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Brothers and sisters!

here is the right place to ask for advice, hints and explanation about pc (not politically correct!) problems/issues.

Do not hesitate to ask, there will always be someone able to find a solution to your problems.

Fellow geeks and IT addicts feel free to post unsolicited hints and examples from your experience.

Temat: Ask a geek (TM)

Agony Geek Aunt? Brilliant! Or, actually, Uncle Geek :)

OK, so here's my first question...

Dear Uncle Geek, is it true that after Vista SP1 (Service Pack 1) installation the system may become unstable or even freeze for good? I've been downloading all Vista updates so far, but having heard some rumours about SP1 and its unpredictable behaviour I have some doubts whether to install it or not.Magda B. edytował(a) ten post dnia 02.07.08 o godzinie 16:51

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I am so sorry to hear that you fell victim to the Vista monstrosity that was unleashed on unsuspecting PC users. I really don't know much about the service pack, as I am still debating whether to bother with it or not after wrestling with this piece of shit software for months now. I finally got it to work with most of my software with out glitches and constant crashing... I guess it will really depend on what it is that you are using your PC for.

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I am sorry to hear that Vista, being the best home operating system so far, has such a bad opinion here.

I've installed more than 10 SP1's on different Vistas on different configuration. Never caused a problem, except for the one issue with a GF 8800GT card from EVGA, which is a known issue to be solved by EVGA.

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A large number of VST plug-ins and various music software is not really compatible with Vista, it also uses crap load of CPU just to run, it's not as safe as it was originally advertised and much slower than XP... and the admin opt. uffff...
I bought a PC "Dell" and it came with Vista instead of XP like I ordered. After about 10 hrs on the phone with their "tech support" I gave up trying to explain to them that I did not receive what I ordered... and learned to deal with it. It's the famous "spaghetti test" throw it against the wall and see what sticks... Microsoft should really be ashamed for putting out unfinished product, I should have gone with a Mac, but.... a lot of software that I use does not run well on a Mac either... urgh... I miss my XP... better yet Windows 95...

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One would hope that Vista being a new brainchild of Microsoft would be at least a tad faster than the previous OS -XP.....unfortunately, for one twisted reason or another Microsoft "brain surgeons" made it painfully slow. Is it a matter of hardware architecture being light years behind Redmond Brains or is is the case of collective brain fart of the said, that yet has to be determined.
I still prefer XP over Vista....

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New question???

You are probably familiar with 'wind up' chargers that either give your mobile phone 20 minutes in an emergency, or power a radio for an hour, etc.

My question is would it be possible to rig up a large 'wind up' mechanisma to a bicycle pedals, and what could I run from it.

Yours sincerely....

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Rafal W.:
A large number of VST plug-ins and various music software is not really compatible with Vista,

and it is not the problem of Vista, but their producers (of VST plugins and VSTis).

it also uses crap load of CPU just to run,

It uses more RAM, true, but not cpu.
Just learn how to use your startup programs, if you face with problems

it's not as safe as it was originally advertised

It IS safer than WinXP because of User Account Control (and you can always disable it, to the extent of your liking).
There always has to be trade-offs when it comes to security

and much slower than XP...

That is relative.
But when it comes to multimedia/rendering/post-production applications, the new structure (the use of RAM) allows greater performance, if you are not interested with bells and whistles.
Maybe you have chosen (?) wrong version of Vista?

and the admin opt. uffff...

... great. :) I like them. Now I have the 'control'.

I bought a PC "Dell" and it came with Vista instead of XP like I ordered. After about 10 hrs on the phone with their "tech support" I gave up trying to explain to them that I did not receive what I ordered...

Yes, it is clear... that the Dell is the problem

and learned to deal with it.

Just like we learnt to deal with Win95, 98, 2000, NT and ME...

