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What's worse, my computer isn't fully functional. Before I installed Vista, I downloaded and ran a beta version of the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor from Microsoft's website. According to its scan, my personal laptop, a Compaq Presario purchased mid-summer, was fully compatible with the 64-bit version of Vista and even capable of running Aero. All my individual bits of hardware--the wireless card, the video card, the sound card, everything--were good to go, the Advisor software said. But once I installed the 64-bit version of Vista, my speakers would not work. Turns out that the sound card in my machine is a bit older, and no one has yet built 64-bit Vista-compatible drivers for it--not Hewlett-Packard, not Conexant, not Microsoft. I realize that Vista is still in beta, but based on my Web searches, there are a lot of people with this particular problem--and it's been discussed in Vista newsgroups for months.
The usual workaround for something like this is to find third-party drivers; however, every driver I've found so far either has "known compatibility issues" with Vista and won't run it or is "unsigned." This means the software doesn't have a digital signature issued by Microsoft verifying that it was tested with Windows for compatibility. Microsoft insists that unsigned drivers compromise Windows stability and security and has decided that it will not allow users to install any unsigned drivers with the 64-bit version of Vista. (This is apparently still an option with the 32-bit version.) After more than eight hours of work, I still can't hear anything from my spiffy 64-bit enhanced PC--not even the distinctive chord that chimes each time Windows boots. Based on my Web searches, finding 64-bit driver support for older hardware, including wireless cards, sound cards, and modems, is a dicey proposition. Microsoft needs to step up to the plate here, as do computer makers selling machines with 64-bit chips, to make sure users who invest the money and time in upgrading to Vista get at least as good an experience as they have been getting from XP.
I'll spend more time with Vista over the next week, exploring its features for my magazine review (which will appear in the January print issue of Technology Review) and trying to get my sound card to work. But as soon as I'm done, I'll revert to Windows XP on my personal laptop. As chock-full of new features as Vista is, few of those I've tested manage to surpass, or even equal, the Mac OS X features. Almost none look as though they would significantly change my daily computing routine, particularly since few software makers have announced 64-bit versions of popular programs, which minimizes any real benefit to running a 64-bit operating system.
Come January, I'll take a careful look at the support HP and Microsoft are providing for older components, and I'll think pretty hard about whether it's worth investing my time and money in making the XP-to-Vista switch.
Microsoft is hoping it can leapfrog the competition yet again, with an operating system dubbed Windows Cloud.
MacOS 10.5 offers easy file recovery, effective parental controls, and a host of clever, smaller features.
"Windows Vista Premium Ready PCs" -- Aero Capable
A minor correction, but it should read 1 GB of RAM , not 1 GHz of RAM. Also, please note:
"If the GPU uses shared memory, then no additional graphics memory is required beyond the 1 GB system memory requirement; If the GPU uses dedicated memory then 128MB is required."
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/getready/capablefootnotes.mspx
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/getready/capable.mspx
I installed RC1 (only version available so far for "common" people) and tested it for about two days. First impression was good: easy to install, good looks, faster and more efficient than XP.
My PC has a Pentium 4 HT 3GHz processor and a videocard with an NVidia 6200 Graphics chip with 250 MB. This rated only 2,2 points from Vista and doesn´t qualify for Aero.
After installing some of my usual XP programs, problems also started to arise: constant total freeze ups of the OS which only hard reset would resolve (Ctrl Alt Del never makes any impression at all --> Vista OS much unstabler than XP). Basic devices like HP Lasejet 1020 didn´t work. Couldn´t find a suitable driver. HP isn´t supporting Vista publicly so far.
New security features: I totally agree with Erika: "...Vista's User Account Control is the most annoying "security feature" I have ever encountered". I have installed Vista on a separate HD in my PC and tried to move some data from the original XP HD on the same PC: basically impossible. I think one first has to share all the folders to Guests while in XP before they can be accessed through Vista.
Another big annoyance is the new automatic file structure in Vista which is different from the My Documents hierarchy and transferring data from XP to Vista seemed quite confusing to me.
