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Windows Vista: good or bad?
- Thread starter argon27
- Start date
Techman said:Somehow I have a feeling that few of the 'computer whizs' he has spoken to actually work in the business.
Not really. They're just 3rd year students at a major US university studying microcomputing.
LeGuy said:I'd like to hear from people who cried when Microsoft tried to force us their Internet Explorer about what could be tought of Apple's behavior about Safari and MobileMe. Try for fun to remove MobileME and then re-update iTunes. Surprise: MobileMe is back
You have a good point. These past few weeks, a window sometimes pops up on my computer asking me if it's okay to install Safari. I figure it's probably doing this through my iTunes program on my computer.
Anyways, i'm a huge WIN XP fan & the default browser is Firefox. I find IE kind of slow (mostly when opening up) as compared to Firefox.
Hey techman,
I have a wireless network, but because I have a concrete wall in the middle of the house, the signal is not very good, so I want to switch to a "wire" network.
So I plug the network cable in the D-link WBR1310 router an in the network card in my computer.
The setup is like this: in my friend house we got the internet modem(asl), the router and is computer, and in my house I have the network card/my computer, the wireless network is working fine, but I can't get the "solid wire" one working, the connection is good, but I can't acces to the internet.
I'm doing something wrong but I can't figured out.
I did the windows network config utility on each computers and theay all use window XP
Any idea?
I have a wireless network, but because I have a concrete wall in the middle of the house, the signal is not very good, so I want to switch to a "wire" network.
So I plug the network cable in the D-link WBR1310 router an in the network card in my computer.
The setup is like this: in my friend house we got the internet modem(asl), the router and is computer, and in my house I have the network card/my computer, the wireless network is working fine, but I can't get the "solid wire" one working, the connection is good, but I can't acces to the internet.
I'm doing something wrong but I can't figured out.
I did the windows network config utility on each computers and theay all use window XP
Any idea?
argon27 said:
I know the question is intended for Techman but i'll add in my two cents:
Did you "enable" your local network connection? It's usually the icon at the right lower corner of the taskbar....usually with a red 'X' over it if the network (direct line) hasn't been enabled.
argon27 said:
I had a similar problem while at a hotel a few days ago where i couldn't connect to the internet since my wireless connection was still enabled. The hotel's wireless connection sucked so i had decided to use a direct (ADSL) connection. Once i disabled my wireless adapter, somehow i was able to surf the net with the direct connection, which i had already enabled earlier. Maybe this could work.
First thing to do is to make certain that if you are connecting with a wired network card that your wireless card is disabled or removed from the system if possible. This is a common source of problems.
Second thing is to check if your network card is configured for DHCP, in other words...to obtain it's network address automatically, and that the router is also configured as a DHCP server to give the address to your system.
Chances are good that if your wireless connection can connect to the net, then DHCP is probably enabled on the router. So disable the wireless card. If that doesn't work, then check the settings of your network card to ensure that it is configured for DHCP and doesn't have a fixed address already configured.
If you need instructions on how to do that, let me know.
EDIT: Or you could just follow Doc's idea which he posted perfectly, probably easier to understand and much faster than I did. He must have a faster system than I do.
Second thing is to check if your network card is configured for DHCP, in other words...to obtain it's network address automatically, and that the router is also configured as a DHCP server to give the address to your system.
Chances are good that if your wireless connection can connect to the net, then DHCP is probably enabled on the router. So disable the wireless card. If that doesn't work, then check the settings of your network card to ensure that it is configured for DHCP and doesn't have a fixed address already configured.
If you need instructions on how to do that, let me know.
EDIT: Or you could just follow Doc's idea which he posted perfectly, probably easier to understand and much faster than I did. He must have a faster system than I do.
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Techman said:
This looks more and more like a religions war to me with people following some cult and believing that everybody else is wrong
I confirm that your statement is correct and applies even to some institutions here in Montreal. On the other hand, this does not prove in any way that Windows is more secure than Mac. It only proves that the IT departments of these schools are not willing to invest money to hire people who support less popular platforms like Mac OS and Linux. The irony is that less popular platforms are more secure simply because they are less popular! If you go to XXX web sites using a Windows box then don't be surprised to be a victim of all sorts of attacks. Windows is popular, IE is popular and XXX web sites are popular that is the dream target of any hacker on this planet.
I work with some people who had to install Apache on Vista to do some server-side programming and these people have been telling me horror stories about the installation process and the fact that they cannot even see their php files when they view their directories. Of course, this is not your typical user problem but still.
