Whazzupp With Vista Mista

[Pharmer Phil]

Bill gates

Now I like staying up ta date and all, But The new M.s. Vista O.S. IS Really a system resource HOG...
The "basic Upgrade" is costing about 150 bucks a pop, give er take a few bucks.

Thats not the problem...
I Like my computer, but it's OLD, I have Lotsa Ram, I have a good processor, a good graphics card, a Great (it hears me talkin') hard drive..But, It's only 10 gb.

And yet, with all the files, music, graphics, MS office pro 2003, etc.
I still haven't used Half of the drive...
Now, EVERYTHING in the list below, rules my computer out, as it sits now.
Can I upgrade my processor, graphix card, hard drive, etc...You bet, but that would be another 2-3 hundred bucks....

Guess Me, Laura and most likely alot of pholks, will be using XP, and win98 fer quite some time...
Of course, I could just BUY a new computer....But
1. Thats Not in the budget (donations excepted)
2. I feel da same bought my puter, as I do an old car....
Use her, till fixin' it, costs more den replacin' it.

Below is the system requirements for the BASIC UPGRADE VERSION

I didn't look at the top of the line version...no reason!

Manufacturer/Publisher Name: Microsoft
Operating System: Windows Vista
Minimum Processor Speed: 1 GHz processor
Memory Required: 1 GB of system memory
HardDisk Required: 40GB hard drive
with at least 15GB of available space

Display: Support for DirectX 9 graphics with:

* • WDDM Driver
* • 128 MB of graphics memory (minimum)
* • Pixel Shader 2.0 in hardware
* • 32 bits per pixel

[bscamo]

Well , Phil , ya could stand on a corner with a cardboard sign.

But we cain't even afford da cardboard OR da marks-a lot..

[Deleted]

Heres what I found

Microsoft Vista – Hype Or Happiness?

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MICROSOFT VISTA – HYPE OR HAPPINESS?

Microsoft has a habit of hyping – let’s make that over-hyping its flagship product – the Windows operating system. Let me share an example or three with you.

First, there was the press release that made the following claim, and I’m quoting Microsoft chairman Bill Gates here - “This is the easiest-to-use version of Windows yet, and will help bring the power of the PC to new users worldwide”. The memo went on to claim that the new operating system would make things faster so users wouldn’t have to wait so long to accomplish tasks. So just what was this miraculous Operating System? Windows Vista? No, Windows 98.

And who could forget the year 2000, when Microsoft rolled out a version of Windows call the Millennium Edition, or Windows ME. ME was built on the same code used in Windows 98, but added System Restore. Again, Microsoft trumpeted ME as the end-all, be-all, do-all solution for the world of computer users. ME turned out to be one of the worst products Microsoft ever released.

After that, we heard this gem from Bill Gates. “Today we unveil the future of computing” – That’s right – he said “the future of computing.” Gates proudly pointed to a report that said the system didn’t fail after being tested for three months worth of workdays. And the survey says - Windows 2000.

Then there were these pearls of wisdom from Chairman Gates: “We are entering a new era of personal computing – This powerful new version of Windows offers so much to customers – it unlocks the power of the PC and enables them to enjoy the best of what the digital world is all about.” Microsoft also suggested that customers “will experience a much more enhanced yet simplified computing experience. Customers can do things they’ve never done before with a PC; likewise, business users can work smarter and faster with more productive tools to meet the demands of any size company. This time, the winner is … Windows XP.

Now we come to the release of Windows Vista. Again, there’s lots of hype, but is it just more of the same? Or is Vista something to really get excited about.

First, let’s look at what Vista costs in terms of the features you’ll get.

So what do you really need to know about Microsoft Vista? Let’s start with this.

The basic version, Vista Home Basic, will sell for $199 for the full version, and $100 for the upgrade version. When Microsoft says “basic version,” they really mean just that – a stripped-down version that doesn’t have the bells and whistles of the other versions.

Then there’s the Home Premium version at $239 for the full version, $159 for the upgrade version. Home Premium adds the new Vista Aero graphical interface and Windows Flip 3D, a feature that lets you stack open windows and flip through them as though there were cards in a deck.

Windows Mobility and Tablet PC support is also included in the Home Premium version, as is Windows Meeting Space and Windows Media Center, which will no longer be sold as a separate operating system.

The Vista Business version adds Microsoft Backup and Networking, and Remote Desktop. It sells for $299 in a full version and $199 as an upgrade version.

The Business Ultimate version, $399 in full version, $259 in the upgrade version, adds BitLocker Drive Encryption.

While Vista presents you with several overpriced choices, for most of us, Home Premium will be the Vista of Choice unless you need to connect with corporate Windows servers. The plain Jane version, Vista Home, leaves out the features that make Vista exciting to look at, fun to work with and worth upgrading to.

If you plan to upgrade to Vista Home, don’t bother. Just stay with XP. But if you plan to upgrade to any of the other available versions of Vista, you’ll first want to see if your computer can handle the upgrade.

From the Microsoft Home Page, xww.microsoft.com, type Vista Upgrade Advisor in the search box and click on Go. Download the Upgrade Advisor and follow the instructions to run it on your system. Be sure that all of your USB devices are plugged in so the Advisor can see them. If your hardware can handle the upgrade, the Advisor will let you know.

