Medical advantages of using Vista

[Grandpaw]

If you have a LOW blood pressure problem and need to raise it by a large number of points to get it regulated, then Vista is just what you need.

I have recently purchased a laptop that has Vista in it and it is a pain in the a$$. Everything is in a different place than XP or any of the other systems. Now you have to hunt for everything and sometimes it is not there to be found. Every single time I use this system I find out something else that I do not like.

Something as simple as wanting to print page 20 out of a thirty page document. With XP and previous systems you could pick page 20 out of 30 and print one page but with Vista you have a choice between all the even or odd pages resulting in wasted paper, ink, and time.

I know some of you may like it but to me it is the most NON USER FRIENDLY piece of junk I have EVER tried to use.

If you do a Google search on Vista it is almost ALL NEGATIVE.

My advice would be to avoid Vista at all cost! I am one unhappy customer, Jeff


I tried four times clicking on FILE then PRINT and could only print even or odd pages. I posted this thread then went back and pressed FILE then PRINT again and now I am getting a completely different window that will allow me to select a single page like I wanted to the other time! Go figure? I still don't like Vista, Jeff

[jorgemonkey]

Amen brother! We have 2 vista computers at work, and I hate using them. All the printers we have didn't work, and some of the software we need to load on that computer doesn't work. Its painful!

[Xia_Ke]

Amen brother! We have 2 vista computers at work, and I hate using them. All the printers we have didn't work, and some of the software we need to load on that computer doesn't work. Its painful!

LOL... We almost fell into that trap here at work too when it came time to upgrade but, luckily I managed to convince my boss to stick with XP Pro

[Frog]

Can you buy a computer without it anymore?
My computer shop does whatever they can to talk people out of it and most of their repairs are Vista related.

[SmartWombat]

If you have a LOW blood pressure problem and need to raise it by a large number of points to get it regulated, then Vista is just what you need

Microsoft recognises this ans allows downgrades to Windows XP.
See if your computer manufacturer/supplier supports it.
I sent back a desktop system because Vista was utterly useless and they didn't support a downgrade. Or in my case upgrade to XP.

Friends don't let friends do Vista !

[Grandpaw]

Microsoft recognises this ans allows downgrades to Windows XP.
See if your computer manufacturer/supplier supports it.
I sent back a desktop system because Vista was utterly useless and they didn't support a downgrade. Or in my case upgrade to XP.

Friends don't let friends do Vista !

I called HP and they said that if you bought a computer with XP that you could DOWNGRADE to Vista but they did not support upgrading from Vista to XP. Did you notice my sarcasm? Jeff

Personally I think Vista was designed by someone at Microsoft that had an investment portfolio heavily weighted in Mac computer stock! :mad2:

[Xia_Ke]

...Friends don't let friends do Vista !

ROTFL

[SmartWombat]

So you bought from the wrong dealer

http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquir...ers-windows-xp
Says Dell: "With Windows Vista® Downgrade Service from Dell, you get a simple way to migrate to Windows Vista on your schedule.
Dell will factory-install Windows XP Professional and give you the DVD to install Windows Vista Business or Windows Vista Ultimate when you’re ready (you will also receive the DVD for Windows XP Professional).
Dell will also support both operating systems on your PC throughout the limited warranty period."

http://www.vaio-link.com/os/xp/downgrade/
"A downgrade to Windows XP™ Professional SP2 will not have any influence on the manufacturer's guarantee. However, should your VAIO have to be serviced and brought back to factory settings, the originally supplied Operating System (Windows Vista™) will be reinstalled"

http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/0,1...9292644,00.htm
Customers with a Vista licence can purchase the two-DVD pack for £7, according to David Newbould, NEC UK's product marketing manager. The first DVD sets up a partition on the hard drive and installs core XP files and drivers, while the second DVD installs the remaining XP files in the partition, said Newbould.

http://www.informationweek.com/news/...leID=205101355
Ditching Vista: How To Downgrade To Windows XP
If sluggish performance and numerous bugs in your shiny new PC running Windows Vista have got you down, you can downgrade -- at no additional cost -- to Windows XP. It's not hard.
Once you're satisfied that XP is in the groove, you're free and clear to activate. Make sure to select the "activate by phone" option; this isn't something you can do online. Dial the number provided, wade through the prompts until you reach a live rep, then explain that you're downgrading. Provide your Vista product key; the rep should walk you through the remaining steps. Note that you may be redirected to your PC vendor, depending on your Vista version and license.

