Oh my god! No, not Vista, but Vista.

Windows Vista has actually installed, successfully, and is working without any problems at all. There are some random pauses, from anywhere between 2 seconds, around 2 minutes -- but I think that is merely because of the amount of memory installed on this system. The system with the installation working is a:

* AMD Duron processor (1.8 GHz)
* 768 MB DDR PC-2700 memory
* 160 GB HD with 16 MB cache
* GeForce 6200 NVIDIA (PNY)
* Memorex DVD +/- DVD-R/RW
* Creative PC-DVD 5X (DVD-ROM)

The strange thing is, I got so annoyed and fustrated after having to wait for the system to stop freezing, hanging up, even crashing, that instead of smashing it, I got up, left the room and figured it would do it on it's own. Instead, somehow, it started working instead.

So, to my previous posting,

The bottom line to this entire article is: DO NOT PURCHASE A COPY OF MICROSOFT WINDOWS VISTA (any version,) UNLESS YOU HAVE THE ABSOLUTE TIME ON YOUR HANDS TO SCREW YOUR SYSTEM UP, OR TO TAKE CHANGES THAT IT MAY OR MAY NOT WORK ON YOUR SYSTEM. FOR ALL THE TROUBLES, THE PROBLEMS, AGRIVATION, AND OTHER CRAP, MICROSOFT SHOULD OF PAID ME TO PICK UP A COPY, OR BETTER YET, HAVE GIVEN ME A FREAKING COPY.

Purchase it, but purchase it expecting to have possible problems (more or less then what I have had, or what http://blog.gamecraft.org/2007/01/windows-vista-ultimate-installed had, among several other Vista users.

Windows Vista Conclusion.

I have officially drawn my conclusion about Windows Vista Home Premium by Microsoft. This conclusion is also regarding other versions of Windows Vista; Home Basic, Business, Ultimate. (And Microsoft said there is also a “Windows Vista Enterprise”, but I’ve never seen it.

Below, I have actually taken the time out to touch the worthless box that Windows Vista has come in, to show you the specifications Windows Vista Home Premium says it needs in order to operate. And before anything is said, I have used the Vista Upgrade Advisor and it says that the system it is installed on now, is fully compatible (coughbullcacacough).

My laptop is supposed to be fully compatible with Windows Vista, another load of crap (except that one is being fed by HP themselves, and according to the hardware; so where are all of the drivers for Windows Vista HP? I love how you can get a “free copy of Windows Vista”, based on the Windows XP installation that comes with select desktops, and notebooks, but the sad thing is, I purchased my laptop not long before October 26, 2006 and they said I am not eligible. I personally do not think that is fair, and others agree too, specially for the amount of money that laptops cost.

Recommended system requirements

1 GHz 32-bit (x86) or 64 bit (x64) processor
1 GB of system memory
40 GB hard drive space with at least 15 GB of available space
Support for DirectX 9 graphics with
- WDDM Driver
- 128 MB of graphics memory (minimum)
- Pixel Shader 2.0 in hardware
- 32 bits per pixel
DVD-ROM drive
Audio output
Internet access (fees may apply)

Additional Requirements to use certain features
TV tuner card required for TV functionality (compatible remote control optional)
Windows Tablet and Touch Technology requires a Table PC or a touch screen.

Actual requirements and product functionality may vary based on your system configuration. Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor can help you determine which features and edition of Windows Vista will run on your computer; visit www.windowsvista.com/upgradeadvisor. For complete Windows Vista requirements, visit www.windowsvista.com/systemrequirements.

System requirements continue on bottom panel.

Minimum supported requirements

Certain product features are not available with minimum supported requirements.
800 MHZ processor and 512 MB of system memory
20 GB hard drive space with at least 15 GB of available space
Support for Super VGA graphics
CD-ROM drive

My DESKTOP
My Desktop PC is a AMD Duron 1.8 GHz processor with 768 MB DDR PC-2700 RAM, with a 160 GB hard drive. DVD-ROM, and a DVD+/-R/RW DL 16x burner. The video card that was in the Duron 1.8 GHz was also a 128 MB ATI RADEON 9200, but has been upgraded to a NVIDIA 256 MB GeForce 6200; and Vista still does not operate -- even though the Vista Upgrade Advisor says my system is compatible and will operate fine; and there is NO PROBLEMS with the hardware, I’ve checked.

My LAPTOP
My laptop as stated before is a Intel Centrino Duo Core Mobile Technology featuring an Intel Core Duo Processor T2050 (1.6 GHz, 2MB L2 cache, 533 MHz FSB), 1024 (1GB) system memory, 100 GB (5400) SATA hard drive, LightScribe Super Multi 8X DVD+/-R/RW drive with Double Layer Support.

If my other machines were able to use Vista, I would probably waste 4-8 hours for a freaking upgrade that probably won’t work. All the other systems here with the exception of my mom’s PC I built for her a long while back, are 350 MHz or slower. Then, there is my MAC, which is only a G3 350 MHz with four memory sticks (128MB, 128MB, 128MB, 64MB installed).