I am a convinced Linux user and I am very happy with it. I still encounter some configuration problems here and there but I can live with that, the stability of the platform is worth it. I use Linux platforms to design software and I cannot afford it to rely on a shaky platform like windows. Besides, the interface of windows (up to Win XP, I never and will never try Vista) does not look too professional to me. It gets cluttered very quickly when you open many applications and I hope that the guys from Redmond implemented the virtual desktops feature that has been around since the early 90s in Vista.
Though, I would not recommend Linux for the average user as he/she might run sooner or later into some problems who are not meant for people with a faint heart. On the other hand, I would say that Mac is a good and reliable platform as it is based on an UNIX kernel. The problem with Mac and Windows is that they are proprietary. In other words, these companies just ask their customers to bend over and let them do the rest. I have a legitimate version of Win XP and I am not able to do any updates to this version anymore simply because I changed my hard drive. So when you buy MS products you should be prepared to be an MS slave.
Techman said:Actually that is not true. There are indeed viruses for the Mac O/S. But you could also make the same claim for Vista. There is no virus that can infect Vista without deliberate user intervention either by turning of the built in security or by actually being stupid enough to install the virus themselves.
That is exactly the same amount of security as Macs.
Besides, there is no profit or glory in creating a virus for a Mac. Not enough people use them to make it worth the time to do it.
People who work in security, I mean people involved in designing security software and security protocols and not just computer technicians, know for a fact that there is no such thing as a secure software. There will be always breaches to explore in any system. People who desin secure software will just try to make it harder for a hacker to attack the system.
Mac + Safari are less popular thus they are more secure but that is not the only reason they are more secure. MS is such a huge company and management is having a hard time keeping track of what everybody is doing. Besides, windows itself is a complex software with a lot of legacy code which leaves a lot of room for vulnerabilities.
HornyForEver said:
Well yes, UNIX vs. VMS were the first online religious war.
With regard to Macs, the FUD IT people spread is amazing. 'We don't support that' can be deal with a simple phrase 'That's OK, Macs don't need support, dingleberry'
They work, Out of the box. and yes, they can translate, and interact with Windows machines simply and effectively.
I hear the same bleat from my IT guys at work, and thus far, I've not needed support from them in 3 years.
And why is this a Vista problem? It's an Apache problem. Is Apache certified to run on Vista? I doubt it. That's like saying it's Apple's fault that you can't install Microsoft Exchange on a Mac. Why didn't they just install Virtual PC on Vista and install Linux in it for their Apache server?
But Safari for PC has more holes in it than Swiss cheese. IE7 on Vista runs in a sandbox. Code executed in it cannot reach the rest of the operating system. As of yet there have been no exploits that have been able to bypass this. The main method that malware has been able to spread on Windows based systems is by the stupidity of the average user. People who use things like Limewire and open every attachment that comes their way deserve to have systems that run like crap.
I have nothing against Macs, but I do hate Apple's business practices and their holier than thou attitude. Even Linux has it's uses. But for the average user who wants access to the most product for their dollar, both hardware and software wise, Windows cannot be topped. Anyone who denies that are just fooling themselves.
By the way...this thread was started by someone looking for some advice and a couple of others had some questions that I and others have tried to help out with.
But why is it that every time there is any kind of a thread on computers that the Apple and Linux crowd have to come in and post their typical comments? How about we let people use what ever the hell they want and stop all the bullshit?
If someone starts a thread asking which of the multitude of Linux distros they should try I promise that I won't jump in and say that they should stick with Windows. And if someone asks what Mac they should buy, I'll stay out of that one altogether.
Otherwise, the hell with it and I won't bother to reply to anyone's questions for help or advice at all. While I do enjoy it and it gives me a valid way to contribute something here on the board, it just isn't worth the aggravation.
Techman
But why is it that every time there is any kind of a thread on computers that the Apple and Linux crowd have to come in and post their typical comments? How about we let people use what ever the hell they want and stop all the bullshit?
If someone starts a thread asking which of the multitude of Linux distros they should try I promise that I won't jump in and say that they should stick with Windows. And if someone asks what Mac they should buy, I'll stay out of that one altogether.
Otherwise, the hell with it and I won't bother to reply to anyone's questions for help or advice at all. While I do enjoy it and it gives me a valid way to contribute something here on the board, it just isn't worth the aggravation.
Techman
Partially right..
A wireless and ethernet port will work in tandem. The issue is with the wireless and the ethernet connecting to the same network (IP network) Windows again in its infinite wisdom will stumble and create two default routes to the same gateway thus resulting in problems.
Multiple IP stacks can connect to multiple networks. A wireless card can establish a connection to a wireless network while the ethernet port is also active (though they are different networks)
The blah blah on Mac vs. Windows is non sequator since we are really not comparing "Appels to Oranges" .
