Have You Made the Vista Switch Full-Time?
Or are you still dual-booting?
Tuesday, March 6, 2007 by Island Dog | Discussion: Windows Vista
Well Windows Vista has been out for a little while now, and several us have written about our experiences at the beginning. I have read probably hundreds of forums posts across many communities about peoples experience with Vista, and how some are using Vista as their main OS, and some just using it as a secondary on a dual-boot system. The reactions have been very mixed, but the biggest complaints seem to be hardware compatibility, especially in the video card area that is stopping people from running it full-time.
I recently built a new PC and tried to run Vista as my
primary OS, but with my printer not working with Vista, and a few other
incompatibilities I had to partition off some space and go back to dual-booting
again. Now I have been reading many posts here at WinCustomize and have
noticed a few people who have purchased Vista, so I was interested in knowing
how many members here are using Vista full-time, or are dual-booting still.
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PixelPirate
Reply #42 Thursday, March 8, 2007 4:51 AM
Nice to hear that. I really am handicapped with a mouse after using a Wacom for 5-6 years now. Funny thing is though, I used the regular XP driver in the second beta and the Wacom worked perfect, maybe I should try that one again and see if it can do some magic for now.
Btw. Paul Thurrot has listed some cool Vista tips based on user input in these articles:
http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/winvista_it_tips.asp
http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/winvista_more_tips.asp
http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/winvista_tips3.asp
http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/winvista_tips4.asp
Reply #42 Thursday, March 8, 2007 4:51 AM
I spoke with Wacom a few weeks ago and they indicated that once the graphic drivers are fully developed the released drivers for the Intous3 tablets will work great.
Nice to hear that. I really am handicapped with a mouse after using a Wacom for 5-6 years now. Funny thing is though, I used the regular XP driver in the second beta and the Wacom worked perfect, maybe I should try that one again and see if it can do some magic for now.
Btw. Paul Thurrot has listed some cool Vista tips based on user input in these articles:
http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/winvista_it_tips.asp
http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/winvista_more_tips.asp
http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/winvista_tips3.asp
http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/winvista_tips4.asp
Paul Laroque
Reply #43 Thursday, March 8, 2007 9:36 PM
Reply #43 Thursday, March 8, 2007 9:36 PM
Yep, I made the switch to Vista on my new XPS 210 machine which includes Core 2 Duo. I love it! The two goes together so well. I still have XP on my ancient machine that still runs decently, speed is a big difference. It's hard going back to XP but I have to go back there once in a while. Vista has many features that makes it attractive and compelling, and for me so much easier & fun to use. Office 2007 is just as a big improvement as Vista is. Networking on Vista/Office never has been easier. I do have a few new ideas but will include them in suggestions later on. Have fun!
mochant
Reply #44 Friday, March 9, 2007 8:05 AM
Reply #44 Friday, March 9, 2007 8:05 AM
Vista only.
Currently running Vista Business on a Lenovo X60 Tablet PC and Vista Ultimate in Parallels on my MacBook. Performance is great on both (although I can not run Aero on the MacBook as it lacks the GPU to drive that - hooray for WB!)
I have one peripheral (a Brother Labeler) that still needs driver updates but I decided I can live without it for now as it works as a non-connected device as well. Everything else (printers, camera, phones) works just fine although I will not connect my iPod to the Tablet until Apple figures out what's broken in iTunes.
Currently running Vista Business on a Lenovo X60 Tablet PC and Vista Ultimate in Parallels on my MacBook. Performance is great on both (although I can not run Aero on the MacBook as it lacks the GPU to drive that - hooray for WB!)
I have one peripheral (a Brother Labeler) that still needs driver updates but I decided I can live without it for now as it works as a non-connected device as well. Everything else (printers, camera, phones) works just fine although I will not connect my iPod to the Tablet until Apple figures out what's broken in iTunes.
Corky_O
Reply #45 Friday, March 9, 2007 9:29 AM
Reply #45 Friday, March 9, 2007 9:29 AM
Office 2007 is just as a big improvement as Vista is
I agree with this whole-heartedly!
IMHO - Office 2007 is a real gold mine of improvement in work flow and general attractiveness. I really enjoy the new 'ribbon' design. I have also noticed that the loading of Office 2007 running on Vista is quite efficient.
