Pete

 

I have been reviewing and testing Windows Vista beta 2 for quite a while now and I thought it was about some time I left some feedback.

Installation was a bit of a pain. It was especially complicated when I tried to setup using a Sata drive or Raid configuration. Once I got this resolved installation was amazingly quick! I managed to have Vista Beta 2installed in under 30 Minutes, Unlike Beta 1 which took over an hour. 

The new integrated speech recognition software is out of this world, Can't wait to see the finished program in action. It will make life a lot easier for so many people and it takes the OS to a whole new level.

The new user interface is stylish, sleek, classy and futuristic and makes the system far easier to navigate, explore and perform day to day tasks as well as the more complex tasks of the average power user.

Security implementation is at an all time high. Windows defender is now part of the operating system along with the integrated firewall that we seen in xp service pack 2. I'm glad they have finally almost sorted out emptying the recycle bin and deleting shortcuts from the desktop without having to go through several security barriers and authorization confirmations...

Media player and Internet explorer are looking better then ever! Media player looks amazing. Even on an xp machine you can still get the vista feeling from it, Making it far easier to navigate, find, store and explore. There are new improved burn and rip features and settings and with MTV Urge added you are never short of a few tunes. The new tabbed browsing, phising filter and search bar are all welcome improvements to Internet explorer and it's not before time, Firefox and other browsers have been taking people away from Internet explorer for too long... It's time for MS to strike back, and might I say they are doing one hell of a job...

There are still a lot of issues with program compatibility and drivers, but beta 2 has seen a huge improvement from the beta 1 days and I am confident that by the time of RC1, most if not all of these issues will be resolved... Most graphics cards are now supported. I had no trouble with hardware other than my wintv pvr card, which I believe is now supported.

Windows networking has been improved with a new network map and features to help detect and resolve network issues as well as features for setting up and protecting a public and private network. There has been large improvements here, I had no trouble at all setting up and using different types of networks and connecting to the Internet via Ethernet and wifi.

New features in vista allow users to use USB flash drives as extra ram, provided they are greater than 256MB. When the system hibernates data is stored on the flash drive to help the system boot almost instantly!

Windows update is now a part of windows, along with a new feature called windows ultimate extras. Microsoft has promised some really cool features will be added to windows ultimate extras for download once vista is shipped. For now we'll just watch and wait!

Beta 2 has seen the return of the windows sidebar... It is hard to get used to this after using desktop sidebar with windows xp for so long, But with the new windows gadgets website now online, It is excellent to be able to download and add a variety of gadgets to make the sidebar feel more personal and perform the tasks the individual user requires. The sidebar will before long become a big part of everyday computing and as the windows live and gadgets website's develop I'm sure we'll see an unimaginable range of gadgets and add-ons appear.

I have to say, Overall I am quite impressed... Security is a bit tight in some areas, and user control could do with some improvements. With that said, I can't wait to get my hands on RC1, and I will definitely be amongst the first in line once vista ships!

Pete

 

Hi People!

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everybody who e-mailed me and left me such heart warming and thoughtful messages over the last few days, Your efforts have been greatly appreciated and won’t be forgotten.

The kindness of strangers never ceases to amaze me....

My pussy finally had kittens! Only one problem, She had them somewhere else and I don't know where they are! So unfair! I am dying to see them. Hope there all ok...

Nevertheless, I am sure she'll bring them home when they are hungry or cold, I hope!

I'd like to give a special thank you to all my Wiccan friends, Your special messages and words have been especially helpful over the past few days, Keep up the good work!

Watch this space! lol

  Pete  

My computer finally decided it was time to die! First my motherboard, then my main hard disk!! Complete torture! Like having your testicles removed with a tooth pick! I think that's the bst way to describe it!!!! Moving swiftly on; I have ordered parts from ebay, the hard disk arrived today, now the motherboard is just taking it's time.... Coming from china and all that.  :-(I will never order from over seas again! lol Anyhow, With a bit of luck I will be up and running again tomorrow or the next day!

 

Vista needs more time!!!

I've been defending Microsoft's ship schedule for Windows Vista for quite some time. Up to this point, I've been confident that Vista would be at the quality level it needs to be by RC1 to make the launch fantastic. Having tested several builds between Beta 2 and today, I hate to say that I no longer feel that way.

Beta 2 was a disappointment on many levels. It was nowhere near as stable as it should have been, and was a huge memory hog. Later builds have improved stability and performance, and have introduced visual tweaks and enhancements that make Vista feel more like a finished product. But several events are conspiring to make life a lot more difficult for beta testers, and I forsee problems if they are not addressed.