Once the Advisor delivers its report, be sure to click to see the details to learn which parts of your system or which peripherals may no longer work properly should you upgrade. You may learn that Vista has no driver for your current printer, and in that case you’ll have to go to the Web site of the printer maker. You may also find that you could have problems with other peripherals like wireless keyboards and mice, trackballs and the like. Your wireless router may no longer work either, so you’ll really have to do your homework here. If you are shopping for new peripherals, make sure anything you buy will be Vista compatible.

One hardware upgrade you should plan on making to your existing desktop computer is a new, more powerful video card with its own RAM. And speaking of RAM, you’ll want lots of it in your system. While Microsoft says 512MB will do the job, don’t count on it. Go for performance.

Window’s Outlook Express, the free e-mail program that comes with Windows, has been replaced by what Microsoft calls Windows Mail. It has a new look and feel, and is easier and more intuitive to use.

The Windows Address Book has been replaced with Windows Contacts. It easily integrates with Windows Mail and with Windows Calendar, which lets you create group calendars for family members who share your computer and then publish calendars on the Internet.

Windows Calendar will sync with Microsoft Outlook.

Windows Vista also supplies you with SuperFetch and ReadyBoost. SuperFetch adds to a technology used in Windows XP called PreFetch, which preloads applications you frequently use into memory so that when you launch the program, it launches faster. SuperFetch knows which programs you use most often and even which programs you’ll probably use on any given day of the week or at any particular time of the day.

ReadyBoost lets you use add more usable system RAM by just plugging in a USB 2.0 flash drive. The flash drive works with SuperFetch – leaving your regular system RAM to do it’s work, so that the computer overall is faster.

Perhaps the best strategy to use if you plan to upgrade – is to back up all of your data and do a clean, brand new install of a full version of Vista – Chances are that your Vista-equipped computer will be faster and tend to have less trouble with hardware and peripherals.

Sure, you’ll have to reinstall your programs and restore the data that you backed up, but in the end – it will be a worthwhile effort.

The Bottom-line here for me? Windows Vista pre-installed on a new computer is the best way to go, as long as you understand that there are bugs, glitches and holes yet to be discovered, and in the overall, the job of final testing of Vista falls to you, the user. I can only hope, having seen Patch Tuesday, a scheme under which Microsoft issues patches and fixes for Windows XP on the 2nd Tuesday of each month, that we won’t be seeing Patch Wednesday for Vista. If that happens, we’ll know we’ve been had again, my, the evil empire.
___________________________________________

MORE VISTA PAINS
Microsoft is facing an early crisis of confidence in the quality of its Windows Vista operating system as computer security researchers and hackers have begun to find potentially serious flaws in the system that was released to corporate customers late last month.

On Dec. 15, a Russian programmer posted a description of a flaw that makes it possible to increase a person's privileges on all of the company's recent operating systems, including Vista.

Over the weekend a Silicon Valley computer security firm said it had notified Microsoft that it had also found that flaw, as well as five other vulnerabilities, including one serious error in the software code underlying the company's new Internet Explorer 7 browser.

The browser flaw is particularly troubling because it potentially means that Web users can become infected with malicious software simply by visiting a booby-trapped site. That would make it possible for an attacker to inject rogue software into the Vista-based computer, according to executives at Determina, a company based in Redwood City, Calif., that sells software intended to protect against operating system and other vulnerabilities is part of a small industry of companies that routinely pore over the technical details of software applications and operating systems looking for flaws. When flaws in Microsoft products are found they are reported to the software maker, which then produces fixes called patches. Microsoft has built technology into its recent operating systems that makes it possible for the company to fix its software automatically via the Internet.

Despite Microsoft assertions about the improved reliability of Vista, many in the industry are taking a wait-and-see approach. Microsoft's previous operating system, Windows XP, required two "service packs" issued over a number of years to substantially improve security, and new flaws are still routinely discovered by outside researchers.

Last week, a Microsoft executive posted a comment on a company security information Web site stating the Microsoft was "closely monitoring" the vulnerability described by the Russian Web site. It permits the privileges of a standard user account in Vista and other versions of Windows to be increased, permitting control of all of the operations of the computer. In UNIX and modern Windows systems, people are restricted in the functions they can perform, and complete power is restricted to certain administrative accounts.

So what did Microsoft say in response to all of this? A spokes hack for Microsoft says this – “Currently we have not observed any public exploitation or attack activity regarding this issue," wrote Mike Reavey, operations manager of the Microsoft Security Response Center. "While I know this is a vulnerability that impacts Windows Vista, I still have every confidence that Windows Vista is our most secure platform to date."

Mr. Gates, when will your company ever learn to bring out a safe operating system?

Microsoft has spent millions branding the Vista operating system as the most secure product it has produced, and it is counting on Vista to help turn the tide against a wave of software attacks now plaguing Windows-based computers.