http://news.cnet.co.uk/software/0,39...9292967,00.htm
"In June, Microsoft changed its practices to allow computer makers that sell pre-activated Vista machines to order Windows XP discs that could be included inside the box with PCs, or shipped to customers without requiring additional activation. Microsoft noted in a statement that neither it nor the PC makers are "obligated to supply earlier versions to end users under the end user licencing terms". "

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/si...TA-DWNGRD.html
For more information on Microsoft downgrade rights, please visit the following URL:
http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...rade_chart.doc

[mwfanelli2]

I
I have recently purchased a laptop that has Vista in it and it is a pain in the a$$. Everything is in a different place than XP or any of the other systems. Now you have to hunt for everything and sometimes it is not there to be found. Every single time I use this system I find out something else that I do not like.

Yes, some things are different. Many are not. No, not "XP or any of the other systems" You really believe that MacOS and Linux work just like XP? Vista, in fact, has been criticized as not being different enough!

Something as simple as wanting to print page 20 out of a thirty page document. With XP and previous systems you could pick page 20 out of 30 and print one page but with Vista you have a choice between all the even or odd pages resulting in wasted paper, ink, and time.

For me, the Print box dialog is EXACTLY the same as my XP box. What software are you using? I print individual pages and ranges all the time. Nothing new here.

I know some of you may like it but to me it is the most NON USER FRIENDLY piece of junk I have EVER tried to use.

It's look and feel is almost exactly like XP. It is, in fact, closer to XP than any other OS out there.

If you do a Google search on Vista it is almost ALL NEGATIVE.

Of course! Who writes long diatribes about how good their OS is? It's just like cameras, only the bad things get printed. Would you base a camera decision on that?

I tried four times clicking on FILE then PRINT and could only print even or odd pages. I posted this thread then went back and pressed FILE then PRINT again and now I am getting a completely different window that will allow me to select a single page like I wanted to the other time! Go figure? I still don't like Vista, Jeff

This tells me that it's not Vista but user error! The OS does not magically change itself overnight. I am well acquainted with anger: the angrier I get the worse product XYZ starts to fail!

Look, obviously you are extremely angry. But your anger is misplaced. Problems with printers and peripherals is the MANUFACTURERS fault, not Microsoft's. Vista has been out for well over a year now, even longer in beta for manufacturers. Any company that hasn't gotten its act together by now is just not reliable. Certainly you remember that the same problems plagued XP: its not like NT, drivers don't work, things don't exist or can't be found, etc.

XP will be available for retail sale until the end of June. The trade in for Vista from Microsoft only applies to retail Vista purchases. Dell will not automatically ship XP replacements (look at the numerous posts on the Dell Vista forums).

Or, you can take a deep breath, calm yourself down, and learn to use the new system. It can be done, I've used all sorts of OSs, at home and at work, from DOS to Vista, VAX/VMS, Unix, Linux, MacOS, etc. They are all different, sometimes a lot, sometimes a little. They all take time to get used to.

[Franglais]

I have two Vista systems at home and one XP system at work. I prefer Vista. The ability to place things like Videos and Images and Downloads wherever you want is very useful.

I also have a greater feeling of security with Vista. As far as I am aware there have been no serious virus problems with it.

[Canuck935]

I've been using Vista since the beta, maybe even before that. At first Vista is very frustrating to use. Once you get used to it you'll realize it's much better. I definitely prefer Vista over XP. Vista support for software and hardware was slow to start (which was Vista's biggest problem), but the market seems to have caught up now.

[Grandpaw]

Yes, some things are different. Many are not. No, not "XP or any of the other systems" You really believe that MacOS and Linux work just like XP? Vista, in fact, has been criticized as not being different enough!



For me, the Print box dialog is EXACTLY the same as my XP box. What software are you using? I print individual pages and ranges all the time. Nothing new here.



It's look and feel is almost exactly like XP. It is, in fact, closer to XP than any other OS out there.



Of course! Who writes long diatribes about how good their OS is? It's just like cameras, only the bad things get printed. Would you base a camera decision on that?



This tells me that it's not Vista but user error! The OS does not magically change itself overnight. I am well acquainted with anger: the angrier I get the worse product XYZ starts to fail!

Look, obviously you are extremely angry. But your anger is misplaced. Problems with printers and peripherals is the MANUFACTURERS fault, not Microsoft's. Vista has been out for well over a year now, even longer in beta for manufacturers. Any company that hasn't gotten its act together by now is just not reliable. Certainly you remember that the same problems plagued XP: its not like NT, drivers don't work, things don't exist or can't be found, etc.

