Ask Your Vista Questions Here.

ditto, vista can stick it thier gege hole.

 

yup, same here. thumbs down for vista.

some time ago i was just too naive (in the neighbor of stupid, really) to see vista as a technological advancement. the reality is that it is an abusive repressive operating system.

 

the trouble with vista is its in some ways like XP it has its technological advancement and it has alot of other issues,XP didn't like older hardware and programs vista will be like that to but the real down side of vister is the iron fist it holds.hell Vister is exactly like XP when it came out only with DRM hell tacted onto it 0-o

 

and thats exactly why I say to hell with vista, people say they will wait about a year to get all the bugs out before converting, hell the big bug is the drm, and you know they wont eliminate that, so screw them now and later.

 

Oh? so you are saying in a year or 2 vister wont be broken?
they already got HD/BR dvds running on XP i time vister will be "fixed" to,I mean come on,you wil always need a 3rd part program get the best from windose, I see a line of cheap retail copy and back up programs being made PDQ,not to mention free offerings from the net,frankly vister is not ready for the real world and after acoupel years will be changed to suit it.

 

I won't even have windows if it wasn't for 3rd party programs. I don't upgrade OS unless I "HAVE" to. I'll stick with xp for awhile.

 

January 7th, 2007
Microsoft lifts the curtain on Vista Ultimate Extras
Posted by Mary Jo Foley @ 11:07 pm Categories: Vista, Windows client, Corporate strategy, Code names, CES 2007


For months know, Microsoft has made it known that it planned to position its downloadable Vista Ultimate Extra add-ons as icing on the top tier of the Vista cake. What Microsoft hadn't made public — until January 7 — was exactly what would be part of the Ultimate line up.

But at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2007 kick-off keynote by Bill Gates on Sunday night, Microsoft showed a bit of what Microsoft has planned for the first wave of Ultimate Extras. And at Microsoft's Windows Vista Lab, an event for about 60 bloggers, Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs) and Windows community members held in Las Vegas on January 6 and 7, Microsoft officials filled out details on the rest of its Extras strategy.

Microsoft plans to make available only to Ultimate customers starting on January 30 — the day that that Vista becomes available in the retail channels — the following Extra downloadables:

* A Vista-customized version of the Texas Hold 'Em poker game

* Multi-user interface language (MUIL) packs, designed to allow individuals fluent in different languages to share the same PC. Microsoft plans to make MUILs available for 35 languages, in addition to English. (MUILs also are available to Vista Enterprise customers.)

* BitLocker Online Secure Key Storage. Ultimate customers will be offered a secure place to store their BitLocker encryption keys in the Online Vista Marketplace. That way, if they lose their keys, they will be able to retrieve them over the Web. (BitLocker encryption is a feature of the Ultimate and Vista Enterprise SKUs only.)

* Windows DreamScene, animated wallpaper technology that allows users to run high-resolution video inside the Vista Aero Glass user interface. Microsoft and selected partners, starting with Stardock Corp., will be providing sample content. DreamScene has been known by the codenames "Motion Desktop," and, more recently "Borealis."

* "Digital publications," a bunch of tips and tricks, blog links and other resources for getting the most out of Ultimate. These are just the first few offerings under the Ultimate Extras banner. Microsoft is planning to roll out downloadables over time, company officials said.

Justin Hutchinson, a group product manager for Vista, showed off during Gates' keynote a bit of the capabilities of DreamScene. He also put through its paces a new a "photo-imaging" Extra developed by Microsoft Research. GroupShot allows users to combine elements of multiple pictures together into a new image.

At the Vista Lab, Microsoft officials said that GroupShot. is an example of the kinds of next-generation Extras that Microsoft has in the development pipeline and won't be available as part of the first round of Ultimate Extra downloads. Microsoft isn't going public yet with its packaging or delivery time frame for the next wave of Extras.
http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=189

 

Who's Inflating Vista Security Expectations?


Opinion: Unsatisfied with Microsoft's boring, conservative claims, critics invent new and unreasonable ones that they can blame the company for not meeting. As I see it, the biggest question in the security business this year is how well Windows Vista will hold up against what will be the most concerted attack in the industry's relatively short history. The standards for a fair analysis of this question are more complicated than many would have you believe: Vista doesn't have to be perfect in order to hold up well. As even Microsoft will tell you, if you actually listen to what the company says, nothing's perfect, and a big part of hardening a product against attack is to be prepared for when a failure occurs.

