Windows Vista

April 08 Microsoft has submitted an early version of Windows 7 to the US government, sparking speculation that the successor to Vista may arrive sooner rather than later. But Bill Gates is sticking to 2010.

In a recent blog I saw this : It seems like every time Microsoft releases a new version of Windows, they feel compelled to drastically change the user interface. For an experienced user, this is like rearranging the furniture in a room and turning off the lights to see how many times you can stumble and stub your toes. This is especially bad for those of us who have invested a lot of time memorizing the way things work in one version of Windows, only to find that we need to relearn a new way of doing things. For instance in Windows 95/98/Me, you got to Device Manager by going to Control Panel, System, and the Device Manager tab. Starting with Windows 2000, it is Control Panel, System, the Hardware tab, and then click the Device Manager button. Similarly, the XP Control Panel itself underwent a hide-and-seek redesign that you can undo by reverting to the "classic" Control Panel view. Renaming things for no good reason: Ever since Windows 95, the place to uninstall applications has been in Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs. In Vista, now it's Control Panel, Programs, and Installed Programs. Well, some of it is there. The Add/Remove Windows Components part has been moved to Control Panel, Programs, and Windows Features. These two get a coveted Gold Leaf Cluster for being not only renamed, but burrowed deeper as well. But wait, there's more! If you choose the "classic" Control Panel view, the icon name is "Programs and Features." Don't get me wrong, I think it's perfectly fine for Microsoft to add new features or improvements to the user interface and tweak things here or there. When something doesn't need to change, though, it shouldn't change. Microsoft seems intent on simplifying screens to a half-dozen choices by pushing options deeper into a tree of choices, which just makes it harder to find things. These kinds of changes also make it much more difficult to explain fixes and problem diagnosis to users, because the steps they need to take will depend on their version of Windows and the specific settings they have chosen.

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In view of my own labours in transferring programs and data to the new Vista machine I have written a section on this subject on the next page

April 08 Speaking at the firm's annual Most Valuable Professionals event in Seattle yesterday, Steve Balmer told the gathered crowd that the unloved OS (Vista) was "a work in progress". According to reports, he also promised that Microsoft would learn from the mistakes it has made with Vista.

March 16th 08 SP1 for Vista is available through its Windows Update site and download centre. The company plans to push it out to PCs through automatic updates sometime in mid-April. Those expecting a raft a new features are liable to be disappointed, with Microsoft essentially bundling together a series of bug fixes and performance tweaks.

I have Vista Home Premium and paid extra for things like the AERO interface. If you look in Vista help for Aero you don't get much help. But hidden down in the Quickstart icons on the bottom line you may find and item called " Switch Between Windows " If you click on that, after opening and minimising a a few programs, you will start the 3D interface. And I thought Vista was supposed to be intuitive.

Want your XP cake and eat Vista ? What if you have XP and want to add Vista as a dual-boot system ? Fortunately, installing Vista on a machine that already has XP is much simpler than the the other way round. First, make sure you have a separate drive or partition that's big enough to hold Windows Vista (roughly 10GB). Next, run the Vista installer, taking care to install Vista on its own drive or partition. The Vista installer will do all the work of setting up the dual-boot menu for you. To manage dual boot loading you may wish to get a free program calle Easy BCD from http://neosmart.net/dl.php?id=1

Nov 07 The first big Vista upgrade, Service Pck 1 is due out in the March 08. Let us hope that it addresses some of the problems I have experienced. Internet Explorer has locked up on numerous occasions and Windows Mail has proved to be buggy. I am now using Mozilla's Firefox in place of Internet Explorer and Windows Live Mail in place of Windows Mail (which was what was offered in place of Outlook Express). Tansfer of address folders to either program pushed them all together in one folder and I had to separate them later. All very time consuming. I have even decided to keep my XP machine on the same desk for now. Altogether the changeover has taken hours of my time, which I was able and willing to give.l But I cannot imagine many businesses being prepared to do the same fro little advantage.

