe, so that sounds like someone jumped the gun...

Re: Window's Vista
 

[QUOTE=That Guy;456828]uh, didn't your IT guys test that stuff BEFORE "upgrading" the office computers? xp support is good for 10 more years i believe, so that sounds like someone jumped the gun...[/QUOTE]
There are only 2 machines in my entire company that are running Vista right now. Mine and the other SysAdmin. Mine came with XP Installed, but was Vista Ready, and the other SysAdmin just got a new laptop with Vista Business installed. Neither of us have had any trouble, and since anything newer would come with Vista installed, we both decided to jump the gun and dive in so we'd be ready.

However, there is no way in hell I would upgrade to Vista on a machine currently running XP. It's not worth the hassle...

Re: Window's Vista
 

I have a laptop that came with Vista installed, and I use XP on my desktop.

Like pretty much everyone said, if you have XP don't bother upgrading. However, if you're getting a new cpu, I don't think you have a choice -- Vista is your only option.

IMO, Vista doesn't offer enough value to justify the increased resource consumption, and the slower boot/login times.

Re: Window's Vista
 

I've got Vista running on 3 computers - one dedicated development box, one dev/internet box, and one laptop. None of them have less than 2GB of RAM.

I ran Vista in VMs for 18 months to see what I thought before making the switch. I have had no problems with it at all. It's all I run here at work these days, besides server OSs. I still have a laptop and a desktop at home that have XP. They run fine, too.

Re: Window's Vista
 

[quote=BDBohnzie;456886]There are only 2 machines in my entire company that are running Vista right now. Mine and the other SysAdmin. Mine came with XP Installed, but was Vista Ready, and the other SysAdmin just got a new laptop with Vista Business installed. Neither of us have had any trouble, and since anything newer would come with Vista installed, we both decided to jump the gun and dive in so we'd be ready.

However, there is no way in hell I would upgrade to Vista on a machine currently running XP. It's not worth the hassle...[/quote]

yeah, i wouldn't bother moving from xp to vista either. but my vista laptop hasn't had any issues that are worth mentioning thusfar... i mean, before sp1, moving massive (thousands) of files at once cause problems and WAS a huge issue, but that's fixed and it's really pretty boring (as it should be) on the problems front.


vista needs 2gb of ram to keep it happy under all circumstances though, just like xp needs 1gb... 2000 will run on 64mb without bitching (but it will be a bit slow).

Re: Window's Vista
 

I really like Vista only for the fact it includes Media Center and is nice for my home Theater PC and Syncing with Xbox

Re: Window's Vista
 

[quote=That Guy;456828]uh, didn't your IT guys test that stuff BEFORE "upgrading" the office computers? xp support is good for 10 more years i believe, so that sounds like someone jumped the gun...[/quote]

Actually, they did, but random things like copiers (use for printers) and individuals' printers, palms and phones we've SINCE purchased do not work. That's pretty unacceptable that a new OS will not run existing hardware and new phones coming out won't work properly with Vista.

The only gun-jumping was by MS that released a HORRIBLE product yet again.

Re: Window's Vista
 

when i worked for a university, we waited 2+ years to change to a new os to make sure things would be supported, and we checked compatibility with current devices and new ones before purchasing them to make sure they'd work and we managed to avoid surprises that way...

Re: Window's Vista
 

The only problem I've had with Vista is that I can't let it go into sleep mode. When I do, my cable modem stops working (no data signal) and I have to reset it everytime.

Re: Window's Vista
 

[quote=Lady Brave;457105]The only problem I've had with Vista is that I can't let it go into sleep mode. When I do, my cable modem stops working (no data signal) and I have to reset it everytime.[/quote]

What does your cable modem have to do with you OS going to sleep? Are you connecting the modem to the PC via an Ethernet cable? Or is your modem USB based or something?

Re: Window's Vista
 

[quote=saden1;457107]What does your cable modem have to do with you OS going to sleep? Are you connecting the modem to the PC via an Ethernet cable? Or is your modem USB based or something?[/quote]
It's connected via USB. This is the model I have. It's ancient.

[URL="http://www.triadtwcable.com/template_media/cablemodems/toshiba22.htm"]Cable Modem Support / Toshiba Modems[/URL]

I've never had any problems with it until I bought my new PC. I only lose the data signal when the PC goes into the low power/sleep mode. It's a mystery.

Re: Window's Vista
 

[quote=Lady Brave;457105]The only problem I've had with Vista is that I can't let it go into sleep mode. When I do, my cable modem stops working (no data signal) and I have to reset it everytime.[/quote]

OH! Try checking your hardware settings in device manager for your NIC and seeing if "Allow NIC to wake computer" is enabled. Sometimes it randomly is and will never let your computer go to sleep.

Re: Window's Vista
 

[quote=Lady Brave;457125]It's connected via USB. This is the model I have. It's ancient.

[URL="http://www.triadtwcable.com/template_media/cablemodems/toshiba22.htm"]Cable Modem Support / Toshiba Modems[/URL]

I've never had any problems with it until I bought my new PC. I only lose the data signal when the PC goes into the low power/sleep mode. It's a mystery.[/quote]

did you check advanced power settings? because there are usb settings in there that might be messing with your modem.

another option, of course, is a new modem, but that's not free :/.

Re: Window's Vista
 

[QUOTE=That Guy;457154]did you check advanced power settings? because there are usb settings in there that might be messing with your modem.

another option, of course, is a new modem, but that's not free :/.[/QUOTE]

Unless you unplug the modem, call your ISP and tell them that everything is plugged in and turned on but there are no blinking lights...

Re: Window's Vista
 

Thanks for the help guys. When I get home I'll poke around and check my settings.

I've had this modem for 6 years. It's probably time for an upgrade.

Re: Window's Vista
 

USB is fickle....use an Ethernet cable (rj45 cable) instead of the usb cable to connect the modem to your pc and you shouldn't have any more problems whatsoever.