Vista - upgraded from Windows XP professional

I recently upgraded by system from XP pro to Vista Business. It has been a
HORRIBLE experience. Now, with Vista Business, everything is slow and I am
continually bombarded with a dark screen asking me to allow my applications
to launch. It happens all the time. Additionally, if I install a program,
it takes me HOURS (literally) to install them. What is up? Should I blow
this away and do a fresh install of Vista Business. I am truly very
disappointed. What a nightmare.

one other note: my system has Athlon 64/3500+ and 2gb RAM and 200gb SATA
hdd. should be adequate to handle Vista.

"Pearl" wrote:

> I recently upgraded by system from XP pro to Vista Business. It has been a
> HORRIBLE experience. Now, with Vista Business, everything is slow and I am
> continually bombarded with a dark screen asking me to allow my applications
> to launch. It happens all the time. Additionally, if I install a program,
> it takes me HOURS (literally) to install them. What is up? Should I blow
> this away and do a fresh install of Vista Business. I am truly very
> disappointed. What a nightmare.

Pearl wrote:
> I recently upgraded by system from XP pro to Vista Business. It has been a
> HORRIBLE experience. Now, with Vista Business, everything is slow and I am
> continually bombarded with a dark screen asking me to allow my applications
> to launch. It happens all the time. Additionally, if I install a program,
> it takes me HOURS (literally) to install them. What is up?


What are the hardware specifications of your computer? It sounds like
it just barely meets the minimum requirements. If that's the case, the
decreased performance is to be expected.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:
http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand Russell

My PC has: 2gb RAM, 2.2ghz processor, 200gb SATA HDD with 180gb Free. I'm
surprised that this PC does not meet minimums

"Bruce Chambers" wrote:

> Pearl wrote:
> > I recently upgraded by system from XP pro to Vista Business. It has been a
> > HORRIBLE experience. Now, with Vista Business, everything is slow and I am
> > continually bombarded with a dark screen asking me to allow my applications
> > to launch. It happens all the time. Additionally, if I install a program,
> > it takes me HOURS (literally) to install them. What is up?
>
>
> What are the hardware specifications of your computer? It sounds like
> it just barely meets the minimum requirements. If that's the case, the
> decreased performance is to be expected.
>
>
> --
>
> Bruce Chambers
>
> Help us help you:
> http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
> http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
>
> They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
> safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin
>
> Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand Russell
>

Pearl wrote:
> My PC has: 2gb RAM, 2.2ghz processor, 200gb SATA HDD with 180gb Free. I'm
> surprised that this PC does not meet minimums
>

I said it "sounded as if...." ;-} Your computer does indeed exceed
the minimum requirements, and even the recommended minimums, although
the CPU is a bit on the slow side, in my experience, despite the
published requirements (which Microsoft always seems to low-ball, for
some reason; I don't know how they benchmark them).

Did you ensure that the computer was free of malware and/or
incompatible device drivers or applications before upgrading? Did you
run the Vista Upgrade Adviser first to determine if you had any
potential problems or bottlenecks?

By the way, the pop-up screen asking "permission" for your applications
to launch is most likely the UAC (User Access Control) checking with you
because those applications violate Microsoft's current conception of
desktop security. Are these older applications? Are there
Vista-compatible versions of them available, or perhaps patches from
their manufacturers to add Vista-compatibility? Have you tried running
them in WinXP-Compatibility mode?


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:
http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand Russell

Thanks Bruce, see replies below:

"Bruce Chambers" wrote:

> Pearl wrote:
> > My PC has: 2gb RAM, 2.2ghz processor, 200gb SATA HDD with 180gb Free. I'm
> > surprised that this PC does not meet minimums
> >
>
> I said it "sounded as if...." ;-} Your computer does indeed exceed
> the minimum requirements, and even the recommended minimums, although
> the CPU is a bit on the slow side, in my experience, despite the
> published requirements (which Microsoft always seems to low-ball, for
> some reason; I don't know how they benchmark them)
>
> Did you ensure that the computer was free of malware and/or
> incompatible device drivers or applications before upgrading? Did you
> run the Vista Upgrade Adviser first to determine if you had any
> potential problems or bottlenecks?

