Windows installation help...

[DrDoug]

My IT work is through my business, and I handle the network and servers for a medical service and a couple of other smaller businesses. It is a new business, and I am still growing.

I know about the 'phone home' feature, and I can assure you that ET does not have a way to do so. Neutered.

Five years, and not one key has been blacklisted. I won't detail how I am able to do that, but any geek worth their weight knows how to prevent this.

Yes, XP's default security/system settings are crap. Note the word 'default'. There is such a thing as configuring the system/security and additional Registry mods that take care of those issues. Plus a few other details.

I don't feel bad about doing this. As I said I have a licensed XP Pro cd for each computer here. I only use the CE version on MY systems, and I would never install it on a customer's system. That would be flat out stupid.

The fact is that the DRM systems and the 'tilt bits' steal CPU cycles on Vista systems. I am not going to throttle back (or have to pay more for a faster system) just to make Hollywood and the music industry happy. Screw them. I do not have a single ripped DVD, CD or even MP3 file on hand. I don't need them as if I want it, I buy it.

As I said, I prefer the CE version solely due to the no auth feature. If XP Pro could easily do that then I would run it instead. One day I think Vista will work to my satisfaction, but I will let others be the guniea pigs and wait for the fallout to clean it up.

Vista looks nice, but eye candy is just that. Maybe I like function over form...lol! Vista is a bloated mess, plain and simple.

[OnlineStageGear]

I have run Vista now for a while on my laptop and I like it. The networking is far better than XP and has a much friendlier interface. Sure, there is hardware aand programs that won't work on Vista, but that has always been the case with any new OS but mostly is not Microsoft's fault.

For those who don't have a system capable of running Vista, XP is fine. It's stable and if you stay away from free porn sites or software crack sites, you souldn't have any problems

[SlasZ]

Normally if you installed Vista and are not happy with it, you can always return to XP by reinstalling XP from a boot CD. Insert your Windows XP Cd at startup (i guess that's what you do) and when it's asking for a harddrive to install on, repartition & reformat the harddrive. This will ALWAYS work, whatever you do or did. If the setup is complaining about missing files, its because the installation-cd is messed up or corrupt.
Good luck

[hippietim]

followthereaper, go here:

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=326246

You can get replacement media for your XP CD .

[shobet]

I'm glad I changed to OS X

[CharvelRocker]

I haven't upgraded to Vista yet as this PC would light on fire trying That said, I would wait for sure until SP2 came out, and then buy a nice laptop with Vista ready to go on it.

[horns666]

Cleve-0-John is my PC support team and task force..

My mutant bumblebee slayer

My brother in shred

My brother in speed

My brother in baldness

My brother in blue..quite possibly

That is pretty WTF???

[Spivonious]

+1 on the CD being bad.

As far as the Vista problems you've had, Vista stresses systems much more than XP does. My dad's PC ran XP fine but we discovered that the power supply couldn't handle Vista. It took forever to diagnose too, since who thinks of the power supply? Symptoms included random shutdowns, failed Vista installs, random crashes. Going back to XP fixed everything, so we knew it wasn't some hardware issue. Eventually we swapped in another power supply and the Vista problems disappeared.

If you still want to try Vista, I would definitely recommend at least 1GB of RAM. Vista precaches your frequently used programs in memory, so the more memory you have the more Vista will use and the faster things will start up.

I also agree with rjohnstone in questioning DrDoug's expertise in the IT world. I'm a developer and not sysadmin, but even I know that Vista's security (especially with 64-bit Vista) is leaps and bounds beyond anything XP could ever hope to be. Using a corporate key on a non-corporate machine is violating the license, regardless of whether or not you have an XP pro license that's not installed. Finally, the DRM code in Vista may take an extra few cycles when opening a media file but by no means is it hampering performance. You really sound like a kid with all of the anti-MS/RIAA/MPAA stuff. Why run XP at all, why not Linux?

[DrDoug]

Well, since I am not here to sell my services, I have nothing to prove to anyone. I only mentioned my profession as an aside, and I have no reason to prove my credentials to anyone here. If we were to do business then that would be another story, right? As I said, it is a new business but I am still in school too. I do have to feed the family and myself though...

