Vista + Windows 7 discussion - Page 2 - Dallas-Mavs.com Forums

u2sarajevo · 03-05-2007, 10:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MavsX

im thinking of buying myself an asa 5505

For home use?

I'd like to see your paycheck...

Male30Dan · 03-05-2007, 10:58 PM

Without VPN functionality it isn't much worse than my TZ170-W.

MavsX · 03-06-2007, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by u2sarajevo

For home use?

I'd like to see your paycheck...

A.) No way!

B.) They are only like 5 bills.

u2sarajevo · 03-06-2007, 08:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MavsX

B.) They are only like 5 bills.

Well... I assumed it was for home use... hence the question(jokingly) about your paycheck.

Not that 500 bucks is outrageous, but there are other options that are cheaper. *cough*MSDN*cough*

Male30Dan · 03-06-2007, 10:49 PM

MSDN???

Please! You and I need to take this to PMs!

MavsX · 03-07-2007, 07:21 AM

well i think it would be just for bragging rights, plus configuring the ios

jthig32 · 01-11-2009, 09:03 PM

This seems like a decent enough place to mention that I installed and am currently running the Windows 7 Beta.

I never ran Vista, so this is my first real run with anything past XP. So far it's ok, but I'm deeply concerned about the fate of my Quicklaunch Icons. They're gone, and in their place is "pinning". Which is great and all, except that Windows apparently decides what you can anc can't "pin" to the taskbar. Like I can't pin the "My Computer" to the taskbar. And I can't seem to makes the pins go to the left and the open applications go to the right. Perhaps there's a way and I just haven't found it.

Also, is Windows really going to release another operating system that won't give you a taskbar for the second monitor? Ultramon is great and all, but is it really that hard? Maybe that's here too and I just haven't found it.

Anyone else giving it a try?

EricaLubarsky · 01-11-2009, 10:59 PM

Microsoft has a record of releasing OSes with bugs that arent fixed for years. Vista is pretty and has some nice options, but its broken. Bugs aside, I get the idea that Vista may be one of the aborted OSes like ME that were never intended to be a full step forward.

I bought a laptop about a year ago and it came with Vista. Even with 3 gigs of ram and a very suitable processor, the thing is sluggish-- its totally blown out of the water by my desktop with half the ram and half the processing power.

So, I tried to install XP and there weren't drivers designed for it. It is very irritating.

u2sarajevo · 01-12-2009, 10:22 AM

On the subject of Vista and it's perception to be "failed".... the beta for Windows 7 (the next client OS, which they should just call it NT 7 to make me happy) is out and I am very impressed.

On the Vista note though, I guess me (at home) and my company (all 15,000+ US users) have some sort of immunity to the Vista "bugs" that I hear so often. It has been a fantastic OS in my opinion.

edit: and on the subject of XP drivers - that is not a fault of Vista or Microsoft..... but people seem to lump that issue onto Microsoft as if it's somehow their fault that the vendor didn't produce a driver for an older OS.

Flacolaco · 01-12-2009, 10:25 AM

I have had some minor annoyances with Vista on one of my PC's at home, but nothing out of the (Windows) ordinary.

I think it's just fine.

I probably wouldn't use it at work yet, however, if my cheapo company offered it to me.

u2sarajevo · 01-12-2009, 10:42 AM

So you have the ability to veto your companies policy on OS deployment?

Sounds like a predetermined failed IT venture to me.

Flacolaco · 01-12-2009, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by u2sarajevo

So you have the ability to veto your companies policy on OS deployment?

Sounds like a predetermined failed IT venture to me.

I have a couple of servers running stuff that I wrote...alone. And if I told them I didn't want it on those servers, they'd say "OK". It's good job security: Establish critical processes and programs that only you have any idea what the hell is going on with

jthig32 · 01-12-2009, 11:38 AM

First major stumbling block to using the Windows 7 Beta: finding a drive emulator. Daemon Tools, Alcohol 120% and Virtual Clone Drive have all failed.

u2sarajevo · 01-12-2009, 12:31 PM

Well they don't call it a beta for nothing.

jthig32 · 01-12-2009, 01:35 PM

Yeah, I'm not criticizing. Just reporting my findings.

I'm a full fledged Microsoft backer, myself.

u2sarajevo · 01-12-2009, 02:24 PM

I hear ya thig..... Have you checked out the added functionality in resource monitor? I am on the fence about the grouping of similar taskbar buttons..... The small item that I am liking alot is the new calculator.

jthig32 · 01-12-2009, 02:34 PM

I can't decide on the taskbar thing. I like the hover/thumbnail thing. But the setting to get rid of the grouping is very easy to find.

I'll have to look up the resource monitor stuff. I need to find a more geek-level review of the new features. All I keep finding are stuff about the docking desktop, pinning apps, etc.

jthig32 · 01-12-2009, 05:10 PM

Ok, Virtual Clone Drive is actually working. Just needed a reboot apparently.

This taskbar is really growing on me. I LOVE the options in the right click context menu on taskbar items.

That new Resources Monitor is pretty sweet.

Big Boy Laroux · 01-15-2009, 09:39 AM

Decided to give it a try on the new HP Mini Netbook I bought after christmas. After all, it's a netbook, I don't have lots of programs on it.

Anyway, so far it's a pretty damn slick OS. And reports are it runs faster than Vista (of course) and for my netbook, it's even faster than XP!

Did anyone else get in on the beta?

jthig32 · 01-15-2009, 09:48 AM

I posted about this in a Vista thread because I figured no one else would be trying it.

I installed it as an alternate boot on one of my partitions at home. It is pretty slick. The taskbar took some getting used to, but I now really, really like it. I didn't think I'd be happy without quick launch icons, but what they did to the context menus of programs pinned to the taskbar is really smart.