XP will be available for retail sale until the end of June. The trade in for Vista from Microsoft only applies to retail Vista purchases. Dell will not automatically ship XP replacements (look at the numerous posts on the Dell Vista forums).

Or, you can take a deep breath, calm yourself down, and learn to use the new system. It can be done, I've used all sorts of OSs, at home and at work, from DOS to Vista, VAX/VMS, Unix, Linux, MacOS, etc. They are all different, sometimes a lot, sometimes a little. They all take time to get used to.

All I can say is this is definitely not my first computer. I have used several windows systems on several different computers starting with Windows 3.1 on up. All I can say is that for me and many others that I have talked with Vista is just not user friendly. In my opinion they went out of their way to make you have to figure out where they decided to put everything. This IS my opinion and I'm sticking to it!!!!! Jeff

[Franglais]

....All I can say is that for me and many others that I have talked with Vista is just not user friendly. In my opinion they went out of their way to make you have to figure out where they decided to put everything...

I don't have this problem with Vista but it was definitely my impression with Office 2007. Instead of having everything one one screen it's now spread over 5 screens. Apparently it's easier for newcomers.

You definitely don't want to know about EXCHANGE 2007 either. We went from a graphical user interface to a command-line one with a cut-down graphical command generator. Behind the scenes the whole product changed and we had to learn new ways of doing simple things like backups.

That's life in computing. Things change all the time and you just have to keep up. I spend half my "holidays" at home learning stuff.

[mwfanelli2]

All I can say is this is definitely not my first computer. I have used several windows systems on several different computers starting with Windows 3.1 on up. All I can say is that for me and many others that I have talked with Vista is just not user friendly. In my opinion they went out of their way to make you have to figure out where they decided to put everything. This IS my opinion and I'm sticking to it!!!!! Jeff

LOL! But it's almost exactly the same as XP! What is missing or misplaced? I'm just interested, I know I won't change your mind!

I don't have this problem with Vista but it was definitely my impression with Office 2007.

Indeed. It takes more time to do the same things. The silly UI for Office 2007 is a crime against humanity. A few things I like, most I hate. Hey, Grandpaw, here's something that really is different and annoying!

I have started using OpenOffice for many things now, especially word processing. But the horrible OO equation editor has me sticking to PowerPoint 2007 for physics class slides
.

[Grandpaw]

LOL! But it's almost exactly the same as XP! What is missing or misplaced? I'm just interested, I know I won't change your mind!



Indeed. It takes more time to do the same things. The silly UI for Office 2007 is a crime against humanity. A few things I like, most I hate. Hey, Grandpaw, here's something that really is different and annoying!

I have started using OpenOffice for many things now, especially word processing. But the horrible OO equation editor has me sticking to PowerPoint 2007 for physics class slides
.

Just to be fair I looked around to see if I could find something that was exactly the same in Vista as it is in XP and I noticed that the time in the lower right hand corner was in the same place , so all is not lost!

I will give you just a few examples of what I am talking about. First is one of the most simple and basic things you do is to shut down your computer. You click the START button which has been changed (no biggie). Then you look for the SHUT DOWN button that is no longer there. Oh maybe if I click on the little arrow that might lead me to something, Shazam there it is! Why not just have the SHUT DOWN button like XP has.

After you boot up I click on programs. In Vista to find what I am looking for I have to scroll up and down to see everything instead of just looking at the list. I know these might seem trivial to you but it is just a small part of the whole picture of having to find everything.

Now if we step over to the mail. When I receive an E-Mail and want to add that person to my address book of course I right click on the incoming mail so I can easily click on ADD SENDER TO ADDRESS BOOK but no it ain't there! So I get the idea to write them an E-Mail to voice my opinion. I get done and go to click the ABC spell check button and low and behold it ain't there either. Now I get to play episode 523 of where did they decide to hide that?

I did look up the word Vista in a dictionary and the definition reads "Where did it go" " What did they do with it" " where the H*** is it". All three definitions I can relate too.

These are just a few simple examples of the many differences that I am finding. If your copy of Vista is almost exactly the same as XP is there any way you could burn me a copy? LOL This could be the plot for the next Mission Impossible movie.