I understand the licencing issues, and I can care less. Microsoft got their pound of flesh from me and that is good enough for me. I am sure that my actions are not going to bankrupt Mr. Gates anytime soon...lol.

Opinions about XP vs Vista abound, and mine is only one. Never trust information from one source, check it out for yourself. Here, I will make it easy for you and give you a starting point. Note in this link the frequency that the DRM checks occur and the security problems involved with Vista:

http://www.cs.auckland.ac.nz/%7Epgut001/pubs/vista_cost.html

That is only one opinion out there, but it is a respected one IMO. Search for yourself, I am sure you will find plenty more to chew on regarding Vista.

BTW, I run Linux on my two forum/game servers in my hobby, and my training is focused on the 'nix operating systems but it does cover the Windows systems too. I will say that I first got into computers with my PCjr in 1982, and I have used and/or built every single system released since. This was a hobby until a work injury forced a career change and I had to come up with something to make a living at. I am starting my third year of college next month and currently maintain a 3.72 GPA. I have made the Honor Roll, Dean's List, President's List, National Dean's List and am a Phi Theta Kappa in good standing.

My programming teachers (hey, I wanted to learn C++ and Java!) said that they feel that I would make a great software engineer but I like playing with computers, databases and networking alot more. Feel free to challenge this if you wish. As with anything else on the internet, this could all be bullshit and I could be pulling your legs just to have a good time...

Note: The suggestion to contact Microsoft is an excellent one! If you have a valid license/cd, they will replace it no problem.

[rjohnstone]

Not bagging your credentials.. just trying to see where you are coming from.
Opinions are like assholes... everybody has one and it stinks.

I read the article you linked to a few months ago.
It has a lot of interesting points. One thing to mention, Microsoft has been working on Vista for years and yet hardware vendors, who have had access to the API's for ages now, have still failed to produce decent, if any, drivers for Vista.

It's almost like the hardware vendors are anti Microsoft at this point.

I guess I'm lucky in that I don't care to use my PC for "premium content" viewing. I use it to load music onto my iPod, but if I want to listen to music, I'll use my iPod or that 500 watt beast sitting in the entertainment center.
I use my PC as a PC.

In the end, we can all blame the RIAA and MPAA for DRM.
Microsoft did what they had to so they could avoid more lawsuits.
I can't blame them for not wanting to sit in court room over something that they really should not have to deal with.

And yea I'm a bit biased towards Microsoft... if it wasn't for them, I would be out of a job.

[DrDoug]

No prob, I can understand where you are coming from. If you knew how often I upgraded the home systems over the years, you would understand why I hate the reactivation requirement when too many changes to the hardware are detected in XP. After a year plus of the headaches, I went the route I did and it has been bliss ever since.

I am not a warez kiddie, and I own every single application, DVD movie and music/comedy CD in this house, and have the racks and racks of discs to prove it. I have never used BitTorrent or any other service, nor do I use CD emulators/virtual discs. With my games, I use the NoCD cracks so I don't have to shove a disc in every time I want to blow something up (and I don't have to worry about the kids destroying a disc, which is a BIG plus).

I understand the DRM problems, and that is what is killing Nvidia (and other hardware vendors) right now. But I will resist supporting their endeavor to the bitter end as it is not my problem and they are making it so only to make themselves happy.

The way I look at it, XP works fine for everything I do, the security is more than adequate if configured correctly, it is still supported (until 2009 if I recall correctly), it does not 'work' the system resources like Vista does and it runs on just about everything you throw it on. In other words, if it ain't broke then don't fix it.

I see the prices that MS is tossing Vista out at and I have to ask myself 'why is it so cheap'? IMO, they want acceptance and their previous pricing schemes would not work for an OS as problematic as Vista is (hardware wise in an upgrade from XP). An eight year lifespan for a MS OS product is pretty damn good, and I think that XP is a pretty damn good OS to work with. Before XP, NT was my OS of choice.

I remember the mock advertisement:

Microsoft has a new OS to announce! They have combined the power to Windows CE, Windows ME and Windows NT to create a newer, more powerful operating system!

Windows CEMENT!

[Spivonious]

In reading my post again, it did come off a bit strong. I apologize for that.

I read the article you linked. The stuff with HDCP was completely MPAA requirements and MS only put them in because it was that or nothing.

