Zen Internet Support Forum

Oh! forget to mention that Windows Vista doesnt like any of the Free (100% freeware) software firewalls i.e. ZoneAlarm from ZoneLabs, so even if you want to use a third party firewall instead of the aweful one offered in Vista I havent yet found a free one that is compatible.

**I'm sure there must be quite a few commercial or retail packages that are though. Possibly the actual licensed products from CheckPoint/ZoneLabs are comaptible.

**I tried & tested ZoneAlarm version 2.361 (very old) wouldnt have it

**Also tested ZoneAlarm (free basic job) version 7.0 (works fine on XP but NOT vista), wont even run in compatible mode due to core files being a problem.

Ivan

**May be if you have a spanking new computer with current leading edge hardware, a 3gig hrtz CPU, 2GB RAM, 2GB of virtual memory, a 512megs graphics card,etc. Then MAYBE vista will run at the kind of speed it was intended too?

Well that's what I have and it's still much slower than XP. My PC is 4.4 out of 5 in the Vista specs thingy.

I have most of the eye candy turned off and am using classic start menu. The Vista one is just painfully slow.

I have not got round to turning off the various services just yet but it's on my to do list.

Reports today suggest that the UAC thing has a gaping hole and as it's a pain in the backside I might turn that off too.

I have defender off already 

Hi malum,

GLUPP!!  (my base Vista score is only 1.0) well what can I say I think you've said it already!! I do recommend tweaking & tuning the Vista system services I definately got a good boost of speed & responsiveness from doing that.

I tuned off a) telnet b) smart card stuff c) remote desktop sharing d) terminal service stuff (all of it) e) automatic updates,etc & these are the most obvious & safe ones, there are a few more too.

**I've been having a dreadful struggle to get a working internet connection on the same drivers & ADSL modem that works every time with XP & I still dont know what the real problem is I just keep getting 721 cannot connect to remote server.

**Have you tried setting perfomance of Vista to "best perfomance" which turns off everything that's non essential i.e. should get rid of all the eye candy.

Ivan

Hi,

Bit the bullet and turned off Windows Defender and was finally able to get a live working internet connection but its still  abit hit and miss, sometimes it works fine and others its throwing up 721 errors again. Most annoying.

**Checked windows vista updates 11 available updates every single one was complete waste of time. So havent bothered with any updates (Vista is bloated enough with yet more stuffing!).

**Managed to install AVG Free 7.5 anti virus after turning off defender. Also managed to smoothly update AVG too.

**Managed to successfully install Opera 9.0 Web Browser & make it the default browser (hate IE7 YAK!! its tacky).

**Various other legacy tools & programs also installed OK too after defender disabled.

Ivan

I have some of the eye candy still on. If you turn it all off the sidebar is no longer transparent and looks ugly.

I use Firefox and had no problem making it the default browser.

I understand that there are some issues with ADSL modems and drivers. I use a router so I have no problem there. My wireless card is running on XP drivers without any issues either. I'm guessing that a Vista driver will be along soon for your modem

I have had a starnge problem a couple of times with my keyboard which behaves like someone is holding down a key, the only solution isa  reboot. It's happened twice.

I also had a problem yesterday when I tried to rename a file and it popped up the 'you have a problem do you want to check online for a solution' box repeatedly. I had to reboot for that too.
 

Hi malum,

YES! your experience sounds par for the course with Vista at the moment, there are lots of annoying minor gliches.

 I know why Vista doesnt like my ADSL modem drivers its because their NOT digitally signed versions of the drivers (but they install & work fine in XP) and Vista isnt so kind or tolerant but I have managed to get the whole thing working eventually.

No! Sadly I strongly doubte that DLINK will write Vista drivers for my modem as its considered out of date now, despite being 5years old & still works perfectly 24/7. Its been a lovely piece of kit & I'll be very sad when the day comes when I will have to replace it, its been rock solid & incredibly reliable too.

**Now I'm getting pop-ups when at the Vista desktop because I've turned off windows defender and its doesnt like it :-) TEE HEE!! but it is annoying. Because its defender that seems to trip up alot of my older programs. I may try turning it back on too see if the installed programs now behave?? Its going to be a suck it & see jobee!!

I'm still stumbling my way around Vista Ultimate, kinda reminds me of something like the QE2. It feels like driving a massive ship one that has huge decks, swimming pools, bars, ballrooms,etc,etc. There so much to the darn thing!! it just seems to go on for ever, & the more you dig the more there is under the decking!

Ivan

cyteck:

**Now I'm getting pop-ups when at the Vista desktop because I've turned off windows defender and its doesnt like it :-) TEE HEE!! but it is annoying. Because its defender that seems to trip up alot of my older programs. I may try turning it back on too see if the installed programs now behave?? Its going to be a suck it & see jobee!!

You can turn that popup off. I forget how, I'm at work right now but it's a setting in there somewhere. 

Hello Again,

Today, I've installed some more of my legacy programs from XP and then turned the windows defender service (defender program) back on after having disabled it previously and vista insisted I updated defender over the internet. So OK ran the update & the security centre then seemed more happy. And havent had any more pop up's since then, apart from some start up items vista is still complaining about (no idea why though?). Overall I am slowly starting to find my way around vista bit by bit.

*Even got my internet connectivity working with the old DLINK drivers, its just that Vista seems to use a slightly different way of connecting & its not very user friendly I have to say. It took me ages to figure out how to get the connection working. Anyway its all coming good now but XP & IE6 still feel more like old friends still though. Oh!! well progress I guess.

