# Windows Vista



## heinz57 (Jan 12, 2005)

This is our short review, I will go into more detail later on when I have had a chance to mess around with Vista more.

Installation: Installation was very easy and consists of 2 steps. Entering the serial key, choosing where the installation is and then you just let it do its thing. I would say it took about an hour to install.

Appearance: Windows Vista looks a lot like Windows XP but with a different theme. Vista uses a little bit different setup in the start menu and a few other places as you will see in the pictures below.

Functionality: Vista uses fade effects and transparent effects when you change windows. If you look in some of the pictures you can see through the window. It looks cool but it bogs down the computer, especially if you have quite a few windows open.

More and Pictures


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## ekim68 (Jul 8, 2003)

Thanks. I've been curious about this. Can I ask what type of system you loaded it on?
(cpu, memory, etc.....)


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## heinz57 (Jan 12, 2005)

AMD Atholon XP 2800+
512MB DDR PC3200 RAM
120 GIG WD Harddrive
I had a Geforce FX 5600 now it has an ATi Radeon 9800 Pro.
ASUS A7N8X-X Motherboard


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## blues_harp28 (Jan 9, 2005)

Cheers heinz57..keep the info coming..:up:


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## heinz57 (Jan 12, 2005)

next think I want to look into is WinFS (the new file system)


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## Doom_Machine (Jun 26, 2005)

i posted this a while back and is just my opinion of it compared to xp. also if i remember right WinFs just sits on top of ntfs and is not an entirely different file system of its own, but i cant recall the details but remember being disapointed.

i wasnt too impressed with vista after using some of the 3rd party apps i mention, in fact its aweful similar, i just cant see $300 for this os.
other than winfs & virtual folder search, you can make xp look and act like vista using some 3rd party apps.

1> Longhorn transformation pack 10.5 free - all the wallpapers,themes,icons..etc found in vista
2> Dreamrender 2.19 shareware- uses graphics cards instead of cpu, a replacement for avalon - create/download 3d animated wallpaper/use videos,liquid effects for wallpaper/transparency..etc
3> Desktop X shareware - another simliar replacement for the avalon feature- 3d icons, wierd start bars and menus, apple icons/animated icons lots of stuff dedicated to eyecandy
4> Google desktop/coppernick/findfiles-free - of course these search utilities are not virtual folders like how vista's search works, these find whats on your drive pretty fast anyway.
5> Truelaunch bar -shareware-you can create virtual folders,combine shortcuts in groups..etc, replaces old quicklaunch
6> WinFX - shareware- different effects for menus
7> Armor tools/pcsecure/securexp...etc - replacements for vista's user account protection (which will be quickly hacked and taken advantage of)

heres a list of some features that i think many enthusiasts will at some point find them to be resource hogs,not applicable to user or eventually replaced by 3rd party software.

support for tablet pc's (wow..tablets)
broad IPv6 support,
improved client-side caching of data stored on a server,
whole-volume encryption... (i have a 2 yr old prog that does that)
a revamped synchronization engine....(ooo..revamped)
the ability to support laptops with an auxiliary display 
automatic hard drive optimization and a secure boot-up process (i think diskeeper and bootloc already does that)
more outlook security features (do people use this crappy thing whith all the alternatives out there?)
user account protection- (something else to hog resources)
security features for corporate,roaming and mobile environments (cripes theres already a virus for it and why would home users need those extra securities, more resource hogging crap with countless patches that will be needed within a year)
service hardening monitors critical services for abnormal activity (great if your a paranoid antivirus freak but more monitoring, just what we need)
IE7 (nuff said, many will still want firefox)
Network access protection ( everyone will have to use an AV anyway..why bother with this crap)
Firewall with incomming & outgoing protection ( no one will trust this or it will be exploited anyway and use 3rd party firewalls)
A.C.T (most users will still not know how to use this and request help or pay someone anyway)
faster bootup/sleep and better memory management ( great but is that worth $300)
U.I. (avalon) glass and new window animiation ( will get boring quick and you can have all that on XP that also uses your video card instead of cpu)
Virtual Folder (great but again one of few features of any real interest)
winfs (nice but dont expect miracles in performance)
Network projection for mobile pc's (i'm pretty sure theres software on xp for this)
indigo (i'm not impressed nor would i expect to see this utilized to full potential anytime soon after release)


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## HenryVI (May 27, 2005)

Is this WinFS like the filesystem in Linux?

I like the color theme heinz :up: :up:


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## heinz57 (Jan 12, 2005)

Thanks, Henry.

Vista just looks like XP but with another theme.


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## brendandonhu (Jul 8, 2002)

HenryVI said:


> Is this WinFS like the filesystem in Linux?
> 
> I like the color theme heinz :up: :up:


WinFS isn't really a filesystem, Vista still uses NTFS.


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## ekim68 (Jul 8, 2003)

What does WinFS do?


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## brendandonhu (Jul 8, 2002)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WinFS


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## ekim68 (Jul 8, 2003)

Thanks....


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## heinz57 (Jan 12, 2005)

It is basically an add on. I think you can use it with SP2.

