Windows Vista - Is it getting any better now with Service Pack 2?

Nar

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I just installed Windows Vista with SP2 for the first time on my desktop a couple of days ago. I did it only to test my machine out with it. I had it installed on my laptop when I bought it and I didn't like it because it was slow and had a lot of bugs. At that time Microsoft only had SP1 available.

I've been an XP Pro user since it came out and it was really hard adjusting to Vista's new look and feel. But on my desktop quite surprisingly, Windows Vista runs really well and fast. (when you have a decent processor and at the very least 3GB of ram).

My current set up is: Asus Rampage Formula mother board, 4GB DDR2 ram by Kingston, Intel Core 2 duo 3.3Ghz processor slightly overclocked at 3.8ghz, Creative SB 24bit audio card and an Nvidia 9600 GSO 1Gb video card.

Photoshop CS2 loads up fast as well as all my other processor intensive softwares and it's been fairly stable too.
After each installation of software, I also used a 3rd party defragmentor and disk space consolidator software to defrag my pc. And it made a huge difference! Like the load times and all are much quicker and smoother.


The only problems I've encountered was with my audio card software drivers. It was a pain and I had to obtain a 3rd party audio driver to recognize my 5.1 speaker set up. But its working great now. And my Intuos Wacom tablet. It's like 10 years old and uses a serial bus. Vista 32 bit OS does support the serial model but only if its connected directly through the motherboard.
I had to buy a serial pci motherboard adapter this weekend. Because Vista doesn't support USB to Serial adapters.

Other than that, I also had to obtain Vista versions of the drivers needed to run my peripherals like printer, scanner, etc.
But all in all, so far so good. I might even keep Vista on my machine.
I wonder... if it has anything to do with Service Pack 2. I notice i dont get the internet explorer crashes (even though i use firefox).

My older apps, all worked too. Its got this compatibility mode thing you can use to run older software. :)

Well, I hated Vista. But Microsoft seemed to have fixed many issues since its release. I plan to get Windows 7 soon. But till then, i will give Vista a chance.


Anyone else here use Vista? What do you feel about it? Like it? Hate it?
Need any help getting something to work?

I can pass down information on a good defragger. Works better than the one that comes with Vista.
(ps. always defrag your pc in safe mode.)

Alright, that's enough computer nerd talk from me. Cya all later.:)

-One Love
 
Damn, I really want to get a new video card but only a low profile one would fit in my case AND any decent low profile card (like a 9500GT) would require more power than mine can handle!

At least I have 64bit, AMD Phenom Quad Core 2.3 GHZ and 4GB of RAM. Wish I could overclock the CPU but I can't.

Really annoying because Crysis lags even on Medium settings just because of the video card. :(

btw, I have Windows 7 and it's great, it frees up about 200MB of RAM compared to Vista for me as well. But if you do get it, only bother with Home Premium (Professional and Ultimate have pretty pointless added features IMO) Upgrade (not "full"), for some reason it's called "upgrade" but you can still install it on a separate partition.
 
You are almost better to upgrade to Windows 7. My wife has it on her new laptop and it kicks ass. We have XP on our desktop and that's OK. Vista from what I've heard from friends and the experts, sucked big time.
 
i dont really mind vista to be honest as long as ive got my laptop it can run on an operating system from space and i wouldnt care :lol:


Hehe, for sure! ;)



Damn, I really want to get a new video card but only a low profile one would fit in my case AND any decent low profile card (like a 9500GT) would require more power than mine can handle!

At least I have 64bit, AMD Phenom Quad Core 2.3 GHZ and 4GB of RAM. Wish I could overclock the CPU but I can't.

Really annoying because Crysis lags even on Medium settings just because of the video card. :(

btw, I have Windows 7 and it's great, it frees up about 200MB of RAM compared to Vista for me as well. But if you do get it, only bother with Home Premium (Professional and Ultimate have pretty pointless added features IMO) Upgrade (not "full"), for some reason it's called "upgrade" but you can still install it on a separate partition.



Thanks for the tip brother. Sounds like Windows 7 is a much quicker and stable OS, freeing up about 200mb of ram is pretty significant memory. Vista's surely a hogger. I was considering the Ultimate edition of Windows 7. But I do need to research it. I want to make sure i have enough access with it. So far, my Vista Home Premium OS is running wonderfully. (so far).
I almost find it a step up from XP Pro. I'm guessing Microsoft had made many patch and bug fixes.



You are almost better to upgrade to Windows 7. My wife has it on her new laptop and it kicks ass. We have XP on our desktop and that's OK. Vista from what I've heard from friends and the experts, sucked big time.

I want to try Windows 7 real soon. :)
Seriously though, surprising, my Vista isnt that bad and believe me, i despised it when it was on my laptop to the point i revert back to XP pro.
But on a faster machine, Vista does an "ok" job. Nothing lags so far. In fact, some things load quicker than they did in XP.

A lot of newer applications work better here too than they did on my XP.
I guess upgrading is probably the best way to go.
Until I get windows 7, im keeping vista around.

We'll see how it holds upt in the next couple of weeks when i start using it a lot for work.
 
Thanks dude! And wow, theyre pretty cheap. I remember Vista being double the price. Good stuff. I might as well help myself with the OS that has a backwards compatibility feature for XP software. :)
I have many old school soft-wares i don't want to get rid of just yet.
 
I'm using Home Premium and it has compatibility mode for every OS from Windows Vista SP2 to Windows 95, so I'm not quite sure what that feature is all about.
 
Hey Nar,
I am using Windows Vista Home Premium sp2 and I love it. I am having no problems at all. It took me awhile to get used to it, but I think I have gotten it down. I do want to upgrade to Windows 7 but just got this computer so I will wait a little longer.
 
Hey Nar,
I am using Windows Vista Home Premium sp2 and I love it. I am having no problems at all. It took me awhile to get used to it, but I think I have gotten it down. I do want to upgrade to Windows 7 but just got this computer so I will wait a little longer.

Ah ok good to know you're doing great with it. :)
The media center (which comes with vista) is a big plus if you're running a television tuner on your system.

I will pick up the 7 upgrade.
Last night though, i couldn't set up my serial Wacom tablet. :doh:
It just wouln't work right. I was able to set up drivers for it and the pressure sensitivity worked with the software it came with but Photoshop CS2 didn't recognize the pressure points. So drawing and painting with it was useless. Might as well use a mouse.
The Wacom support service said they dont support drivers for serial port tablets for newer OS like Vista or 7. They said you may get it to work but its not guaranteed as its not been tested.
That's a heartbreak because i loved my tablet and really need it for work.

But it will only work under XP Pro with serial or usb to serial adapter.

So, my resolution, to buy a newer tablet model. Most likely the Intuos 4 next week.


Its not just Vista. The company said if it didnt work in Vista, chances of it working in 7 are slim to non.

I don't understand why they can make everything compatible, lol... maybe its just too much work for them. Or smart business.
 
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