Change over to Vista? - Guild Wars Guru archive powered by Guild Wars Legacy

Snow Bunny

Alcoholic From Yale

Join Date: Jul 2007

Strong Foreign Policy [sFp]

31 Oct 2008 at 04:03 - 1

So, my school's offering free copies of Vista and Word 2007.

It looks so damn pretty! (the desktop and widgets and stuff that is)

My laptop is a Dell E1505 from Aug2006, 2GHz, 100GB. It's a Centrino Duo, and says designed for XP, but capable of using Vista.

Would it be a really noticeable drop in performance to switch to vista? I want to know what I'd be getting myself into.

Any and all feedback appreciated, thanks techiezzzz

DarkNecrid

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Jul 2006

31 Oct 2008 at 04:12 - 2

Even if you did have a drop in performance from stock Vista you can easily free up a lot (if you need to) by getting rid of all the gadgets and Aero theme.

free legit vista and free legit word 2k7 is too good to pass up imo...

The Meth

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Jan 2007

R/

31 Oct 2008 at 04:30 - 3

What interesting timing, darknecrid and I were just discussing this...

IMO, if you aren't using more then 2 gigs of memory (and I'm pretty sure that laptop doesn't) stick with XP unless you have some dieing need for vista features (you probably aren't). If you run vista without turning off all those snazzy features you will probably be increasing your power consumption a bit, thereby decreasing your battle life. EDIT: nevermind about that, a quick google suggests the power consumption difference is pretty much negligible between XP and Vista.

Since its free I would get it anyway, never pass up free stuff

. If anything it an extra copy could come in handy a year from now.

zamial

Site Contributor

Join Date: Apr 2006

Usa

TKC

N/

31 Oct 2008 at 04:37 - 4

Vista can be run on that but it will not be nice to use. When compared to xp it needs more resources. Pretty=resources.(even in xp, you can get "skinning" programs that make xp look like vista, look at: www.wincustomize.com ) 2gb of ram is going to run vista and probably only vista, especially if you want it to be pretty. You can forget about playing games on that rig while running vista unless you turn off all of the prettys 1st and then you may have 1 gb of ram available. It would be a huge pain in the rear. On the other hand it would give you the ability to learn vista and how it differs from xp. Perhaps dual booting both xp and vista would be good for you.

There are few issues with vista anymore. Historically when you compare windows 2000 to xp the exact same "issues with resources" were being complained about. The difference being that xp is near 10 years old and vista only 2. People just accepted this and moved forward but the problems came when people had alot of money tied into peripherals that did not work well with vista. This upset alot of people that did not understand that vista has stricter software requirements and it is more secure. They wanted to still use there 5 year old camera and 7 year old printer. For a 10 year old OS xp still does the job but I prefer vista64 on a system that is built to run it.

My system is more than what is needed to get a 5.9 user rating it is a custom built desktop. There are however laptops that can and do run vista very well.

My minimum specs for a vista rig would be.

a cpu that is as close to 3Ghz as possible. (dual or quad core)
4 GB of ram (ddr/ better if it is ddr2)
100 or more GB hard drive (sata).
dvd rom
a decent dx 10 graphics card

This is my suggestion not m$. M$ is probably lower req but I know you want to run it "pretty".

Good luck.

Evil Neato

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Oct 2008

nO, MS, YAY, vOR, EnS

W/A

31 Oct 2008 at 06:53 - 5

Personally, I don't particularly plan on switching to Vista.

moriz

??ber t??k-n??sh'??n

Join Date: Jan 2006

Canada

R/

31 Oct 2008 at 21:10 - 6

if he's getting it through the MSDN, then it's illegal to sell them. somebody had already tried, and he got arrested (and before you ask it, no, it wasn't me).

anyways, i'd use word 2007 simply because it's pretty decent. vista i'm not too crazy about. if you are already satisfied with your current operating system, then there's no need to switch. after all, vista is basically just prettier, and windows 7 will be coming out sometimes next year it seems.

