View Full Version : Cool Vista Discoveries
dejongj
23-06-2006, 4:10 PM
The more I am using Vista the more interesting it is becomming. At first you think it is not that different from XP, just annoying...But then when using it there are these little touches and it is actually getting quite fun....
Please don't use this to bash Vista, or state that you can do it already with other utilities, or OS's....Sure we know now, originality is dead, long live the copy cats, let's get over it and move on....
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I really like how the folder view of a picture folder has got an open folder and then within the folder there are little thumbnails of your pictures...Really cool....
bcopping
23-06-2006, 4:18 PM
what are the interesting bits??
neal85
23-06-2006, 4:35 PM
have you had a go playing around with the gadgets side bar yet, looks like fun, assuming its got it on this version. im awaiting a disk from microsoft. best not take much longer :)
dejongj
23-06-2006, 4:42 PM
I find the sidebar the best implementation of this kind of function yet. And unlike the active desktop when that was introduced, it works without being a resource hog.....
As the desktop itself is now part of ALT-TAB or WINDOWS-TAB it makes it very easy and accessible...
@bcopping: What are the interesting bits...Well that is really the intend of this thread to find out....There seems to be lots of changes and most in my opinion for the better.....Another good one that I just found is that the firewall is bi-directional...Halelouja!! They've finally seen the light....
what are the interesting bits??
Using search to find a file is now far quicker.
Singh400
23-06-2006, 5:06 PM
go to command and type in:
winsat aurora
;)
AMCross
23-06-2006, 6:44 PM
i like it as well will defo make numerous purchases when it comes out
dejongj
24-06-2006, 6:03 AM
go to command and type in:
winsat aurora
;)
I've got aurora set as my screensaver! Don't want to do any more work, it is really cool!
opo101
24-06-2006, 1:09 PM
Just checked out aurora, very nice!
i think the network centre and network fearures are very good on vista. also windows update is very smooth, and the process it finds drivers is excellent.
When i first installed it, nothing was working properly, ( sound etc.) once i connected to my network it went straight online and downloaded all the drivers i needed. excellent!
Don't like having to confirm everything i do! everytime i change a setting a little window pops up asking me if i meant to change it. i'm sure there's a way to stop but haven't found it yet. Anyone know how?
dejongj
24-06-2006, 1:56 PM
Yes, I've switched that off as well....
Just go into Control Panel - Administrative Tools - Local Security Policy
Then select Security Options from Within Local Policies, and near the bottom of the list you find: User Account Control: Behavior of the elevation prompt for administrators in Admin Approval Mode...And set it to No prompt....
Don't ask me how I found out, I'm proud of myself that I am able to repeat it to explain it to you!
That's the main thing I've got against Vista now...MS has made it so flippin difficult to find things...But then again I remember the moves from Windows 286 to 3.0 to WFW3.11 to WinNT3.51 etc...And every step has been different, this time the UI is very similar but underneath the bonnet it is looking pretty good....
Hope this helps....
Cable Monkey
24-06-2006, 2:23 PM
Yes, I've switched that off as well....
Just go into Control Panel - Administrative Tools - Local Security Policy
Then select Security Options from Within Local Policies, and near the bottom of the list you find: User Account Control: Behavior of the elevation prompt for administrators in Admin Approval Mode...And set it to No prompt....
Don't ask me how I found out, I'm proud of myself that I am able to repeat it to explain it to you!
Excellent! That is the best bit of info anyone has come up with so far...:)
opo101
24-06-2006, 2:32 PM
Brilliant, found it, thanks. That's the only thing so far that microsoft have made difficult.
Singh400
24-06-2006, 2:48 PM
Theres many ways to turn of UAP - User Account Protection. I think its annoying as hell.
For those of you who want to benchmark you system using Windows Vista go into command and type:
WinSAT /?
Thats the Windows System Assement Tool. It can test cpu, memory & hard drive performances, aswell as many other things.
dejongj
24-06-2006, 10:50 PM
Theres many ways to turn of UAP - User Account Protection. I think its annoying as hell.
For those of you who want to benchmark you system using Windows Vista go into command and type:
WinSAT /?
Thats the Windows System Assement Tool. It can test cpu, memory & hard drive performances, aswell as many other things.
Actually Singh400, the method I used leave UAP enabled...I really like the concept of UAP (though for the ordinary home user they've implemented it in a very complicated way I guess...But it was something long overdue for Windows....Using this method UAP is still intact, its just that messages are surpressed.....
