Microsoft Vista

[The boy 4rm oz]

I'm thinking of upgrading to a Core 2 Duo system by mid year and will probably upgrade to an OEM Version of Vista Ultimate and was just wondering if I should get the 32-Bit or the 64Bit version. Also is the OEm Version any different from the really expensive $800.00 AUS version?

[SgtM]

Well, the 32 or 64 bit edition will depend whether you are getting a 32 or 64 bit processor.

I'm not sure of editions in other countries, but here is a link to Microsoft's Vista comparison page.

[Redundant]

I read that both the 32 and 64 bit versions were on the same disc. Not 100% sure about this though.

Also, I think all versions of vista are on the same disc (http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/20/hackers-start-your-engines-all-vista-versions-on-one-dvd/) but what installs depends on your activation code...

[sirkillalot617]

Well i do think if ur gettin a new cpu it will probebly be 64 bit anyway.

[.Maleficus.]

I read in PC World that the 64-bit ran slower than the 32-bit, even on 64-bit processors. I guess I would go with the 32-bit.

[The boy 4rm oz]

For Me there is a $5 difference between 64 and 32 bit versions with 32 being more expensive. A Core 2 Duo E6600 is 32 bit right?, I will probably get the 32 bit then.

[Ronyx]

Strike 2 for Ronyx. It's the first red rule. Don't do it again.

-Dave

[DaveW]

No more talk of piracy or cracking. Especially you Ronyx, this is the second time i've had to delete one your posts.

-Dave

[jdbnsn]

I've been real curious about this, does anyone here have any experience upgrading from Win XP to Vista 64bit? I was wondering if it would be faster or slower due to new features. Reason I wanted to know is long ago I installed a trial version of Win XP 64bit and it ran wicked fast. Although it was likely because of stripped down features, but I would like to know if it's worth the dough.

[.Maleficus.]

For Me there is a $5 difference between 64 and 32 bit versions with 32 being more expensive. A Core 2 Duo E6600 is 32 bit right?, I will probably get the 32 bit then.
C2Ds are 64-bit. I would get the 32-bit anyways though.

[The boy 4rm oz]

Cool thanks for that .Maleficus., I've got a few more months 2 wate until my perchase so I will keep this thread open for any changes.

[Ronyx]

No more talk of piracy or cracking. Especially you Ronyx, this is the second time i've had to delete one your posts.

-Dave

wow really? strike 2, ok soz. i'll try not to post that stuff.
but still... i know what i know :banana:

[The boy 4rm oz]

Whith all that said about Piracy and all that. Is there any difference between The OEM Version or the full version?

I'm not all for piracy but if I can get anything cheeper or even for free i'm up for that lol.

[SgtM]

Whith all that said about Piracy and all that. Is there any difference between The OEM Version or the full version?

I'm not all for piracy but if I can get anything cheeper or even for free i'm up for that lol.

You're almost talking about the same thing there. There are 3 types.

OEM - What your average Joe uses. It's what you can buy in stores and order online. From there, you have a full version (for a blank disk) or an upgrade (to upgrade from a previous version of Windows). You get 1 license, single use

Volume License - I think these start at 10 licenses and more. Basically, you have 1 CD Key, but a certain amount of times you can use and activate that license. Once that limit is reached, you will have to purchase additional licenses.

MSDN - I get kinda shady here.. MSDN is Microsoft Developer Network. This is subscription based, and renewed every year. Depending on your subscription level, you have a certian number of activations as with the volume license, but if you choose not to renew the subscription the following year, then you can no longer use the product, and will have to purchase a regular license. (If I'm wrong on this, someone please correct me.)

[.Maleficus.]

Isn't there a "Retail" version as well? I thought you could buy the Retail version, and have like 2 activations without having to buy the Volume License one.

[klingelton]

yeah, pretty sure there's a retail version, the OEM version you can only install on machines that you have built (i.e. not bought from a large vendor) it's something like that anyway.

apparently upgrading to vista from their disks is fairly easy. (i have a friend who does that sort of thing as a job, how mundane!) although the upgrade is easy, it's far quicker to fresh install your new os.

tbh I don't think i'll bother with vista just yet until they get the driver issues sorted and probably SP1 released. there's gonna be some nasty bugs in this what is essentially a beta release.