More info can be found at :

Source
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,2079859,00.asp?kc=EWRSS03129TX1K0000614

 

After a grueling week of intense Vista RTM testing, I still can't get Vista stable on my primary computer yet even though I've swapped out all the bad memory. This same PC has worked with and continues to work with Windows XP just fine. Even with the good memory in the computer, it locks up every hour or two and forces me to hard shut the system to reboot. Apparently I'm not the only one with stability issues since reader DAC-Tech who's a Systems Engineer with a big company was having issues with his brand new ASUS based motherboard.

I've informed Microsoft almost a week ago of this along with all the other nagging issues I list below and I have not heard back from them. If Microsoft wants to clarify anything in this blog they're always welcome to do so and I'll put their responses on this blog. My other server that I built out of scrap parts laying around is stable but there are still too many issues for me to want to use Vista. The way it stands now, I can't or won't use Vista on any of my computers full time until these serious issues have been fixed. Here is a list of grievances that I tested on my stable Vista system and some of these bugs were pointed out in my RC2 review.

DVD playback in Windows Medial Player or Media Center will only play in interlaced mode making it VERY ugly.
If I replace the MPEG-2 DVD codec with K-Lite Cinepack codec, the interlacing issue goes away but it conflicts with Media Player's translucent controls and delivers low frame rates with slow screen paints that are especially noticeable when the entire screen on the video moves. Windows Media Player Classic will work smoothly though it forces Aero to shut down temporarily and it can only play one file at a time making in impractical for full DVD movie playback. I'm not sure if the slow playback has something to do with the inability of an old codec to paint an Aero 3D screen efficiently or not but I wouldn't have this problem if the built-in Microsoft DVD codec would de-interlace the video properly.
Media Player screws up captured 1080i HDV playback by playing it in a tiny window until you click on the movie to force it to play back at 50% size. While that's not a problem with a mouse, not sure how you would deal with this on an HTPC. Not everyone will know they're suppose to click on the movie to make it play back at 50% size.
1080i full screen playback in general is a problem even with content captured digitally from OTA Over-the-air HDTV broadcasts. The exact same hardware (NVIDIA GeForce 6200 or ATI 9600 Pro with a Pentium 4 2.4 GHz with hyperthreading) that works fine in Windows XP on HD playback at full screen but NOT in Windows Vista. Even though this isn't Microsoft software, it doesn't change the fact that I can't use this server as an HTPC for my living room big screen HDTV.
Media Center crashes when library browsing some folders which is totally unacceptable. This might be caused with a bad interaction with the DivX and XVID CODECs from the K-Lite mega pack, but it doesn't change the fact that I still need to be able to play those videos.
Media Center can't play DVD folder rips on the Hard Disk Drive which makes it worthless for DVD library playback. I can't believe this isn't supported. What's the point of having an online DVD library?
Movie Maker HDV preview is shifted downwards until you toggle widescreen preview. Minor bug but I mentioned something about this in my RC2 review.
Movie Maker only lets you retrieve entire HDV tape, not selections like the old Movie Maker in Windows XP. These last two issues I warned about in my RC2 review and they've not been fixed yet.
The "open with" feature is gone. When I use to right click on a data file, you can click "open with" and choose a new program to open the file or pick something on the list of applications you've used before. That list of recent applications for opening data files is gone which is very frustrating.
Power save settings are hidden in a deep mess. Tweaking the settings don't always stick. Default hybrid sleep mode (explanation here) is very annoying if system crashes because on the next reboot, it takes minutes to reload a gigabyte from hard drive and it stays that way until you shut down properly shut down Vista. I had to struggle with the UI to turn off this feature and change the power button in the start button to off mode and to get my settings to stick. The fact that my main PC is crashing didn't help the situation, but it would be nice if MS could ask if you want to boot normally instead of trying to recover the previous state. For most desktops, going from 150 watts idle to 145 watts in sleep mode just doesn't make any sense. I have yet to find a Desktop PC that can go in to sleep state level 3 which only uses a few watts of power.
Minor changes in hardware will sometimes prevent Vista from booting up. So much for the great driver independent imaging model I'd been hearing about though I haven't tested Vista deployment tools yet. I had read that Vista was suppose to be able to adapt to different hardware but maybe I just haven't found that feature yet.
IE7 embedded Windows Media Video playback won't support anamorphic video and forces the video to play in 4:3 mode as oppose to widescreen 16:9 mode. I had complained about this to Microsoft two months ago under Vista RC2. Example here.
While I've read from Jim Allchin that audio features have improved and Polycom is telling me about the new multiple Mic feature that allows you to pin point voice out of a noisy room, some things seem to be missing that shouldn't be missing. Windows XP allowed you to set separate Audio and Voice input/output preferences. That means voice applications like Skype will use one set of speakers and microphone while games will spit out sound from a different sound card. That feature is now gone and you only get to set one set of record and playback preferences. Maybe this is less confusing for beginner users but it's an unacceptable dumbing down of Vista.
That's all I can think of now though I'm sure there were other grievances.
Does this mean I don't like Vista? No there are still security features like IE7 Protected Mode and UAC which beats having to log out and back in to do any administrative tasks. I really want to make Vista work but these types of serious bugs simply means that Vista RTM isn't ready yet. At this point in time I'm going to give up on using Vista as my primary operating system and wait for fixes on at least most of these problems to go away.
BY George Ou, From RealWorld IT