Singh400
24-06-2006, 11:42 PM
Actually Singh400, the method I used leave UAP enabled...I really like the concept of UAP (though for the ordinary home user they've implemented it in a very complicated way I guess...But it was something long overdue for Windows....Using this method UAP is still intact, its just that messages are surpressed.....I'm not denying it's a very useful feature for your average joe, but for techies like us all it does is slow us down.
dejongj
24-06-2006, 11:55 PM
Well I guess we disagree on that....I don't like working on a machine with 'root' priviliges all the time...I guess that dislike might become habbit when you've working in large corporate environments where you learn it is a big no-no....
Singh400
25-06-2006, 12:15 AM
Well I guess we disagree on that....I don't like working on a machine with 'root' priviliges all the time...I guess that dislike might become habbit when you've working in large corporate environments where you learn it is a big no-no....Indeed we do. :grin:
GarryF
26-06-2006, 11:52 AM
Using search to find a file is now far quicker.
Yeah, they are running in fear of google desktop :)
I tried vista on my htpc with a spare HD and after install I've just been getting a blank screen on boot, safe mode works and I tried the latest nvidia drivers etc but no joy, was the asus board with 6150 onboard graphics.
Tried it on another pc and installed fine, aero glass looks quite nice :)
unique
26-06-2006, 1:01 PM
has anyone managed to get winamp to work on vista? i upgraded xp to vista to save me from installing all the programs again etc (i made a backup first tho!), but winamp wont work, i tried installing a newer version, even uninstalling the old first, but it just hangs at the end (it doesnt hang the whole pc) where it says "registering program" or something like that. i've already taken off zonealarm and norton to make it work (dont worry, the pc isnt connected to the internet). the media centre stuff looks nice, but its quicker and easier to use winamp for mp3s. my pc is a bit old and slow, xp1700, 512mb ram, 64mb nvidea card, but i just want to use it to play mp3s and divx and stuff mainly.
dejongj
26-06-2006, 1:20 PM
Besides that you don't have to use MCE but can use normal Windows Media Player, I appreciate that that wasn't your question....
I don't use WinAmp personally as my interest is primarily from an MCE perspective and that means that using the MS way will make your life easy...
Anyway, a pointer could be that a new role has been introduced; Authorised Installers. It could be, especially as you upgraded instead of installed (you brave man...), that your normal user account doesn't have enough priviliges to complete this task.....You may want to go into users to ensure that you account has got the priviliges you require.....
Personally I would seriously recommend a full new reinstall instead, especially with a lot of the codec stuff that may interfere...
unique
26-06-2006, 3:05 PM
Besides that you don't have to use MCE but can use normal Windows Media Player, I appreciate that that wasn't your question....
I don't use WinAmp personally as my interest is primarily from an MCE perspective and that means that using the MS way will make your life easy...
Anyway, a pointer could be that a new role has been introduced; Authorised Installers. It could be, especially as you upgraded instead of installed (you brave man...), that your normal user account doesn't have enough priviliges to complete this task.....You may want to go into users to ensure that you account has got the priviliges you require.....
Personally I would seriously recommend a full new reinstall instead, especially with a lot of the codec stuff that may interfere...
well, i just ordered another bigger HD, so when that comes i can try a fresh install and see if that does the trick. personally i dont like WMP as it's hard to manipulate playlists, plus its very bloated
i am logged in as administrator, i dont have different user accounts, so i should have the rights to do it. i installed office beta 2007 with no problems and it let me uninstall programs. i tried installing and uninstalling winamp a few times with different options and it still didnt work. i couldnt see anything online about anyone else having a problem with it, especially as winamp is one of the most popular mp3 players
dejongj
26-06-2006, 9:34 PM
Winamp is on the compatibility list (http://www.iexbeta.com/wiki/index.php/Windows_Vista_Software_Compatibility_List#Media) and as you have admin priviliges I guess it is your upgrade installation....
I don't want to be dragged into a slanging match but you can hardly call WMP bloatware....It's part of the OS and at least it works :)
On a different note...I've been unable so far to see how you can control and be notified automatically about outgoing/incomming traffic with the built-in firewall...And I've given up...MS has made it way too complicated in my opinion...I've installed the Trend Micro PC-Cillin Internet Security Suite for which a Beta can be found on http://www.trendbeta.com....Seems to be doing the trick so ar and not resource zapping...
You guys/girls may want to check it out...