[SgtM]

Retail and OEM = same thing.

[Redundant]

Retail = CD + Box (http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/31/vista-and-office-2007-boxes-revealed/) + some paper saying "Thanks for buying" :p

OEM = CD only

Who doesn't want a box? lol :D

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.engadget.com/media/2006/10/vista_box.jpg

EDIT: I can't seem to find my "Vista Ultimate" picture. :neutral:

[Airbozo]

OEM != Retail

The M$ license states that you can only purchase an OEM copy of Windows _with_ a new system. This is the disc that comes with your Dell or other "vendor configured" system. If you delve into the license, you will find that a "pre-configured" system has a minimum set of parts (mobo, cpu, ram, ps) that _must_ accompany the OEM disk, _and_ the key label _must_ be physically applied to the case or mobo before you get it.

This OEM package also contains a disc that has programs on it that allow you to _unlicense_ a system. Basically what this allows you to do is to install everything on the computer you or your customer needs, then when you are done and ready to ship or deliver the system you run this utility and it removes the license key, _un-reads_ the EULA and un-activates the OS (if you activated it). You can also have it insert a couple of files that get run at boot time to inform your customer of some piece of info, like the starting screen on a Dell that tells you the factory service code. When your customer powers on the system for the first time they must accept the EULA (it is a violation of the M$ OEM license agreement for the vendor to accept this agreement on the user's behalf), then enter the key and activate the system. It is also a violation of the OEM license to distribute this "extra" cd to an end user that is not covered by your OEM license.

http://www.microsoft.com/oem/sblicense/OPK/default.mspx

This disk also contains some utilities to setup a M$ network install program, that you can customize per computer, per customer or ad-hock. For instance, one of our customers orders Dell 690's from us, we then wipe the HD and install Windows Server 2003 x64 (which Dell will NOT install or support on these systems). I am working on the network install so that all you do is enter the systems MAC address into a file on my M$ install server, and boot the 690 from a CD or floppy, the M$ network install determines what OS configuration and off it goes. When it is done, I enter the license key, do my burn in tests and then un_configure the system.

I am in the process of re-creating our network install server and I will log everything I do, snap some pics and possibly post a tutorial if there is any interest (doing this for 3 different systems).

[monoflap]

I don't think i'll bother with vista just yet until they get the driver issues sorted and probably SP1 released. there's gonna be some nasty bugs in this what is essentially a beta release.
I agree, I don't think the performance issue is nearly as big of a deal as the driver crisis going on right now (for 64 bit in particular). I don't think you should buy any version until they release the drivers that will enable you to use it. If you get vista right now, there is a chance your hardware and pretty much any plug and play device won't work.

[SgtM]

I agree, I don't think the performance issue is nearly as big of a deal as the driver crisis going on right now (for 64 bit in particular). I don't think you should buy any version until they release the drivers that will enable you to use it. If you get vista right now, there is a chance your hardware and pretty much any plug and play device won't work.

The only device I'm having trouble with right now (I have the 32 bit version) is my HP Photosmart a516. Vista won't find drivers for it, and when I contacted HP, they acted like they didn't even know what Vista is.

[Airbozo]

The only device I'm having trouble with right now (I have the 32 bit version) is my HP Photosmart a516. Vista won't find drivers for it, and when I contacted HP, they acted like they didn't even know what Vista is.

That's because they have not heard of vista in India...

[The boy 4rm oz]

Thanks guys you have been a real help. I know of the bugs with Vista but I wasn't going to be buying a copy till about June-July so hopefully they have fixed the problems lol.

[AJ@PR]

EDIT: I can't seem to find my "Vista Ultimate" picture. :neutral:
That's ok... I found mine.
http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o196/45NN2121/wVistaUltimate.jpg
:p :p


That's because they have not heard of vista in India...
Hahah! ouch... HAHAHA

[Produkt]

I have business upgrade... I'm not installing it any time soon but.. yea...

[The boy 4rm oz]

One more question. Is office 2003 compatiable with Vista?

Ok so every one agrees 64-Bit is better right?

[DaveW]

Ok so every one agrees 64-Bit is better right?

If it isn't now it will be later. Might as well jump on the bitchin' for 64-bit drivers bandwagon to help things along a little.