I guess you can't use MSCONFIG in Vista. Trying to figure out how to modify the boot file.


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## tdi_veedub (Jan 29, 2004)

I thought MS pulled WinFS from Vista? Along with everything else they pulled. From what I have read on various sources the only difference between XP and Vista is some eye candy and more DRM(yuk) ....


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## heinz57 (Jan 12, 2005)

They did pull WinFS for vista although they do plan on adding it in a service pack later on. It doesn't look much different than XP. It has a few neat ad-ons but that's it.


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## Doom_Machine (Jun 26, 2005)

they did pull it, but will be available for download in 2007. but i have everything else that vista has right now, same themes n all....i call it....Xista


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## heinz57 (Jan 12, 2005)

mine is the ketchup machine


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## Flrman1 (Jul 26, 2002)

Hi heinz57

May I ask how you got the Vista beta? Are you a MSDN subsrciber or a MS MVP?


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## heinz57 (Jan 12, 2005)

I didn't it is my friend's he has an MSDN subscription.


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## Flrman1 (Jul 26, 2002)

OK. I was just curious.


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## heinz57 (Jan 12, 2005)

Yeah, kind of stupid it is only for MSDN and MVP subscribers to download. I think someone else on our site has an MSDN subscription.


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## DaveBurnett (Nov 11, 2002)

And Technet, and anyone who signed up as a beta tester.


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## heinz57 (Jan 12, 2005)

I have signed up as a beta tester and I didn't see anything about it.


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## Flrman1 (Jul 26, 2002)

Hi DaveBurnett,

Are you going to the MVP Summit?


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## DaveBurnett (Nov 11, 2002)

No. Can't afford it and I'm not that strong a swimmer!!


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## Flrman1 (Jul 26, 2002)

Too bad. It would be nice to meet you. I don't know how many of the other MVPs we have here at TSG are going. The only ones I know are going for sure are myself and AcaCandy.


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## dugq (Jul 16, 2004)

Some interesting stuff about audio on vista



> What's up with Audio in Windows Vista?
> 
> Steve Ball (the GPM for the MediaTech group (of which Windows Audio is a part)) discussed some of these changes in the Windows Audio Channel 9 video, but I'd like to spend a bit more time talking about what we've done.
> 
> ...


http://blogs.msdn.com/larryosterman/archive/2005/09/19/471346.aspx



> Windows Audio Quality Enhancements
> In my last post, I mentioned the architectural thrust behind the Vista audio changes.
> 
> I left off explaining how we're dealing with problem #2 - the audio quality issue (because it deserves an entire post on its own).
> ...


http://blogs.msdn.com/larryosterman/archive/2005/09/20/471872.aspx


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## SIR****TMG (Aug 12, 2003)

I wanted to be a beta tester but wasn't chosen.....


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## CVDpr (Feb 23, 2005)

Vista its gonna open the doors to Unix/linux, cuz its gona be to expensive (specialy the hardware to run it smooth)


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## ekim68 (Jul 8, 2003)

I may have missed this, but how much is vista going to demand in resources, such as
cpu speed, memory, bus speed, etc.....


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## talon03 (Apr 26, 2005)

ekim68 said:


> I may have missed this, but how much is vista going to demand in resources, such as
> cpu speed, memory, bus speed, etc.....


I'm not quite sure, but I think it's safe to assume it will be designed to run on 64-bit architecture.


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## ~Candy~ (Jan 27, 2001)

http://winsupersite.com/showcase/winvista_editions.asp

This was posted in another thread.


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## tsunam (Sep 14, 2003)

I'm still of the opinion that its basically windows XP just reskinned. Aero, seems to be little more then a transparency update. This is a move to compete with os X (who did it right when they did it) and linux who did non true transparency for a good long time but has had it now for ~a year. I just wonder if it is true server transparency or a fake transparency, I suspect the former.

Avalon, being the other will use xml for configs that is a nice addition. Beyond that SVG support is a about time, being able to make a image as large or small as you want without losing any quality.

Previews just remind me of XP. If i feel the need to be windowish, I'll just go use reactos or just use xp 

edit: oh and don't get me started about ie7's non-support for css2 fully.


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## gmcsierra99 (Dec 7, 2005)

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/default.asp

looks great .

got some questions: how much will it cost? and what are the requirements? thanks.


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## ~Candy~ (Jan 27, 2001)

I don't think a price has been set yet.

I've been running a beta on a P4, 2.4 with 512 ram.....if that helps guide you any.


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## dr20 (Apr 11, 2003)

The only thing I want to know is can I make Vista look and act like Windows 98 as I can with XP?


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## ~Candy~ (Jan 27, 2001)

Ah, from my testing, I'm gonna say no at this point


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## talon03 (Apr 26, 2005)

I never liked the look of 98, too grey


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## dr20 (Apr 11, 2003)

> Ah, from my testing, I'm gonna say no at this point


Figured Microsoft would move on from that eventually.


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## dr20 (Apr 11, 2003)

> I never liked the look of 98, too grey


That's exactly what I liked about it. 

That and the original look of the Start menu.


