Windows Vista

[Sandman]

Windows Vista is now available for purchase. You can visit http://www.microsoft.com/ and download the Upgrade Adviser to see if your computer is capable of running Vista.

[Sandman]

I just bought Vista and am downloading it right now. It's a 14 hour download with DSL. http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/happy.gif

[MtnEagle]

XP and XP 64 are the last M$ OS's I will ever use. Vista is a big fat NO for me! http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/no.gif

I refuse to use a product or support a company who has a say on what I can or can not do with my computer. RDM is simply put just wrong.

My hardware is private property and my business alone, not an extension of a company's opinion of my habbits and uses.

http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/happy.gif

Aside from W98, NT 4, and XP that I use now, it is Ubuntu Linux for me from here on out, with Cedega/Wine for must run Windows apps.

*Jack gets off of Rant Box...

[Sandman]

Originally posted by MtnEagle:
XP and XP 64 are the last M$ OS's I will ever use. Vista is a big fat NO for me! http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/no.gif

I refuse to use a product or support a company who has a say on what I can or can not do with my computer. RDM is simply put just wrong.

My hardware is private property and my business alone, not an extension of a company's opinion of my habbits and uses.

http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/happy.gif

Aside from W98, NT 4, and XP that I use now, it is Ubuntu Linux for me from here on out, with Cedega/Wine for must run Windows apps.

*Jack gets off of Rant Box...

People said the same things about XP when it was released. Now, Windows 98 is a thing of the past. Most people use XP. So, the same thing is going to happen here with Vista. XP will be a thing of the past within just a few years.

Personally, I don't mind if Microsoft knows what hardware and software I have. It's not like big brother is watching me. Microsoft is a private company and they use the information to make improvements.

I'll keep you all posted on my upgrade.

[Sandman]

I just found out that my Verizon Wireless Broadband card is not compatible with Vista at this time. They will have a software upgrade available for me early March. So, I think I'm gonna hold off on the install until that upgrade comes out.

[Yosemite Joy]

I had the beta version to play around with a month or so ago. My new laptop is vista compatible so I will download it when I get some time.

Vista was nice and sleek looking. Had some good advantages in the Beta version, looking forward to seeing it in his full glory.

[Sandman]

I went ahead and upgraded to Vista. So far, it's pretty cool. http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/happy.gif

[Lacey]

I rebelled against XP and now that I have it, I love it. I know I will like Vista but we won't get it until we get a new computer. From what I've heard the upgrade may cause more problems than good and I don't want to take that chance. I love my XP. It will work fine for me until it's new computer time. http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/happy.gif

[Sandman]

My upgrade went smoothly. However, my computer was purchased new in July and has the "Windows Vista Capable" sticker on it. All of the hardware was already approved to work with the Vista OS and Toshiba has a website with al of their Vista drivers. It was quite simple to download, install the OS and update the drivers. Before I upgraded, I did have to uninstall the Toshiba Utilities that came with the laptop. I downloaded a newer version once Vista was installed.

The only thing that does not work is my Verizon Wireless card, but that should be fixed soon enough. For now, my neighbors wireless will help me stay online. http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/wink3.gif

As far as Vista goes... the most noticeable improvement is the search feature that is located in the start menu. If you hit the Windows key on your keyboard or click the start menu with your mouse, you will be able to type a search. The results are programs, files and email communication on your hard drive. In addition to that, you can search the web from this same search engine. I made Google default on my start menu. So now, let's say I need to make an update to the Narrow Gauge Inn website. I click the start menu and tupe "Narrow Gauge". I see results that include emails monkey sent describing the changes, as well as the html files that need to be changed. I can open all of the results in one window and work from that window instead of locating and opening each document and folder I need.

The next thing you will notice is the new Aero design for the windows themselves. You can adjust the windows transparency value so that you can see the windows or desktop behind through the title bar. When you hover your mouse over a window in your task bar, it will show you a preview. The new design of each window and the tools available are very user friendly and have improvements over XP.

There is also a new sidebar feature. People that have used Yahoo Widgets or Google Gadgets will know exactly how this works. You can download and install any gadgets you want allowing you do see things like email, local weather, system information, news, a calendar, etc right on your desktop or sidebar. New gadgets are available daily.

Overall, it pretty much looks and functions like XP. It will be easy for XP users to switch over without a learning curve. The new security features are wonderful! I also downloaded a trial version of Microsoft OneCare to protect from viruses and such. Everything is working well together.