-Dave

[SgtM]

One more question. Is office 2003 compatiable with Vista?


I'll check on that later for ya.

[onelegout]

So, each copy of vista is only licensed for one computer....
I have two laptops and one desktop.
vista home premium is £219.99
ultimate is £369.99
That means, if I were to buy 3 copies of ultimate it would cost me £1107....
Of course, microsoft are bringing this 'family pack' bull**** out which lets you pay £50 (i think) per extra license, but you can only get it if you buy ultimate, and then the extra licenses are home premium!!
So that would cost me £469 to make the move to vista.

[onelegout]

I've just found out that dabs do a 3-pack of vista home premium OEM for £206!!
Apparently I just need to buy a 'non-periferal computer component' in order to be able to purchase OEM software, and I was going to buy a hard drive anyway!

Can you guys confirm that OEM software will be the same as retail software?
I don't want to make a mistake when spending this amount of money!

Also, is it worth going with vista ultimate instead?

Thanks,
H

[Airbozo]

Yes, OEM is the same physical disk with a different label (as far as I can tell). The license is just different. You might want to check, but according to my company's agreement, a hard disk alone does not fulfill the OEM license agreement. A mobo would or a processor might (still not sure and MS will not give us a definitive answer), or a lan card may as well. M$ is just vague enough on the agreement so those items are in doubt, but not specifically called out. The OEM agreement _used_ to indicate that the software could only be provided with a minimum of parts (mobo, case, memory and cpu). The license has changed over the years and it makes my head hurt to try and figure it out (the way M$ likes it), so this may have changed drastically.

[SgtM]

I've used (beta tested) Vista Ultimate. Basically, if you like XP&MCE, go with Vista Ultimate, it has all the bells and whistles.

[Silenced_Coyote]

I've used (beta tested) Vista Ultimate. Basically, if you like XP&MCE, go with Vista Ultimate, it has all the bells and whistles.

Isn't Vista Premium like XP & MCE too? I think Ultimate just adds the business features to what Premium has.

[onelegout]

All of the "Extra features" that vista "ultimate" has over home premium are a joke. There are only FOUR extra features according to microsoft, three of which (drive encryption, remote desktop, drive backup) can be replaced with readily avaliable third-party freeware applications which you can download in minutes for free!

The fourth extra (HD capability in movie maker) was free for XP's movie maker a month or so ago - I downloaded the software from microsoft's site which enabled me to create HDWMV files, but when I went to their site to find it to show you guys, it's been removed!

The other, extra-extra (And I'm not kidding here) is 'Texas hold-em'.....


So, what do you get for that extra £130 ($260USD) that you can't get in vista home premium?

Well..... errr...
I'll get back to you on that one.....
There must be SOMETHING.....



You get....
to use the word 'ultimate' when describing your computer.
That's all I can come up with.

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD SOMEBODY PLEASE PROVE ME WRONG!

On a side note, I ordered that 3-pack of vista home premium OEM and an 80gb WD Raptor at 10:20pm from dabs.com and received notification that it had been shipped with a tracking number, less than ten minutes after I placed the order!

It's 2:38 in the AM and I think I'm loosing conciousness.

[The boy 4rm oz]

I can pick up Vista ultimate OEM for $299.00 AUS.

[tybrenis]

I can get it mucho cheapo, cheaper than newegg. However, by the time I sell it to you guys, with paypal fees and stuff, newegg beats me by a hair.

[onelegout]

I'm just downloading a free, legal copy of vista business edition from my old college's software library. Their pathetic admin and bad organisation meant that they forgot to take me off the system, so even though I left I still have access to all their software, free, and legal, through MSDN Academic Alliance :)
I may even sell it to my friend for a little cheaper than it costs in the shops.....
100% profit FTW!
H

[Airbozo]

I'm just downloading a free, legal copy of vista business edition from my old college's software library. Their pathetic admin and bad organisation meant that they forgot to take me off the system, so even though I left I still have access to all their software, free, and legal, through MSDN Academic Alliance :)
I may even sell it to my friend for a little cheaper than it costs in the shops.....
100% profit FTW!
H

Since you are no longer a part of the university, downloading or even accessing their network _IS_ illegal, even though they "forgot" to remove your account. Also selling a copy of this software is illegal. Even giving a copy away is illegal. Careful there...

