From My Vista
by Rob Limbaugh
Just about every year I make some sort
of ‘major’ effort
to move forward with technology in some way on my primary home
workstation. I periodically wipe out the machine and start a
fresh OS install from scratch. I reasoned that as laborious a
reinstall is, I may as well bite the bullet and this time make
the move to Vista. What made the timing right was that Microsoft
gave Windows Vista Ultimate 32-bit w/SP2 for those who attended
the APCUG 2008 LDC. Here is my experience.
Check Compatibility
When loading an OS it is important to make note of your hardware
and key software. Vista Update Advisor will highlight any hardware
or software compatibility issues of which to be aware. In my
case, the only issues to address were applications that would
be replaced with new Vista versions—no big deal. In terms
of hardware, my machine checked out OK. Last I had heard, my
ATI All-In-Wonder 2006 video card was not yet supported in
Vista, so I double-checked the AMD (they now own ATI) website
and confirmed there are now Vista drivers and software. It’s
a Go!
Backup Data
Next, I made backups of all my important data. This time around
I used an external USB hard drive and just dragged and dropped
the data to a ‘backup’ folder. I wanted to start
fresh and clean so I didn’t bother making a backup of
my Windows or Office user settings. There aren’t any
new BIOS updates for my motherboard, so I was all set to go.
Time for Install
I started the install process around 8 p.m., electing to wipe
all partitions on the hard drive. My first boot to the desktop
post install was shortly after 10 p.m.. So far, so good. And,
considering this is a P4 2.4GHz machine, I was rather impressed.
Vista’s graphics worked from the get-go because the ATI
All-In-Wonder 2006 uses an ATI Radeon 9600 compatible chipset
for which Vista loaded drivers. Sound worked. Networking worked.
I expected SOMETHING to be wrong due to all the horror stories
I had heard! My machine even received a 3.2 on the “Vista
Experience Index”. That means I can use Aero! Now
we’re cooking!
Post Install Issues
A notice appeared that Windows detected hardware and needed to
install drivers. My system’s motherboard has an integrated
Realtek AC’97 sound card. Unfortunately there isn’t
a Vista driver for the MIDI interface. If I want to hook up
MIDI devices in the future, I will probably need to disable
the built-in sound card and install a properly supported one
to gain MIDI interface functionality.
Watching TV is one of the things for
which I built this machine and I expected to use Vista Media
Center. This is where my second issue came up. While AMD (they
bought ATI) has released updated Vista drivers and software
for the ATI AIW 2006 video card, they didn’t actually ‘fix’ the issue with how the
ATI Hydravision software accesses the TV Tuner. I searched around
for a solution and came across a Home Theater application called “Beyond
TV” by SnapStream. So far that seems to solve my issue.
Beyond TV has a ton of cool features (worth looking at even if
you aren’t going to Vista).
Reality Check
In my consumer opinion, lack of proper drivers for an OS is the
fault of the hardware integrator and not the OS maker. AMD
is blaming Microsoft’s changes in DirectX 10 D3D (which
happen to address performance and security) as why the ATI
TV Tuner software doesn’t work. Well, AMD, how come SnapStream
could figure it out? AOpen has not released any new drivers
for their implementation of the AC’97 chip on my motherboard.
I can live with AOpen’s choice because most people don’t
use the MIDI interface feature of sound cards. AMD has no excuse
for not supporting an expensive video card that is bought for
the very feature they aren’t supporting. My buying habits
will be adjusted accordingly in the future.
Supporting Apps
Along with Beyond TV, I installed what I consider ‘Base
Supporting Apps’. These included Avast! Antivirus, Notepad++,
Pidgin, Adobe Reader, Adobe Flash Player, Adobe Shockwave Player,
TrueCrypt, PrimoPDF, and WinSCP. Office Ultimate 2007 is going
to round out the Office Suite. Everything installed smoothly.
No issues, arguments, or contentions between apps.
Where I Stand
My machine has paid its dues many times over and the driver issues
didn’t affect my ability to use what I needed, so I was
OK with that. Others with more particular needs should be aware
that integrated soundcards, atypical hardware, old devices,
and fancy graphics capture cards may require special attention.
Replacements may need to be considered.
I’m not suggesting everyone run out and install Vista.
This is now the fourth time I’ve installed Vista on a machine—first
time on one I plan to use regularly. All said and done, the experience
has been pleasant and not anything like the horror stories I’ve
heard. At the time of this writing it’s been about two
weeks and all continues to work well. This article was typed
on that system using Word 2007 and sent to the editors with Outlook
2007.
From my vista, Vista works just fine.
Vista Upgrade Advisor:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/buyorupgrade/upgradeadvisor.mspx
Compare Vista Editions:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/editions/choose.mspx
SnapStream Beyond TV:
http://www.snapstream.com/products/beyondtv/
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