Oct 07 For people who are REALLY fed up with Vista take a look at this site as to how to revert to XP ! http://askbobrankin.com/vista_to_xp_downgrade.html

Aug 2007 Finally took the plunge and got a Windows Vista Premium PC, so will be able to comment with more confidence as soon as I have transferred my stuff from my XP machine. I also purchased a cheap laptop for a friend with the Home Basic version installed. I was quite impressed, especially when it installed her HP printer with no effort on my part. Outlook Express had been replaced by a similar program but in setting up her e-mail I was surprised not to be asked for her dialup number. The mystery was solved when I found the dialup number entry was only required in Internet Explorer Connection, Settings, Properties. I transferred her e-mail addresses via a memory key using Export and Import (CSV). No problem. The smart under-£300 HP laptop (Ebuyer) came with no disks at all. On boot up it went through a lengthy process of creating a new partition and copying the rescue files to it but it also recommended making external rescue disks in case of boot failure. No icons on the desktop but shortcuts can be created by dragging things such as Internet Explorer from the Start Menu onto the Desktop page.

Although I was pleased to get a machine with 2Gb memory I cannot really see what the fuss is about Premier Edition (as opposed to Home Basic) It is supposed to have a wonderful interface called Aero (and this requires at least 1Gb memory). But I cannot see the difference and clicking Help... doesn't. The machine came with another disk called Easy Upgrade but I am not sure what it upgrades to and whether it contains Aero (but I don't think so) I THINK it is a suggestion that one might upgrade to the most expensive edition and I would expect the next thing would be to ask my credit card details !

I am still finding my way about Vista. It slows me up looking for things that I used to be familiar with. My Documents is now called Documents, My Pictures is called Pictures. But somehow I seem to have a My Documents folder, which I cannot access or delete. And one Documents folder I called Tips disappeared altogether so I got it back from the old Recycler in the old PC and copied it over. But I have a feeling there may be a duplicate of that very large folder somewhere. I cannot say I have had real problems but if I had not been keen to upgrade at this moment I would say that the full charge for Vista is certainly not worth it unless it is thrown in with a machine. I would certainly recommend that one has the two machines side by side when transferring stuff if this is practicable.

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It is significant that a number of PC suppliers e.g. Ebuyer are now allowing people to opt for XP instead of Vista. Some Dell PC's for business offer XP Professional.

Did you know that, when you sign up to Vista you agree that, when you use it, it can inform Microsoft of what you are doing (from 20 parts of the program!)

After all the anti comments about Vista, guru Fred Langa has this to say ...

"Saying "forget about Vista" is sensationalistic and simplistic. Of course, the appearance of Vista didn't suddenly make XP obsolete. XP remains a mainstream operating system. If you're running a well-tuned, stable copy of XP and it meets your needs, there's no four-alarm reason to drop everything and upgrade to Vista right away. But that's not the same thing as saying we should forget about Vista completely. Make no mistake, sooner or later, Vista is in your future. All of Microsoft's products have a defined and published "life cycle," and Microsoft will "retire" full support for XP Home and Professional on Apr. 14, 2009. That's just two years from now. XP will continue to work after that date, of course. But you can think of Apr. 14, 2009, as the date when Microsoft's support attentions will turn away from XP. For the next five years thereafter (until 2014), online self-help for XP (e.g., the Knowledge Base) will remain available. Microsoft may, if it chooses, continue to release critical patches and updates."

For people who upgraded from XP to Vista and didn't like it see http://support.microsoft.com/kb/933168/en-us on how to get your XP back. Not for the faint hearted though.

For support from Microsoft go to http://support.microsoft.com/windowsvista
Computer Active has a Blog site on Vista developments. See www.computeractive.co.uk/windowswatch and a review at www.computeractive.co.uk/2171491

Windows Vista, the replacement for Windows XP, 2000 and Media Edition, is now available from www.ebuyer.co.uk at a mere £55.51 for the OEM Basic and £70.48 for the OEM Premium edition. That is the one which is supposed to be sold to Original Equipment Manufacturers. However there appears to be great confusion on the web whether it will be possible for private individuals to obtain this VERY much cheaper version when they build their own system. Some people think there is even a way to use this on an existing XP machine by reformatting.