Now if I can just budget enough for a purchase of the new Adobe CS3 (release officially set for March 27, 2007) - I could actually justify the less significant issues on my machines and re-install Vista.
o0SHUUMI0o
Reply #46 Friday, March 9, 2007 12:55 PM
Reply #46 Friday, March 9, 2007 12:55 PM
i have been running vista ultimate on 2 pcs since launch....one i built specifically for vista....asus m2ne mobo,4 gb ram, amd athlon 5200 am2, ati x1800 512mb, 3x 300 gb raid drives (3gb)....and for the first couple weeks i got blue screens with every boot, it would restart and work fine.... now i get a blue screen 1 or 2 times a week, but i know its still a driver issue.... i do find some of the updates will actually cause a blue screen reboot loop until i do a system restore....so i am avoiding updates i know cause this till sp1 in aug - sept. 5.2 vista score
MarkSnyder61
Reply #47 Saturday, March 10, 2007 7:33 PM
Reply #47 Saturday, March 10, 2007 7:33 PM
Running Vista Ultimate, almost went back to XP Pro but decided to keep Vista but think next time I'll wait for SP1 to come out before upgrading. I am very disappointed that HP didn't have a driver for my PhotoSmart 7350 although they did suggest a Deskjet 5550 driver to use and it works but prints very slow. I think they will support it when they can get around to building the software for it. Microtek flatly told me my ScanMaker 5600 scanner WILL NOT be supported so I went out and bought a Canon that would. I think Microsoft should reimburse us for having to upgrade all our hardware! 
c242
Reply #48 Sunday, March 11, 2007 3:25 AM
I think some Hardware-vendors do that by purpose. And it's not MS fault, that some hard- and software makers simply slept when Vista was released, although it has been available to them for quite a long time.
Reply #48 Sunday, March 11, 2007 3:25 AM
I think Microsoft should reimburse us for having to upgrade all our hardware!
I think some Hardware-vendors do that by purpose. And it's not MS fault, that some hard- and software makers simply slept when Vista was released, although it has been available to them for quite a long time.
Fuzzy Logic
Reply #49 Sunday, March 11, 2007 4:03 AM
Reply #49 Sunday, March 11, 2007 4:03 AM
My HP8450 works fine with the Vista driver and there's none of that HP software crap installed 
DesignCaddy
Reply #50 Monday, March 12, 2007 9:56 AM
Reply #50 Monday, March 12, 2007 9:56 AM
Full-time vista on both my desktop and laptop, and my media box should be home premium by the end of the week.
Desktop is 64bit with an nvidia 7300 and audigy 2. Nvidia doesnt have its final drives out yet but the system performs well and i'm not slowed down in adobe or macromedia apps, even with large files. I only notice the lack of performance in say, dreamscenes or 3d screensavers. Wacom graphics tablet, printer ( using an HP 8300 driver instead of a 9650 driver ) and epson scanner ( 64-bit XP driver ). All work great.
Only drawback thus far has been my logitech keyboard and mouse, logitech's vista drivers lock my keyboard on me . that, and for some reason Neverwinter Nights doesn't run under 64 bit.
My Inspiron 1405 runs incredibly well on vista. it is duel core with a gig of ram and an intel 256meg graphics card. Games arn't so slick but desktop performance is flawless, and Media Center is a big hit when i have a party - laptop hooks up to my HD tv and people browse through and play music or look at photos.
Overall i'm happy with vista, it's fast and incredibly stable, i've not had it crash once on either machine since getting the retail release. In fact, i cna't remember it crashing on RC1 either.. networking is also much easier.
Desktop is 64bit with an nvidia 7300 and audigy 2. Nvidia doesnt have its final drives out yet but the system performs well and i'm not slowed down in adobe or macromedia apps, even with large files. I only notice the lack of performance in say, dreamscenes or 3d screensavers. Wacom graphics tablet, printer ( using an HP 8300 driver instead of a 9650 driver ) and epson scanner ( 64-bit XP driver ). All work great.
Only drawback thus far has been my logitech keyboard and mouse, logitech's vista drivers lock my keyboard on me
. that, and for some reason Neverwinter Nights doesn't run under 64 bit.My Inspiron 1405 runs incredibly well on vista. it is duel core with a gig of ram and an intel 256meg graphics card. Games arn't so slick but desktop performance is flawless, and Media Center is a big hit when i have a party - laptop hooks up to my HD tv and people browse through and play music or look at photos.
Overall i'm happy with vista, it's fast and incredibly stable, i've not had it crash once on either machine since getting the retail release. In fact, i cna't remember it crashing on RC1 either.. networking is also much easier.
AzDude
Reply #51 Wednesday, March 14, 2007 8:00 AM
Reply #51 Wednesday, March 14, 2007 8:00 AM
Vista Ultimate full-time !!!! - I got vista 2 weeks before the national release and loaded on my Media Center PC - there are a few things that don't work yet , but no biggie as far as programs go and some hardware -
thing is I have Vista 64bit and allot of the WC/Stardock stuff doesn't work yet with 64bit - bummed about that - lucky for me the Dream thing is keeping me busy for now with plenty to do ,,,,,
anyway back to Vista as I said re-did my computer but i'm still not done loading everything back in ,,,,,,,,, because I'm finding with Vista i'm spending more time playing on the computer now and less time having to fix it - Vista Ultimate is the best , so far !!!!
thing is I have Vista 64bit and allot of the WC/Stardock stuff doesn't work yet with 64bit - bummed about that - lucky for me the Dream thing is keeping me busy for now with plenty to do ,,,,,
anyway back to Vista as I said re-did my computer but i'm still not done loading everything back in ,,,,,,,,, because I'm finding with Vista i'm spending more time playing on the computer now and less time having to fix it - Vista Ultimate is the best , so far !!!!