The Meth

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Jan 2007

R/

31 Oct 2008 at 21:18 - 7

Quote:

Originally Posted by moriz

if he's getting it through the MSDN, then it's illegal to sell them. somebody had already tried, and he got arrested (and before you ask it, no, it wasn't me).

anyways, i'd use word 2007 simply because it's pretty decent. vista i'm not too crazy about. if you are already satisfied with your current operating system, then there's no need to switch. after all, vista is basically just prettier, and windows 7 will be coming out sometimes next year it seems.

I'm pretty sure right of first sale trumps that. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_sale. Essentially the law says if you buy something you have the right to sell it, and the copyright holder can't prevent the sale.

Scroll down to the Microsoft Vs. Zamos entry. Zamos bought a student discounted copy of XP and sold it on Ebay. Microsoft sued, Zamos countersued, then Microsoft backed off. IE he won.

moriz

??ber t??k-n??sh'??n

Join Date: Jan 2006

Canada

R/

31 Oct 2008 at 21:22 - 8

the difference is, the OP is not buying it. like me, he's probably downloading it straight from the MSDN website for free. he most certainly does not have the right to sell that copy.

mechu95

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Oct 2008

22 Acacia Avenue

Extermination Knights

R/

01 Nov 2008 at 00:50 - 9

IMO Vista isn't too good for anything...especially not gaming and office use. Office computers normally are low on CPU speed and RAM, so Vista will slow down on them, and for gaming - there is yet to come a game that is designed for DX10, uses its full potential and doesn't look like Moa Bird poo. Yes, Vista will run quite smoothly on your laptop if you get rid of most of the gadgets. But all the "clickology" when you want to do anything always kills me.

On a side note, Office 2007 isn't IMO too great either - I could be biased, because I've been using office since I got Win 95 on my comp, and I got so used to the way their programs work that now I find it hard to find my way round, or turn on different formatting functions. Sure, it might be easier to "once-a-month's", but what about all the other people, eh?

Tarun

Technician's Corner Moderator

Join Date: Jan 2006

The TARDIS

http://www.lunarsoft.net/ http://forums.lunarsoft.net/

01 Nov 2008 at 23:28 - 10

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snow Bunny

So, my school's offering free copies of Vista and Word 2007.

It looks so damn pretty! (the desktop and widgets and stuff that is)

My laptop is a Dell E1505 from Aug2006, 2GHz, 100GB. It's a Centrino Duo, and says designed for XP, but capable of using Vista.

Would it be a really noticeable drop in performance to switch to vista? I want to know what I'd be getting myself into.

Any and all feedback appreciated, thanks techiezzzz

Can you please post your full hardware specs? A summary from SIW or Everest would be wonderful.

Just from what you've mentioned of your computer you can handle Vista just fine. Biggest things are RAM and graphics card.

You should also run the Vista Upgrade Advisor.

<hr />
@zamail,
I don't know where you get your information but it's inaccurate. Vista itself will run just fine for basic tasks on 512MB of RAM. 1GB will make it run just fine for most things, 2GB is the sweet spot to do gaming and much more. Remember though that Vista also relies upon the graphics card to render effects such as Aero and other items, so if you have a poor graphics card you won't enjoy Vista as well.

Also, Windows XP isn't ten years old yet, it's just barely seven years old. It came out on October 25, 2001. Windows Vista came out on January 30, 2007, which means Vista isn't even two years old yet. Getting close.

Quote:

Originally Posted by zamial

...but the problems came when people had alot of money tied into peripherals that did not work well with vista. This upset alot of people that did not understand that vista has stricter software requirements and it is more secure.

That in no way is a fault of Vista either. Those problems were with the manufacturers of those devices. In fact Vista was helping people by providing a more stable system and no longer allowing companies to write half-done code for drivers which cause system crashes. Tighter driver signing equals far more reliable and stable operating system.

Also, your system rating is based upon the lowest scoring hardware and is not an average.