Who can buy OEM software? In an (American) article at http://windowssecrets.com/comp/070426#story1 it says " In theory, software sold at OEM discounts is intended for the makers of computers to install on their systems before selling the systems to the public. In practice, however, anyone can purchase OEM software. But because of its purpose, the package usually assumes a level of expertise higher than the average software buyer, omitting, for example, instructional manuals and technical support options." However, their study of the UK market showed that, although the price is still higher than in the USA they found the Vista Home Premium in the UK selling for as little as £67.79 and XP Pro SP2 for £64.99. So, if you have the expertise and are prepared to do a new install (not an upgrade) you will save a lot of cash. Nevertheless, with the price of new PCs with Vista already installed being very sharp, buying new would save a lot of trouble !

See below for retail prices.

However Pcworld is now selling the retail version for MUCH more : This is from their advert:
Windows Vista Home Basic : Full version £179.95 inc VAT Upgrade Version £99.99 inc VAT Ebuyer prices £157.44 / £79.54 (post free)
Windows Vista Home Premium : Full version £210.99 inc VAT Upgrade Version £144.99 inc VAT Ebuyer : £186.35 / £129.72
Windows Vista Business : Full version £289.99 inc VAT Upgrade Version £189.99 inc VAT
Windows Vista Ultimate : Full version £369.99 inc VAT Upgrade Version £249.99 inc VAT

The price of the Basic upgrade in the USA is half that of buying it in the UK. Once again we are being ripped off.

There should be no problem in installing Vista on a machine with Windows XP. Media Edition or Windows 2000. As there is a considerable saving by buying the upgrade version is it possible to install it on a machine without XP already on there ? For instance, you may have a well endowed Win 98 machine. Ordinarily you would not be able to use the upgrade on a Win 98 machine. Please contact me for instructions.

If you have more than one machine needing Vista see Here for the family upgrade. But it does mean buying one Ultimate version

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What is like ? What does it need in the way of a PC in order to run ? Do you need it at all ?. There is a video on Youtube describing differences. See http://www.pcpitstop.com/news/rob/vistavid/vistavideo.asp One of those fast talking Americans

Vista variations

Most people will go for either the Home Basic or the Home Premium edition. The advantage of the second, slightly more expensive one is that it includes Media Centre, DVD burning and a fancy new interface called Aero. At only £15 more than the Basic version I see no contest apart from it needing 1 Gb (or more) of memory. But this amount is becoming standard on new machines.

The Microsoft site describing these things is at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/experiences/default.mspx and you can check your current computer (and installed software compatibility) by downloading the 6.1 Mb advisor from http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/getready/upgradeadvisor/default.mspx. You may also need a recent XML Microsoft installer called MSXML6.Msi (1.5Mb) which you can get from a link on the site. The Advisor then does a ten minute study of your machine. There is another advisor at www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/upgradeadvisor.

In my case it said that my Nero Ahead CD writing software was definitely OUT, as was my 56k dialup modem. Many other programs were a little doubtful at this stage. In view of the fact that my memory is only 512Mb at this stage it only recommended the Basic Home Vista. Inevitably, it was better to get a new machine with Vista installed.

In addition to the Basic Home and Premium Home Editions, there is a Business Edition and a Vista Ultimate. The Basic Home and Business Editions will do not include the current all - singing Media Edition facilities. The Home Premium version would be better for the 'Gamers' and those who wish to record and play videos and music in a Home Cinema style with surround sound, using a remote control. I understand it would also be better for laptop users.

Comparison of Vista alternatives

Incidentally All versions of the program will be present on all full version disks. Upgrading will be by obtaining a code from Microsoft.

I understand that OEM versions can only be installed (ever) on one machine. The detail is then copied to the motherboard. You could reinstall it from disk on the same machine but not on another.

Not all versions of Windows can be upgraded to Vista. See chart below. It will NOT be possible to upgrade from Windows 98 to Vista (even if the machine is capable of running it). A new install would be necessary.

