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.