Buttermaker
Reply #52 Wednesday, March 14, 2007 6:16 PM
Reply #52 Wednesday, March 14, 2007 6:16 PM
I switched over completely a month ago or so and I love Vista. It boots up extremely fast compared to XP which was starting to take forever to boot up. I haven't had any problems with it so far, but I did have to upgrade my video card in order for some games to work.
I still have XP Media edition on my 2nd HD, but never use it anymore. After using Vista, I would never go back to XP.
I still have XP Media edition on my 2nd HD, but never use it anymore. After using Vista, I would never go back to XP.
PGHammer
Reply #53 Thursday, March 15, 2007 9:36 PM
Reply #53 Thursday, March 15, 2007 9:36 PM
Both my Mom and I run Vista Ultimate exclusively (the only issue between us is my Mom's printer; however, we licked that by sharing out my printer, which Vista supports with included drivers). My Mom's PC has integrated Intel 845GE graphics (so no Aero) while I have an ATI Radeon 9700 Pro AGP (therefore I have full Aero Glass support). The printer with issues is a Lexmark P700 inkjet, while mine is an HP Deskjet 940C (I have suggested that Mom replace the Lex with another Deskjet, which is known to be supported by Vista and is less than $100).
I planted WindowBlinds 5.5 Public Version on my Ultimate box today and am running the Stargate SG-1 skin. So far, I couldn't be happier.
I planted WindowBlinds 5.5 Public Version on my Ultimate box today and am running the Stargate SG-1 skin. So far, I couldn't be happier.
Gollums
Reply #54 Friday, March 16, 2007 11:31 AM
Reply #54 Friday, March 16, 2007 11:31 AM
Well for what it's worth, I took the jump to Windows Vista Ultimate a couple of days after release. I still miss Duke Nukem, but that hasn't run since Windows95. I am mostly happy with it, but there are the odd quirks here and there. My X-Fi sound card will quit working while playing EQ2, but I just downloaded (another) new driver for it today so we'll see how that goes. The transition from XP to Vista seems to have went much better than with other upgrades. Here's a refresher for those who might have forgotten, I'm sure many of you went through the same experiences:
Millennium to XP, never did it, went back to 98SE one week after installing Millennium (Microsoft - I still want my money back for that upgrade);
98SE to Millennium - see above. 'nuf said other than horrible experience. ( I think I enjoyed visits to the in-laws better);
98 to 98SE - was glad to see that the 9X OS was finally mature. This was the operating system I had been waiting for. The transition was perhaps easier than XP to Vista, but was it really a "newer" OS? No, they just finally fixed everything.
95 to 98 - ouch. Stuff didn't work anymore. I could see DOS based games starting to lose some support (Yes Duke started to suffer
)
3.11 to 95 - hmm what can I say but remember upgrading ALL your hardware first, then wondering where the improvements went? Lost speed, even though we upgraded to a much faster processor, but finally had a visual OS.
I've left out the NT line, and Windows OSes prior to 3.11, I was sure how many actually used those, and those of us who did probably can't remember back that far. (Okay you caught me, that's the real reason - I can't remember back that far
)
Other than the memory requirements, which might be fine for the average user that doesn't have Photoshop, Flash, 2 different web browsers, Dreamweaver and whatever else open all at once, Vista is a pretty great OS. I have 2G Ram, and am seriously looking at upgrading to 4, but other than that I wouldn't go back. To quote a famous wart-hog "You've got to put your behind in the past."
My only advise - run the Vista upgrade analysis tool, see what you might need to upgrade, and take the plunge. The water's warming up!
Millennium to XP, never did it, went back to 98SE one week after installing Millennium (Microsoft - I still want my money back for that upgrade);
98SE to Millennium - see above. 'nuf said other than horrible experience. ( I think I enjoyed visits to the in-laws better);
98 to 98SE - was glad to see that the 9X OS was finally mature. This was the operating system I had been waiting for. The transition was perhaps easier than XP to Vista, but was it really a "newer" OS? No, they just finally fixed everything.
95 to 98 - ouch. Stuff didn't work anymore. I could see DOS based games starting to lose some support (Yes Duke started to suffer
)3.11 to 95 - hmm what can I say but remember upgrading ALL your hardware first, then wondering where the improvements went? Lost speed, even though we upgraded to a much faster processor, but finally had a visual OS.