Vista Upgrade chart

System Requirements (minimums)

Basic Home Edition : 512Mb RAM; 800 Mhz processor and a graphics processor capable of Directx 9; 15Gb free hard disk space
Premium and Ultimate : 1Gb Memory; 1Ghz processor; 15Gb free space; If the graphics card is separate it should have 128Mb memory. If it is on board the 1Gb of memory should suffice. Premium Home version will probably run in a reduced mode on 512Mb (but at least 2Gb is recommended)

In fact I believe that much more disk space would be required as early evidence of Premium installations show a 'Noname Partition' which is devoted to Recovery. This partition alone is over 12 gigabyte.

Support of older Windows The site at http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifeselectwin may give you some idea how long versions of Window will be supported by Microsoft. It describes the difference between Mainstream and Extended support. Whilst Windows 98 and ME are already no longer supported (despite the millions of people using them) there are still some security updates available. However, although it seems that XP Professional and Professional 2000 will have some sort of support for five years, the site says nothing about extended support for XP Home and Media Editions beyond 'two year after the release of the next version' (which is Vista). So, no promises after 2009. See also http://support.microsoft.com/gp/windows for current support for all versions.

N.B. Most of the well-know makes of PC bought between now and March (with XP) will have a Vista Home upgrade voucher. See the Microsoft website at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/experiences/default.mspx for details of which makes will qualify.

What is new in Vista ?

Vista aero interface)

See and hear demos of Vista HERE (providing you can understand Microsoft rapid-fire American speech)

www.ebuyer.com give the following description of the Premier Home Edition

The preferred edition of Windows Vista for home desktop and mobile PCs. It’s easier—get things done and get on with life!

It’s easier and faster than ever to find, use, manage, and share the information on your PC or on the Web.

The Windows® Aero™ desktop brings new clarity to your PC experience with dynamic visual effects, like Windows Flip 3D, that allow you to see everything you’re working with at a glance.

Instantly locate any document, photo, e-mail message, song, video, file, or program with ease using Instant Search.

The new Windows Photo Gallery makes it much easier to find, edit, enjoy, and share your favorite memories with family and friends

Bring live information like weather and news directly to your desktop with easy-to-use gadgets in Windows Sidebar.

It’s safer—the security and health of your PC are automated. Relax—the security and health of your PC are automated across everything you do, so you can focus on the things you enjoy. Help protect private information and remove spyware with Windows Defender™.

Help your children use the PC and surf the Web more safely and productively with built-in Parental Controls.

Help keep your system safe from data loss with the new, automated Scheduled Backup and Network Backup.

Help protect your PC and your personal information against malicious software, fraudulent Web sites, and online phishing scams with Windows Internet Explorer® 7.5

It’s more entertaining—go BIG with Windows Media Center!

Expand your ability to enjoy and share your television, movies, memories, music, and games—in your living room or around your house—it’s right there at your fingertips! Sit back and enjoy your favorite television shows on your own time with Windows Media Center.2 Use the built-in television guide and a compatible remote control to find, watch, record, and pause live TV on your PC or a TV screen. Share big, beautiful photos and home videos in full glory on your TV. Add your own soundtrack and set a party mood!

Enjoy Windows Media Center entertainment on TVs throughout your home with Xbox 360TM and other devices connected to your home network.2,4 Blend your photos and home videos seamlessly into a rich movie experience, complete with soundtrack, titles and credits, and creative transitions with Windows Movie Maker. Project your production to your home theater with Xbox 360 and other devices, and share it with an audience! Burn your slideshows and home movies to a DVD with Windows DVD Maker3 and watch them on your PC or DVD player whenever you like.

It’s designed to be mobile—take it all with you!

Enjoy your entertainment and connect and share information with friends and family on the go. Work your own way with Tablet PC technologies that let you use a digital pen to navigate through files or websites, jot down notes, and make sketches on the run. Keep your devices up-to-date with your latest contacts, calendar, music and more with Sync Center. Set up your mobile preferences and confidently connect wherever life takes you with Windows Mobility Center, Network and Sharing Center, and Sync Center.5. Set up your own wireless network, or find and join a wireless network at your favorite hotspot, with Network and Sharing Center. Entertain yourself anywhere, using Windows Media Center on your mobile PC to enjoy your favorite TV programs, movies, photos, home videos, and music when you’re on the road.

