There's No Doubt: Vista Sucks

Well, this is not about Vista, but does relate to MS's inability to solve the problems it causes. A "critical" update on setting up my brand new XP computer apparently causes problems with OE...error messages: cannot delete, cannot open, etc. and subsequently, al the e-mails vanish before your eyes; then, all the folders vanish. It seems MS has known about this problem since April and been unable/unwilling to solve it. It would be shocking for any other company not to pull the "upgrade" that caused the problem or, at the very least, warn customers of the danger. Even worse the OS is damaged so that the problem causes the same thing to occur in Thunderbird. Does anybody out there have a solution? I am not tecnically sophisticated, so my techie friends tell me I'm not ready for Ubuntu, etc. Am I doomed to have hours of my time wasted by Microsoft forever? Eyekew

Not to disagree . . . but I purchased a new HP notebook in Feb 2007 which came with Vista Home Premium edition. Never had any problems with it whatsoever.

After the "free" 90 day tral of Norton (which did cause problems) I switched to MS One-Care. Have been using it for many months now without any glitch.

Also, Outlook Express is a thing of the past with Vista, being replaced with Windows Mail. (Outlook available at extra cost) and I have only had one problem. It was a deleted mail which would not go away. MS had a solution to that issue, and it never came back.

I don't know why some have problems . . . I have been using MS Windows for over 20 years and do not have problems. Yes, they did need a lot of "fixes or patches" to resolve privacy issues, but they were taken care of.

Marshall

Upgrading to Vista now (via new Dell XPS M1330). Not seamless but Vista an improvement in graphics and internet interface. However, 1) Vista security features a headache for older software and in your face for users. 2) Dell, which values its relationship with MS more than its customers. requires me to buy a copy of XP to boot and run from an external HD for a few "mission critical" bits of software. Hence upgrade to Vista is much more expensive than just the cost of the OS. Dell and MS should renegogtiate to provide good customers (5 Dells and 10+ copies of Windows for this user) a bridge during the transition process, instead of milking customers during a vulnerable transition period. 3) MS needs to provide better support and incentives to software makers to upgrade their products to Vista, 4) Ubuntu doesn't require any more technical expertise than Vista to run and users should utilize Linux, where possible, to keep the Dell's and MS's from taking their customers for granted.

Wow. Steve, I usually agree with you, but I think you are way off base on this one. I bought a Toshiba laptop for my wife with a bit of hesitation due to all the bad things I had been hearing about Vista. Turns out I loved it so much, I bought myself a new laptop. We have been using Vista at home now for nearly 5 months with no problem, including setting up an XP/Vista network. Yes, I am "computer savy" but I don't find it overly challenging to use Vista.

Keep up the good work otherwise Steve! :)

I have Windows Vista Ultimate on both of my computers, and so far I have had no problems. No program issues, no crashes, no nothing. Vista I think is way way better than XP in performance and user interface. I think that people are happy with XP and they really don't want Vista, but all those people who think Vista is bad, they need to try it out, and get over XP its old. Just get over it. Like I said I've had no problems with Vista yet, and when SP1 comes out it will improve Vista way beyond old XP.

Why would I want to 'get over' something that works and I know how to use? So what if it's old ... I'm not driving my 2000 Ranger to the junkyard just because it's old ... it still functions beautifully and I'm keeping it, just as I'm keeping my XP. If y'all are happy with Vista, more power to you, but don't insult the rest of us.

Hey Steve, there is no doubt: your title sucks because it is not true. at least for many of your reader and you are just insulting us, because we do like Vista and have very few issues.

My Vista has been rock solid with no problems like has been described. I have old hardware/software that work just great. I run some under xp compatibility . I would never even consider going back to xp or anything else. I did have more problems under XP,98, than i do with vista. If Xp works for you great ..But dont let articles like this stop you from trying it for yourself. if your thinking of upgrading.....

all you columnist need to do is get on the bandwagon whether true or not and say "Vista sucks," or something along that line in the Title., , and you are guaranteed hits, and admiration from fellow Apple/ linux fanboys. For me Vista truly has been a good choice.

I can't comment on whether Vista sucks or not. That's because I wouldn't install it if you GAVE me a copy along with $100.

Any system more than two years old will choke on its requirements. Most systems more than a year old will have serious problems. Any hardware that is a tiny bit off the mainstream will probably be unusable. Why would anyone even CONSIDER installing this on an existing system?

Buying it on a NEW system is a different question. I'm considering new systems now, but I'm much more likely to stick with good ol' XP than take a chance on Vista. That's because XP is filled with problems I already know how to solve. I'm not interested in getting a whole new batch of problems and starting from scratch.

There was a time when, as a hobbyist, I got a little thrill at overcoming the challenges of new software. Those days are more than a decade gone. My system is a tool, and if it doesn't work, I'm not making money. Simple as that.

