Vista review...

spend_spend_spend

O.k, got my new Dell PC (only the 2nd bought one in 12 years!, couldn't build it for the price I paid!) Athlon 5000+ X2, 2gb ram, 250hd, graphics card, 20" TFT!! for 417 inc vat & del!, came with vista home basic and heard people moaning about vista, but remain determined to try it.

1st off vista is very nice with some nice visual enhancements, a little complex if your a newbie (on a note, if this is 'basic' I can't imagine what stuff 'premium' has!), If you don't have any old software of peripherals then vista is great for surfing and general use.

However, as I found out, it doesn't support a hell of a lot of old software!
It doesn't even support some hardware, I replaced the video card with an ATI all in wonder 2006 (x1300) it did support the card but non of the multi media TV/DVD features.

As mentioned somewhere else in the forum vistas mail client is no longer outlook express! and transfering contacts and mail across is a royal pain.

In the end I formatted the Dell (all the Dell software wears thin in the end!) installed XP pro on one of 3 partitions I created (it took several attempts as the onboard flash card reader prevented xp from starting (changed drive letters and so on) had to unplug it for install) and laid vista on the second partition (I do like it) dual boot now, keeping with XP for mail, dtp, normal stuff and an occasional surf (no mail) using vista.

Conclusion....
Feel that vista has be poorly thought out prior to release, it's lack of software and hardware support is crazy, o.k for a new generation of computer users who want to browse the web with a nice gui, crap if, like me, you have hardware and software going back to the 90's

More than impressed with the build quality of the dell, though it's very foward with only sata onboard (could not ghost my old ide drive), very quiet and well thought out, not really ideal for upgrading (extra 5-1/4 + hd if need be) limited with power supply of 300 watts and no molex connectors!

I'm using a new external usb2 lg multiwrite dvd, vista wouldn't even support the software bundle that came with that! Vista didn't like my webcam and a host of other usb stuff.

I'm glad the dell came with a vista licence, 'cos to be honest, if I'd just paid 50 quid for it outright I'd be well miffed!

MercilessKiller

People are still running NT4 because their software doesnt work on server 2003.

Server 2003 is still a very good product though

(hope you see the relation )

gremlin666_2

Once again someone blames vista for not supporting hardware when in actual fact its the hardware company who is not releasing Vista drivers for their products in time. I get tired of seeing people on here pointing the finger at Vista and MS because there old printer don't work :mad: . My printer works fine went to HP webiste downloaded the driver job done.

spend_spend_spend

Come on, don't you think I tried that , I never rely on a microsft driver....
Microsoft is to blame, they should have based the core on XP, the example is my year old video card that doesn't support tv/multimedia under vista, not for the want of trying to find vista drivers.

sco0ter

spend_spend_spend wrote: »

1st off vista is very nice with some nice visual enhancements, a little complex if your a newbie (on a note, if this is 'basic' I can't imagine what stuff 'premium' has!), If you don't have any old software of peripherals then vista is great for surfing and general use.

Vista to a newbie would be no more complex than XP to a newbie.

spend_spend_spend wrote: »

However, as I found out, it doesn't support a hell of a lot of old software!
It doesn't even support some hardware, I replaced the video card with an ATI all in wonder 2006 (x1300) it did support the card but non of the multi media TV/DVD features.

None of the TV/DVD features work because ATI cant be annoyed to update the software but do supply 100% compatible drivers.

spend_spend_spend wrote: »

Conclusion....
Feel that vista has be poorly thought out prior to release, it's lack of software and hardware support is crazy, o.k for a new generation of computer users who want to browse the web with a nice gui, crap if, like me, you have hardware and software going back to the 90's

VISTA had been known about for 4 years. It was even late... It wasnt poorly thought out its just software/manufacturers saw a way to make more money by continually pumping out XP only stuff knowing full well that all computers will be sold using VISTA from around mid 2007 and everyone would have to buy thier Vista upgrades.... CHA-CHING

spend_spend_spend wrote: »

More than impressed with the build quality of the dell, though it's very foward with only sata onboard (could not ghost my old ide drive), very quiet and well thought out, not really ideal for upgrading (extra 5-1/4 + hd if need be) limited with power supply of 300 watts and no molex connectors!

