A short update to let you all know how my Vista install is progressing...
In terms of software, I've only come across one application that doesn't work on the 64-bit version of Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate Edition - and that's Nero 6. The installer runs, but throws up an error stating that it isn't supported in Vista, though a later version should be. This later version most likely being Nero 7. However, I've had Nero 7 installed in the past and found it to be very buggy compared to 6, so I'll stick with Vista's built-in CD/DVD writing capabilities, for as long as possible.
Nero aside, all the other applications I chose to 'bring across' from Windows XP Pro SP2 work as intended. Adobe Photoshop and Reader work perfectly; I've got the Free Edition of avast! Anti-Virus installed, which again, works perfectly; CCleaner still manages to clean out my crap; Filezilla handles all my ftp needs; iTunes is fully supported - contrary to many reports; Macromedia/Adobe Dreamweaver 8 still runs flawlessley; Office 2003, Firefox and WinRAR complete my short software list.
Compared to XP, Vista feels a lot more integrated and smoother in day-to-day operation. Whereas XP had been pieced together over the past few years, Vista draws on all the useful features, squishing them into a nice looking (Aero) interface.
There are a couple of annoyances though. The User Account Control (UAC) is, quite literally, the most annoying feature Microsoft have ever implemented in an Operating System. Sure, I can see the benefits in the long run, but it pops up on pretty much everything. For example, if I wish to copy a file from a network drive to my desktop, I'm asked to confirm Administrative access via UAC - which involves clicking not one, but two buttons. It might sound minor, but after 10 minutes of copying files to and from various locations, I had RSI.
The UAC also decided to disable every unauthorised Startup Program. Apparently software developers need to speak to Microsoft and get their Startup Programs approved by them, before they'll be allowed to run. What do us end-users do though? I have a batch file on all my PCs which maps network drives during Startup, but I can't find a simple way of enabling it during Startup.
Luckily, Microsoft have provided a means of disabling it, via the User Accounts option within Control Panel. I have a short message for Bill though - please allow us to disable the pointless Windows Security Center - as it warns me that UAC has been disabled every few minutes. I know it's been disabled, I'm the one who did it!
Apart from these annoyances though, Vista has a lot going for it. Don't listen to the many people out there that are slagging it off each day. My favourite magazine - Custom PC, are regularly bashing Vista in their pages - why? Many angry Anti-Vista Fanbois are telling us to stay away from it and that now is the best time to make the move to Linux. Don't force your opinions on us, explain why you find Vista so awful. Most of these people haven't even sampled the many delights that Vista has to offer.
Vista's backup feature is a lot more user-friendly than all previous versions and the Ultimate Edition (amongst others) also allows for a complete backup, taking an image of your PC for you to restore at a later date - ala Norton Ghost stylee. As many reviewers have mentioned though, it's stupid that this feature has been left out of several other versions.
I've spent several hours today tweaking my sidebar to function just as I need it to. It's currently displaying all 12 drives (local, network, removable) available on this PC, showing me how much space is free on each and, via a link, allowing me to jump straight to it. I've also got a CPU meter, showing me both cores on an analogue dial. Finally there's a search box, that has the option of choosing between several search sites, but it always seems to default to Live Search on Startup.
Am I enjoying the switch to Vista? Yes! There's so much to explore in the public release, that I've only scratched the surface over the past few days. I've managed to locate all of the settings and functionality that I was accustomed to with XP and I'm now into new territory.
I'll keep you up-to-date over the next few days/weeks/months. If you've got Vista yourself, I highly recommend this Windows Vista tweaking guide.