I've left out the NT line, and Windows OSes prior to 3.11, I was sure how many actually used those, and those of us who did probably can't remember back that far. (Okay you caught me, that's the real reason - I can't remember back that far
)Other than the memory requirements, which might be fine for the average user that doesn't have Photoshop, Flash, 2 different web browsers, Dreamweaver and whatever else open all at once, Vista is a pretty great OS. I have 2G Ram, and am seriously looking at upgrading to 4, but other than that I wouldn't go back. To quote a famous wart-hog "You've got to put your behind in the past."
My only advise - run the Vista upgrade analysis tool, see what you might need to upgrade, and take the plunge. The water's warming up!
Brandon Andrews
Reply #55 Saturday, March 17, 2007 2:46 AM
Reply #55 Saturday, March 17, 2007 2:46 AM
No, standby still doesn't work, so I have to boot into XP whenever I leave my computer on as a PVR. All my drivers are WHQL, so it's quite baffling. I am beginning to suspect that WHQL doesn't mean a thing, given that even Nvidia's current garbage got WHQL.
XX
Reply #56 Saturday, March 17, 2007 2:48 PM
Reply #56 Saturday, March 17, 2007 2:48 PM
Gollums I think virualpc by microsoft is now free. That is, 2003 version.
It could run windows 95 just fine.
It could run windows 95 just fine.
Lotherius
Reply #57 Sunday, March 18, 2007 3:19 AM
Reply #57 Sunday, March 18, 2007 3:19 AM
Full-Timer with Premium here since January 29....
When I first installed, I left XP as a dual-boot.... I haven't gone back a single time since - there was no need.
Had a few minor issues... my brand new printer from HP that was promised a Vista driver by the end of January, that still hasn't received a driver... so I shoehorned in the XP driver. HP also said in January that there would never be a Vista driver for my scanner, yet they published one on March 1 (scanjet 3970 in case you have one)...
A few programs here and there are twitchy, but nothing I couldn't replace. Games work great, the system is fast.
I have an Opteron 170 (dual core 2.0ghz overclocked to 2.9ghz), 2gb DDR, ATI x850XT video... so perhaps my system is atypical... but I wouldn't go back.
When I first installed, I left XP as a dual-boot.... I haven't gone back a single time since - there was no need.
Had a few minor issues... my brand new printer from HP that was promised a Vista driver by the end of January, that still hasn't received a driver... so I shoehorned in the XP driver. HP also said in January that there would never be a Vista driver for my scanner, yet they published one on March 1 (scanjet 3970 in case you have one)...
A few programs here and there are twitchy, but nothing I couldn't replace. Games work great, the system is fast.
I have an Opteron 170 (dual core 2.0ghz overclocked to 2.9ghz), 2gb DDR, ATI x850XT video... so perhaps my system is atypical... but I wouldn't go back.
Heatlesssun
Reply #58 Sunday, March 18, 2007 5:21 PM
Reply #58 Sunday, March 18, 2007 5:21 PM
I've got two machines, a Tablet PC and an old Athlon 64 3400+ Socket 754 that I swapped out the RAM on (for some reason the old RAM I had in the system was running slowly, took my Vista Performance index down to 2.1, now I'm at 4.2) and I upgraded my old 6800GT to a VisionTek X1950 Pro AGP.
The system actually is running better than I had expected. Vista is not really any more of a pig than XP. It needs more RAM, but that's about it.
The tablet is working pretty well. One thing that I've noticed is that if I'm typing in a textbox in IE 7, keystrokes will drop now and then, but not anywhere else. Need to see if its happenging in FireFox. But the hand writing works a lot better.
The system actually is running better than I had expected. Vista is not really any more of a pig than XP. It needs more RAM, but that's about it.
The tablet is working pretty well. One thing that I've noticed is that if I'm typing in a textbox in IE 7, keystrokes will drop now and then, but not anywhere else. Need to see if its happenging in FireFox. But the hand writing works a lot better.
KeithMacDonald
Reply #60 Sunday, March 18, 2007 6:37 PM
Reply #60 Sunday, March 18, 2007 6:37 PM
I'm still using Xp Home. There are way too many bugs for the drivers as it is right now, but when Service Pack 1 goes out and my dad's willing to spent the money for Vista Ultimate, I'll use it soly for home-based use. School: well, they still use 95/98 so I can't change that. (NEVER have the money, the damned government!!!)
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Reply #41 Thursday, March 8, 2007 3:25 AM
As of yesterday evening I made the move back to XP. I will still use Vista (just to learn it) but XP is just so much more user friendly. I hate, hate that Vista start menu - just what were they thinking? Some of the explorer views are irritating, but I was glad to see the back of the awful XP filmstrip view (anyone know haw to permanently disable that?).
So, Vista has some nice features, but it's just not mature enough to be useful on a day to day basis.