Update on Vista

Holy smokes! Who knew? Since I have a Little more time and experience with Vista it seemed appropriate to do a quick update. I have discovered a variety of other features that I really like. First is the logging. You go to Start/Computer/Manage/Event Viewer and you'll find logs for everything you need . Also, in the same window (or in the Task Manager Performance tab) you will find Reliability and Performance (or Resource Monitor in Task Manager). Much more info than anything in XP pro. Yer gonna luv it.

Another really likable feature is how well the OS handles program abends. That is abnormal end for you not old timers (an old mainframe term that is a bit more specific in meaning than crash. . . sheesh Bob. . . ). Thing is, Vista knows the program is abending or not responding and logs the errors (which you can see in the logs described above). It also tries to manage the abend and restart the app or keep the machine from crashing. It works for me. So, once again, I like it.

Windows Vista, the wait is over

Well now, I just had a birthday and my family got me Halo 2 as a present. When I opened the package we discovered it is a "Vista only" game. Staring an upgrade in the face. . .

I never thought I would be willing to upgrade as there has been so much bad press and reported dissatisfaction by users. I figured, heck I am a system builder and Vista has been out for a year. The updates released by Microsoft should fix the big bugs. So I got 2 licenses and installed it on mine and my son's machines. We backed everything up, did a clean install and it was terrific. After all the waiting I would have to tell you that it is a really good operating system.

The install was faster than I expected and once completed I instantly fell in love with the new interface. It is clean, cool looking and very slick. I also like the fact that the computer now boots up into a usable state more quickly than before. I had XP Pro SP2 with all the updates. I always keep things updated. It isn't a huge difference but it is quicker and it is really stable. There are some things that are a bit annoying admittedly.

The UAC (User Account Control) function is the main one I had issues with. UAC is there to protect you from all the bad stuff people try to do to you. Like malware, spyware etc. It also prevents you from successfully installing and using some programs as well. So, I figured it out, turned it off and suddenly everything was working like I wanted it to. The system is mad and nagging me to turn it back on but I'm not going to just yet. All in all that was a pretty minor thing considering how much I like Vista in general.

I have a pretty Good machine for Vista to run on, 2.75Ghz 64 bit dual core AMD CPU with 2GB memory and all the attendant stuff to make it fast and reliable. Built it myself (yeah, I'm a custom system builder) and I also built the machine my son inherited from me. They both run great and they seem to be doing well with Vista. If you think an upgrade is something you want, go to the Microsoft Vista website and run the Upgrade Advisor tool. It will check your machine for potential problems and provide advice on where they may lie. I personally found Home Premium to the be the right version for my needs. Good balance of features and price.

Above all, enjoy yourself. Take it easy and have fun.

I see morons, they're everywhere

Working hard not to go into a rant. I think that's noisome and annoying but it is getting hard not to if you are someone that has a lot of experience driving and observe the insane decline in driving skills. I am not always the most courteous driver but I actually go out of my way to be courteous to other drivers. Doing the "random acts of courtesy" thing lately. Need to get over to make the exit? Go ahead. I thought it might catch on but we'll see. Too soon to expect results and the driving just gets worse every day. It has become common to see people running red lights like they are some kind of annoyance and everyone else on the road is in their way. . .

I just saw a guy in a big SUV (yeah, I think it is a personality type genre, nothing against SUV's) that was in the right turn lane at a light. Suddenly the very dim light goes on in his miniature brain and he realizes he really wanted to turn left. So. . . he puts on his left turn signal and pulls out onto the cross street traffic to stop at a diagonal in front of the go straight lane and the left turn lane where he wants to be. Shame you never see the cops enforcing the traffic laws anymore. He could've used the citation based wake up call. I can't imagine where someone would get the idea it would be okay to do that. Given my age, it makes sense that in the day we thought that driving properly and well was something that mattered. Behavior like that wasn't tolerated. Now, it has become the norm. Try not to be like that. Sorry to rant.

House on the rock

Took a trip up to the House on the Rock a couple of weeks ago. Pretty interesting place. Lots of strange and cool stuff to see. This is a picture of the Infinity room. Cantilevered out over the scenic Wisconsin countryside.