Singh400
26-06-2006, 10:57 PM
Not sure how many of youse are Windows Vista Beta Testers. But a new build (5456) was released just recently and it has a alot of bugfixes, new icons etc from Beta 2. You can grab it from Connect. I downloaded it @ a steady 500kb/s.
dejongj
26-06-2006, 11:30 PM
Does that build include more than the CPP 5384 with the Vista updates downloaded?
BTW It has proven so stable for me that I am now nuking my MCE machine and are installing Vista on that......
Singh400
26-06-2006, 11:58 PM
Does that build include more than the CPP 5384 with the Vista updates downloaded?
BTW It has proven so stable for me that I am now nuking my MCE machine and are installing Vista on that......Can't say mate. Haven't had chance to install it yet.
calibos
27-06-2006, 1:43 AM
Anyone know if this new build has enabled Pal Xbox 360 extender functionality? This is the only reason I haven't installed the beta 2 on my MCE machine as only US 360 extenders were enabled.
Singh400
27-06-2006, 12:27 PM
Anyone know if this new build has enabled Pal Xbox 360 extender functionality? This is the only reason I haven't installed the beta 2 on my MCE machine as only US 360 extenders were enabled.
Support for Xbox 360 as a Media Center extender is not included in this Vista build. In order to continue using the Xbox 360 as a Media Center Extender with Vista, please remain on Beta 2 (build 5384). Support for the Xbox 360 as an Extender will be available in a future Vista build.
Unlucky mate! :(
WibXL
27-06-2006, 12:34 PM
The 360 and media center stuff was pretty much the only reason I wanted to try Vista as well.
On another note has anybody managed to get the TV part working yet? My Hauppauge Win TV Nova-T stick seems to install ok but vista can't find any channels and the supplied software doesn't want to work under Vista.
dejongj
27-06-2006, 9:19 PM
Another thing I like about Vista is how it can 'fool' installers that do an operating system check and fail on Vista of-course....
Then again part of me thinks why go through the bother of doing that, if the OS knows how to work around it...Just do it without telling me...But it is nice to be notified....
Oh and yes I'm installing my MCE box with Vista now and the TV is working just fine with my Nebula PCI card and BDA drivers...Fine is actually an understatement...Previously I haven't been able to get five tuned in via DVB-T only in the DigiTV software....Now it is working great....Very promising...
Oh and yes I'm installing my MCE box with Vista now and the TV is working just fine with my Nebula PCI card and BDA drivers...Fine is actually an understatement...Previously I haven't been able to get five tuned in via DVB-T only in the DigiTV software....Now it is working great....Very promising...
Looks like my card isn't supported at the moment then although it does go through all the motions it just can't find any channels. To be honest though I've only got 512mb and it runs very slowly so I doubt I'd use it much any way.
dejongj
28-06-2006, 10:28 PM
Well something weird has happened to my ability to scan for channels....It now consistently finds all the muxes, but just not BBC1 and BBC2...Aargh...
It would be interesting to see how readyboost would improve a 512Mb setup...You haven't got a compliant USB Pendrive have you WibXL?
unique
29-06-2006, 6:35 AM
Another thing I like about Vista is how it can 'fool' installers that do an operating system check and fail on Vista of-course....
Then again part of me thinks why go through the bother of doing that, if the OS knows how to work around it...Just do it without telling me...But it is nice to be notified....
Oh and yes I'm installing my MCE box with Vista now and the TV is working just fine with my Nebula PCI card and BDA drivers...Fine is actually an understatement...Previously I haven't been able to get five tuned in via DVB-T only in the DigiTV software....Now it is working great....Very promising...
how do you do this? after my initial problems i did a clean install and a new HD and had a few problems, then i tried the updated beta that singh mentioned, and got along a bit better. the machine was sluggish to say the least, and took ages to install over the top of XP, but the clean install didn't take too long (my pc is xp1700+ with 512mb ram). only problem is my creative audigy 4LS soundcard wont work. i've googled and found this is a common problem. i've got 3 different type of drivers but they say hardware not found. i also tried updating my nvidea drivers, but it says wrong OS. the graphics seem fine (i don't do gaming), but the main point of the machine is to play music and video files, so without sound it's not much use. the onboard mobo soundcard hasn't installed either, and i doubt there will be drivers as it's about 5 years old now. i only just bought the soundcard a few weeks ago so don't want to get another yet
at least i got winamp installed on the clean install. i think it was the plug ins or skins that were still in the install directory that screwed things up, but of course fat load of good winamp is if the soundcard doesn't work
i couldn't get nero7 latest download to install either
Well something weird has happened to my ability to scan for channels....It now consistently finds all the muxes, but just not BBC1 and BBC2...Aargh...