Vista is critical to Microsoft's reputation. Despite an almost four-and-half-year campaign on the part of the company, and the best efforts of the computer security industry, the threat from harmful computer software continues to grow. Criminal attacks now range from programs that steal information from home and corporate PCs to growing armies of slave computers that are wreaking havoc on the commercial Internet.

This is not a time to be complacent. When software makers tell us that a program has been completely rewritten, it doesn't mean that it's more secure from day one. My bottom line here is - we will see a whole rash of Vista bugs show up in six months or a year."

By itself, the browser flaw that was reported to Microsoft could permit damage like the theft of password information and the attack of other computers.

However, one of the principal security advances of Internet Explorer 7 is a software "sandbox" that is intended to limit damage even if a malicious program is able to subvert the operation of the browser. That should limit the ability of any attacker to reach other parts of the Vista operating system, or to overwrite files.

But when coupled with the ability of the first flaw that permits the change in account privileges, it might then be possible to circumvent the sandbox controls. In that case it would make it possible to alter files and potentially permanently infect a target computer. This kind of attack has yet to be proved, he acknowledged.

Researchers have also notified Microsoft of four other flaws they had discovered, including a bug that would make it possible for an attacker to repeatedly disable a Microsoft Exchange mail server simply by sending the program an infected e-mail message.

Last week, a computer security firm in Tokyo told several computer news Web sites that they had discovered an offer on an underground computer discussion forum to sell information about a security flaw in Windows Vista for $50,000.

This allegation has yet to be confirmed, but several computer security companies have told my sources that there is a lively underground market for information that would permit attackers to break in to systems via the Internet.

[Songbird]

Give me a MAC!

[jokenmar]

We bought the Windows XP about 4 years ago and so far, it is doing fine. I am not the computer expert here, but my husband takes care of the computer. He regularly cleans it up, defrags, removes old stuff, bad stuff and stuff we don't use a lot, and whatever else there is to do to a computer to keep it running smoothly. All I do is surf, read, and type. (I do run a virus scan once in a while). We have an agreement: I do the fixin of the food, he does the fixin of the computer. Works for us.

[greysrdbest]

i have heard also Vita wont install on a new hard drive, whats up with that, and as far as the 1 gb memory requirements--you can bet youll need 2G plus a newer FBsystem to really fly on videos etc.I was on NT sevice pack 4 till i recently bought a new box that comes with XP...not really impressed by XP itself. im thinking about going linux, alot of ppl are doing the ubuntu thing

heres a link.

www.ubuntu.com/

i do believe that vista will basically let microsoft have more control over your machine....for some ppl thats fine....in fact probably 75% of end users wont even be cognizant of the fact, and the 15% that are up to speed on that wont care. that leaves....the rest of us.

[jim]

I'm another one that will let Vista simmer awhile and stick with XP. I wouldn't even consider upgrading now because there are way too many problems to deal with. I think XP will be around a phew more years. It wasn't long ago that Microsoft stopped supporting Windows 98, so I phigure we probably got another 5 years or so.

[mickee311]

Agreed. Let them work out all the bugs and kinks and I'm going to stick with XP in the meantime. DH said that even the Army hasn't gone to Vista, it's not even approved for govt use, they won't have it till it's relatively bug-free.

[jokenmar]

I loved my XP, but lost it in the fire. When I went shopping for a new computer, I could not get an XP, so wound up with a windows vista. I am not thrilled with it. We bought a Linksys Wireless-G broadband router for our home networking (3 computers) and had to call the company to get it hook up right. Vista was not set up to handle the router.

We still have all of our discs that came with our XP, and I wanted to zero out our Vista and load it back up with the XP. Guess what! I cannot do this. Vista will not accept XP. So, I am stuck with Vista.

When I bought my XP, The Microsoft Word was included in the package. I thought it was with this one, too, but just found out that I have to purchase Microsoft Word separately.(we only had a trial period for Microsoft Word) Now ain't that something? I am going to try to find someone who has a license key number that I can use. If not, I will just have to learn to work without it. I refuse to pay for it separately.

Anyway, haven't had any really serious problems so far. I had one virus infection, but my AVAST caught it and did away with it immediately. (AVAST is FREE!) We had been paying for McAffee, but when we discovered AVAST, we quit paying for virus protection. We have not been sorry, either. This is one good virus protection.

[notherdigger]

Hey jokenmar you are right bout the Avast, I has ben doing a good job for me for a long time. I had Norton installed locally a long time ago and 5 months later they said it had expired and needed to be updated for more money. Avast is the bomb. I just wish I had known more when we bought this puter from Walmart on the christmas special. It don't have enough zip for video and graphics can't be upgraded. More mem would help but I bought nother 256 to go with the 128 but the 256 ain't working. Don't anyone buy end of year specials cause they ain't. Unless you know your stuff. We never had but one puter before that and you don't want to know how bad that used one was lol. I haven't heard anything good bout vista from anyone but Billy the gatekeeper.

[notherdigger]

Hey I would like to hear more about the Ubuntu and the Linux os from those of you who know alot bout puters. It sounds good to me but I know next to nothing bout it. Another question: can you delete your xp/ windows system and install Linux. I have lots of doubts cause I haven't seen lots of pro comments on the phorum yet. Any input would be great.