Fun with Vista

[cklein]

I have installed with Vista 64 bit, everything is great except a couple things:
1. The turbo memory seems work, but the readyboost does seem to improve the boot speed?
2. It took me a lot time to custimze it like XP, and still a lot stuff looks stupid to me, and I can't do anything about. One thing is the folderband, I researched on everything regarding replace that shellstyle.dll, but it does't work for me.

The second part is something I REALLY DON'T understand from Microsoft. I can see a lot people wasting a lot time to get Vista look like XP. I am wondering why Microsft is trying to change your experience with windows? I mean I am not saying XP experience is better than Vista, but it's normal for people to stay the way it works before. Simply because something better doesn't mean better for me, since I got used to the old stuff. So you actually killing me if I got used to wear a shirt but you give me an expensive SUITE, even for free.

Is it a good thing for Microsoft to do continuous improvement on their product? i.e., just make XP better, instead of make something different? Save money on both sides. Or at least provide a one button approach for me to go back to XP style, and leave everything additional optional? I just don't get how the industry works!

The same for Hardware wise. Is it easier for Lenovo just produce another T42 but with faster CPU? Why do you have to change the thing completely (I mean different LCD size, different weight ... etc) just in order to use the CPU? It will save both sides a lot time, and reduce social waste!

I am confused!

Calvin

[jdhurst]

I purchased a T61p by building it to suit from the Lenovo site. Based on commentary here, I removed the turbo memory option and never once looked back.
2. What is folderband? I have my Vista 64-bit looking exactly like my XP machine, not because I am thick and mentally slow, but rather because I must work productively and Vista out of the box prevents that for me.
3. Windows Explorer and Windows Briefcase (also Offline files) were butchered into unusability. I purchased xPlorer2 Pro to replace Windows Explorer and SyncBack Pro to replace Windows Briefcase. Once again, I have not looked back.
4. I share your frustration with Microsoft. Nowhere here will you see me saying you must work like me. Why then do I have to work the way Microsoft wants? They could have easily and cheaply left in the things I had and still given other people some new way to work that they might like. Sadly, most people take what is given when they unpackage a new computer, and don't realize that they can get what they want relatively easily.
5. To me, continuous improvement and change for the sake of change are two very different things. Some people have observed (here) that Windows 2000 was Microsoft's first excellent and still best OS, and in some ways they are right. I think XP overall is better than 2000 but it is hard to really prove that, and for someone not wanting to upgrade a computer just to run XP, it is hard to justify XP. Once on XP, it is doubly hard to justify Vista.
6. Same comments about Lenovo and their computers. I purchased a T61p months before software was ready for Vista 64-bit because it was clear that what I have (T4x form factor and weight and 4:3 screen was going the way of the do-do bird.

Like I have said before, I took a corkscrew and ripped the guts and heart out of Vista and made it work for me, and the result is a fast, svelte, 100% reliable machine that never quits and never crashes.
... JDH

[crazyfrog]

Business and industry make money by forcing or alluring people to upgrade. So it is not surprised that they always come up with something new and flashy. BTW, the search function in Vista is really much better than in XP.

[jdhurst]

The Vista search out of the box cannot find stuff in PDF files and cannot find text in .TIFF files. The former can (thankfully) be solved with Foxit. The latter remains unsolved. In terms of finding things, it is faster at finding less. I would be hard pressed to call it better. ... JDH

[Greg Gebhardt]

Like others have said, it is ALL about money!

MS just improving XP would not make near the money that Vista did.

Just like Windows 7 is going to do the same.