It would be interesting to see how readyboost would improve a 512Mb setup...You haven't got a compliant USB Pendrive have you WibXL?
Technically I do but I don't know if it's compliant and I've not seen it in over six months. I'll try to find as I'd forgotton about readyboost and I'd like to see how well it works.
EDIT: Well I managed to find it but I'd forgotton that it's only 64mb and you need at least 256mb for readyboost to work.
dejongj
29-06-2006, 4:26 PM
how do you do this? after my initial problems i did a clean install and a new HD and had a few problems, then i tried the updated beta that singh mentioned, and got along a bit better. the machine was sluggish to say the least, and took ages to install over the top of XP, but the clean install didn't take too long (my pc is xp1700+ with 512mb ram). only problem is my creative audigy 4LS soundcard wont work. i've googled and found this is a common problem. i've got 3 different type of drivers but they say hardware not found. i also tried updating my nvidea drivers, but it says wrong OS. the graphics seem fine (i don't do gaming), but the main point of the machine is to play music and video files, so without sound it's not much use. the onboard mobo soundcard hasn't installed either, and i doubt there will be drivers as it's about 5 years old now. i only just bought the soundcard a few weeks ago so don't want to get another yet
at least i got winamp installed on the clean install. i think it was the plug ins or skins that were still in the install directory that screwed things up, but of course fat load of good winamp is if the soundcard doesn't work
i couldn't get nero7 latest download to install either
Sometimes the compatibility wizard just appeared when an installation went wrong hence my dilemma of whether it is cool (that it recognises it) or stupid (as it recognise it has a problem and knows of a solution, don't tell me about it just do it...)....Anyway the short of it is, I haven't found where to start it manually...So when I need it now I tend to open help and support, then do a search for compatibility wizard and voila it appears...If only help would tell me where the actual application is, but hey...This methods works...
unique
29-06-2006, 4:46 PM
Sometimes the compatibility wizard just appeared when an installation went wrong hence my dilemma of whether it is cool (that it recognises it) or stupid (as it recognise it has a problem and knows of a solution, don't tell me about it just do it...)....Anyway the short of it is, I haven't found where to start it manually...So when I need it now I tend to open help and support, then do a search for compatibility wizard and voila it appears...If only help would tell me where the actual application is, but hey...This methods works...
that must have something to do with the things that says "blah blah failed, do you want windows to find a fix", you click yes and "computer says no"
hopefully creative will knock out some new drivers. theres plenty of people moaning about it in thier forums, and they are only the most popular soundcard makers in the world
dejongj
29-06-2006, 4:57 PM
hopefully creative will knock out some new drivers. theres plenty of people moaning about it in thier forums, and they are only the most popular soundcard makers in the world
I recall them from in the 80's being an absolute pain to deal with....Luckily for my soundcard it is an Realtek HD Audio one and the drivers are included in XP, although I am now testing the ones that Realtek released today....
dejongj
29-06-2006, 9:20 PM
I just noticed that Paint has had a major overhaul....It is no longer limited to just BMP but also supports JPG and PNG....It is almost useable now :)
Singh400
29-06-2006, 9:41 PM
I just noticed that Paint has had a major overhaul....It is no longer limited to just BMP but also supports JPG and PNG....It is almost useable now :)Paint has always supported JPG and PNG among others.
dejongj
29-06-2006, 10:10 PM
LOL I must admit that after WFW3.11 I've never looked at it again, I just had to use it as I haven't installed anything else yet and noticed it....I stand corrected, nothing new in Paint then....
dejongj
30-06-2006, 8:34 AM
Right I've just discovered the best feature so far in Vista....Readyboost! It really works....
I mean my laptop is no slouch, P4-3.4EE, 2Gb Memory, ATI 9800 256Mb, 7200RPM HD, bla, bla, bla.....But still was a fair amount if disk thrashing going on....
I didn't have a USB key as I normally just simply use a USB powered 60Gb external hard drive....So I order one specifically for this purpose....A 1Gb Lexar Jumpdrive Lighting, just plugged it in, selected speed up my Computer, Vista recommended an 850Mb file, fine selected that...And 5 minutes later....WOW My laptop has become totally instant and without disk thrashing...The transformation is quite amazing and Vista is lightning fast now.....Fast than XP was in my experience.....