<hr />
@Moriz,
Colleges, governments and businesses can legally sell or distribute Microsoft Windows operating systems to their students or employees. It's called a Volume License Key.

Carter Reeves

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Nov 2008

Kamadan

League of Draconosis

P/W

02 Nov 2008 at 00:01 - 11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snow Bunny

So, my school's offering free copies of Vista and Word 2007.

It looks so damn pretty! (the desktop and widgets and stuff that is)

My laptop is a Dell E1505 from Aug2006, 2GHz, 100GB. It's a Centrino Duo, and says designed for XP, but capable of using Vista.

Would it be a really noticeable drop in performance to switch to vista? I want to know what I'd be getting myself into.

Any and all feedback appreciated, thanks techiezzzz

Ok this is my first post, and this caught my eye.

I wouldent reccomend running Vista off a Laptop, no matter how much RAM you have, i wouldent say use it.

Infact, i dont reccomend running Vista of anything which is lower than 2GB RAM since Vista drains it like its nothing. It seems to have improved in its bugness, but i still would stick with the good old XP for now.

Tarun

Technician's Corner Moderator

Join Date: Jan 2006

The TARDIS

http://www.lunarsoft.net/ http://forums.lunarsoft.net/

02 Nov 2008 at 03:42 - 12

It's illegal, and this forum does not condone warez.

7. Offensive Content, Illegal Material

Don't post / link to pornography, warez, illegal material or offensive content. Also, please be mindful of your language. Message boards of this nature draw many different kinds of people, and people of different ages - observing these rules are just good common sense and etiquette when dealing with others. See Terms and Conditions.

I suggest you read the Forum Rules.

Graven

Pre-Searing Cadet

Join Date: Oct 2008

oh

E/

02 Nov 2008 at 05:08 - 13

as long as you have a good computer, vista runs absolutely fine, better than XP in some way .... plus the eye candy

DarkNecrid

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Jul 2006

02 Nov 2008 at 05:23 - 14

Also Carter, Vista does not drain your 2GB of RAM like nothing, it's SuperFetch utilizing your spare RAM constantly (on top of the default stuff, but still). It intelligently releases RAM as it is needed and uses it as it is not needed to do its job, but even then this wouldn't drain your 2GB of RAM like nothing unless you're doing something dumb like running 150 gadgets or using the super fancy Aero thing in the highest edition, really...

Kamatsu

Moderator

Join Date: May 2005

Australia

02 Nov 2008 at 05:37 - 15

As mentioned - GWG does not support or allow illegal action's. Please desist on posting idea's on illegally selling the offered goods, or any further talk about illegal products.. or how to get them or even suggesting that doing such is ok unless caught... or anything along those lines.

Snograt

rattus rattus

Join Date: Jan 2006

London, UK GMT??0 ??1hr DST

[GURU]GW [wiki]GW2

R/

02 Nov 2008 at 06:41 - 16

Just to echo what Kam said - wow, 9 deleted warez-related posts in one thread? C'mon guys, regardless of your personal opinions on software pricing, from Microsoft or anyone else, this is not the place to discuss illegal downloads and copyright contravention.

If anyone can't understand why we have to take this stance, just PM a mod (or me

) and we'll explain it. Nicely.

Carter Reeves

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Nov 2008

Kamadan

League of Draconosis

P/W

02 Nov 2008 at 14:57 - 17

Well if you got the specs for it then Vista would be a go, but if you have a older styled PC i wouldent risk it.

But then again, we will all need Dx10 sooner or later, hell even Guild Wars 2 might use Dx10, and since it will only be Vista relesed alot of people will need to upgrade.

Downside, it wont play the older games (things like Diablo 2 and so on) so you might be missing out on alot of other things, and only new releses will work for you.

zamial

Site Contributor

Join Date: Apr 2006

Usa

TKC

N/

02 Nov 2008 at 15:31 - 18

@Tarun,
Ty for a small lol. As far as my OS ages, I was rounding and figured I would be close.