A normal Windows Vista Premium Ready PC includes at least:

1 GHz 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor1. 1 GB of system memory.
Support for DirectX 9 graphics with a WDDM driver, 128 MB of graphics memory (minimum)2, Pixel Shader 2.0 and 32 bits per pixel.
40 GB of hard drive capacity with 15 GB free space. DVD-ROM Drive3. Audio output capability. Internet access capability.

Minimum requirement

800 MHz 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor1 ; 512 MB ; SVGA (800x600) ; 20 GB (15gb Free Space) ; CD-ROM drive2
PCs that meet the minimum supported system requirements will be able to run (only) the core features of Windows Vista with the Basic user experience. End of article from Ebuyer (But I wouldn't recommend it... see below)

In addition to the Microsoft hype above (!)

It makes Accessibility functions easier to start. By pressing the Windows key and U you get immediately to a screen which enables you to turn on

Magnifier
Onscreen keyboard
Narator. This will speak selected text or even say which keys you are pressing. Better voices are provided than hitherto
High contrast
Additional facilities can be purchased such as software called a 'Dwell Cursor' which activates a click when the cursor is kept over a menu or letter on the on screen keyboard.

Did you know that a company produces a foot operated mouse ? And Prentrom make touch screens and head pointing devices and it is even possible to control a computer with eye movements

Vista - The problems. And now it begins !

Having tarnsferred most things to my Vista machine (see next page) I have now discovered problems with the Outlook Express Replacement called Windows Mail. Firstly it wont let me shut it down in the usual ways. Unless I click Cancel twice it just reopens. Other people are having this trouble but no-one seems to have an answer. Secondly, on occasion, things are left in the Deleted folder, even though I have tried to empty it. The items are cleard of content (the message has gone) but the title stubbornly remains. Someone on a forum suggested that I could get round this by clickin any OTHER folder (not Deleted) then right clicking the deleted folder and clicking Empty it. This does get rid of items one by one. So it is a workaround but not an answer. Next, and much worse, I found that Send and receive was not sending all mail. They remained in the Outbox. And I could not delete those. As usual I get " An Unknown Error has occurred". Great help that ! I have tried Mozilla's email program. Quite good, but had a difficulty with sending a message to many people (with BCC). So, lastly I am trying Windows LIVE Mail, which seems better.

Good News : ZoneAlarm Internet Security System Suite (and free firewall) is now said to be ompatible with Vista (July 07). Magazine Web User gave ZA free firewall only three stars (failed their Trojan test(!)). They gave a five star rating to Comodo Personal Firewall (www.personalfirewall.comodo.com). Ashampoo Free Firewall got a four star rating.

The way Vista handles graphics is different from before. If you have a Creative graphics card and move to Vista you need to download the new driver.

The bigger your hard disk the more space is allowed for XP Restore files. It is based on 12% of your drive. So, if you have a 160gb drive a vast amount of space (up to 19gb) is automatically given over to months and months of Restores (it normally does one every day). In the case of XP it is possible to limit the amount of space used : Right click 'My Computer' on the desktop, click Properties then Restore. Move the slider down to a smaller percentage. Click OK and wait until the drive is adjusted. However, according to my information, Vista does not have this facility, which means that vast tracts of your drive will be cluttered with useless restore data. Whoever restored as much as a month ago? I suppose one could shut off Restore and Restart it - which will clear all restore points. But who knows with Vista?

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Microsoft's on-the-box minimum RAM requirement "really isn't realistic," according to David Short, an IBM consultant who works in its company's Global Services Division. He says users should consider 4GB of RAM if they really want optimum Vista performance. With 512MB of RAM, Vista will deliver performance that's "sub-XP," he warned. I gather that 4Gb makes it really move but for most people 2Gb will be sufficient for the Premier Edition. The 512Mb suggested as 'Vista Capable' would, according to Dell, be OK for loading Vista (Basic), providing you didn't want to run any applications (programs) !!

Many people using older Broadband modems, especially if connecting via the USB port rather than an Ethernet socket, have experienced problems with Vista and need at least to get a CD upgrade program from the manufacturer or from their ISP.