It's the famous "spaghetti test" throw it against the wall and see what sticks... Microsoft should really be ashamed for putting out unfinished product,

Maybe you should understand how a new product like this is produced and tested.
Main core of testers can not be compared to the real user count of Windows Operating Systems.
The story was almost similar with WinXP. It did not work great for 2 years.
We're lucky, SP1 for Vista came out earlier (and it can be 'hard-coded' just like the core elements of the OS / unlike WinXP).
Besides, the computers I've seen with Vista (Nov.2007 onwards) works flawlessly if it came with the computer in the package.

I should have gone with a Mac, but.... a lot of software that I use does not run well on a Mac either...

Maybe it is too late to think about it. But there's a say: "Better late than never". :)

urgh... I miss my XP... better yet Windows 95...

If you have a licenced copy of WinXP, there's noone keeping you from making the switch. Just get the drivers first, make an image copy of your system (to not void the warranty), and install XP.
What's all the fuss about?
:)
One of my computers is also running XP, because some of the free (and deceased) softwares that I use, will never work with Vista (ie.DirectX plugs).
Till the time I find alternatives to them.

PS. Now I am afraid, this thread will go to "OS wars thread" direction. But I am not a kid. heheilter K. edytował(a) ten post dnia 02.07.08 o godzinie 19:49

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ilter K.:

and it is not the problem of Vista, but their producers (of VST plugins and VSTis).

Thing is, I have never had issues before.

it also uses crap load of CPU just to run,

It uses more RAM, true, but not cpu.
Just learn how to use your startup programs, if you face with problems

I got rid of all the "bling bling" as soon as I fired it up.

it's not as safe as it was originally advertised

It IS safer than WinXP because of User Account Control (and you can always disable it, to the extent of your liking).
There always has to be trade-offs when it comes to > security

It's annoying, each and every time... it did take me a minute to learn how to get rid of it. I am not a computer whiz of any sort, I do know my way around them, but if I was... let's say your average Joe.. I'd probably would have lost my mind.

and much slower than XP...

That is relative.
But when it comes to multimedia applications, the new structure (the use of RAM) allows greater performance, if you are not interested with bells and whistles.
Maybe you have chosen (?) wrong version of Vista?

hahaha.. that's the issue, I opted for XP and got Vista instead... so with out sending the entire damn thing back I chose to contact Dell reps and request a copy of XP... I think I was denied... I think.

and the admin opt. uffff...

... great. :)

Really?

I bought a PC "Dell" and it came with Vista instead of XP like I ordered. After about 10 hrs on the phone with their "tech support" I gave up trying to explain to them that I did not receive what I ordered...

Yes, it is clear... that the Dell is the problem

That too.. but let's not get into "Office Tigers"

and learned to deal with it.

Just like we learnt to deal with Win95, 98, 2000, > NT and ME...

Yea, I guess... only thing is, why do we have to? Isn't it about time that companies would make something that actually works?

It's the famous "spaghetti test" throw it against the wall and see what sticks... Microsoft should really be ashamed for putting out unfinished product,

Maybe you should understand how a new product like this is produced and tested.
Main core of testers can not be compared to the real user count of Windows Operating Systems.
The story was almost similar with WinXP. It did not work properly for 2 years.
We're lucky, SP1 for Vista came out earlier.
Besides, the computers I've seen with Vista (Nov.2007 onwards) works flawlessly if it came with the computer in the package.

My did... first thing that happened - my audio card was not working properly, after trying to dl appropriate patches, I found out they did not yet exist. Fine... Not compatible with Windows Media player... wait... Windows not compatible with Windows Media player? Fine... I like winamp better anyway... card readers... not compatible with those that came pre installed... fine... I can just pretend that they are working and use a USB one... that was just the first 45 min. After that, I spent about a week trying to fix all of that. My card readers are still not working, I hope that maybe SP1 will fix that... hoping.

I should have gone with a Mac, but.... a lot of software that I use does not run well on a Mac either...

Maybe it is too late to think about it. But there's a say: "Better late than never".

heh... are you a Mac user?

urgh... I miss my XP... better yet Windows 95...