[onelegout]

Since you are no longer a part of the university, downloading or even accessing their network _IS_ illegal, even though they "forgot" to remove your account. Also selling a copy of this software is illegal. Even giving a copy away is illegal. Careful there...

Will be very careful. Technicaly I am still enrolled there, I just dropped off the 2 year course.
The software library is infact, a form of MSDN called MSDN Academic Alliance, and the user agreement that I signed with them gave me a contract for 2 years, so downloading it is legal, as is using it. I cannot however sell it, therefore I will be using the business edition that I downloaded from the college on my laptop, and selling the copy of home premium that would have been on the laptop instead - that way I'm keeping it all legal and earning a fair amount of money!
It will also benefit the buyer as he will get a brand new, cheap copy of home premium.

100% legal 100% profit ftw!
H

[public_eyesore]

for oem stuff, the local store makes you buy like ..... a fan. I think it is just some technicality thing. Anyways, I thought oem was the same as retail, but you don't get free support.

[xmastree]

There's no such thing as 'free' in this world.I beg to differ (http://www.ubuntu.com)


ESPECIALLY with MS.But I agree there. :twisted:

[onelegout]

I beg to differ (http://www.ubuntu.com)

hahah I was going to post the EXACT same thing! :D
Ubuntu was great for me until I broke the Xserver and dry-raped the kernal with a rusty iron bar. :(

[Airbozo]

hahah I was going to post the EXACT same thing! :D
Ubuntu was great for me until I broke the Xserver and dry-raped the kernal with a rusty iron bar. :(

I am sure the Kernel would have given up the special seasoning recipe without going to that extreme...

[.Maleficus.]

I am sure the Kernel would have given up the special seasoning recipe without going to that extreme...
LMAO.

[xmastree]

I am sure the Kernel would have given up the special seasoning recipe without going to that extreme...

But of course. After all, it is open sauce! :banana:

[onelegout]

But of course. After all, it is open sauce! :banana:

That was the worst joke I have EVER heard.
Congratulations, you win at t'interweb!

Now then,
Am I correct in saying, that if I plug my new raptor hard drive into another SATA slot, and keep my old drive in, I can then change it through bios so that my raptor is my primary drive, and my current drive is just a secondary hard drive.
Then I can install vista on the new drive without worrying about 'backing up' my files, as they will all be on the other hard drive, and if I have any trouble with vista I can switch my other drive to master and run my old (current) xp OS?
Thanks!
H

[.Maleficus.]

That was the worst joke I have EVER heard.
Congratulations, you win at t'interweb!

Now then,
Am I correct in saying, that if I plug my new raptor hard drive into another SATA slot, and keep my old drive in, I can then change it through bios so that my raptor is my primary drive, and my current drive is just a secondary hard drive.
Then I can install vista on the new drive without worrying about 'backing up' my files, as they will all be on the other hard drive, and if I have any trouble with vista I can switch my other drive to master and run my old (current) xp OS?
Thanks!
H
Like a dual-boot with Vista and XP? I don't think you should have any problem with that, if it's anything like a Linux dual-boot you should just have the option where you would like to install it, and you could probably just choose the Raptor drive as your partition, leaving the other one alone.

[onelegout]

Like a dual-boot with Vista and XP? I don't think you should have any problem with that, if it's anything like a Linux dual-boot you should just have the option where you would like to install it, and you could probably just choose the Raptor drive as your partition, leaving the other one alone.

Ok good good I'll do that!

I installed vista on my laptop (ASUS A6km) and it only took 15 mins or less!
However, the 'windows user experience index' pos which checks your hardware and decides whether you can run aero or not, can't work out how much dedicated and shared graphics memory I have, and as a result I have a base score of...... 1.0

It's driving me mad, I have a Geforce 7300GO with 256mb of dedicated memory and it can't work out how much memory is there! :(
Anyone know how to override the user experience index thing?

Thanks,
H

Edit:
I grabbed a driver with a modded inf from laptopvideo2go.com and it worked perfectly!
My vista experience index:
Laptop:
Processor: 3.7
Memory: 4.1
Desktop Graphics: 3.0
Gaming Graphics: 3.2
Hard drive: 3.9

Desktop:
Processor: 4.2
Memory: 5.1
Desktop Graphics: 5.9
Gaming Graphics: 5.9
Hard drive: 5.9

Aero glass is nothing short of Beautiful. If it had a vagina...
I think I've said enough.

