Matrix Games Forums

ORIGINAL: Bossy573

ORIGINAL: panzers
When I went to Circuit city to have vista replaced by xp, they said that Bill made all the new computers so that it could not be accessable to any other OS including xp, so I'm stuck with this shit.

This is simply not true.

While I believe that the Circuit City crew was misleading him, it is true that there are no XP drivers for many of the laptops that OEM's are currently shipping. That's a fact.

PoE (aka ivanmoe)

ORIGINAL: Gem35

My 13 yr old daughter can open a cd/dvd rom drive, slip in the installation disk and follow the on screen prompts.
As long as a computer has the minimum requirements for XP then it is simple to install.

Well, my very good friend who is a 56 yr old technology and computer teacher ([;)][:)]) just can't make XP work properly with his new laptop. Seller told him there would be no problem installing XP ("slip the installation disk and follow the on screen prompts" [;)]), but to many drivers are missing and video card has strange behaviors.

So, my advice is still: don't take for granted that you can buy a new computer, get rid of Vista and install XP easily. Because just too many new PCs don't have the minimum requirements for XP anymore.

MB

ORIGINAL: Meta Baston

ORIGINAL: Gem35

My 13 yr old daughter can open a cd/dvd rom drive, slip in the installation disk and follow the on screen prompts.
As long as a computer has the minimum requirements for XP then it is simple to install.

Well, my very good friend who is a 56 yr old technology and computer teacher ([;)][:)]) just can't make XP work properly with his new laptop. Seller told him there would be no problem installing XP ("slip the installation disk and follow the on screen prompts" [;)]), but to many drivers are missing and video card has strange behaviors.

So, my advice is still: don't take for granted that you can buy a new computer, get rid of Vista and install XP easily. Because just too many new PCs don't have the minimum requirements for XP anymore.

MB

Thats why you can't buy at a big box store anymore unless you want whats out of the box only.

Right now I'm in need of a new system and going to buy from one of the online places where I can build my own steup. Even with shipping it's cheaper...

I will gladly take money from you folks who need XP installed on any PC and install it for you. Let me know.

Here is a step by step program to get Vista out of your life.
-Grasp a 2lb ball pean hammer in your right hand.
-Smash down hard repeatedly upon the offending CPU.
-Remove debris to nearest Barbeque.
-Liberally cover with charcoal lighter fluid.
-Apply lighted match.
roast marshmellows!
 
Works everytime![8D]

ORIGINAL: marcusm

Maybe not the best place to ask but I ask anyway because I also
wonder if any of the Matrixgames quit working after SP1? Or were before.

I have XP on my laptop currently but Vista is also there in the "F11 backup".
I hated Vista so much I went through quite a bit just to put XP back.

Vista basic came on my laptop. In a nutshell it was clunky and slow, this with 2 gigs of ram and amd semprom. I waited for the service pack and it was the same. It is now gone and XP is in its place.

ORIGINAL: Terl

ORIGINAL: marcusm

Maybe not the best place to ask but I ask anyway because I also
wonder if any of the Matrixgames quit working after SP1? Or were before.

I have XP on my laptop currently but Vista is also there in the "F11 backup".
I hated Vista so much I went through quite a bit just to put XP back.

Vista basic came on my laptop. In a nutshell it was clunky and slow, this with 2 gigs of ram and amd semprom. I waited for the service pack and it was the same. It is now gone and XP is in its place.

Well, you have a Sempron processor. I've not seen one of those run very swiftly even on XP. [:D]

Yet..

I've recently been getting strange USB happenings on Vista. As in.. if I plug a USB device in while it's on, it works just fine. But.. If I try to restart with the new USB device plugged in... it doesn't. Acts like it can't read the boot drive until I unplug the newly plugged-in USB device. Did it for a USB headset, did it for a printer, did it for an external hard drive all at separate times. The XP partition booted up but I'm still wondering if my board's USB situation is goin' tits-up. The testing continues.

Also... I loved XP after my initial bitching back when it was released, too. Hell, I'd likely be using XP by default if it weren't part of my job to get a feel for the ole Vista gal. Well, that and have you seen full DX10 shadow features?! God, it's beautiful so I'll fight for it. [:'(]

Is it possibly to buy VISTA ,use it on my old compiuter, and then take it over to my new computer when I get it later? Or will my OS be locked to the first computer I install it on?

ORIGINAL: Meta Baston

ORIGINAL: Gem35

My 13 yr old daughter can open a cd/dvd rom drive, slip in the installation disk and follow the on screen prompts.
As long as a computer has the minimum requirements for XP then it is simple to install.

Well, my very good friend who is a 56 yr old technology and computer teacher ([;)][:)]) just can't make XP work properly with his new laptop. Seller told him there would be no problem installing XP ("slip the installation disk and follow the on screen prompts" [;)]), but to many drivers are missing and video card has strange behaviors.