 

All i can say to that one Fred, is :
Mwuahahahahahaha !

That guy just proved our points on vista, and then some.

 

Microsoft's Connected Lifestyle


Joe Wilcox
Joe Wilcox

In Bill Gates' view of the future, Microsoft will give people something to do during waking hours. The company hasn't conquered sleep yet.

The sentiment, expressed during Microsoft Chairman's closing remarks, capped off a full-packed but typically dry Consumer Electronics Show keynote. Gates is at ease on stage, but not persuasive.

As I predicted last week, Gates' keynote focused on six product areas: Windows Vista, Office 2007, Windows Live, Windows Mobile, Zune and Xbox 360.

Gates' message didn't carry the night, however. Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices Division, spent a good chunk of the keynote time on stage. While the venue was appropriate for Bach, his content and length of presence on stage is yet another sign of the three group presidents' influence and Microsoft's larger operations acting more like three associated but independent companies within the company.

The night's theme was connections and how Microsoft would help people make them across different venues, whether work, home or play.

Windows Vista took early, center stage, with promises of never-before-discussed features. Yawn. The headliner: Search across Windows Vista PCs on home networks. I wouldn't call this exactly new, or never discussed.

The other new features are part of Media Center and really are little more than new content deals. Surely, Microsoft was going to have some, given the new Windows version. Microsoft and FoxSports.com are partnering on SportsLounge, which will provide TV programming and real-time sports scores. Microsoft also announced content partners ShowTime Interactive and Vongo.

All three services will be delivered through Media Center's Online Spotlight feature. The online mechanism is underrated, or so I think. It's a real bridge between the two most important consumer connected entertainment devices, the TV and PC.

By the way, Microsoft's partners have sold 30 million Windows Media Center PCs, Bach revealed. For perspective, in April 2006, the number was 6.5 million, which is a staggering increase in about 10 months. During his presentation, Bach alluded to the consumer appeal of Media Center driving sales, which is laughable. Success is probably more about choice, meaning none. In the absence of Windows Vista, PC manufacturers are putting Media Center on almost everything. Tonight, I saw a cute 12.1-inch Averatec laptop on sale at the local Staples for $799, with Windows XP Media Center Edition installed.

Bach revealed that, later this year, Windows Vista users would have access to Xbox Live. The idea is to bring the connected gaming experience from Xbox 360 and Xbox Live to the Windows PC. Through XNA, Microsoft has sought to make it easier for developers to create games for Xbox and Windows. Xbox Live for Windows would create another bridge between the desktop and console.

But Xbox wouldn't be the only Live on the desktop or the only one delivering desktop games. Xbox Live and Windows Live share the same surname for good reason. Right now, they're related siblings separated at birth. Microsoft has a big future planned for these kids.

PlaysForSure may be pushing up daisies, but that doesn't mean Microsoft has totally abandoned its other music strategy. Bach began by reaffirming Microsoft's comment to MTV URGE and Windows Media Player 11, which debuted at CES 2006. So, not all Microsoft partners will get trashed in the quest to Zune the iPod.

URGE is a terrific music service, by the way, and the integration into WMP 11 is competitive to Apple's iTunes. While Apple provides great content and supporting editorial, URGE has better programming, IMHO. Surely, a media company like Music Television knows a few content programming and presentation tricks.