I like playing with the hardware more than coding too, but I'd rather not have to deal with the idiot users

[DrDoug]

No prob, thanks though! As I said, I can understand as it seems like everyone and their brother claims to do IT work (must sound cool...lol). IMO, with the deep pockets that Mr. Gates has, he could have put up more of a fight over the copyright issues that he was confronted with. I think he caved way too easily, and let others dictate to him his new OS requirements.

Compatibility with Vista is a headache/nightmare or completely nonexistent. For example, one of my systems is a NLE (non-linear editing) system that I built that uses a Matrox RT.X100 Extreme Pro that cost me a grand+ new. That is not counting the Adobe upgrades I purchased (another $400.00 plus). Matrox will not support the card under Vista, and are pimping their solution to me now (only about two grand!). Since this is a hobby of mine, I am not interested in putting that kind of $$$ out for a hobby so I will work this system to the end to squeeze every bit of value out of it.

I have another system configured to connect with my rack gear, and I don't feel like sorting out the MIDI crap all over again. no f'in way. So I will happily stay where I am, let the marketplace judge Vista and wait for the fallout. You can bet that if a way is found to solve the security issues and defeat the DRM checks that impinge on performance, I will take a look at Vista then. I just don't like the idea that my computers would be doing their work at my cost. That is just not fair IMO. I am supposed to pay for their protection and I will resist that to the end. I may end up losing one day, but in the meantime I am quite happy to save the $$$ and enjoy the performance.

You are right though, dealing with the users can be a pain, but sitting down coding endlessly can get old fast. I like the activity and running around when I have to, though coding is pretty damn fun too. Right now I know Python, C, C+, C++ and Java OOP, and I love the complexity of designing an app and troubleshooting exception handling. C++ is pretty interesting in how it combines conventional OOP with Java-like architecture. My wife thinks I am nuts. My sis works for a game company, and if I were to focus my studies on OOP she says that she could get me a job with them. I intend to continue OOP classes though. Who knows, I may just change my mind some day...lol

Also, going to school allows me access to all kinds of free or cheap (student cost) Microsoft apps! Nothing like having the latest stuff dirt cheap or free.

[hippietim]

IMO, with the deep pockets that Mr. Gates has, he could have put up more of a fight over the copyright issues that he was confronted with. I think he caved way too easily, and let others dictate to him his new OS requirements.

No offense DrDoug but you have no idea what you are talking about regarding this.

Compatibility with Vista is a headache/nightmare or completely nonexistent. For example, one of my systems is a NLE (non-linear editing) system that I built that uses a Matrox RT.X100 Extreme Pro that cost me a grand+ new. That is not counting the Adobe upgrades I purchased (another $400.00 plus). Matrox will not support the card under Vista, and are pimping their solution to me now (only about two grand!). Since this is a hobby of mine, I am not interested in putting that kind of $$$ out for a hobby so I will work this system to the end to squeeze every bit of value out of it.

Software and hardware compatibility is one the most difficult thing to do in Windows. Trust me, I used to be a development manager on the base OS team and my team owned NTVDM - that is nothing but compatibility. We still support FCB int 21h I/O calls that were documented as being obsolete with MS-DOS 3.0.

C++ is pretty interesting in how it combines conventional OOP with Java-like architecture.

Wow, that is the funniest thing I've read all day.

[DrDoug]

I am no expert on Mr. Gates, but that is just my opinion on his DRM issue.

I understand the hardware compatability issues, especially with new operating systems vs. old hardware. The DRM issues added a whole new layer to that problem, and we are paying for it.

I run into a lot of C purists that can't stand C++ (seem to mostly be anti-Microsoft people). We used MS Visual C++ 2005, and it seems some don't like the direction MS is taking C++. Java is new to me (I have two quarters in it from my first year in college, CS161 & CS162, and our book was 'Objects First with Java' (Barnes/Kolling), which used BlueJ (from Deakin Univ). Until then, I knew nothing about Java, and when I was able to compare the differences with the OOP I already know, I thought the commonalities were interesting. I guess there are only so many ways to slice a cake...lol

Glad you found it humorous. I am no programming expert, but I am working at learning more while in college. Seems the A's I pulled in my programming classes impressed the teachers, and that is good enough for me.