The reason I stayed clear... With the new generation of DX10 video cards needing a PCI-E power connector or 2 molex connectors then the scope for graphical upgrade is limited.. I thing a geforce 7600GT is the limit for dell machines..(could be wrong)

spend_spend_spend wrote: »

Im using a new external usb2 lg multiwrite dvd, vista wouldn't even support the software bundle that came with that! Vista didn't like my webcam and a host of other usb stuff.

Again its not up to vista to support software but the manufacturers to support VISTA.

banger9365

been using vista 64 ultimate since day one and your wrong it not M$ fault manufacturers have had over three years to sort the driver out ,one more thing vista will be the last os to have a 32bit version the others will be 64bit,
one more thing 99% of my software work how it should and so do the drivers for my hardware ,infact i do not have to install most of my driver has vista finds and install them it self off the net and not just M$ driver put the manufacturers aswell.
i wish the manufacturers would get there finger out and sort the drivers once and for all put did we say this when XP came out , i think some of us can remember the same problems (i think it took about 2 years to get xp somthing like right ),give it time we did with xp and look at us now (xp is king ,vista will be the same one day )

spend_spend_spend

sco0ter wrote: »

Vista to a newbie would be no more complex than XP to a newbie.

Beg to differ.... it asks everything twice and more if you need to run/change/install summat, big fan of explorer... that's missing too.

What's a newbie to do when none of their stuff works? OS should be getting easier, not making your life a misery, you say it's software manu who should support vista.... vista should be backwards compatible with everything, imagine trying to sell it to the military.... yeah, great this vista, though you'll have to upgrade all your hardware just so you can use it! I think not!

sco0ter

spend_spend_spend wrote: »

Beg to differ.... it asks everything twice and more if you need to run/change/install summat, big fan of explorer... that's missing too.

Why is that more difficult?? cant newbies answer questions more than once??? its called security..

oh and it can be turned off quite easily

spend_spend_spend wrote: »

What's a newbie to do when none of their stuff works?

Call support?? ask for help in newsgroups??? surely if it was a first computer then everything would be new and preinstalled and vista ready..

spend_spend_spend wrote: »

OS should be getting easier, not making your life a misery, you say it's software manu who should support vista.... vista should be backwards compatible with everything, imagine trying to sell it to the military.... yeah, great this vista, though you'll have to upgrade all your hardware just so you can use it! I think not!

Why should vista be backwards compatible???? the PS3 isnt totally backward compatible or is the XBOX360. In order for improvement sacrifices have to be made. Vista would need a lot more memory to install and use if it had to run all XP software/hardware and then people would be moaning about how much HD space it needs. And as for the military... do you see the MOD running down to PCWorld for a copy of Vista Home Basic to use on thier computers??? I would say they have versions specifically written for them.

If Vista is too complicated for you then get XP.. Nobody is forcing you to upgrade. Go down to practically any small PC retailer and they will give you a copy of XP for £50.

tentickles666

im am not a newbie but i am definately not a techie (i do not understand a lot of the above comversations but still know more than most of my friends and relatives!)

i personally dont like it though i agree with the other poster who said it is more the software companies job to provide new drivers. i have lots of bits and bobs which i cant use of have really had to search for ways to adapt to vista!

just glad we didnt buy wireless yet as looking in pc world yesterday it seems only one cable router is vista compatible!

albertross_2

wireless cable routers don't need drivers, so they are all compatible.

sco0ter

Netgear do vista drivers for a lot of thier products but as albertross said the routers dont need them.. Its the adapter that plugs into the PC that would need the drivers.