By the way I put office 2003 in my laptop and deleted the free trial of 2007, Jeff

Also i almost forgot another simple difference. If you changed from windows 98 to XP and didn't like the different look and changes with just about two clicks you could make XP look like windows 98. Where is the button on Vista that makes it look like XP so I could look at a familiar looking screen?

[mwfanelli2]

I will give you just a few examples of what I am talking about. First is one of the most simple and basic things you do is to shut down your computer. You click the START button which has been changed (no biggie). Then you look for the SHUT DOWN button that is no longer there. Oh maybe if I click on the little arrow that might lead me to something, Shazam there it is! Why not just have the SHUT DOWN button like XP has.

Wow, I am stunned. I was under the impression that you were talking about functional practical differences, not just eye candy stuff. Wow...

All I can say is that I found shutdown immediately, never even thought about it. But if you are locked into one and only one way of doing a shutdown for the rest of time, no OS other than XP will ever satisfy you. FWIW, XP had several shutdown methods as well. The one on my home desktop is very different than the one on the XP boxes at the school.

After you boot up I click on programs. In Vista to find what I am looking for I have to scroll up and down to see everything instead of just looking at the list. I know these might seem trivial to you but it is just a small part of the whole picture of having to find everything.

What can I say? Eye candy again. Most people have said very good things about the new menu list. May I suggest you go to Properties and select "Classic Start Menu"? That makes it go back to the old style of doing things. I prefer the newer method, its faster and more efficient, for me at least.

Now if we step over to the mail. When I receive an E-Mail and want to add that person to my address book of course I right click on the incoming mail so I can easily click on ADD SENDER TO ADDRESS BOOK but no it ain't there! So I get the idea to write them an E-Mail to voice my opinion. I get done and go to click the ABC spell check button and low and behold it ain't there either. Now I get to play episode 523 of where did they decide to hide that?

This has absolutely nothing to do with Vista, its just an email application. If you don't like Windows Mail (I've never used it), you can use good old Outlook 2003 that comes with Office or, for free, get the excellent Thunderbird email client from Mozilla. I guess you are used to Outlook Express, I never used that either.

I did look up the word Vista in a dictionary and the definition reads "Where did it go" " What did they do with it" " where the H*** is it". All three definitions I can relate too.

I have no idea what this means!

Also i almost forgot another simple difference. If you changed from windows 98 to XP and didn't like the different look and changes with just about two clicks you could make XP look like windows 98. Where is the button on Vista that makes it look like XP so I could look at a familiar looking screen?

Let me say this, without meaning to sound rotten or nasty. If you are that wedded to a particular OS, go out and buy XP now while its still available. Sales stop on June 30. Some people just don't like change, even small insignificant changes. Nothing wrong with that. But time will pass you by, nothing stays exactly the same nor, in my opinion, should it.

[Skyman]

We haven't had to many problems with vista at work. Maybe that is because i gave it to the people who always want the latest and greatest and are too proud to complain about it. adding a vista machine to our domain and exchange was super easy and other than one printer niggle that was driver related haven't had any major problems. that said we are going to go through some massive growth in the next two years and i am setting up a test bed to get macs hanging off our domain then i will be really happy. until then i am resisting changing my edit suite to vista.

[Grandpaw]

Wow, I am stunned. I was under the impression that you were talking about functional practical differences, not just eye candy stuff. Wow...

All I can say is that I found shutdown immediately, never even thought about it. But if you are locked into one and only one way of doing a shutdown for the rest of time, no OS other than XP will ever satisfy you. FWIW, XP had several shutdown methods as well. The one on my home desktop is very different than the one on the XP boxes at the school.



What can I say? Eye candy again. Most people have said very good things about the new menu list. May I suggest you go to Properties and select "Classic Start Menu"? That makes it go back to the old style of doing things. I prefer the newer method, its faster and more efficient, for me at least.



This has absolutely nothing to do with Vista, its just an email application. If you don't like Windows Mail (I've never used it), you can use good old Outlook 2003 that comes with Office or, for free, get the excellent Thunderbird email client from Mozilla. I guess you are used to Outlook Express, I never used that either.



I have no idea what this means!



Let me say this, without meaning to sound rotten or nasty. If you are that wedded to a particular OS, go out and buy XP now while its still available. Sales stop on June 30. Some people just don't like change, even small insignificant changes. Nothing wrong with that. But time will pass you by, nothing stays exactly the same nor, in my opinion, should it.