===============Did a scan of virus and malware and spyware. clean. Did the
upgrade advisor and got a Green Light all the way.
>
> By the way, the pop-up screen asking "permission" for your applications
> to launch is most likely the UAC (User Access Control) checking with you
> because those applications violate Microsoft's current conception of
> desktop security. Are these older applications? Are there
> Vista-compatible versions of them available, or perhaps patches from
> their manufacturers to add Vista-compatibility? Have you tried running
> them in WinXP-Compatibility mode?

=================== Interesting. You are correct. In most cases, the
screen requests Approval to run the application and they are , for the most
part, pre_Vista applications like Outlook 2003 and SBS2k3 client for the
workstation. Have not tried running them in WinXP-Compatible mode. How do I
do that?

I presume that I can not set the UAL to APPROVE the application or the file
and have it remember my responses. Not a big thing but if there is a way to
avoid answering the same question all the time, better.


>
> --
>
> Bruce Chambers
>
> Help us help you:
> http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
> http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
>
> They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
> safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin
>
> Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand Russell
>

Pearl wrote:
> Thanks Bruce, see replies below:
>

You're welcome.

>
> ===============Did a scan of virus and malware and spyware. clean. Did the
> upgrade advisor and got a Green Light all the way.


Have you tried downloading and installing Vista-specific device drivers
for all of your computer's key components, such as the motherboard
chipset, network card, as well as the audio and video controllers? You
may be chugging along on a WinXP driver that works, if not particularly
well.

What does your "Windows Experience Index" (Right-click My Computer >
Properties) have to say? This might give you some idea where the
problem lies. Of course, this cannot be taken entirely seriously as
it's somewhat subjective. My system, with an Athlon64 3200 CPU and 1MB
RAM is rated at a paltry 2.6 because my NVidia GeForce FX5200 with 256MB
RAM isn't the top-of-the-line for 3D business graphics and gaming -
activities in which I have no interest.



>
> =================== Interesting. You are correct. In most cases, the
> screen requests Approval to run the application and they are , for the most
> part, pre_Vista applications like Outlook 2003 and SBS2k3 client for the
> workstation. Have not tried running them in WinXP-Compatible mode. How do I
> do that?
>


Right-click on the pertinent application's Shortcut > Properties >
Compatibility Tab.


> I presume that I can not set the UAL to APPROVE the application or the file
> and have it remember my responses. Not a big thing but if there is a way to
> avoid answering the same question all the time, better.
>

No, UAC doesn't have a "set and remember" feature. Many people have
complained about this, so I wouldn't be overly shocked to see the
capability added in some later service pack, but I wouldn't count on it,
either. While I do agree that having to grant permission every time the
same application is opened can quickly become inconvenient and annoying,
I understand the reasoning behind it - to verify that the user is indeed
deliberately opening the application in question, and that it hasn't
been hijacked by some piece of malware. Remember, UAC is being kicked
off because of a perceived security vulnerability caused by the
application in question; security and convenience rarely go together.

Of course, if the UAC does prove too annoying and intrusive, it can
always be turned off. (This is where a "set and remember" feature would
be the better alternative.) Control Panel > Security > User Account
Control.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:
http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand Russell

Thanks Bruce.
You have been very helpful and patient. Perhaps it may be better for me to
start all over again and not "upgrade" but install a fresh copy of Vista
Business. That should alleviate most of my XP driver issues, I think.