JAWS, the expensive screen reader used by blind and partially sighted people all over the world will not work with Vista

Not just sour grapes because I was cheated out of my Medion-cum-Vista package at Aldi but, if you are on Broadband and want to have a laugh at Microsoft's expense have a look at the poor guy demonstrating the Vista Speech Recognition package at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyLqUf4cdwc&eurl= I would have given up long before he did.

Windows Vista users who wish to use AOL software to enjoy the Internet must install AOL® 9.0VR (Windows Vista Ready), which is fully compatible with the new operating system. AOL 9.0VR is the newest version of the AOL Internet software -- no matter what kind of Internet access you have, broadband or dial-up. Note: If you use a dial-up connection to access AOL and are considering switching to Windows Vista, you must first install AOL 9.0VR to ensure you'll be able to connect to the Internet once on Windows Vista.

AOL is saying that an Ethernet modem is required, which means that all those people connecting via a USB modem will be out of luck and will need and Ethernet card, cable and suitable modem..

Checking my computer with Microsoft's Vista Checking program it said that the Nero 6 program and my dialup Modem would no longer work.

A note has been issued to folk who use Fsnet, Freeserve, Wanadoo, Orange and an ISP (Internet Provider) that their Broadband modem may not work with Vista. Please contact them.

Early users have been surprised to find that, after years of developing 'drop-down' Menus since Windows 3.1 they are suddenly out of fashion. They appear here and there.

If you love drop down menus, such as always being able to find Open and Save under File and Find, Copy, Paste and Undo under Edit you will want a clue as to how to reinstate them

But when you try the same things with Vista, it doesn't work the same way. There aren't any menus. You hunt and click and peck and swear, and 10 minutes later come up empty-handed. Things that are easy to do in Windows XP's Explorer just aren't possible in Vista's Explorer. Or at least it appears that way.

Several of the new Office apps have done away with menus completely — you can't get them back for love nor money. But other Office 2007 apps will only work if you deign to click the menus. Outlook 2007 only works with menus, but its e-mail editor (Word 2007 in drag) hasn't a menu to its name. Media Player 11 sports clunky buttons that act like menus, if you can hit the teensy, tiny down-arrows.

Internet Explorer 7 employs half-hearted (half-fast?) menus that look like icons, cramming "all other" under a Tools icon

Vista's Photo Gallery displays a line of icons that look like menus processed through The Great American Makeover — and the Open icon (which isn't under the File icon) doesn't really open anything at all.

Windows Live Messenger has menus, but to get to them you have to hit the correct little icon in the upper right corner. It's hard to find amid all the advertising.

How to get your explorer menus back ?

So how do you get Vista's Windows Explorer to show you menus? It's easy. Press the Alt key. That brings Windows Explorer's menus back. The same trick works in Internet Explorer. Unfortunately, pressing the Alt key doesn't bring the menus back permanently. In fact, if you click just about anywhere inside the Explorer window, Vista takes it upon itself to turn the menus off again.

Fortunately, there's a quick way to make the menus appear all the time. Here's how:

Step 1. In Vista, bring up Windows Explorer (click Start, Documents or Start, Computer).

Step 2. Press the Alt key. That brings up the menus.

Step 3. Click Tools, Folder Options. Then click the View tab.

Step 4. Near the top, check the box that says Always Show Menus.

Step 5. While you're in this dialog box, you can configure some improvements:

a. Make Vista show you hidden files and folders by clicking the box marked Show hidden files and folders;

b. Make Vista show you filename extensions - uncheck the box marked Hide extensions for known file types; and

c. Have Vista show you all of your files. To do this, uncheck the box marked Hide protected operating system files

(recommended). Note that you also have to click through a warning dialog box.

Step 6. Click OK.

The UAC. Vista keeps asking you whether you are sure you want to do things. A security measure, for sure, but it gets to be a bit of a hassle each time you want to install a program you know to be perfectly safe. To disable this (User Accounts Control Panel) go to User Accounts in the Comtrol Panel and click to turn off this 'facility'. You have to restart the PC.

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