That's scary.. I saw gates spouting on about how they want vista and M$ to run out homes and lives (with the permission of the MPAA and RIAA no doubt).. I see that as something more akin to.. letting the trojans run our house, leaving the doors open, and giving granny the tv remote....

Don't these bastards have enough of most peoples lives already?

 

First thougts: Love the look, love the feel, love the features. it is very easy to install (using vista rtm) and it seems like it is going to be a good system. But I said Going.

I was lucky enough to have driver for all of my devices for vista.

After messing with it, it is EXTREMELY BUGGY.

After being up and running for about 10 on a clean install, iTunes (7.0.2) caused a BSOD when importing my catalog and it did it multiple times. All of my Hardware have tested fine, even my ram (cause I know people been having trouble with it), but still got BSOD.

I really like it, but Im going to have to go back to XP until they fix the kinks

 

Personally, i'm sticking with XP untill microsoft either makes PROPER new OS, or untill i become patient enough to use Linux for everything i do *and when slysoft starts making proper ports of it software for linux*

 

I'm going nowhere near any more M$ rubbish.. I saw the light!!

I bet that gets quoted a bit...

As nobody has come near this I thought a link was in order.. (thanks Ktulu14)

http://linux.oneandoneis2.org/wrongms.htm

Follow it and have a good read.. I had some thoughts which I posted elsewhere, and repeat here in full..

 

halo 2 will be cracked for windows vista. So you don't need to get vista if you want to play halo 2. But i will get vista in 2 years.

 

I will get vista when it becomes a bit more established and it's had its first Service Pack.

 

Another copy protection scheme going down the tubes. The recent release of software that can be used to decode encrypted HD DVD and Blu-ray movies is the first step toward making the encryption standard used by these next-generation video players obsolete, Princeton University researchers said Monday.

Late last month, a hacker going by the name Muslix64 released software that could be used to decrypt movies that were encoded using the AACS (Advanced Access Content System) digital rights management specification. AACS is supported by Hollywood and video player manufacturers.

Introduced in April 2005, AACS is the copy protection system for HD DVD and Blu-ray movies. It is supported by companies such as Microsoft, Panasonic, Sony, Toshiba, Walt Disney and Warner Bros.

Arms Race
Muslix64's BackupHDDVD software did not crack AACS, but it will make it easier for some technically adept users to decrypt movies, said Alex Halderman, a Princeton computer science student who, along with noted researcher Ed Felten, is calling the software "the first step in the meltdown of AACS."

AACS devices use cryptographic techniques to read numeric codes, called 'keys,' from video discs. These keys are then used to unlock the digital content, making it readable on the player. Muslix64's software does not give users a way to discover these keys, but it does provide a way to descramble content once the key is uncovered.

"This is the framework through which the arms race is going to be fought," Halderman said. "They don't have the ammunition yet, but this is the gun."

All You Need Is The Key
AACS is supposed to work better than the CSS (content scrambling system) encryption system used to protect DVDs from unauthorized copying. CSS was cracked just a few years after its release by three hackers, including a 16-year-old Norwegian named Jon Johansen.

Unlike CSS, however, the AACS system gives movie companies a way of "revoking keys"--changing new movies so that these keys cannot be read on video players that have been cracked.

This system gives Hollywood a way of protecting new releases, but it only works if hackers publicize their work and disclose which player has been cracked. And even with key revocation, nothing can be done to prevent disks whose keys have already been published from being unlocked, Halderman said.

"What the future looks like to us is that some individuals will have cracks that they don't publish and which Hollywood is unable to revoke," he said. "Other people will have cracks that they do publish, and which will work for all old disks."

Trouble For Hollywood?
This scenario may not be so bad for the movie studios, so long as they are able to prevent widespread illegal distribution of their products and keep movies from being widely available while they are still being shown in theatres, said Mike McGuire, an analyst with Gartner Inc. "If they can preserve the existing [theatrical] release windows, then they're probably going to feel reasonably comfortable," he said.

Still, Halderman believes it's only a matter of time before the keys that can be used with BackupHDDVD become public and Hollywood will be faced with unauthorized copying of AACS-protected material. "There's just no doubt that title keys are going to become available at some point in the near future," he said. By, Robert McMillan, IDG News Service

 

LOL, I have been playing halo 2 on the xbox for about 3 years now. But its all good.

 

If i want to play Halo or Halo 2, i'll stick with my Xbox, like deezp1 *or my 360 for that matter*.
If i want to play pc games, i'll stick with CS or postal 2.