Right I've just discovered the best feature so far in Vista....Readyboost! It really works....
I mean my laptop is no slouch, P4-3.4EE, 2Gb Memory, ATI 9800 256Mb, 7200RPM HD, bla, bla, bla.....But still was a fair amount if disk thrashing going on....
I didn't have a USB key as I normally just simply use a USB powered 60Gb external hard drive....So I order one specifically for this purpose....A 1Gb Lexar Jumpdrive Lighting, just plugged it in, selected speed up my Computer, Vista recommended an 850Mb file, fine selected that...And 5 minutes later....WOW My laptop has become totally instant and without disk thrashing...The transformation is quite amazing and Vista is lightning fast now.....Fast than XP was in my experience.....
Certainly sounds like a useful feature.
unique
30-06-2006, 8:50 PM
well i managed to get my soundblaster audigy pci card working, by downloading the lastest xp drivers, running it to install so it unpacks the files to the windows temp directory, copying the files elsewhere, and then cancelling the install (it deletes the temp files which is why you need to copy them first - it won't install onto vista, thus you have to do it in this order), then within the CF1000 (or whatever its called) directory there is a driver directory, run setup, and let it install the drivers, reboot, go to control panel and select the drivers and it should hopefully work
someone mentioned this method in the forums on the creative site
anyways, the inbuilt nvideo drivers work for me (as i just need 2D), the sound works and my usb2 card works, and vista seems to be running at a decent speed so far. i just need to get used to the explorer, as i liked to use the folders bar to help navigate
GarryF
02-07-2006, 8:34 PM
Not sure if this has been mentioned but windows key +tab key looks very cool :) It's kinda like alt tab but much better
I hauled my htpc up to my office and got everything working in cluding wireless etc, then put it back on my tv, sagem hdd56 and blank screen again. Reading around there's some kind of known problem but seems wierd to me, pc is set for 1280x720@60 and no pic on tv with dvi or vga. Works fine in safe mode, doesn't work if I pick vga mode, I tried with and without nvidia driver too.
Stiggy
03-07-2006, 5:48 AM
This is cool: 64-bit drivers for the Hauppauge Nova-T TV card!
See this thread (http://www.hauppauge.co.uk/board/showthread.php?t=8334) on the Hauppauge UK forums for a quick fix that works!
Norman
04-07-2006, 7:15 AM
I finally got around to installing the 64-Bit version last night and got a shock when I finally got my ATI X1300 card going with Aero (The ATI drivers supplied with Vista are no good, download the latest Beta drivers from ATI).
At boot over 900MB of RAM is being used. Running just two IE sessions used up all of my available 1GB of memory. Turning off Aero helps alot (about 600Mb being used at boot).
Has anyone else noticed this? My desktop size is 1920x1200 and I wonder if this is the cause.
Does the 32-Bit version use less memory?
I guess 2GB RAM is the new minimum recommended amount if you want Vista to run along quickly.
dejongj
04-07-2006, 7:32 AM
I'm running at 1920x1200 on my Dell laptop as well....I'm running Aero/Glass with Outlook and Internetexplorer open and only get up to 600Mb.....Opening up another session of IE and opening up MS Project only takes it up to 660Mb.....Then adding Windows Media Player takes is up to 680Mb...
But 1) I am using the 32-bit version and 2) I am using readyboost as well and 3) I am guessing it is driver related...
Norman
04-07-2006, 10:05 AM
It does look like it's the 64-Bit version that's memory hungry. I've installed the 32-Bit onto another PC and like yours, it is using around 600Mb.
Can any other 64-Bit users confirm this?
Singh400
04-07-2006, 12:28 PM
At boot over 900GB of RAM is being used.HOLY MOLY! 900gb of RAM?! :rotfl: :rotfl:
got it installed on my tablet pc (Toshiba M200) yesterday - works well.
I have even got Aero Glass working by modifying the latest Nividia drivers to recognise the GeForce FX Go5200 32mb video card....
who says you need a dirext-x9 card with 128mb for glass to work....:)
Stiggy
09-09-2006, 2:16 PM
I have even got Aero Glass working by modifying the latest Nividia drivers to recognise the GeForce FX Go5200 32mb video card....
who says you need a dirext-x9 card with 128mb for glass to work....:)
How did you do that? I have a GeForce4 440 Go graphics card on my Dell laptop, and I'd love to see Aero working on it.