[Keith]

On tuesday January 30th I went out in the world to buy my Laptop.
I felt that since the "Vista" was coming out that day, I would get a great deal on a"XP" windows computer.

In talking to Newcomer for advise and thinking things over I wasn't sure which way to go http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/confused.gif But Newcomer was great in telling me things not to forget, like, A sturdy, hard corner laptop case, extra battery, adapters, memory, and a good warranty "nation wide". Thank you , Newcomer http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/yes.gif

I spoke with a gentleman ,who is a retired professor, and he told me that "XP" would be just fine , but that a lot of business corp. are switching to Vista. Modernization I guess.

Anyway the thing that the professor told me was to buy a Laptop that is "Vista Premium" Ready , And not to buy a Laptop that said "Vista Compatable" For some reason, unknown to me that's what I was told, by a wise old Professor.

His statement was the compatable could have problems that the "Vista Premium ready" would not. Again I don't know what problems , but I bought a "Vista Premium Ready", instead of "Vista Compatable, or Vista already installed.

Got the "XP 2006" Soft Load laptop. It was made in september, 5th, 2006.
I will be installing Vista in the next few days. I'm sure it will be just FINE http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/idea3.gif http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/comp26.gif

Just hope that Vista wasn't put together by the microsoft sailor that left his heart in San Fransisco, then lost his boat, with himself aboard.... http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/bonk.gif

[Sandman]

Here is a good Vista tutorial...

http://windows-vista-basics.classes.cnet.com/

[Yosemite_Wolf]

I never run out and buy the new proggies straight away.... I wait a bit and when I buy a new puter.. voila, the new proggie comes wif it. http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/happy.gif LOL.

[Dodgergirl]

Hidden Costs of a Windows Vista Upgrade

Preston Gralla, PC World Mon Feb 12, 4:00 AM ET

The shiny, new Windows Vista beckons, and an upgrade is mighty tempting. But before you take the plunge, be aware that you may end up forking out a lot more money than just the cost of an operating system upgrade. Here are 15 reasons to upgrade and here are 6 on why you should wait on Vista.

A lot more than just cash is on the line as well, because you may also spend plenty of time upgrading your hardware to make sure it's Vista-ready. Read on before you upgrade; being forewarned is being forearmed.

The High Cost of Hardware
If you're upgrading to Windows Vista, the first cash outlay you likely face is buying more RAM for your PC. Microsoft says that you can run Windows Vista with 512 megabytes of RAM, but don't believe it. It's simply not worth running Windows Vista on a machine with less than 1 gigabyte of RAM. In fact, you'd be a lot happier with 2GB.

How much will that much RAM cost you? Figure that you can get 1GB of RAM for as low as a little over $100, while 2GB will run you $180 and up.

Even if you have enough RAM, your existing graphics card may not be up to snuff, because Vista is graphics-hungry. If you want to run its Aero environment, you'll need a good graphics card.

There are two levels of Vista hardware compatibility: "Vista Capable," and "Vista Premium Ready." Forget Vista Capable; it won't run Aero, and if you can't run Aero, you shouldn't bother upgrading to Windows Vista.

So you need a graphics card that is Vista Premium Ready. To be Premium Ready, a PC needs a graphics card with support for DirectX 9 graphics with a WDDM driver, a minimum of 128MB of graphics memory, and what's called Pixel Shader 2.0 and 32 bits per pixel. There's no room in this story to delve into each of these specs, but the key is the support for DirectX 9 graphics with a WDDM driver, and a minimum of 128MB of graphics memory. Before buying a card, check the box or the manufacturer's site, and make that it matches these specs.

How much will such a card cost? It depends on how much graphics oomph you want. You can get a graphics card that meets these specs for as low as about $60. If you want better performance, of course, you can pay more, in the $100 to $150 range. But with graphics cards, the sky is the limit, and you can spend just about as much as you want until your pocketbook screams. As a practical matter, though, only gamers need the more expensive graphics cards; you don't need them merely to run Vista.

If you don't have a DVD drive, you'll need one, because Vista installs only via DVD. These days DVD drives are cheap; you can get a reasonable one for as low as about $30 to $40.

How about your hard disk? You should have a hard drive with a least a 40GB capacity, with 15GB of free disk space. But you'll certainly want a much bigger drive than that, to leave plenty of room for files and media. So you might need to add a new hard drive. Hard drives are cheap these days; for as low as $70 or $80, you can get one with a 250GB capacity.