So, my advice is still: don't take for granted that you can buy a new computer, get rid of Vista and install XP easily. Because just too many new PCs don't have the minimum requirements for XP anymore.

MB

Most people who build their own machines (like me) don't waste a minute logging onto the web and downloading current XP drivers for all devices that need them. The drivers on the CD are so out of date they usually aren't worth using anyway, so the CD lacking necessary drivers is a non-excuse.

ORIGINAL: NefariousKoel
I've recently been getting strange USB happenings on Vista. As in.. if I plug a USB device in while it's on, it works just fine. But.. If I try to restart with the new USB device plugged in... it doesn't. Acts like it can't read the boot drive until I unplug the newly plugged-in USB device. Did it for a USB headset, did it for a printer, did it for an external hard drive all at separate times. The XP partition booted up but I'm still wondering if my board's USB situation is goin' tits-up. The testing continues.

Vista is trying to boot off the USB device. If it's really making you crazy, you might want to check in your BIOS to see if you can turn the "feature" off. It's great when you need it, BTW.

PoE (aka ivanmoe)

As I said in an earlier post to this thread and all you guys did was re-enforcing it it: Bill Gates is officially on my a-hole list

ORIGINAL: Gem35

you can use up to 16gb of RAM with Vista, which of course loves to waste it.

[:D][:D][:D][:D]

I bought a new custom built system with Vista Ultimate 64 bit, and I get to bring it home tomorrow.[X(]
 
May the good Lord have mercy on my soul, for what I have wrought upon myself...[&o]
 
 
--/----1
 
 

ORIGINAL: sabre1

I bought a new custom built system with Vista Ultimate 64 bit, and I get to bring it home tomorrow.[X(]

May the good Lord have mercy on my soul, for what I have wrought upon myself...[&o]


--/----1

Sympathies granted.

Well so far so good.  At least it's running. [:(]
 
Of course I haven't tried running some of my older games, such as JTCS, SPWAW, COI....
 
This is my first new system in 8 years.
 

ORIGINAL: sabre1

Well so far so good. At least it's running. [:(]

Of course I haven't tried running some of my older games, such as JTCS, SPWAW, COI....

This is my first new system in 8 years.

Hey, sabre, I just got my new system last week, and am also new to Vista...also curious to see how older stuff works.

 Artic Blast,
 
Good name for where you are from...[:)]
 
I actually like the interface of Vista so far.  Things seem to run faster as far as doing work. Games have been a mixed bag, and I have had problems doing multiplayer stuff, which I 'm not sure if it is due to Vista, my system (ram, mobo).
 
I bought Advanced Warfighter 2.  My son in college likes that game and wanted me to play with him.  You can do the campaign coop.  Game would freeze or dump me.  Now from what I can tell that game is rather problematic in mp mode. Warfighter appears to play fine in single player mode. 
 
Sins of a Solar Empire gave me the screen of blue death, but that happened after 4 hours of nonstop playing, and I have had lots of games in my lifetime freeze up from time to time, so I'm not sure what that means.
 
I have "read" that Call of Duty 4 is pretty solid for MP, as well as GEARS of War, so my son and I may have to try that.  I have "read" that they both have coop MP modes.
 
I tried to make sure that I put together a powerful system for this pig of an operating system, to help insure there would not be any problems, or at least to help mitigate them. 
 
This is the current system:  Vista 64 bit ultimate, Cpu Quad 6600, Envision 24" monitor,  8 GB ram, 9800 x2 graphics card EVGA, Mobo 780i EVGA, 850 power supply, topped off in a coolmaster cosmos case.  I didn't want to think about another system for another 8 years, and the case, hopefully will allow me to upgrade when necessary, at least for the foreseeable future...

Wow, you went a little higher end than I did. I got the Intel E8400 3.0 Ghz Core 2 Duo, Geforce 8800GTS, Coolermaster CM690 case, 750W power supply, 4 GB 1066 Mhz memory, Vista 32 bit.

I have read that 64-bit Vista, as it currently stands, has had more issues with older software than the 32-bit version, which is part of the reason I picked the 32. So far, so good. Haven't really tried any online play yet, though.

you have a cadillac that is [:D]running like a bicycle using vista

I agree Gem35.  I guess I just keep thinking that Vista will eventually get sorted out.  I know stupid thought.  I went with 64 bit simply because I also assumed everything would get there and I hate upgrading.  It is proving problematic. 
 
In terms of work, I actually like Vista, and it has proved relatively painless, but games are another issue... If I had a serious contender for another OS that ran my stuff reliably (I know XP) I would switch in a heartbeat, but there really isn't anything.  I do "need" to stay somewhat up with technology just to maintain my marketability. There have been serveal interviews where that was a deciding factor/edge for being hired. Anway, I digress.
 
Vista is horrible, there I said it...I feel better now...My therapist tells me that is the first step toward recovery...
 
--/----1