Is it just me or is Windows Vista the most useless piece of crap? I'm going back to XP forthwith!

[MyCatIsABiggerBastardThanYours]

Should probably have put this in chat, but am hoping that someone can tell me the wonders of Vista or should I just go back to XP.

It is the most non intuitive rubbish. I can't find anything, everything changes when I don't want it to, to do different actions you need to constantly click into different tabs. I've been using it for over 3 mths now, regularly, and still can't get my head around it!

All in all it is driving me bloody mad!

GAH!!!

[mummylin2495]

i have heard that there will not be any more vista and that soon there is going to be a new windows instead.

[Tidey]

It took me a while to get used to it, but now I'm not finding it any different really.

[Snorbs]

Vista has been astonishingly poorly received. Microsoft hasn't come out with a dud like this since Windows ME.

Windows 7 is due out before the end of the year. The core bits of it are the same as Vista, but the user interface has been cleaned up a lot and many of the more annoying bits have been removed.

[MyCatIsABiggerBastardThanYours]

I think it is so different (IMO) from the others that I am finding it very difficult to get my head around. And as I said, I find that to make relatively simple format changes I need to go through all sorts of different tabs.

It also annoys me no end that I have to save it in a previous format for everyone who hasn't got vista to be able to read anything I do. Why on earth can't it be automatically saved in a standard format that all versions (or at least since 2000) can be read!

I'm glad it's not just me then.

[bunnymother]

Run from Vista as fast as you can and while your PC is still functioning. Vista is abominable.

[nickelbabe]

can i add something?
i don't want to sound really geeky, but I had to find this out for myself so I'm really impressed with the knowledge:

in the new internet explorer 7 with the tabbed windows, you can go between tabs by doing CTRL+TAB for down the tabs and CTRL+SHIFT+TAB for going up the tabs.

other than that, vista is pretty pants.

[lottiebunny]

Thing is most of the complaints I've heard are actually about the new Office package (which does run on XP as well) rather than Vista itself. Windows 7 will not cure the horrible new Office interface, you will just have to install an older version.

Vista is a fine operating system and certainly isn't as much of a system hog as XP which eats all your RAM and requires regular clean installs to keep it from bloating.

[Iklboo]

We installed Vista. It killed our PC. One of DH's mates had to come round and give PC the kiss of life. Luckily we had almost everything backed up (including all the photos) but we lost all out stored music and some business stuff

[RustyBear]

lottie is right - MyCat seems to be talking about Office 2007, not Vista - it's completely separate - I use computers with Vista and Office 2003, and others with XP and Office 2007.

Vista does have some compatibility problems with some older software, but otherwise I find it no problem to use.

[Niecie]

I was not happy with it when I got this laptop a year ago but I am used to it now. Mind you I don't do anything fancy with it.

I do however, share your annoyance that you can't send docs to other people without making them compatible with other versions. A real pain when sending OU assignments.

The other bugbear I have is that it is so different from XP that DS's much loved (and very expensive) computer games don't run on Vista and you can't get an XP computer anymore without spending a fortune or buying a machine with Vista that is capable of being downgraded to XP, also very expensive. There aren't any patches either.

Lets hope the new version is more compatible with older versions than Vista has been.

[RustyBear]

The reason Word 2007 doesn't automatically save in a format that previous versions can understand is that it has features which the previous versions weren't designed to cope with. Anyone with Word 2003 can download MS's File Convertor which allows you to open & save 2007 files, though you will lose any new features 2003 can't cope with.

At the school I work at, the children have 2003 on the laptops they use in the classroom & 2007 on the computers in the ICT suite - all the laptops have the file convertor on & the children (age 7-11) seem to cope very well with the dual system

[RustyBear]

Niecie - have you tried running the games in compatibility mode - it doesn't work for all games, but it's worth a shot.

Once you've installed the program, right click on it & choose Properties. Click on the Compatibility tab, tick Run this program in compatibility mode & choose the operating system you know it works with. You may also need to tick Run this program as an administrator, and possibly change the display settings shown there.

[MyCatIsABiggerBastardThanYours]

Ooh, showing my ignorance here - maybe it is Office 2007 I'm talking about. I guess it isn't the operating system (?) it is the actual usage of word and excel (not dared to look at power point yet) that I find really tricky to get on with. I'm an old bird - ish (40 next yr), but consider myself able to take on new things but this I just find very hard work.

[RustyBear]

Don't despair MyCat - I turned from a librarian into an IT manager ten years ago at the age of 43, when pretty much my sole qualification was that I knew what Ctrl-Alt-Del did - so you're not over the hill yet...

[Niecie]

Rusty - thanks for that advice. I will give it a go.