How much will all of this cost you? Depending on what you need to install, you can get by with as little as spending only about $60 for a new graphics card, or up to $400 or more if you need to upgrade your RAM, graphics card, and hard disk, and also have to buy a DVD drive.
What's Your Time Worth?

You'll be spending more than just money if you upgrade to Windows Vista, of course--you may spend plenty of time as well. If you need to upgrade your hardware, count in the time it takes to do the upgrade. If you only need to upgrade your RAM, and all goes well during installation, you should need to spend only about 15 minutes. On the other hand, graphics card upgrades can sometimes be tricky, as can hard disk and DVD installations. If things go badly, you can spend hours troubleshooting and listening to bad music while you're on hold on tech support lines.

Finally, consider the time you'll spend upgrading to Windows Vista itself. Microsoft has done an excellent job with the Windows Vista installation process, and it's far easier and faster than previous Windows installs. So if you're going to merely upgrade over your existing version of
Windows XP, it may take as little as 40 minutes with very little intervention on your part.

You may, though, opt instead for a clean install, which means that you'll wipe your hard disk clean, and then install Windows Vista. If you do that, you'll have to copy your data somewhere, and then after Vista installs, copy it back to your PC. And you'll also have to reinstall all your applications. This can take multiple hours if your PC has an extensive set of software.
The Bottom Line

So what's the bottom line for hidden upgrade costs? If you've got a relatively new system and opt to upgrade Vista over XP instead of doing a clean install, you may get away with not having to upgrade any hardware, or just need to add some RAM or a new graphics card. That won't put much bite on your pocketbook, and you won't lose your weekends, either.

On the other hand, if you need to do heavy-duty installation work and opt for a clean install, make sure you've got plenty of time--and cash as well

[Sandman]

Originally posted by Dodgergirl:
If you're upgrading to Windows Vista, the first cash outlay you likely face is buying more RAM for your PC. Microsoft says that you can run Windows Vista with 512 megabytes of RAM, but don't believe it. It's simply not worth running Windows Vista on a machine with less than 1 gigabyte of RAM. In fact, you'd be a lot happier with 2GB.

How much will that much RAM cost you? Figure that you can get 1GB of RAM for as low as a little over $100, while 2GB will run you $180 and up.
I have 2GB. Personally, I feel that you should upgrade your RAM to, at least, 1GB even if you stay with XP. This is the most cost effective thing to do to speed up your computer. With Vista, you can use external memory devices to add additional memory. External memory devices are cheap, so this is a great feature of Vista... allowing you to upgrade your RAM for a very small amount of money. But that only works with Vista.
Originally posted by Dodgergirl:Even if you have enough RAM, your existing graphics card may not be up to snuff, because Vista is graphics-hungry. If you want to run its Aero environment, you'll need a good graphics card.

There are two levels of Vista hardware compatibility: "Vista Capable," and "Vista Premium Ready." Forget Vista Capable; it won't run Aero, and if you can't run Aero, you shouldn't bother upgrading to Windows Vista.

So you need a graphics card that is Vista Premium Ready. To be Premium Ready, a PC needs a graphics card with support for DirectX 9 graphics with a WDDM driver, a minimum of 128MB of graphics memory, and what's called Pixel Shader 2.0 and 32 bits per pixel. There's no room in this story to delve into each of these specs, but the key is the support for DirectX 9 graphics with a WDDM driver, and a minimum of 128MB of graphics memory. Before buying a card, check the box or the manufacturer's site, and make that it matches these specs.

How much will such a card cost? It depends on how much graphics oomph you want. You can get a graphics card that meets these specs for as low as about $60. If you want better performance, of course, you can pay more, in the $100 to $150 range. But with graphics cards, the sky is the limit, and you can spend just about as much as you want until your pocketbook screams. As a practical matter, though, only gamers need the more expensive graphics cards; you don't need them merely to run Vista.

Any computer purchased in the last year should be capable of running Vista. I got mine in July and it says "Vista Capable" on it. It runs Aero with no problem. If you have a computer older than 1 year, you might as well get a new PC with Vista already installed. IMO, it is better to get a new one than spend money on upgrading everything. However, there should be no reason that you can't upgrade a computer made in 2006. Most of these computers have everything you need.

Originally posted by Dodgergirl:
If you don't have a DVD drive, you'll need one, because Vista installs only via DVD. These days DVD drives are cheap; you can get a reasonable one for as low as about $30 to $40.
Not true. You can download Vista and install it that way. However, you should get a DVD drive anyway. You probably already have one if you have a newer computer.