If you have a licenced copy of WinXp, there's noone holding you to not make the switch. Just get the drivers first, make an image copy of your system (to not void the warranty), and install XP.
What's all the fuss about?
:)

Well... from my perspective? I don't like to waste time (???) Also, if you'd buy a car, and after starting it found out that a lot of features that you are paying for are not working, wouldn't you be upset? Too bad that unlike with a car, you could have just gotten out of it, called your bank and stopped payment.... here... uff... I didn't even want to think about all the crap that goes along with sending it back (at my own cost by the way) and hoping for best...

PS. Now I am afraid, this thread will go to "OS wars thread" direction. But I am not a kid. hehe[

no.. not at all.. there are advantages and disadvantages to both... Linux is something that I've been looking at for a while... problem is, my 3 year old daughter and my wife are both using my PC... so... it needs to be as user friendly as humanly possible... plus of course the compatibility issues.

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no.. not at all.. there are advantages and disadvantages to both... Linux is something that I've been looking at for a while... problem is, my 3 year old daughter and my wife are both using my PC... so... it needs to be as user friendly as humanly possible... plus of course the compatibility issues.

I can't comment on compatibility issues but I installed Ubuntu Feisty Fawn on a new laptop about 3 months ago and it installed with no hardware compatibility problems at all and I can't see that using the programs that are installed is any more complicated than with Windows. Of course installing further sofware might be a different matter....

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Rafal W.:
Thing is, I have never had issues before.

What were you doing in November 2001?
hehe. I mean, when Windows XP was released :)
We had a switch as a company, and I had to carry out tons of productions with that crappy WinXP. I remember those days clearly.

It's annoying, each and every time... it did take me a minute to learn how to get rid of it. I am not a computer whiz of any sort, I do know my way around them, but if I was... let's say your average Joe.. I'd probably would have lost my mind.

You're right on that.
But average Joe doesn't install tons of new and unknown (Digital Licence Control freakness) software from the day 1.
You are in a way, forcing your machine to the edge (compared to Joe).

and the admin opt. uffff...

... great. :)

Really?

Serious on that.
There's (almost) no way on earth, your average Joe can turn that Vista into a stepping stone for a teenage hacker.

and learned to deal with it.

Just like we learnt to deal with Win95, 98, 2000, > NT and
ME...

Yea, I guess... only thing is, why do we have to?

We don't have to, but this is how it is, I am afraid.
They have to release it, to make their product 'idiot proof' (sorry for the terminology).

My did... first thing that happened - my audio card was not working properly,

I hear ya.

I should have gone with a Mac, but.... a lot of software that I use does not run well on a Mac either...

Maybe it is too late to think about it. But there's a say: "Better late than never".

heh... are you a Mac user?

I am running Digital Performer time to time on a Mac.
But I am an advanced Windows OS user... different machines.

Well... from my perspective? I don't like to waste time (???)

You are right on that. But why to get upset with Windows or Microsoft. You should direct your complaint to Dell.
I have 1 Acer Laptop + Vista Ultimate, works like a charm.
1 desktop with Vista... same...
Such things are the stuff of customer services of Dell. And I know, they received thousands of calls because of Vista, but the problem now is not with Vista. It is vendors.
Because if my Vista-s are working flawlessly in my systems, there's something good with it... this is what it means to me... after using computers for so many years.
There are many good stuff with Vista for me.

...it needs to be as user friendly as humanly possible... plus of course the compatibility issues.

Mac is better than Windows on that matter: User friendly. Less interferance, less garbage etc.
Vista didn't change it. And maybe Microsoft will never be able to make Vista better than the latest Mac OS.
But I'm grown with Windows. I know it, and work with it so well.

