SP1 it, fixes do make Vista that wee bit better.
Walk towards the light......................
There’s only so many solutions to the Vista issue:
1. Grin and bear it.
2. Downgrade and install XP.
3. Install Linux as your primary OS.
4. Buy a Mac.
Personally, I would ditch Vista altogether and not touch it till at least the second service pack. I choose to migrate to a Mac and use VMWare Fusion to hop into Windows XP when needed. I also have an OpenSUSE box as well.
I’ve worked on a few computers with Vista. I fixed a co-worker’s Dell laptop a while back that had Vista on it. Had to reinstall the OS and, from the moment I started the install till the moment it was done, the whole process took over an hour and a half to complete. That’s insane! Hell, even OpenSUSE or Max OS X doesn’t even take that long to install. Then, after that, I had loads of little quirky things going on while I worked on getting other apps installed and the OS configured. What would take me about 2 to 3 hours on an XP machine took 4 to 5 hours to do on a Vista laptop! Not impressed! Not in the least! And this is coming from someone who has bought and used every version of Windows since Windows 95.
My nephew called me last week asking me what recent Vista updates would cause it not to boot after the update. My guess is that it had to be the SP1 update and he probably had some third-party software and/or drivers that caused Vista to get hosed. He couldn’t even get in via safe-mode. The other major issue he has is that he can’t burn anything with his DVD burner. This is a brand-new computer that he built himself. Everything appears to be configured correctly. However, anything he burns (movie, music CD, data disc, etc.) doesn’t get recognized. The burn completes and appears to be successful but then he puts the disc back in and it’s as if nothing got burned. It’s clearly a Vista issue. My best guess is that the burner he has doesn’t comply with the Vista DRM. That’s another reason to drop Vista. The DRM that’s built-in causes more problems than what it’s worth. Crazy!
Jeff Whitfield
"I like my coffee hot and strong, like I like my women, hot and strong... with a spoon in them."
