Official Vista Thread

[The Wise Monkey]

Post your thoughts/advice/problems with Vista here!

I'll start:

1. Upgrading from XP to Vista is not a good idea - by this, I mean using the 'upgrade' feature. You are much better going for a fresh install of Vista, because although you may need to backup your files before hand, at least with a fresh install you know that all the software and the drivers will work properly.

2. I had a problem with the security of one of my hard drives - it said that I wasn't allowed to access the drive, yet I could write to it. I solved this problem by enabling the Administrator account, logging in as Administrator, and adding my user account to the security settings of the hard drive, then giving myself Full Control. I checked the box to propagate the settings down to all the files, and my problem was solved.

Hope this helps people with any of their problems - let us know your experiences! :)

[shyster]

Since you made this an "offical thread" I guess this would be the place to ask about specific as well as generic noob questions.

Can I ask what version of Vista you installed?

And the question that most regards me and the computer I plan to build, which version of Vista is best for a gamer, and video watching comp? I have looked at microsofts page but it is not all that helpful in explaining the differences between the versions; at least not in terms of knowing which one I would need doing this for the first time.

Is the home premium that much better than the home standard, is the ultimate that much better than the premium, at least in regards to what I would be using it for? And if it is that much better is it soo much better that it is worth the extra cash, even on an OEM version?

All my previous comps have always been store bought and thusly have always had the OS both installed and there. By there I mean I have just always used what it came with so I do not really know in regards to previous OS's what I have used.

Hope this all made sense and you will respond.

[The Wise Monkey]

Feel free to ask anything you want - this should be a resource for anyone with Vista questions. :)

I installed Vista Ultimate 32-bit, because the University I go to is part of the Microsoft Developers Network, so I get loads of free Microsoft software to install on my PC. I also got Office 2007 free as well. :D

To be honest, you won't notice a huge difference between Basic and Premium, as it is all optional extras anyway. The only thing you might be interested in is Windows Aero i.e. all the fancy effects, but they don't add anything new to the system. In fact, as a game myself, I have them all disabled to free up resources.

Video watching wise, any version will be OK, but you will need Premium if you want to make any movies (it comes with Windows Movie Maker).

In summary, if you won't need anything like Media Center or all that extra stuff, then Home Basic is perfectly good for what you need. If you want the fancy stuff of Windows Aero, and the price jump isn't too much, then go for Home Premium.

[RickyTick]

Just to add to what Wise Monkey said, the Ultimate would be a waste of money for the casual home pc user, unless you need remote access to your pc.

[chunkylover53]

My only Vista experience was with the cheapy Dell I bought me wife for Christmas, so she wouldn't feel the need to touch my new rig. I personally like the feel of it vs. XP, but I had a few problems (I'll depend on WM to let me know if these are not specifically Vista related).

First, I have an LG external DVD burner that is less than a year old, and I still can't get updated drivers. Granted, that's an LG issue not Microsoft problem.

The other issue was when I first got it going and it gave me a prompt to use a "Windows Transfer?" utility, which seemed like it would be a huge timesaver. You load a utility on the old machine, it creates an image to a disk(s), then you pop those in the new one and it loads all of your basics (favorites, e-mail accounts, etc.). Although it allowed me to select only what I wanted to bring over, needless to say I made a few wrong moves and before I knew it I had no sound. Long story short I spent 2 days reading forums, getting advice on removing and re-installing old and new versions of the drivers and nothing worked.

The positive side of Vista was when I leanred of the "restore point" utility, which allowed me to look at all of the changes and installs I had done and go back to exactly where I wanted to . I was able to click a button and go back to right before I did the windows transfer. Sound was back. The restore point might be on XP, but if it is I never knew it. It was pretty cool.

Otherwise, I like Vista and will probably make the move in a few months on my rig. I was reading a few articles in CPU magazine that give a lot of tips on getting the most out of it, and I'm keen to try the "Ready Boost?" thing on my wife's computer. You use a if you supply a fast enough flash stick, Vista will use a portion of that memory to accelerate boot times and performance, something like that.

Anyone had any experience with that?

[The Wise Monkey]

I have used the Ready Boost functionality with a standard USB stick, and it does make a slight difference, although nothing really noticeable.

XP does have a System Restore Point functionality, but it isn't as well thought out as Vista's is.