**I found a nice little Vista firewall tool, that allows you more user friendly way to control inbound & outbound connections. Its basically a little add on that allows access to the Vista firewall settings without all the confusing stuff.

Ivan 

I have gone back to old trusty XP.

I had issues with my Sounblaster "freezing", which only a reebot would solve.

I also couldnt get Deamon Tools / Alcahol 120 to run - it hates virtual drives.

And you are right - why do we need to be asked 3 or 4 times if we are sure we want to do something , grrrr.

 I ended up turning most of the features off like everybody else and was left with just a semi pretty GUI. ( although I am glad to see MS taking a leaf out of Apple's book on that at last )

Although I was running one of the last Beta's as part of the MS trial program. 

Hello biomulv,

Ahh!!! I shouldnt have spoken so soon, My Vista Ultimate installation got utterly TRASHED!! caused by my old D-Link ADSL modem drivers. Although Vista would load up to what looked like a normal desktop I had no default programs or icons on the start menu (except for the "all programs" options) and absolute no access to control panel.

**Cause by a file "run32Dll.dll calling to gspcon.dll (GsiFinal module was APPCRASH) if your at all interested.

**I've now GONE BACK to windows XP Pro which by comparison to Vista on the same hardware flys along nicely.

**I do think as an OS Vista will probably be fine on the right specification hardware. The only problem is that the right hardware involves buying a totally new computer (laptop or desktop). The real problem is that Vista is just MASSIVE  meaning that in order to run Vista at any degree of good responsive performance quality your going to need a VERY high hardware specification. You'll need a 3 GigHrtz or above clock speed CPU, 2Gig's of RAM but from what I've heard 4gigs is more realistic, a large hard disk drive, a top specification graphics card as Vista & Aero glass are very video card intensive, so you need a graphics card with 512megs or more on board the card itself.

**The MS lie is that most of the users who now have windows XP pro will be able to upgrade or wipe their systems & install Vista. YES! you might be able to physically install it but it will either crash & burn or even if it runs its going to dog slow.

**Vist is fine for top specification new hardware but not for anything less.

**I see the Linux community have just developed something called the looking glass project and it looks very like the same as Aero glass only different.

**Conclusion:- Well Vista looks very nice in terms of the new Aero Glass interface, however the irony for me is just how much Vista looks like AppleMac OS 10 (I think OS X came out in about 2000?). Secondly, I'm glad to see that Microsoft have after years & years of criticism about windows lack of security finally done something about this. They have hardened the core system files with a layered protection but once again the irony is that MS have only gone and played catch up. As both Linux OS (in many forms) and AppleMac OS have had these features for years.

**NOP!! I still stand by what I've said before XP Pro is probably "the" best version of windows ever despite not being perfect.

Ivan  

You can get nice looking desktops with Stardock

http://www.stardock.com/

Costs less than Vista and as yet as less bad effects on the PC

This thread as been very interesting and as convinced me that I should wait a while and be happy with XP for now.

I think a policy of waiting a while is wise.

I only installed a copy because

a) Somebody gave it to me

b) I work with PCs so I need to keep as up to date as possible 

 
With a new OS there are always going to be driver isues (when we moved to XP here I had to ditch a perfectly good high end scanner because epson didn't write an XP driver) hopefully most of which will be resolved quite soon.

 
I can't see a compelling reason for anyone with XP to upgrade 

Hello Again,

After I've had time to get over the upset of Vista crashing & burning on me, I realised that infact I'm no worse off than I was before. Infact in someways I'm better off, atleast I've had a chance to install & play around abit with Vista & get a sense of what it is I'm dealing with (YES! GWB or Genuine Windows Bloatware) or GWD Genuine Windows Disadvantage!! TEE HEE :-) 

But as I still have the DVD and the hardware and as really the only problem was down to drivers. If I wait another 6-months I may find another affordable router or modem which has drivers written specifically for Vista, so if that was the case I might be tempted to have another go with Vista Ultimate. But TBH I'm NOT a big fan of eye candy over system performance. Give me a fast flying XP system over eye candy Vista any day. 

**I'd have to definately 100% AGREE I too cannot see any compelling reason to upgrade from XP Pro, I still believe that XP pro is by far the best version of windows since it was created.

Ivan

cyteck:

Hello biomulv,

Ivan  

Hi back at ya.

I am supposed to migrate in to Zen tommorrow.  Hope all goes well. :)

Got to say I like it - bit slower to boot up, but the new interface is v.swish. I've turned the sidebar off to improve performance a tad. My PC is nothing special and got a 3.7 overall for performance - it must be out of 10 - my CPU let my score down (Athlon XP 3200+) while for graphics I got 5.9 with a Nvidia 6800 with extra pipelines enabled. I'm running 2GB ram as well on an Asus A7N8X Deluxe mobo.

I wiped my 250GB SATA before installing - had to use the XP SATA drivers for the Silicon Image chip built into the mobo, but it worked fine.

NVidia aren't supporting Vista on the Nforce2 chipset, so I'm without one network point. Managed to find a Vista driver for the Realtek AC97 chip which got my SPDIF output working (goes to a Creative decoder).

Used the XP drivers for my Linksys wireless network card and that worked fine. 

I've turned the user control thingy off - most annoying...

Never played with media centre before, so having the chance to use that with XBox 360 is quite cool.

I dont use the PC for gaming, but all my software I've installed so far has worked fine.

So far so good