Vista review...

toasterman

I work in PC IT support (except so far this week when I'm off work with a cold) and the only problems we've had with Vista so far have been printer/hardware related really. In one case, HP didn't supply drivers as it is supported natively under Vista - but it still doesn't work. In that case, a new printer is about all you can suggest, if there's nothing in forums or whatever.

Theres also a bug in Office 2003 (fully supported under Vista, according to MS) that causes it to ask you everytime you open it (twice) if you want to accept the license agreement. It can be fixed with a registry tweak.

Other than that, we have some form designing software, from Windows 3.1 days that doesn't work in Vista...but that hardly shocked me. I was more shocked it actually worked in Windows XP.

I think the biggest problem with Vista is that a lot of software doesn't work in it..no I'll rephrase that.. a lot of software isn't SUPPORTED in it, and a lot of updates from software companies are taking a long time and it's becoming a forced update as all new machines come with it. From May next year, you won't be able to get the £50 copies of XP from computer companies (which are illegal anyway technically unless you're buying a new pc from the same company too - although it's them that will get fined if they get caught, not you) so you'll have to have Vista, whether your business-critical software you have works with it yet or not.

RoRo_4

I'm thinking of getting a new computer rather that my old windows 98 one, with Vista can I still run office 97, can I run Cdex (cds to mp3) or is there an equivalent, and what do you do without explorer I use it all the time to move things round, delete items.
Many thanks

toasterman

I haven't tried Office97 on Vista, but according to this:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/932087
It isn't supported. Whether it works or not, I'd be reluctant to rely on it as Microsoft don't say it does work.

If this is the same cdex you're talking about -> http://cdexos.sourceforge.net/?q=download
That states it has a vista install tool. Although there are plenty of cd rippers - iTunes does it for example.


Details of Windows Vista Explorer here -> http://www.computerperformance.co.uk/vista/vista_explorer.htm
Seems to have the same sorta options/layout as the xp one.

odowdchr

sco0ter wrote: »

So you are saying they will stop selling and supplying Vista on the 31/12/07 the same as XP......
Are you talking about the so called Vienna because that wont be around for a while yet..
At the present, it is believed that Blackcomb's codename has been changed to Vienna and that Windows "Vienna" is being planned as both a client and server release with a current release estimate of late 2009. However, no firm date or year has yet been publicized and some, based on previous Windows release delays, say that the release of Windows "Vienna" could be postponed to 2012.
made a small error... date should have been 31/12/07 instead of 31/12/08 changed now..

More that XP Professional support has been extended for 5 extra years, on top of the original date of "2 years after Vista debuts" which will probably still happen for the Home edition.
There's also going to be an XP SP3 in about 9months time, possibly around the same time as Vista SP1. That's not the way to retire an OS.

Nobody's sure if Vienna will be simply Vista Service Pack 1, or indeed a whole new OS...but what is pretty definite is that it won't have anything like the lifetime of XP.
With the sheer amount of code changes and features that they had to drop from Vista to get it released, and the desire to get the next big development as 64bit only, as well as breaking backwards compatibility with software...I've just got a big feeling that a lot of businesses will analyse Vista and decide to skip and wait...which will drive what MS sell and when they sell it.
2009 isn't so long away, it's just a "Windows ME" period.

There are loads of Google stories, it's just a case of predicting and seeing what happens i guess..
http://7indian.wordpress.com/2007/02/11/windows-vista-2009-edition/

Conor_3

spend_spend_spend wrote: »

Conclusion....

Stupid clueless user doesn't know how to install drivers shocker.

Conor_3

RoRo wrote: »

I'm thinking of getting a new computer rather that my old windows 98 one, with Vista can I still run office 97, can I run Cdex (cds to mp3) or is there an equivalent, and what do you do without explorer I use it all the time to move things round, delete items.
Many thanks

CDex works. Office 97 works or you can use OpenOffice.

And Explorer is still there in exactly the same place it was in XP.

Conor_3

wolfman wrote: »

I've found Vista to be fine with all my hardware. The only thing that didn't work was a SoundBlaster Live! I bought back in 1999 for £20, and Creative won't be releasing any drivers for it as it's no longer supported.

I use Linux now anyhow so doesn't bother me

Creative have just recently released some Vista drivers for the SBLive! cards.

wolfman

odowdchr wrote: »

2009 isn't so long away, it's just a "Windows ME" period.

Vista is far from an ME stage. They spent far longer on it than another of their other OS's and made a lot of changes. The reasons business are reluctant to upgrade are firstly because of these changes (makes people wary) and XP at a cost level does what anyone should need. It'll be around for a while.

Businesses will start to adopt it though over the next year or two. We've been trialling it for 6 months so far, will a lot of people due to switch soon. This is typical with anything as being on the cutting edge has it's cons.

zappahey

sco0ter wrote: »

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.

I would say you'd be wrong

Anyway, even the MoD isn't daft enough to buy from PC World :rotfl:

sco0ter

zappahey wrote: »

I would say you'd be wrong

Anyway, even the MoD isn't daft enough to buy from PC World :rotfl:

So you are saying the MOD would run a stock version of Vista???