DS has a whole series of games he loves but can't play on any of our laptops any more. We were going to see if we could get a downgradable Vista machine but, as I say, they are more expensive than the normal ones and we keep asking ourselves if it is really worth it just for game playing!

[MyCatIsABiggerBastardThanYours]

Thanks RustyBear. I'm of the 'shout at it til it works' handbook style when it comes to computers so prob wouldn't make an IT manager (think I'll stick to communications - too daft for IT!)

[prettybird]

Hate Vista too.

Was used to Windows XP on my work computer but when I got made redundant had to buy a new laptop, for which the only option was Vista.

It is sooooo nonintuitive. I end up having to use the "help" function loads of times to look up what should be simple tasks. Didn't realise the probelm about sharing "saved" documents - will need to remember that.

[MyCatIsABiggerBastardThanYours]

Thats what happened to me prettybird, otherwise I would be happy and ignorant on XP.

Couldn't get an excel spreadsheet to embed into a word document today without it going all over the bloody place and off the page. I just wanted to paste it as a picture - simple, or so I thought.

Lots of shouting later, I gave up and typed it in by hand whilst muttering evil things about Bill Gates under my breath!

[foofi]

Haven't noticed any problems with Vista here - although prior to buying me a new laptop with Vista DH had said it was best to avoid it!

[NetworkGuy]

foofi - seems as if it's more to do with MS Office 2007 application and how that is very different to previous versions, rather than Windows Vista.

Having said that, as someone who does PC support for a living, I have only one client who has a Vista machine, and I have not switched from XP.

I'm giving up on PC support this year (except for Mac and Linux) when Windows 7 comes out and putting more time into my websites to start earning a 7 figure income (so I can then get clear of the UK 'big brother' government and heavy taxes that will hit people in 3-4 years).

There were so many issues with Vista that it didn't get used by larger businesses for a long time. Microsoft even extended the support for XP because they got negative feedback, and until 30/06/2007 it was possible to buy a Vista PC 'downgraded' to XP (for a money-grabbing 60 quid!) if you looked in the business sections (home PCs were not showing that option on most sites).

A few machines like the Asus EEE Box (a small machine with no CD/DVD that can plug into a Plasma TV and link via wi-fi to the net and your other PCs to play music and films, etc) came with Windows XP (or Linux) and you can still buy them... I plan to get 6 or 8 fairly soon, as they're only a little over 200 quid and run almost silent (they will be dedicated to backup and monitoring of a different set of websites per PC).

Once Windows 7 comes out, MS may stop letting companies like Asus sell new machines with XP on... Of course, if you hunt around, you can still find someone offering copies of Windows XP Professional via peer-to-peer (file sharing).

[NetworkGuy]

for MyCat....

You're not alone in having problems with needing to make documents usable for people with older versions of Office.

One client had problems as one of several documents he was sent for a tender was in MS Word 2007, saved as XML (file type .docx ) and he was stuck as he couldn't read it.

However, one thing Microsoft does, for Windows machines at least, is provide free document display/print utilities.

In the case of older versions of Office, there's an add-on so it can convert the 2007 Office documents. Then they can be saved by the user (eg with Office 2003) and the saved document can easily be opened and worked on. On a machine with Office 2007 you should be able to open older file formats (and from other spreadsheets, word processors, etc) if you check the 'file type' (I am hoping that it still offers that box, below the one where you enter the filename).

Something that might come in handy, if you have a friend or relative but they are miles away, is www.LogMeIn.com which would allow the other person to 'login' on your PC via the 'net and they can then demonstrate or fix problems.

I've used it for the last 2-3 years (clients from Kent to Yorkshire, and I'm in N Wales) but obviously you only want to let someone you really trust get onto your PC.

It's free for the basic version (they have other versions costing annual fees which include file transfers and other things).

I used LogMeIn to update my client's machine so he could use the Microsoft conversion software as he had to get his documents in the post the next day, and he lives miles away (and I don't drive).

There are other similar 'remote control' options but this one is pretty easy to use.
(sorry, went off at a tangent).

[bluebump]

I hate Vista with a passion. Mainly for the ridiculously small reason that I don't seem to be able to put my photos in folders, they all just seem to sit in one huge file separated by dates all on show at once. I could be being dense and it's simple but I give in.

[MyCatIsABiggerBastardThanYours]

Thanks NetworkGuy. I was able to save the documents into an earlier version, but it was just so annoying to find that I had to do that (and remember to do it everytime I send a document out to a client).

I'll have a look at LogMeIn, thanks for that.

Bluebump - I think I have that problem too - I thought I was just being stupid (a fairly probable explanation for me)

[Snorbs]

You can get Office 2007 to automatically save its files in a form that older versions of Office can read - details here