Vista Rules. (Or, My First Post)

Hello all!

I'm new to the forum, obviously, having installed Vista Ultimate x64 on my computer a week ago.

We all hear plenty of bad things about Vista, from internet forums to TV commercials. I was quite nervous myself before making the switch (reading this forum helped me pull the trigger... so thanks). And yet, once I got it up and running with all the proper drivers installed, it has run like a dream.

My computer:

Seasonic PS
ABIT P35 Pro
Q6600
4x2GB g.skill
2x500GB Seagate 7200.11 in Raid 0
8800Ultra
X-Fi XtremeGamer

I say again, Vista Ultimate x64 is running like a dream so far. I have had no compatibility issues. Had a few black screens fiddling with the video drivers, but that's my fault, heh. For all the vaunted compatibility problems of x64, I haven't been able to find one piece of hardware I own that doesn't work properly. Ditto with all the programs I've installed and used so far.

Had my Q6600 OC'ed to 3.2 under XP Pro SP2... going to start pushing it soon. I did bump up RAM from 2GB to 8GB when I upgraded to Vista, so I don't know the magnitude of the effect of the slower timings... but hey, let me tell you, running Vista with ALL the bells and whistles is freaking awesome when you have the hardware to do so. It blows away any OS I've ever seen.

UAC is kind of annoying for a techie like me, but my wife (who represents the more mainstream PC user IMO: likes speed, but prefers stability and security vs. the bleeding edge) actually appreciates how Vista reminds, warns, and asks permission to do stuff. I actually don't mind it too much myself.

So far, I've ran Office Pro 2003, Photoshop CS, Lord of the Rings Online, EVE Online, Take Command; Second Manassas, Navy Field, and Avast! to name a few. All running fine.

By the way, I installed Vista with all the hardware in, and I didn't run into any issues with either the SATA Raid stuff or the >2GB error. Just popped the disc in and a few minutes later I'm at desktop.

Things I particularly love:

Dreamscene. My wife's jaw hit the floor when I first turned this on. I have to admit, mine went halfway. I have this awesome dream running of ocean waves lapping at a sandy beach, and man... what a change from my static XP desktop. I know it's just eye candy, but whew... seriously relaxing from my POV.

The insta-search in the Start Orb. What an awesome feature not to have to navigate through a million menus.

---

So that's my story. No, I don't work for Microsoft; I'm not a salesman in any sense of the word. It's just that, with the media/internet barrage against Vista, and with the help and encouragement this site provided for me when making my decision, I felt I had an obligation to do the same for others that were in my predicament.

I'm sure I'll find things that annoy me as I spend more time with this OS, and I have yet to OC with my new hardware config. But so far, I'm very happy and perfectly satisfied with my jump to 64-bit, and to Vista.

For those considering making the jump, I do have a few caveats:

1. Make sure your hardware can support. A computer with a multi-core proc, a good stable motherboard, and at least 4GB of RAM should be the minimum for an enjoyable experience. Video card should be judged based on your own taste in gaming, but the nVidia 8x00 or the ATI 3xxx series cards should do just fine - not to mention, some good ones can be had for dirt cheap right now. IMHO, I want a computer that is CAPABLE of running Vista at full blast, then have the option of turning things off I don't want.

Honestly, it doesn't cost that much to build a system that can do just that - run Vista at full blast - and it's a sight to behold.

2. Do your research. Check your hardware and peripherals, check driver and program support, replace/upgrade as necessary, THEN make the jump. This forum is a great tool to find out exactly what to upgrade - or what isn't necessary. Good planning = far less headaches and a good frame of mind.

3. If you have questions, ask them, either here or on another forum of your choice. That's what these dadburned things are for

That's my two cents. Thanks for reading. Again, I just want to thank the writers in this forum for all the insight, tips, tricks, and encouraging statements that, unbeknownst to them, helped get another user into the 64-bit fold. I'm all in, baby.