Vista and Office 2007 are successful programs - so successful in fact that I have paid good money for a Windows Explorer substitute because the interface for the original delivered with Vista was so difficult, and for Classic Menu Manager that restores the look-and-feel of Office 2003 to the menus of Office 2007. If that's not success, tell me what is!

I upgraded to Vista and after getting a couple of drivers I have had no trouble. It has performed flawlessly. I also use MS OneCare and like the way it works compently in the background. No problems, no virus, it does it's job.

Steve you could not be more "Right On The Money" with this article. I ran Vista Ultimate for 6 months and had nothing but problems with drivers, older hardware, and the famous "User Access Control" feature. I switched back to XP Pro and have never looked back. Now all of my older hardware works and so do all of my applications.

Steve, I couldn't agree with you more. I switched from XP to Vista Home Premium and it has been nothing but trouble. About once a week I run into a problem that seriously impedes my productivity and I end up having to get an answer on MS's community thing (which is very good, by the way) but there is no reason why I should have to do this. Vista does suck and I'm sorry I installed it.

A real professional title, "There's No Doubt: Vista Sucks". And the video, that's real professional too. I've been using Vista since it came out on Jan 30 and can't complain. You sound like one of those Linux fanboys.

well vista reaqlly sucks for me, i have over 20 pc games and only 3 will play or install right but will not play right on the latestest microsoft os, battlefield1942 plays sometimes but often it stops working because vista just doesnt like ea games, starseige will not install because of some mouse problem in vista and the game , i tried a fix for the game a buddy of mine found but it didnt work go figure microsoft needs to just let the good things alone there is nothing wrong with xp pro all my games worked on it fine,but since vista came out i cant find a computer that has xp on it . why could't bill gates left well enough alone and just let xp pro run forever

I envy the others who have not found problems with V; I could swear that XP is the new improved MS o. s.! My experience has been dismal - a perfectly good Laser printer was useless - no V drivers. Other prog;s warned that they were not compatible - thx for the useless info! I installed a new AT1card - V ready - even the Staples techy gave up and swapped it out for NVIIDA. The monitor fllickered and would crash. Finallly some unannounced fix did the trick. It is slow with all the tiresome repetitive security warnings a long with `Do u really want to` Confirm action`` etc. Many security prg. do not work with V so i had to shell out for MaAfee which would not have been my 1st choice with XP. I have learned my lesson - this is the last time that MS willl fleece me. I have purposely taken up Sun Office rather then spend more on MS Office. I am in the process of partitioning and using Linux. My bet is that I will adopt it soley over time. In my view, MS is a brand name to avoid....

Ok, I'm really getting pissed off at PC World. You'd think they work for Apple for Christs sake. I bought Vista Ultimate about 4 mos after Vista was released. I had one program on my XP system that wasn't compatible and the upgrade tool told me this in advance. Didn't present a problem for me. I did a clean install rather than upgrade(I think everyone knows that's the way to go). Vista for me has been rock solid. No complaints whatsoever. Weren't these incompatibility complaints flying when XP came out? I'm pretty sure I remember those.

Since "PC" World seems to suck up to Apple so well, let me mention that I work for a school system with both PC and Mac computers. I have 2 PC schools with 3-5yr old PCs-.Dells and Compaqs-and they run pretty damn smooth. On the other hand, I have 2 schools with brand new iMacs and new software that freeze up even when running educational websites. Not sure where the Apple zealots get their infallability claims, but it's all TRIPE!

My first pc was a ME, and after buying it I read nothing but bad revues for the next 7 years, yet I had very few problems with it. Then due to my own stupidity, I accidentally toasted that pc with a large power surge, and had no choice but to purchase a new pc. My choices were XP or Vista, one for which the OS will be patchless soon, or the other where the majority of the reviews I'd read all year long were negative. I may have been stupid with the power surge, but I'm not that stupid to believe every review I read, or to purchase a computer with an OS that is going to be out of luck with patches in the very near future. I have had my HP with Vista Home Premium for 2 months now, and I can not tell you how MUCH I LOVE IT!!! Yes I can... LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT! So my policy on purchasing anything now is this: don't listen to the supposedly educated pro's who write reviews, go with your instinct. I did and I am very very happy that I did. PS... all of my old software works great.

Presently, I am running 2 computers with XP and 2 with Vista..Based on my years of experience with XP and 4 months with Vista, I can honestly state that I see no clear advantage to either(at least for the reasons I use my computers such as e-mail, shopping, and research). My Vista machines freeze frequently, just like my XP machines. I have had to reinstall Vista on one machine, 3 weeks after buying it. So much for the vaunted security improvements. I run McAfee virus and Firewall, Spware Doctor 5.0(just purchased) and Spysweeper, plus i run my computers off a router. One serious problem I have experienced with Vista is the non-compatibility with my XP software as well as my Canon printer, Western Digital combo external hd (less than a year old) and my Epson Perfection 2400 scanner. As far as I am concerned, neither OS rises to any heights. Tony M.