.
From what I have a seen, on a system, using an onboard video card that vista idles using 512-768 Mb of ram, this is without moving the mouse.....
Finally I was not faulting tighter programing as a fault of vista, I agree 100% that it is a benefit not a flaw.

I use Vista 64 all the time, I actually only use xp to work at home on company projects, because my company uses xp. I feel like I am a caveman when using xp, as it is not my preferred os.

Tarun

Technician's Corner Moderator

Join Date: Jan 2006

The TARDIS

http://www.lunarsoft.net/ http://forums.lunarsoft.net/

02 Nov 2008 at 16:25 - 19

I'm also considering upgrading to Vista, albeit x86 since I don't have a 64 bit processor. Everyone I've talked with who uses Vista daily and upgraded from XP says Vista is great.

I completely agree that onboard video and Vista is not the best. While it can do basic tasks and might not support Aero, it can still work sufficiently for basic tasks.

DarkNecrid

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Jul 2006

02 Nov 2008 at 16:32 - 20

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carter Reeves

Downside, it wont play the older games (things like Diablo 2 and so on) so you might be missing out on alot of other things, and only new releses will work for you.

Completely not true at all! It's compatibility mode is actually better than Windows XP unless if you're running something super uber specific that no one in the public would use anyways. Diablo 2 etc run fine in Vista.

Turbobusa

Forge Runner

Join Date: Jan 2006

By the Luxon Scavenger

The Mentalists [THPK]

N/

02 Nov 2008 at 16:46 - 21

Get word, no doubt.
I had the same opportunity, took it, and i'll do it again if such an offer was given to me.
It's very easy to use, has a LOT of features, you'll love it.
OpenOffice is free and all but really, it is far from being such user friendly.

The biggest problem is that non 2k7 files cannot use the best features of word 2007. You basically have a better looking word 2003 when opening a non docx file...
So if your uni does not have 2k7, you'llmaybe have some troubles working on/from one of their PC

I would not worry with vista tho if you're not sure your pc will handle it. Google desktop will get you the quick drive search'n'launch feature, that's basically it.

Snow Bunny

Alcoholic From Yale

Join Date: Jul 2007

Strong Foreign Policy [sFp]

02 Nov 2008 at 18:03 - 22

Talked to one of my friends last night, serious techie type.

We did the Vista advisor, said my comp was fine for it.

it has 1 GB ram, so I'm going to buy another gig or two, then back up my itunes and install vista.

Hopefully all goes well and I'll have vista by ~friday

Lord Sojar

The Fallen One

Join Date: Dec 2005

Oblivion

Irrelevant

Mo/Me

03 Nov 2008 at 01:24 - 23

The big thing is what type of graphics card you have. Vista will put a big hit on video acceleration and rendering.

Hopefully you are getting 64bit business or Ultimate versions. Home is worthless.

Tarun

Technician's Corner Moderator

Join Date: Jan 2006

The TARDIS

http://www.lunarsoft.net/ http://forums.lunarsoft.net/

03 Nov 2008 at 01:37 - 24

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snow Bunny

Talked to one of my friends last night, serious techie type.

We did the Vista advisor, said my comp was fine for it.

it has 1 GB ram, so I'm going to buy another gig or two, then back up my itunes and install vista.

Hopefully all goes well and I'll have vista by ~friday

What version did it recommend?

SnipiousMax

Perfectly Elocuted

Join Date: Sep 2005

04 Nov 2008 at 15:53 - 25

Office 2007 is fantastic! It takes a great deal of effort initially to 'get' the new ribbon system, but it is totally worth it. I don't miss digging around in menus/submenus looking for a feature I'm only mildly sure exists at all.

I use Vista everyday as my primary OS, and after the learning curve, have really enjoyed my experience.

Snow Bunny

Alcoholic From Yale

Join Date: Jul 2007

Strong Foreign Policy [sFp]

04 Nov 2008 at 16:25 - 26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tarun

What version did it recommend?