As an example, in XP I am a heavy quicklaunch icon user. I have many shortcuts to different folders in my qucklaunch. With 7, I can pin Windows Explorer to the taskbar, and then pin my shortcuts to the context menu of Windows Explorer. Very slick.

I also really like what they did with the sys tray. Programs were using the systray for way too much crap. Now they can put those options in the context menu of their shotcuts and leave the systray for what it was truly intended for.

I recommend this article on 7 secrets as well.

Flacolaco · 01-15-2009, 09:50 AM

Oops, sorry thig. I was merging the threads...

jthig32 · 01-15-2009, 09:51 AM

Over moderation! Over moderation!

Ah well. At least now BBL can see the previous discussion.

Big Boy Laroux · 01-15-2009, 09:53 AM

thanks for merging - didn't know there was a thread already.

Installing on a netbook was fun cause there's no Optical drive. Had to create a bootable USB to install, and there were some quirks around that. But once I got that going, the install was a breeze.

Only issue so far was the compatibility of my free Mcafee Antivirus. So I installed Avira instead.

And yes, GREAT point about the systray. Good lord, on my home PC with XP, the systray is like a mile long.

And the Aero Peek and Shake features are pretty neat.

jthig32 · 01-15-2009, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jthig32

First major stumbling block to using the Windows 7 Beta: finding a drive emulator. Daemon Tools, Alcohol 120% and Virtual Clone Drive have all failed.

BTW, Virtual Clone Drive does actually work. Just reboot after installing it.

jthig32 · 01-15-2009, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Boy Laroux

thanks for merging - didn't know there was a thread already.

Installing on a netbook was fun cause there's no Optical drive. Had to create a bootable USB to install, and there were some quirks around that. But once I got that going, the install was a breeze.

Only issue so far was the compatibility of my free Mcafee Antivirus. So I installed Avira instead.

And yes, GREAT point about the systray. Good lord, on my home PC with XP, the systray is like a mile long.

And the Aero Peek and Shake features are pretty neat.

Yeah the Aero stuff is cool. I really like like the Aero docking (or whatever it's called) that will maximize an app to half your screen. However, running two monitors kind of messes that up.

Also, as noted in that article I linked, they FINALLY put in some logical keyboard shortcuts. You can now min/maximize with the keyboard, as well as move apps to and from monitors, etc.

Only drawback is it uses the Windows key, and my keyboard at home doesn't have one (I prefer older keyboards), so I'm going to have to find a keyboard I like with a windows key to take advantage of those shortcuts.

Big Boy Laroux · 01-15-2009, 09:58 AM

how do you not have a windows key? I love it just for the windows+TAB, as opposed to using ALT+TAB

jthig32 · 01-15-2009, 10:00 AM

Well before these new shortcuts that was only the useful shortcuts I couldn't use. Ctrl+Esc will do what the Win key does.

Big Boy Laroux · 01-15-2009, 10:19 AM

And i know this thread is mostly about the OS, but I am loving this netbook. Mainly got it so we can check email and internet downstairs (main home PC is upstairs). It's small, but the keyboard is 95% of normal size. And it's got an included webcam, and it's light as hell (got it with an SSD).

jthig32 · 01-27-2009, 05:18 PM

I read a review last week from a guy that really liked Windows 7 but deemed the IE 8 beta "unusable". I mocked him when I read that. I'd had no real issues with IE8, and they've put in a lot of the features that made Chrome appealing.

Well, after using Win7 heavily for over a week now, he's right. IE8 has become absolutely unusable, crashing very, very regularly for no apparent reason.

Which means I'm forced to run Firefox, which annoys me.

Ah well.

u2sarajevo · 01-27-2009, 05:33 PM

I never bother using IE anymore unless I'm on a computer that isn't mine.

bernardos70 · 01-27-2009, 05:34 PM

Opera anyone?

fluid.forty.one · 01-27-2009, 05:59 PM

I still use google chrome lol..

I only really use my comp for d-m.com, watching league pass broadband, homework and emails. Works fine for all those.

jthig32 · 01-27-2009, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bernardos70

Opera anyone?

Opera is very clunky in their handling of bookmarks on the toolbar. And that's a big thing for me.

Big Boy Laroux · 05-04-2009, 11:27 PM

bump - Microsoft released the Windows 7 Release Candidate to the public.

They are not limiting the number of downloads or product keys made available.

There are a number of caveats - you do need to do a fresh install if you are running XP or the Windows 7 beta (won't affect me much, I'm just doing this on my netbook), and it will stop working on June 1, 2010.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/win.../download.aspx

I'll be installing it tomorrow.

jthig32 · 05-04-2009, 11:30 PM

They did release a workaround if you absolutely have to upgrade from the Beta, but they strongly recommend against it.

I'll be putting the RC on at some point.

MavsX · 05-06-2009, 02:51 PM

this is a great thread. Where have i been ? how did i miss all this ?

yeah, i downloaded the windows 7 rc1 yesterday too. am having some trouble installing it on a virtual machine....

but..i'll figure it out. I might wipe out my laptop which is running ubuntu 9.04..but i don't know....my girlfriend is finally used to using ubuntu without my help..so i kinda want to keep it working for her.

jthig32 · 06-25-2009, 01:16 PM

Everyone planning on buying Windows 7 might as well get in on this deal.

Half price Home and Premium upgrades for a limited time starting tomorrow.

Big Boy Laroux · 06-25-2009, 02:12 PM

holy crap i am going to jump on that

ShaggyDirk · 06-26-2009, 10:33 PM

IMac...

sike · 06-26-2009, 11:51 PM