I am jealous of those who have had no problems or find Vista "rock solid." It's basically the worst and most problem-plagued operating system interface--and I go back to CPM days!--I have had the misfortune to use. It came pre-loaded on my Toshiba laptop. It took HP six months to create drivers for my 3-month old all-in-one. My Palm/Treo third-party software? Forget it. I spent 9 hours on the phone last week with the Geek Squad to help me solve a Vista freeze-up problem and the inability to log off or shutdown. They were great, and it now runs faster, but it still has an occasional freeze. Basically, I could not recommend it to anyone, but the other options are really quite limited. Maybe it will be ready for consumers in a year or two?

I have a computer that came with Windows XP Media Center i really loved it .
I never had any problems until i bought the new Windows Home Premium 32 bit., and like a fool i did a clean install as i only had 1gig ram memory at the time so didn't want my puter to run slow.
Yeah now i only have Windows Vista Home Premium 32 bit installed and it runs slow even though i added another gig of ram memory to it.
It is a horror show alot of programs won't work with it and you need to hop all over the web to get the updated drivers so things will work with Vista. it don't work my HP printer needs the updated drivers for it to work with Vista i did that and it still has problems running with Windows Vista also problems
with drivers, older hardware, and the famous "User Access Control" feature forget that it stops you from doing everything just about.
you need permission that is so stupid if i buy a computer i don't need anything popping up saying i need permission to do what i know how to do

I brought an HP Pavilion notebook in August 2007, and I love it. It came with Vista Home Premium and I'm having no problems with it except for a couple of compatibility issues with old software. I am another that had problems with their "free" Norton product, but I went out and bought my own upgrade of it and that's working fine. With all the complaining about Vista, the wait is longer for other upgrades but I can wait. I'm even surprised that I like the new look to IE7 and Office 2007, especially the latter. So complain all you like; some of us are very happy with Vista.

The link to the video that Steve Bass mentioned was not present on the page I pulled up. It's pretty funny. (I wonder, was he forced to remove it?) But it's pretty easy to find by googling "sinkhole of support". Blimptv.net streams it. Or you can download the flv file and use VLC Media Player to seee it. The link I used was found on a 10/6 comment here:
http://dthomasdigital.wordpress.com/2007/10/05/vista-the-true-info-commercial/
Just right click on it and save to your disk. You need to allow javascript, the comment says, althought I'm not sure when, exactly one needs to do that.

I have used Vista for six months already with no problems - in a machine that is three years old... Steve works for a magazine and the publishihg world is notorious for its fanaticism toward Macs. It is a like a virus that makes them blind to all of the shortcomings from Apple's products and hyper critical of PCs. Too bad. I love my Vista. I love my multibutton mouse. I love to be able to right click. I like my Wndows taskbar. I also love to have CHOICE when it comes to hard drives, video cards, sound cards and more. I do not want S. Jobs to make those choices for me. Thanks

steve,
your article has more errors than any windows os that i have ever used. other than the people who are smart enough to use a computer, i find two other kinds of people on this blog. first, there are those people who call tech support because there pc isn't working, only to find out that they never plugged it in. i use to work on a tech support line, so don't think that i am exaggerating, because i am not!
you don't have to be a genius to use vista, but some knowledge of computers does help. most of the problems that i am reading here, and in other blogs, fall into the category of "OPERATOR ERROR"! that's why others are not having those problems, using the exact same OS. that's simple logic. you need to get off your lazy butts, and educate yourselves. all information you need to know about pc's, is on the net. they are simple searches. you can't be ignorant about something, and then complain when you can't make it work!
and as far as old programs, or any other, not being...

compatible, 99% of these are programs that most people don't want to use anymore, anyway. so do some research, there are always newer, BETTER programs that have taken there place. and most of these are free, if you know how to search the net. it just takes a little more effort than most of you put into picking up the remote and changing the tv channel.
finally, you can't blame ms or vista, if your programs are not compatible. it is the responsibility of the software manufacturer to write updated drivers for vista, not microsoft's. there is plenty of notice when they are writing a new os, and companies either get off of their tails, and write updated compatible drivers or they don't. but ms gives them plenty of notice to have these completed. and they can't delay the release forever. so know what you are talking about before you start pointing an uneducated finger. america has developed a worldwide reputation for being ridiculously lazy, and reading these posts confirms their opinions!

finally,
like one of the posters earlier in this thread, i am sick of your magazine's obvious bias reporting. you guys must be getting kickbacks from apple. but i also worked for a company who had a wealth of apples and pc's, and the apples were easily the more problematic of the two. and the mac's were much newer than the pc's.
why would anyone ever support a company who fires their founder, and then when they all but disappear from the industry, go and beg him to come back. these sound like infinitely stupid people!