New Computer. Windows Vista question???

[Kevin Palmer]

Botom line, my laptop started getting so hot that I thought it would literally burn up. So, bought a new laptop and it has Vista on it.



Anyone found any issues with it as well as a work around or anything that would be nice to know kind of stuff???



Thanks in advance...

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Coastie,



1. Old versions of Microsoft Office:



Myself and others have complained that older versions of Office don't install cleanly. The symptom is that starting up Word will always bring up the Office Installer and it looks for missing components. If you have already tried the install, and are having this problem, remove Office via Add/Remove programs, then before trying to reinstall (or install for the first time) make sure you FIRST turn of "User Access Control" (UAC), reboot, then install Office as regular. You can then turn on UAC.





2. Old Printers



If you have an old printer, especially one shared on a desktop that you wish to use network attached from the laptop through your home wireless network, that may not work. We had an old HP Deskjet 932c that though the drivers installed and all looked like it would work, when actually sending a job to the printer it never went through. The trick was to use Add/Remove programs, Add Components to add in the "Unix Print Support", then add the printer as a local printer, and instead of USB as the port, us LPR and then add the printer name, UNC.





3. Wireless Network and non-broadcasted SSID



I had to turn on the router's broadcast of SSID, temporarily, before I could add the new wireless network to Vista's list of w-networks. Then, once added, I turned the broadcasting back off. I have never had to do that before with XP.



TJR

 

[2]

1. The annoying user access control can be turned off in account/user settings.



2. Older HP (I only dealt with these, don' t know about other brands) printers and scanners (5 years old) are no longer supported and won't work with Vista unless they are in the Vista printer driver list. I know none of the items I was dealing worked, had to go out and buy new ones.

 

[Kevin Palmer]

Good info, thanks much.



I will be installing Microsoft Office tomorrow....

 

[blert]

Please note that if you permanently turn off "User Access Control" (UAC) then your machine will be much less secure than WindowsXP. Please take measures to secure your rig properly if you plan to leave it turned off.



If you game on your laptop be prepared for some issues with some games and gaming video card drivers. Not to worry though, the devs will catch up sooner or later.

 

[Jenn D]

I got a new laptop two weeks ago, a Dell E1705, with Vista installed. Pretty nice overall. So far no issues other than the annoying access control (which as mentioned can be turned off). It can also be switched back to "standard mode" to look and feel more like your windows of old.



But, one really cool feature that is not a new concept, but has been much improved upon.....



If you have multiple windows open at once and are working betwene them all, or just want to find one that's lost in the bunch, you can hold the little "Windows Start" key and hit tab. Previously doing this would just light up the different windows. In Vista, if you do this it will turn your windows into a rolodex and you can flip through the pages (including the desktop) and when you get the one you want, you let the buttons go and it comes to front. Pretty neat feature IMO. Surpasses a similar feature I have on my Mac at work. Two thumbs up.



Good luck with the new laptop. I know I'm loving mine every day. It's just such a beast to lug to and from work.

 

[Kevin Palmer]

Jenn D.

Now that is pretty cool. They stole that from Mac, but I don't care, it is neat to see how it does it...

 

[Chris Kulbaba]

Vista kicks ass.

 

[Jenn D]

I give Mac the credit for coming up with the idea, but I give Windows the credit for perfecting it. More and more windows tends to mimic the innovative Mac ideas for sure, but I'll still always side with a PC anyday. And my opinion is not biased, I have to use both daily.

 

[Duilio Mariola]

Funny, I use both a PC and a Mac daily too. I'm not biased either, but I'll still always side with a Mac anyday.

 

[Chris Harris]

get used to the "cancel or allow" pop up window..at first i didn't think it was a big deal and the commercial was an overexaggeration but now its really getting annoying.

 

[Kevin Palmer]

My brother-in-law said the same thing about how close the commercial is to reality...

 

[Nelson Atwell]

I bought my Dell 1405 for traveling, because I knew a 17in system would be heavy. The 14in monitor is small, but it serves my purposes. It has been my primary computer for the past four months, since my desktop system is still enroute to Europe.



My free Vista Upgrade is on its way to me, so hopefully I won't have issues installing it.

 

[Mark Tomkiel]

Picked up a new HP Pavilion dv9207us dual core for $875 shipped after $400 rebates from Compusa. 17" 120gb, 1gb, web cam, tv tuner, lightscribe dvd burner... lots of goodies. 4.5 Speed Rating from Vista.



Anyway, the internet and applications are lightning fast. I had to uninstall all the trialware crap. I have some minor incompatibility issues and the UAC is annoying, however the pros/speed etc far outweigh the gripes. I suggest getting all your drivers directly from the manufacturer website.