Thanks for the discussion on Vista. I know that things change and I don't have a problem with that but it just seems to me that they went out of their way to make you have to search for how to do things the new way. Of the many people I have talked with very few have good things to say about Microsoft's way of doing things and that is basically what I and most of everyone I have heard agree with. I respect your opinion to like it and I'm glad you do but I don't. Ease of use or Eye Candy as you call makes a difference to me. My opinion might change in the future but for now my opinion along with many others are still the same.

On to bigger and better things, Jeff

[another view]

Can you buy a computer without it anymore?

Sure, Mac OSX. I'm coming up on a year after the switch and glad I did it. The biggest problem I've had was about a month ago when somehow I lost my automatic connection to my home wireless network, and had to look up the router password on my wife's computer. Not sure why that happened but seriously, that's the most involved repair I've dealt with.

Does it cost a little more? Yes, but maybe it's a case of getting what I paid for. Is all the software out there compatible? No, but there isn't anything I can't do other than play with my Garmin GPS software. That's not a big deal to me since I really only use it for backup navigation on sea kayak trips.

I can't remember hearing anything good about Vista from anyone I directly know. People ranging from those who use computers at home for basic email and web browsing, all the way up to PC gurus. I'm really glad to be done with it - at least in my own personal life.

[Medley]

The biggest problem I've had was about a month ago when somehow I lost my automatic connection to my home wireless network, and had to look up the router password on my wife's computer. Not sure why that happened but seriously, that's the most involved repair I've dealt with.

Have you done a software update in that time AV? Last month. one of the included updates was for the Airport.

I only ask because it's very easy to miss if you have the updates set on automatic. I had a merry time resetting my ethernet connections after installation, and it required resetting the Airport as well.

Just a thought.

- Joe U.

[mwfanelli2]

Sure, Mac OSX. I'm coming up on a year after the switch and glad I did it. The biggest problem I've had was about a month ago when somehow I lost my automatic connection to my home wireless network, and had to look up the router password on my wife's computer. Not sure why that happened but seriously, that's the most involved repair I've dealt with.

If he had trouble going from XP to Vista (almost identical), going to MacOS would be an absolute disaster!

[mwfanelli2]

Personally I like xp better than vista, xp is more convenient.

I have heard other people say this yet no one has ever given me an example of what "more convenient" means!

Vista had lots of problems when it was first released. Much like Leopard on MacOS which was a disaster for many. But Vista has been getting fixes and, with the release of SP1, has become a stable OS. My brother Mario rants and raves about how bad Vista is (and is very vocal about it) but he has not had problems in the last six months or more. But his mind is set and nothing will change it. The worse thing about Vista is its reputation.

[another view]

Have you done a software update in that time AV? Last month. one of the included updates was for the Airport.

I only ask because it's very easy to miss if you have the updates set on automatic. I had a merry time resetting my ethernet connections after installation, and it required resetting the Airport as well.

Just a thought.

- Joe U.

Thanks Joe, my software updates are set to automatic so maybe that was it.

Michael, I haven't used Vista but have used Win 95, 98 and XP, and now on OSX but still haven't gotten around to updating to Leopard. No real problems with any of the so-called upgrades, but OSX was the easiest one to configure right out of the box. Similar experiences reported by fairly non-technical friends who have made the switch...

[mwfanelli2]

T
Michael, I haven't used Vista but have used Win 95, 98 and XP, and now on OSX but still haven't gotten around to updating to Leopard. No real problems with any of the so-called upgrades, but OSX was the easiest one to configure right out of the box. Similar experiences reported by fairly non-technical friends who have made the switch...

Macs generally have and easy time of it. They should as Apple controls both the hardware and the OS! Leopard was the problem. It was released about the same time as Vista and quickly got labeled as "Apple Vista" because of lots of major bugs, many fatal (e.g., wiping out files). Many Mac users downgraded to Tiger. Leopard has been patched a few times now (including the largest patch in Apple history) leaving only a few minor bugs still remaining.

Hopefully, Leopard is a one time disaster for Apple. It is uncharacteristic for an Apple OS and hopefully not a sign of what future releases will be like. OSX has matured but, for me, its still not worth the price premium or, to my taste, the continued Apple Arrogance. You know, their Jedi mind trick: "There is no problem. There was never a problem."

[Franglais]

Microsoft just published a Technet article saying that moving the Vista reduces energy consumption and therefore greenhouse gas emissions. 10 PC's migrated to Vista is the equivalent of one less car on the road.

The white paper is here:

http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/system...gyConserv.mspx