H

[TheGreatSatan]

I have a builder's copy of XP Pro that I could put on any PC as many times as I want. No Vista for me...

[Silenced_Coyote]

So I didn't want to start a new thread about Vista and DX10 gaming so I'm going to put it here if it is alright.

So I know DX10 is the next "big thing" and it is supposed to be awesome (supposedly). But I haven't seen any real comparisons between the DX9 and DX10. All I have seen is the new features that DX10 will bring along, like the geometry shader and such. Also, the DX10 games will still be able to be played on Windows XP. Which is a reason why a lot of people are telling me to wait for things with Vista to really smooth out with Service Pack 1 or when more games feature DX10.

Anyways, I was browsing the net and came upon this article in Gamespot. I thought it was just going to be another article among the many on the web comparing the performace between XP and Vista. But they had picture comparisons (I like how they do the rollover images). Maybe there has already been a whole bunch of image comparisons and I just haven't looked hard enough... But I was so excited when I saw this! (Gamespot Article Link (http://www.gamespot.com/features/6164940/index.html?tag=topslot;title;4&om_act=convert&click=topslot))

I hope this post was useful. I just really wanted to share it, even if it might be old news to many of you....

[The boy 4rm oz]

It's ok with me post away. Nobody has answered my last quetion though. Is office 2003 compatible with Vista?

[onelegout]

So I didn't want to start a new thread about Vista and DX10 gaming so I'm going to put it here if it is alright.

So I know DX10 is the next "big thing" and it is supposed to be awesome (supposedly). But I haven't seen any real comparisons between the DX9 and DX10. All I have seen is the new features that DX10 will bring along, like the geometry shader and such. Also, the DX10 games will still be able to be played on Windows XP. Which is a reason why a lot of people are telling me to wait for things with Vista to really smooth out with Service Pack 1 or when more games feature DX10.

Anyways, I was browsing the net and came upon this article in Gamespot. I thought it was just going to be another article among the many on the web comparing the performace between XP and Vista. But they had picture comparisons (I like how they do the rollover images). Maybe there has already been a whole bunch of image comparisons and I just haven't looked hard enough... But I was so excited when I saw this! (Gamespot Article Link (http://www.gamespot.com/features/6164940/index.html?tag=topslot;title;4&om_act=convert&click=topslot))

I hope this post was useful. I just really wanted to share it, even if it might be old news to many of you....

I wouldn't trust many of these dx10 / dx9 comparisons - there have been a lot of fake ones out in the past few months. As for 'the DX10 games will still be able to be played on Windows XP' - Sure, but they will be dulled down dx9 versions of the game..... Thanks for the article btw.

The boy 4rm oz - I can confirm that word 2003 does work with vista as I just installed it and it works fine.

[gaz_the_chav]

If anyone has any questions about Vista Home Premium, just ask me - I have it on my new laptop. I can tell you quite abit about it now.

Microsoft Office 2003 IS compatible with Vista HP

Vista HP has got MCE and is very similar to XP but there is a few more security bits and bobs for example - just makes me feel more secure lol.

-gaz

[SgtM]

It's ok with me post away. Nobody has answered my last quetion though. Is office 2003 compatible with Vista?

Oops.. I was supposed to check on that for you. Sorry. I got busy helping my kid with her science fair project.

[gaz_the_chav]

As I just said I can reassure you that it does work.

-gaz

[TheGreatSatan]

They are going to release MS Office 2007 for XP and Vista

[onelegout]

They are going to release MS Office 2007 for XP and Vista
Sure, for the price of a small house.

[Redundant]

They are going to release MS Office 2007 for XP and Vista

It's already out. (http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=amb_link_4309792_1/105-8600302-5907606?ie=UTF8&node=203102011)


Sure, for the price of a small house.

The Home and Student version (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000HCZ8EO/ref=amb_link_4115712_2/105-8600302-5907606) is only $130. That must be one small house.

[The boy 4rm oz]

Thanks for all your help, I guess the only thing holding me back is waiting for a few bug fixes lol. Once again thanks for all the help.