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## DaveBurnett (Nov 11, 2002)

The beta versions are not yet configerable. I would imagine that the release version will be


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## ~Candy~ (Jan 27, 2001)

I guess we'll see. Since the support for 98 will stop soon, I would think they would want users getting used to the 'feel' of the new operating system


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## gmcsierra99 (Dec 7, 2005)

why would the 98 support stop soon? soo this means if i have problems with my Win. 98 computer i wont be able to get any help?!


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## talon03 (Apr 26, 2005)

well 98 is now 8 years out of date


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## gmcsierra99 (Dec 7, 2005)

what about Win. 95?


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## dr20 (Apr 11, 2003)

> soo this means if i have problems with my Win. 98 computer i wont be able to get any help?!


You'll still be able to get help for it from forums like this but Microsoft won't be servicing it any longer after June. If you can't upgrade right now you might want to look into at least browsing with Firefox or Mozilla since they'll most likely still be patching theirs. It's the Internet Explorer that'll have unresolved security problems in 98 and 98SE.


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## Stoner (Oct 26, 2002)

Don't worry about support for 98se or 95. There are plenty of help sites and you're already at the Best 

I gave 95 a whirl just to see if claims it was unusable were true. It has it's limitations, for sure, but it's quite usable and safe on the Internet, IMHO.
I posted my thoughts here:  Link
Many members have posted info through out the tech sections on 95/98/98se and Me.

But, there are those that always prefer 'shinny and new'. And we'll see them post soon enough with their problems, too 

Besides, how many people really spend all day looking at their screen savers, desktops and start buttons _

BTW, I'm posting from 98se right now 
True, it could have been XP home( I have it too) but who would have known


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## talon03 (Apr 26, 2005)

> Besides, how many people really spend all day looking at their screen savers, desktops and start buttons


eh...........................


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## Stoner (Oct 26, 2002)

Morning talon 

My interests lie more in Vista's ability(or inability) to resist malware and intrusions.
Any Vista testers have any comments/experiences to share in those areas?


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## ~Candy~ (Jan 27, 2001)

I still run 98SE here and there.........

Mostly here


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## talon03 (Apr 26, 2005)

Stoner said:


> Morning talon
> 
> My interests lie more in Vista's ability(or inability) to resist malware and intrusions.
> Any Vista testers have any comments/experiences to share in those areas?


Aye, I was wondering about that as well.


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## ~Candy~ (Jan 27, 2001)

I'm told it is supposed to be more secure.

I can't say that I have received any nasty files to test, however


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## Flrman1 (Jul 26, 2002)

It is definately more secure. I can't tell you much more than that or I'll have to kill you!


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## brendandonhu (Jul 8, 2002)

What version of Windows since 1.0 _hasn't_ claimed to be more secure?


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## Flrman1 (Jul 26, 2002)

It isn't just a claim. It is a fact. I have been quite impressed with some of the new security features I've seen in Vista. I'm also impressed with the effort and emphasis that MS is putting into making Vista more secure than any previous OS.


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## ~Candy~ (Jan 27, 2001)

With all of my computers down, I haven't been able to test the newest release


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## talon03 (Apr 26, 2005)

Aw, poor candy!
you nearly on top of your comp problems?
Thanks for the info Flrman.


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## talon03 (Apr 26, 2005)

I still admit I find Linux more secure, and not just because of the fact that almost no one bothers writing viruses for it!


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## DaveBurnett (Nov 11, 2002)

> all of my computers down


ALL????
I haven't tried the latest one yet. 2Gb is a BIG download. That would use a full months quota for many people in the UK



> because of the fact that almost no one bothers writing viruses for it!


YET!!!!


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## ~Candy~ (Jan 27, 2001)

talon03 said:


> Aw, poor candy!
> you nearly on top of your comp problems?
> Thanks for the info Flrman.


Yeah, I've had an amazing last month  It seems like everything keeps breaking in succession. Just had a hard drive take a dive yesterday as well. It has to be something electrical here, but I've got everything on UPS 

Dave, I have my laptop, that is about the only computer running, out of 4! 

I'm going to buy a new power supply tomorrow and see if that could be an issue, as all of them have been connected to a power strip that I no longer trust 

And yes, the new build is HUGE!  I did manage to get it downloaded, it took overnight


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## talon03 (Apr 26, 2005)

> And yes, the new build is HUGE! I did manage to get it downloaded, it took overnight


ouch!


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## talon03 (Apr 26, 2005)

> YET!!!!


And then when they do, it won't just be people at one company writing fixes for them as it's all open source


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## ~Candy~ (Jan 27, 2001)

talon03 said:


> ouch!


And I was on highspeed 

Downstream/Upstream
4 Mbps/512 kbps*


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## talon03 (Apr 26, 2005)

nice, fastest we can get here at the mo's about a 2.2MBPS


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## DaveBurnett (Nov 11, 2002)

I've only just gone from 512k to 1024k ! !
But at least it is uncapped.


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## ~Candy~ (Jan 27, 2001)

I think there is some cap on mine in Vegas as well, I don't think I spend enough time there to find out what it is though


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