Business. The only hiccup was that it didn't have any info on SigmaTel, which is my audio

Tarun

Technician's Corner Moderator

Join Date: Jan 2006

The TARDIS

http://www.lunarsoft.net/ http://forums.lunarsoft.net/

04 Nov 2008 at 17:21 - 27

Yeah if it says you can run Business you can run pretty much any flavor. You'll love it.

superss2

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: May 2007

07 Nov 2008 at 11:56 - 28

Quote:

Originally Posted by zamial

My minimum specs for a vista rig would be.

a cpu that is as close to 3Ghz as possible. (dual or quad core)
4 GB of ram (ddr/ better if it is ddr2)
100 or more GB hard drive (sata).
dvd rom
a decent dx 10 graphics card

This is my suggestion not m$. M$ is probably lower req but I know you want to run it "pretty".

Good luck.

Those specs are a little bit silly, i've run Vista Ultimate on a stock A64 3500+ @ 2.2Ghz and 1gb ram and an x550 very easily.

Jecht Scye

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Dec 2005

Lucky Crickets[Luck]

N/Me

10 Nov 2008 at 14:26 - 29

I'm running Vista 64bit, and my biggest gripe against it is the Windows Defender asking me if I want to run a program every time I click on it. If anyone knows how to turn that off, please oblige me. Otherwise, Vista has been good to me I suppose. I run this system:

PSU: 900W
Processor: Intel Core Duo E7200 2.53GHz
Motherboard: EVGA 780i
DRAM: Corsair 4GB DDR2
GFX Card: GeForce 8800 GT x2(SLI)
HDD: .5TB

Fallout 3, CoD4, GW, Company of Heroes all run great. I'm kind of jealous of you for being able to get Office 2007 for free from your college, I just get Vista Business Edition for free.

asagohan

Pre-Searing Cadet

Join Date: Dec 2008

Yun Grey

Mo/

16 Dec 2008 at 14:59 - 30

do not get vista. vista is by far the worst decision i've ever made. i've had a few dels and they were awesome compared to vista. vista has so many problems. it has almost no customizable features. it's not a good idea to get vista.

Elder III

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Jan 2007

Ohio

I Will Never Join Your Guild (NTY)

R/

16 Dec 2008 at 17:26 - 31

^^^ why are you comparing Dell to Vista??? One is a manufacturer, one is an software.... btw, you can customize Vista too.

ps I dislike Vista when compared to XP in almost all areas - but it's not "totally" bad, some people do actually like it.

auch

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Aug 2005

My Chair

P/W

18 Dec 2008 at 15:23 - 32

i switched to Windows Vista Ultimate X64 from Windows XP Professional x64
and i do not regret it.

i also got the entire microsoft office professional plus pack, its not that much better then 2003 but i do like it better

btw if your saying that word 2007 saves as .docx extension is a downpart.. you can save as .doc for compatability with word 98-2003

@jecht windows defender is not doing this. go to the users window and look for UAC and turn that off .

tenetke

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Mar 2008

Nights of Fortune

W/R

18 Dec 2008 at 16:27 - 33

Quote:

This upset alot of people that did not understand that vista has stricter software requirements and it is more secure.

Laughed when I read that. Thank you, the first laugh of the day is always the best.

The only smart thing about prefetching is how they managed to sneak it in. Prefetching is just dumb. For those that do not know what prefetching is, simply put it is two separate things. You have Superfetch, and you have ReadyBoost. What they do is load up all of your memory with programs that the computer thinks you might want to lauch.

Sounds great, well, theory and practice are not the same.

moriz

??ber t??k-n??sh'??n

Join Date: Jan 2006

Canada

R/

20 Dec 2008 at 01:46 - 34

well, vista DID manage to load GW about 6 times faster than my current XP 64bit, so prefetch was obviously working.

anyways, any modern computer can easily handle vista, higher requirements or not. unless you have specific applications that won't work with it, or just want to try something else for shits and giggles, there's no reason in NOT getting vista.