Originally posted by Dodgergirl:
How about your hard disk? You should have a hard drive with a least a 40GB capacity, with 15GB of free disk space. But you'll certainly want a much bigger drive than that, to leave plenty of room for files and media. So you might need to add a new hard drive. Hard drives are cheap these days; for as low as $70 or $80, you can get one with a 250GB capacity.
I suggest that you purchase an external hard drive anyway. You can put all of your files (i.e. music, videos, etc.) on the external drive and save the internal drive for the OS and software. This way, you have all of your files on seperate hardware... allowing you to plug it into any computer. This comes in handy if your computer crashes. I have a large gard drive on my laptop, so I can pretty much store all of my stuff on that. However, I still use my external for backup and that allows me to take it with me and plug it into any computer.

Originally posted by Dodgergirl:
How much will all of this cost you? Depending on what you need to install, you can get by with as little as spending only about $60 for a new graphics card, or up to $400 or more if you need to upgrade your RAM, graphics card, and hard disk, and also have to buy a DVD drive.
What's Your Time Worth?

You'll be spending more than just money if you upgrade to Windows Vista, of course--you may spend plenty of time as well. If you need to upgrade your hardware, count in the time it takes to do the upgrade. If you only need to upgrade your RAM, and all goes well during installation, you should need to spend only about 15 minutes. On the other hand, graphics card upgrades can sometimes be tricky, as can hard disk and DVD installations. If things go badly, you can spend hours troubleshooting and listening to bad music while you're on hold on tech support lines.

Finally, consider the time you'll spend upgrading to Windows Vista itself. Microsoft has done an excellent job with the Windows Vista installation process, and it's far easier and faster than previous Windows installs. So if you're going to merely upgrade over your existing version of
Windows XP, it may take as little as 40 minutes with very little intervention on your part.

You may, though, opt instead for a clean install, which means that you'll wipe your hard disk clean, and then install Windows Vista. If you do that, you'll have to copy your data somewhere, and then after Vista installs, copy it back to your PC. And you'll also have to reinstall all your applications. This can take multiple hours if your PC has an extensive set of software.
You can hire Oakhurst Online to upgrade your computer for you. I have already completed several Vista upgrades and can perform your upgrade very quickly. I'll run the Vista Capable Wizard to diagnose any problems before we even start the upgrade process. For about $120 or so, I can perform the upgrades and provide you with a smooth running OS, complete with all of the tools you will need to keep it running fast and smooth.

Originally posted by Dodgergirl:
The Bottom Line

So what's the bottom line for hidden upgrade costs? If you've got a relatively new system and opt to upgrade Vista over XP instead of doing a clean install, you may get away with not having to upgrade any hardware, or just need to add some RAM or a new graphics card. That won't put much bite on your pocketbook, and you won't lose your weekends, either.

On the other hand, if you need to do heavy-duty installation work and opt for a clean install, make sure you've got plenty of time--and cash as well
The bottom line is that Oakhurst Online will be happy to look at your system and let you know if an upgrade is best for you. If it isn't the best option, Oakhurst Online can setup your XP to run fast and we can give you the tools needed to keep your system clean. If you can upgrade, Oakhurst Online can upgrade you at a very low price and save you the headache.

Call (55) 760-4077 for a free upgrade assessment.

[Keith]

I bought a laptop that was "Vista Premium ready" .The laptop had windows "XP 2006" installed.

But after a little thinking http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/idea3.gif, I spoke with Oakhurst Online, and thought that it would be best for me to get Vista and start out fresh with a new computer and new Vista Premium upgrade http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/happy.gif.

I gave my computer to Sandman at "Oakhurst Online" and he installed the new "Vista Premium upgrade into my new computer http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/comp26.gif.

I am really happy with the Vista upgrade and glad that Sandman installed it. Sandman custom tailored my computer to suit my personal needs for a real reasonable price http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/greedy.gif.

Thank you Sandman for a great job http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/eusa_dance.gif!!!

I love my new system and the service I recieved at Oakhurst Online..

Call Sandman if you need help..(559) 760-4077
Don't forget that supporting Oakhurst Online helps keep the Forums running strong... http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/happy.gif

Keith

[Sandman]

Thanks very much Keith. It was a pleasure working with you on this project and I am very pleased that you are enjoying your new laptop. http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/happy.gif