Bottom line:
-To Erika and anyone else who wants to test Vista: dodn´t waste your time with RC1; try at least to get RC2. (Is Microsoft trying to fool its potential customers or itself calling these versions "Release Candidates" instead of giving them larger beta numbers?)
-To myself: it´s finally time to move back to Apple. My first computers were all Macs and I was a total fan until many of the programs I wanted to use weren´t available for that platform. So I grudgingly moved to Windows and have worked with it for more than a decade. Now that I can use all my software under the Mac OS, why should I put up with bad Microsoft products that consume a huge amount of my time just to keep it operating in a more or less stable (Registry management) and safe (additional software for Firewall, Viruses and Spams) way? Specially if I would have to substantially upgrade my hardware anyway to be able to use all the new Vista features.
It's just too bad that MAC can't get their prices down to that of a comparable pc.I think its keeping a lot of people from switching.If they lowered their profit margin they would make it up by increased sales.
Most Engineering software do not run in Mac OS. For users wanting high computing power using engineering software, 64bit Vista OS are a boon.
Why bother with (both) Vista and MacOS if we can all run 64-bit / multi-core versions of Linux? If you have enough time to "test" Vistas and MacOSes why not delegate some of your precious time to join free-minded and free-spirited Linux community and do something useful to get more of free Linux?
Don't you see - on the long run both Windows and Apple will be overrun by free Linux, where free as in freedom. Sleek design of Vista or MacOS? You can get both "sleekies" on Linux just running the corresponding window management emulator on Linux.
thats a good point, the only reason it would fail is because so many computer users everywhere are not very tech savvy at all. Linux is great and i love it as an os, but to the average person it is (unfortunately) complicated and hard to use.
Guest (Julian)
I Can't Believe This Is Actually For A Grade
The new 64-bit processor for the new Windows Vista is great because it can create more space for more data as well as being able to have alot of new additions to the software without having to take up more space on the actual hardrive. The new RCI part of Vista is very good as well, helping also with space and production of the software. I hope that a new Microsoft Office comes equipt with the Vista which could actually cause more to purchase it through the attraction of this software. It is also rumored that a new internet system will come with the Vista as well as new Spyware and Virus protection to come with it and many other great additions.
this class is too hard for tim
I think that Vista is a great new operating system and the interactive background is cool. I think that the photo gallery part is useful and will be good
for orgnizing photos. The quick search is a good addition to the system and will make searching faster and esier. I think that the article should have given a estimated cost. The major thing that they need to focus on changing is the compatiblity is has with most computers.
Windows Vista sounds like it will be awesome after all the kinks are worked out, but as is it sounds like it is more trouble than it is worth. Jonietz talks about the two different types of Vista, but who besides the digital elite will have a 64 bit compressor? I do not know if my computer will be able to handle all of these new aspects. The new spyware, security, and designs sound cool but maybe they took stuff a little too far? It sounds like this is going to be a great addition to windows, but maybe not for a couple of years.
Vista sounds like a great new operating system. The new new quick search part of Vista sounds like it will be really helpful to users everywhere, being able to find good files fast when searching the internet is important. It will be nice for windows to have a new look. Jonietz mentioned that the security aspects of Vista are annoying... will they do something to change that? What does it cost?
the micro vis is pre coo. The only prob i have with it is that it will be unreliabe. The idea is pre coo and will eventu be a success. It comes in to vers's which are 32bit and 64 bit. The new vir protect is also pre coo but they took it a lil far and is annoy . The Aero also sounds real coo and has some really cool feats. They did howev cop it from app.
There are two topics of discussion when analyzing a Beta OS, security and new additions. From the the small amount that can be explored shows improvements. With Windows Vista, all standard users (non-admin) will have many administrator privileges revoked. In theory this will keep viruses and other malicious programs from being able to install and run properly. Therefore, casual users will have more difficulty downloading an unwanted virus. The additions, which include the toolbar and the search menu seem much more user friendly. The scroll down start menu is a good concept but may become too hard to find an application as the number of your programs grow. Windows Vista Beta shows some good, first look, concepts but it is hard to actually review an OS without it bing complete.