"Bruce Chambers" wrote:

> Pearl wrote:
> > Thanks Bruce, see replies below:
> >
>
> You're welcome.
>
> >
> > ===============Did a scan of virus and malware and spyware. clean. Did the
> > upgrade advisor and got a Green Light all the way.
>
>
> Have you tried downloading and installing Vista-specific device drivers
> for all of your computer's key components, such as the motherboard
> chipset, network card, as well as the audio and video controllers? You
> may be chugging along on a WinXP driver that works, if not particularly
> well.
>
> What does your "Windows Experience Index" (Right-click My Computer >
> Properties) have to say? This might give you some idea where the
> problem lies. Of course, this cannot be taken entirely seriously as
> it's somewhat subjective. My system, with an Athlon64 3200 CPU and 1MB
> RAM is rated at a paltry 2.6 because my NVidia GeForce FX5200 with 256MB
> RAM isn't the top-of-the-line for 3D business graphics and gaming -
> activities in which I have no interest.
>
>
>
> >
> > =================== Interesting. You are correct. In most cases, the
> > screen requests Approval to run the application and they are , for the most
> > part, pre_Vista applications like Outlook 2003 and SBS2k3 client for the
> > workstation. Have not tried running them in WinXP-Compatible mode. How do I
> > do that?
> >
>
>
> Right-click on the pertinent application's Shortcut > Properties >
> Compatibility Tab.
>
>
> > I presume that I can not set the UAL to APPROVE the application or the file
> > and have it remember my responses. Not a big thing but if there is a way to
> > avoid answering the same question all the time, better.
> >
>
> No, UAC doesn't have a "set and remember" feature. Many people have
> complained about this, so I wouldn't be overly shocked to see the
> capability added in some later service pack, but I wouldn't count on it,
> either. While I do agree that having to grant permission every time the
> same application is opened can quickly become inconvenient and annoying,
> I understand the reasoning behind it - to verify that the user is indeed
> deliberately opening the application in question, and that it hasn't
> been hijacked by some piece of malware. Remember, UAC is being kicked
> off because of a perceived security vulnerability caused by the
> application in question; security and convenience rarely go together.
>
> Of course, if the UAC does prove too annoying and intrusive, it can
> always be turned off. (This is where a "set and remember" feature would
> be the better alternative.) Control Panel > Security > User Account
> Control.
>
>
> --
>
> Bruce Chambers
>
> Help us help you:
> http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
> http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
>
> They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
> safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin
>
> Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand Russell
>

Pearl wrote:
> Thanks Bruce.
> You have been very helpful and patient.


You're welcome.


> Perhaps it may be better for me to
> start all over again and not "upgrade" but install a fresh copy of Vista
> Business. That should alleviate most of my XP driver issues, I think.
>
>
>

A clean installation is usually necessary, but sometimes it is the only
way to go. Unfortunately, you seem to be in one of those situations.

Bear in mind, though, that Vista does require more system resources
than WinXP, so, even with a clean installation, you still may not get
performance out of Vista that you got from WinXP. (Not an argument
against your decision, just want you to be aware and not too disappointed.)


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:
http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand Russell

Bruce,
One last question: I have 2gb RAM now. Would an additional 1-2gb RAM be
more appropriate for Vista Business? In your experience, what seems to be
the optimum RAM state?

"Bruce Chambers" wrote:

> Pearl wrote:
> > Thanks Bruce.
> > You have been very helpful and patient.
>
>
> You're welcome.
>
>
> > Perhaps it may be better for me to
> > start all over again and not "upgrade" but install a fresh copy of Vista
> > Business. That should alleviate most of my XP driver issues, I think.
> >
> >
> >
>
> A clean installation is usually necessary, but sometimes it is the only
> way to go. Unfortunately, you seem to be in one of those situations.
>
> Bear in mind, though, that Vista does require more system resources
> than WinXP, so, even with a clean installation, you still may not get
> performance out of Vista that you got from WinXP. (Not an argument
> against your decision, just want you to be aware and not too disappointed.)
>
>
> --
>
> Bruce Chambers
>
> Help us help you:
> http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
> http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
>
> They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
> safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin
>
> Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand Russell
>