Welcome compotent user.

I can neither add nor take away from your comments.

You did it right! Thats why everything went so well.

Congratulations!

And always remember if you need help this is really the best place to come.

Your system sounds sweet. Personaly I would'nt change a thing. OCing can just wear out your system components faster. More heat(regardless of how many fans or water cooling).

My systrem also runs Ultimate X64 without a hitch. You will find it to be more stable, secure and faster(IMO) then any OS before.

Again welcome.

Thanks for the welcome Joel!

There are so many misconceptions out there about Vista and x64 from people who have never so much as logged into the OS. I think it's important that those of us that have do all we can to banish those misconceptions, yet at the same time give folks the real scoop - that x64 is a step into the future, and a step that you have to be ready for. But once you're there, it's hard to go back. I, for one, will not.

As for OC'ing... no promises there, heh. Tweaking is habit forming!

Thats so true, I know I will never go back to XP...

Anyone who hates Vista and thinks Windows 7 would be different is going to get a rude shock when they realise everything in Vista gets included with Windows 7, They need to stop living in the past because Vista is the blueprint

I agree with those people that say vista is a great OS but i think the problem with some people is that their computers are dated a few years back and they just don't have the hardware or CPU to be able to run everything that vista throws at them at the same speed that XP did.

I have both vista32 and XP32 on this computer but i mainly on XP simply because i don't have the hardware to be able to run vista very well... but still i think it's a great OS and can't wait for windows 7 to come out.

Vista really is a good OS. Another problem with the media is the really bad marketing that was done to promote Vista by putting those "Vista Capable" stickers on computers that could hardly run it. People would get home and find out they bought Home Basic and can't even run that smoothly, so not only does it stutter on them, but they don't get to see any of the cool Vista effects.

I also have to agree with you that the search bar in the Orb was one of their greatest features. I really miss it when I use my XP machine, and I've tried Launchy which is sort of a nice alternative, but it ate up my CPU and didn't have the same feeling like I wanted from Vista.

Yeah, I see that quite often here on the site. People dont bother checking there hardware can run Vista properly before complaining about it not working like they wanted.

That is not Microsoft's fault. You can thank OEM partners like HP, Intel and many, many more for that problem The Bastards.

neutron_jockey,

Welcome to the forums.

Your experience with Vista x64 just about echoes my own - it went flawlessly and I'll never look back.

The one real "problem" I had with Vista Ultimate x64 was when I originally purchased it back in March 2007 - the dealers tried their damdest to convince me that if I really really wanted Vista, I should stick with Vista x86 (32-Bit).

Even though I had previously used BETA versions of Vista, when I finally did get the RTM installed, I did so with a dual-boot configuration, for just in case I had compatibility problems with some older programs. Which, of course, I never did. So thre weeks or so later, I backed up all critical data (again), wiped all my hard disks, and installed only Vista Ultimate x64.

And I haven't looked back since. In fact, I've grown so accustomed to the way Vista does things, that when I work on computers that still use XP, I find myself trying to do things "the Vista way", which usually results in a Homer Simpson "Doh! That only works on Vista!" moment.

Vista really is great.

I agree....
All vista drivers issues were caused by manufacturers not being ready for it , too slow to make drivers work and selling machines with 512 DDR2 with Home premium ...... And it is Vistas problem
Got to support fellow countryman

Damn right.... I was in the same position like you, reading all bad news about vista,and was quite reluctant to install vista, but at the end gathered my courage and did it. Originally I was going to use it occasionally but found myself using it more and more, to now being a preferred system I boot into instead of XP ( dual boot 2 hard drives). No driver issues or any other problems.... Oh yes, I accidentally deleted my recycle bin and didn't know how to put it back. Asked question elsewhere and now I know.

Absolutely correct. Some people are under impression that Windows 7 will have less requirements than Vista but it will be built on server 2008 kernel


My 2 cents worth