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Steven H.:
I can't comment on compatibility issues but I installed Ubuntu Feisty Fawn on a new laptop about 3 months ago and it installed with no hardware compatibility problems

Well, I experienced something completely different. Having heard so much praise for Ubuntu as the best Linux distribution for laptops, I downloaded, burned and tried to install it. The installation CD wouldn't work on my laptop (the checksum was valid and the CD worked successfully on other PCs and laptops), so I switched back to Fedora I had been using on my previous workstation for a long time. Fedora 8 was installed without any problems, yet my happiness disappeared soon. It just freezes completely in 15-20 minutes after every startup! I was suggested by a fellow geek to download new nvidia graphic drivers, but it didn't work. Frustrated and having no bloody time to tinker with yum packages and console, I left it all as it was. I've just downloaded Fedora 9 and hope to enjoy my favourite penguin breed without any troubles. We'll see..

BTW, are there more bi-system (Windows+Linux) geeks here?

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This thread has yet to make one iota of sense to me. Ubuntu Feisty Fawn sounds like an adult video.Keith Byrne edytował(a) ten post dnia 03.07.08 o godzinie 13:33

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Since this thread covers IT related issues I decided to give it a try..

Anyone here interested on joining Ableton Live group on GL?
I just created one but being its sole member I feel somehow stupid.
Feel free to join guys.

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Keith Byrne:
Ubuntu Feisty Fawn sounds like an adult video.

OK, Keith, so here are the names of all Ubuntu versions to turn you on ;)

# 6.1 Ubuntu 4.10 (Warty Warthog)
# 6.2 Ubuntu 5.04 (Hoary Hedgehog)
# 6.3 Ubuntu 5.10 (Breezy Badger)
# 6.4 Ubuntu 6.06 (Dapper Drake)
# 6.5 Ubuntu 6.10 (Edgy Eft)
# 6.6 Ubuntu 7.04 (Feisty Fawn)
# 6.7 Ubuntu 7.10 (Gutsy Gibbon)
# 6.8 Ubuntu 8.04 (Hardy Heron)
# 6.9 Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid Ibex)

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No, just the Feisty Fawn does it
Here are some good names they can use in future:
Hungry Hippo
Cantankerous Crocodile
Shy Shrew
Laughing Lemur
Melancholic Mole
Disenfranchised Doe
Slightly-drunk Stag
(The last two may be the parents of Feisty Fawn)

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Magda B.:

Steven H.:
I can't comment on compatibility issues but I installed Ubuntu Feisty Fawn on a new laptop about 3 months ago and it installed with no hardware compatibility problems

Well, I experienced something completely different. Having heard so much praise for Ubuntu as the best Linux distribution for laptops, I downloaded, burned and tried to install it. The installation CD wouldn't work on my laptop (the checksum was valid and the CD worked successfully on other PCs and laptops), so I switched back to Fedora I had been using on my previous workstation for a long time. Fedora 8 was installed without any problems, yet my happiness disappeared soon. It just freezes completely in 15-20 minutes after every startup! I was suggested by a fellow geek to download new nvidia graphic drivers, but it didn't work. Frustrated and having no bloody time to tinker with yum packages and console, I left it all as it was. I've just downloaded Fedora 9 and hope to enjoy my favourite penguin breed without any troubles. We'll see..

BIOS update might help.

BTW, are there more bi-system (Windows+Linux) geeks here?

I haven't been playing with Linux in a while.

Gonna give it another go soon though, probably initially on Virtual Machine.

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Keith Byrne:
No, just the Feisty Fawn does it
Here are some good names they can use in future:
Hungry Hippo
Cantankerous Crocodile
Shy Shrew
Laughing Lemur
Melancholic Mole

Keith! YOU'RE GENIOUS!!!
Would you mind if I send them to Ubuntu Development Team (with a notice that you're the author, of course)? As far as I know, they are choosing names for new versions from the users' proposals.

Disenfranchised Doe
Slightly-drunk Stag
(The last two may be the parents of Feisty Fawn)

LOL, I've just laughed my head off :)

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Feel free, Mighty Magda, but make sure they know the names come from, er, Knitted Keith

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Keith Byrne:
Feel free, Mighty Magda, but make sure they know the names come from, er, Knitted Keith

OK, I hope I won't misspell it as "Kilted Keith" :D