Windows Vista Test Drive

[Aaron Yarbough]

Obviously Microsoft is having some trouble getting the mainstream to upgrade to Windows Vista and most of us know why. They are now offering a "Windows Vista Ultimate Test Drive" where you can test it without having to load it on your PC.

 

[Ron Tobias]

Hmm.. If you don't load it on your system is it truly a valid test? After all, aren't a lot of the problems with VISTA related to system resources? If you don't load it on to your system how can you tell if your resources and peripherals can handle the load?

 

[Don Pertz]

I have Vista Ultimate on a computer I just built.

P4 3.4

4 320 GB WD Sata Hard Drives

8 GB Kingston Ram (32 bit version only recognizes 3 GB)

2 Geforce 8500 GT Video Cards 512 MB each



I haven't had very many unsolvable probems. Sometimes the monitor will not wake up from sleep mode but a reboot fixes it. MS knows about this problem and I imagine they are working on a fix.



I use this for Video editing and Digital Photography.I DO NOT play games on it but it would be excellent for that.



PS I still have my other home built with XP Pro on it , just in caseI find something I can't run on Vista.

 

[Jim parnell]

I have an HP pavilion desktop with vista, and it would not wake up from sleep mode, error of "no input signal", ended up having to send backto HP for a power supply based on the repair ticket, works fine now but I don't thing Vista had anything to do withit. Vista is ok, but XP seems easier to me, but I have several yrs of experience with it and use it daily at work, while here at the house I have vista, wife's laptop has xp and my laptop has vista, so I can bounce back and forth without much effort now.

 

[biznaga]

Funny. Been using VISTA for almost a year....will be Feb. 5th...and I have no problems to speak of. My old printer ands scanner work jus tfine as does all my software.



I wasn't aware ther was supposed to be problems so I didn't find any.



I have XP on my old computer still but I don't like it after using VISTA. Would hate going back to XP.



But everyone has their own likes and dislikes.

 

[A K]

I assume Windows 7 means the successor to Vista. If this is true, Microsoft wastes little time (anymore--considering the XP to Vista succession) going out with the current.

 

[LaRue Medlin]

I'm going out and get a MAC!

 

[Ron Tobias]

I assume Windows 7 means the successor to Vista. If this is true, Microsoft wastes little time (anymore--considering the XP to Vista succession) going out with the current.

Didn't they do this with ME?

I'm going out and get a MAC!

VISTA may have been the best thing Microsoft ever did for Apple/MAC.

 

[Michael Martin]

I use a program called VistaMizer - it makes you look like you are using Vista, but your are not. If you download the latest version, select all and you will get the glass frames as well as the WinFlip! And its FREE!!!!



http://www.mhoefs.de.vu/

 

[Dre L]

Trust me Apple ain't all it's cracked up to be. When you get down and dirty with it, you wonder how they stay in business.



If you're using vista and have any problems with software, install Microsoft VirtualPC 2007 (free) and you can install a virtual XP PC to run inside of Vista.



Many mac zealots will swear they are fine with a mac, yet many of them:

a.) run Windows in a virtual pc program named parallels or fusion.

b.) have to buy a separate PC.

c.) use boot camp to load a separate windows install.

d.) need to then buy a windows license on top of their mac.

e.) mac doesn't fix their issues with free patches and service packs, you need to upgrade the OS at a cost ($100+) to 10.5.16.20000000003

f.) contrary to the kid from die hard 4, it prompts you for your password every time you try to do something, in fact, all the mac vs pc commercials are full of $h!t and the FTC should sue apple.

g.) the greatest trick the hackers ever pulled was to convince the world that mac was safe and did not require security software.

 

[J Piroth]

Nobleman,



I've been on a Mac for 10 years now, and points a) - d) have never once applied to me. If you're using PC-only software, you'd need Boot Camp or Paralells, but that's about it.



Point e) is just plain wrong, as Apple's Software Update frequently automatically downloads fixes for everything from the OS to Firmware upgrades to Apple programs.



Point f) is only partially correct. You are prompted for a password occasionally, but if you'd rather not be you can simply disable it.



Point g) is also misleading. I've had various Macs for a decade, have never run anti-virus software on any of them and have never had an issue. How many PC users can say that?

 

[TomT]

Mac's are making somewhat of a comeback. We have some at our office. Most run Parallels for the simple reason that there is way more XP available software out there. If I did not build my own like I do every 2 years then I might consider a switch. But as long as I can build a new state-of-the-art machine for around $500-$600 every 2 years then I have no use for a Mac. As for Vista, it's not that it's a bad OS, it just offers no real improvements over XP and actually runs slower, eats up more memory, and does not support any hardware over a couple of years old (like my old HP printer). For that, Microsoft wants me to plunk down more money? I don't think so.

 

[SilverBolt]

I've got to agree with Piro on the Mac/ pc thing. Nobleman is just plain misinformed and incorrect. I've worked on both Macs and pc's for my living since the late 70's when they first came out with the Apple II. I know both systems well and when it came to buying computer's with my hard earned money I use a MacBook Pro, my wife uses a MacBook Pro, my two kids have iBook's and our family tower that we use for video work is also an Apple. I guess when I had my choice and I bought 5 Apple's that tells the story. I wish people that make statements about products would at least know what they are talking about or just not say anything. I also agree with Tom, vista is not really that bad, I just prefer the "other system".

 

[Martin]

:lol::lol::lol:

 

[TracN Jack]

Mike cool Find! VistaMizer....



PC and MACs And Linux boxes are ALL computers!!! ALL computers have vulnerabilities.



The computers that are most targeted and have the most PUBLISHED vulnerablilities are PC's currently.....



To believe that your computer no matter the make is not threatened, is well...practicing unsafe computing.



many threats are not end point systems based (your computer) either.



Keep your systems upto date, use some security software and common sense. and you should stay clean and safe.



This my computer is better than yours BS has been going on for decades..



i.e "My amiga is better than your apple II"



at this point computers are a tool, find the hammer(tool) that feels good in your hand and use it to get the job done.



Polishing your tools in public.. and telling everyone about how great it is.. gets tiring after awhile.



Its just a computer...





TracNJack, MCSE

Network Manager

specializing in Wireless, Network Access Control and Firewall security