First off, Vista is STILL not a fully multi thread design, its Ring zero offuscates any attempst at this OS from being multi thread. Secondo Vista is NOT backward scalable.. Thus most drivers for XP might not work with Vista. Third, the security well the notion that Exploder can arbitraly execute any code it sees, but thats another story.
For Mac, well tey had to lay with a good thing , they muddled with Leopard and are paying the price.. They had a good thing going and got greedy trying to pull a "Gates" on the Mac community.
In essence if your just using a computer to surf porn, chat and send emails then a cheap Windows Intel might do the trick. If you are using it for work, a high end Intel might be the way to go, but make sure you have support and lots of spare cash for add ons. Though Mac started to gain some grounds in this domain. lets see if they can correct their problems.
Graphic oriented individuals well its a no brainer MAC
As for me doing mostly IT security work its a BSD machine, though I also have several Linux boxes, some XP and a clone Mac
All I can say is buy what suits your needs, and know what your needs are..
BTW back in 81' while at Mcgill, I met Bill Gates with his first hack of CPM called "DOS .99X"
Then at that time DOS was an incomplete OS, and the U. was asked to clean up and create some new routines, in assembler. Yes its a language!!!
We created the CLS command and finished porting the Copy command from the original CP under CPM.
Bill was not an impressive person, but after chatting with him, you knew he understood the game and that an OS does not sell, but Applications do..
P./
Help
Perhaps a kind soul wil be able to help me here. As of last night, my Vista machine ran into some kind of serious snag. Everything has gotten extremely slow and laggy, almost all programs "stop working" at a certain point, or at least they stall until they need to be terminated and shut down. Even Kepersky has stopped working. I did a system restore and it changed nothing. Spybot seek and destroy fond nothing either and I am now scanning with Ad Aware. Does anyone know what the problem may be? This started from out of nowhere.
Perhaps a kind soul wil be able to help me here. As of last night, my Vista machine ran into some kind of serious snag. Everything has gotten extremely slow and laggy, almost all programs "stop working" at a certain point, or at least they stall until they need to be terminated and shut down. Even Kepersky has stopped working. I did a system restore and it changed nothing. Spybot seek and destroy fond nothing either and I am now scanning with Ad Aware. Does anyone know what the problem may be? This started from out of nowhere.
Once again, same problem with my computer persists. Tried to burn a dvd today & even though the software appeared to be 'burning' on the screen & a few minutes later my drive door opened up & the screen stated that the burn was successful, nothing was burned on my disc...it's totally blank! I also noticed that during the burn, the dvd wasn't working....no lights on it were coming on.
I'm wondering if it's a hardware problem or something software-related. It's not an old drive...barely 4 years old & it was never used 'that' much for burning.
I'm wondering if it's a hardware problem or something software-related. It's not an old drive...barely 4 years old & it was never used 'that' much for burning.
Porter, I said it was a common cause of problems and it is. I have had a number of clients with that exact same problem. I am trying to stay away from explanations that have no useful purpose for the person having the problem. This isn't the place to get into such detailed discussions, there are other boards for that.
This could be a hardware problem. Check to see if your CPU fan is still working or if it's airflow is blocked by dust buildup. Heat problems can cause some strange bugs. It that checks out OK and depending on what kind of system you have, if you have your Vista installation DVD you could try doing a system repair.
This link will be a better guide for that than anything I could post here.
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/tutorial148.html
Doc, it really sounds like your burner is toast. Considering the price of a new one, around 40 bucks or so, it would be a worthwhile upgrade even if it turns out to be a software bug.
What software are you using to burn with? You could always download and install a different program and try to burn and see if it works. I have seen burners die for no apparent reason, even those that have seen little use. Some will continue to burn CDs but not DVDs, and have no problem reading both.
And by the way...nearly 4 years is quite old in computer terms.
Techman
Not all drivers are compatibe with Vista. DOC check to see if you can install an updated Vista driver for your CD burner ..
Mack, I need way more info to be able to say what might be wrong with your machine.
Did you buy a Vista machine or just installed Vista on your existing Hardware ??
Mack, I need way more info to be able to say what might be wrong with your machine.
Did you buy a Vista machine or just installed Vista on your existing Hardware ??
Porter said:
And for the user with the problem the distinction makes what difference? If he disables the WiFi and it solves the problem, as it does in most cases, what does the more technical explanation change or help? The chances of the user understandiing it, or even giving a damn about it, are zero. All he wants is for his connection to work.
And by the way...Doc runs XP so Vista drivers are irrelevant. Not that I've ever had Vista, or XP, have a problem with any DVD burner as far as drivers are concerned. Vista's own native drivers are all that are needed.
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