The most interesting aspect of the new Vista for me is the visual environment that Aero provides. I saw the operating system installed on a desktop computer over the summer, and I couldn't get over how much I liked the way the user can switch between open windows on the desktop. The Sidebar also seems like it would be a useful tool to get frequently needed information quickly.
The overall impression I got from reading Erika Jonietz’s article, was that there are many problems with Vista. There are always going to be bugs with newly designed computer programs. But Vista seems to be behind the eight ball with all the quirks that they have known about for a while and have yet to fix, such as speakers not functioning on the 64-bit version.
I could really relate to Jonietz’s negative experience with the Vista’s User Account Control. I have Windows XP currently and there is a Microsoft program that pops up frequently at the bottom of my screen asking if various programs can have permission to connect to the internet or automatically update. The purpose of this security features obviously, is to protect the computer. But when the user has no knowledge about the programs triggering the alarms or whether or not to block or allow the various programs form proceeding, the tool is really more of a bothersome then a safety feature.
Max Gruder
October 24, 2006
Cyber Ethics
Windows Vista
After initially reading this article it seems to me that Windows Vista is the future of computer operating systems. It has a lot of new superior features such as, the transparent rectangular sidebar that run down the left side of the screen. The transparent side bar is very useful because it holds "gadgets”, that provide quick access to frequently needed information and tools. Windows Vista comes with 11 gadgets, 3 of which load the first time you start up: an analog-style clock, a slideshow viewer, and a newsreader with a collection of headlines from MSNBC.com and Microsoft. Vista also features a top-notch photo organizer. The Windows Photo Gallery is a huge step up from any built-in photo organizer. The Windows Media Center, is designed to make it easy to find, organize, and play back all "digital entertainment" files, such as live and recorded TV, movies, music, and pictures. Maybe the best improvement that will come with Windows Vista is the added security features.
Windows Vista is fast and appealing to the eye. It seems to be far more advanced than Windows XP and Apple programs. Although these things true, I feel that it contains unnecessary features. The security feature is great, but it seems to secure, the rest of the stuff I personally wouldn’t need. It is good for people who are really good into technology and its advances.
I beleive that this is a waste of money. Vista is just a fancier new microsoft operating system. It looks prettier on the outside but actually does the same amount of work besides the security part which really helps. If i were to buy this i would buy nit for the security reasons not for the fancy photo shop one in which we alreadfy have this.
The new version of windows xp is called windows vista. This new program sounds awesome. It is in 3D and with being a lot sharper than windows xp. It will be available in early 2007. Vista will also be coming out with the new internet explorer 7. From what I saw about the internet explorer 7, it looks a lot like AOL explorer. Some new features of the program windows vista are that the start button is a circle. Overall this is a very exciting. There are also features improving the new security.
I beleive that this is a waste of money. Vista is just a fancier new microsoft operating system. It looks prettier on the outside but actually does the same amount of work besides the security part which really helps. If i were to buy this i would buy nit for the security reasons not for the fancy photo shop one in which we alreadfy have this.
Manufacturing in the United States is in trouble. That's bad news not just for the country's economy but for the future of innovation.
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qmarais
1 Comment
Aero Not Restricted to 64 Bits
This article states that the Aero interface is only available with 64 bit version of Vista. This is totally inaccurate. Aero is only dependent on the capability of the graphics adapter. Most new machines will have graphics adapters capable of displaying aero. Drivers for both 64 bit and 32 bit versions of Vista are currently scarce, but that will change rapidly as soon as Vista is released.
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Guest (cradle)
Re: Aero Not Restricted to 64 Bits
I can confirm this. I installed RC1 on two 32-bit machines. I got Aero effects on my desktop (transparent borders, 3D windows flipping, etc.) but not on my laptop.
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