The bottom line to this entire article is: DO NOT PURCHASE A COPY OF MICROSOFT WINDOWS VISTA (any version,) UNLESS YOU HAVE THE ABSOLUTE TIME ON YOUR HANDS TO SCREW YOUR SYSTEM UP, OR TO TAKE CHANGES THAT IT MAY OR MAY NOT WORK ON YOUR SYSTEM. FOR ALL THE TROUBLES, THE PROBLEMS, AGRIVATION, AND OTHER CRAP, MICROSOFT SHOULD OF PAID ME TO PICK UP A COPY, OR BETTER YET, HAVE GIVEN ME A FREAKING COPY.

Don’t get me wrong, Windows Vista does install on my desktop and laptop, it just does not work right on the desktop (while all the hardware, drivers, etc., are fully compatible and up to date,) and the laptop (hah despite the “Designed for Windows XP; Windows Vista Compatible” bull-crap,) it ran fine, except for the serious lack of drivers. I might post the hardware reports from both my desktop and laptop later on.

I wonder what Windows Vista would say if I tried to install it on a Pentium II 350 with 256 MB of RAM, or one with 368 RAM. Probably something like, “Windows Vista does not support cheap customers who cannot upgrade their hardware. Oh wait, this is another error message that is generated by Windows, it is not Microsoft’s fault. And oh, you purchased Windows Vista, didn’t you?”

Anyway, I am probably now the proud owner of a new $159.99 coffee coaster because Staples will probably not take a refund -- wait till they see the crap I start with them if they don’t -- good money wasted but that is Microsoft’s fault, including HP - can we say FALSE ADVERTISING on both companies?

Windows Vista...

Today I purchased Microsoft Windows Vista® and I must say I am unsure if I am either more disappointed or satisfied. I will explain to you some of the problems I had while installing it, please note the hardware:

HP Pavilion dv2000 (dv2000us/dv2037us Entertainment Notebook), the following specifications are as follows:


• Intel® Centrino® Duo Mobile Technology (T2050 (1.6 GHz, 2 MB L2 Cache, 533 MHz FSB)


• 1024 MB DDR-2 system memory, 100 GB (5400 RPM) hard drive, Integrated Web Cam


• Integrated Microphones (2), Integrated 5-in-1 Digital Card Reader, HP QuickPlay (music, movies, etc.)


• LightScribe Super Multi 8X DVD+R/DVD-R RW drive with DL support (CDR, CDRW, etc.)

Now this system says “Designed for Windows® XP”, and it works great with Windows® XP, and it also says, “Windows Vista® Compatible.” So here are my problems now…

After purchasing Microsoft Windows Vista®, it took around 4 hours to upgrade it, then about 1 hour (give or take 30 minutes,) to force the “Windows Vista® drivers” into the system, then after about a total of 6 hours, weighing in that Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition is a complete waste of money, there is only one problem I am actively trying to resolve, and that is the sound on the system. But otherwise, everything is running smoothly.

WATCH IT, it may be one thing very simple that I have over looked, and forgot all about, which I hope it is – if push comes to shove, I will just put Windows Vista® on to another system (been looking for an excuse to rebuild it, plus, it has a TV Capture card, too!) which may prove to be very beneficial.

Besides me knocking the hell out of Windows Vista®, I must say that I like the new interface; except the CTRL+ALT+DELETE, you have to go through all that NTish crap again (scrolling around to lock the computer, switch user, change password, etc., just to get to the Task Manager – What the **** Microsoft!?!?! It is quite funny how Microsoft enjoys changing the interface from ancient techniques and styles to new ones and right back to the old styles.

I will admit, I like the security features and approach that Microsoft has taken with Windows Vista, although it is still not the “most” secure and greatest way, but it is better then before (for the most part,).

Finding documents, programs, and other stuff, is looking a bit too MACish, can we say “bite off” somewhere there, maybe in hidden code: x9#$2bi;/te@1o@fkf – OK, I am just kidding, but Microsoft is seriously yanking ideas from Apple, too much now.
The “Windows Aero” is a very nice improvement, if you like “eye-candy”; I am enjoying it – just wish I could get my sound to actually work with the system – but won’t happen soon since I am writing this article (rant).

While it may be a “great” choice for laptops, I am not seeing very much difference from Windows XP, but then again I have not tried the wireless side just yet, but hopefully I can later. (note: can)

I can’t say anything about “Windows Meeting Space”, haven’t tried it yet – not sure what it’s about, but Microsoft has been having a ball changing the name on a lot of what they’re doing... hmmm.

Changes in photos and entertainment? I can’t say much about entertainment; again I have no sound right now – as far as photos, goofed off with it for one second, and was not really impressed.

Windows Media Center (see my rant with audio,) Jesus Microsoft…

And the other features available in other versions (Business, and Ultimate), the BitLocker® Drive Encryption should have been implemented in Home Basic, Home Premium, Business (ESPECIALLY BUSINESS, duh,) and not just Ultimate.

Personally, I would love to know how Microsoft gets away with charging $159.99 for a Windows Vista® Home Premium Upgrade, and nearly double that (if not double, or more,) for the “Full Version”. After-all, there is virtually no difference between the two except one can upgrade an existing platform when compared to the other. So basically, the price sucks otherwise I would of purchased the full version – who the hell really wants to sit there for hours to upgrade their platform, specially for the “business” users that need to be on right away to continue business as usual. Yes, I know there is a thing as “backup servers”, etc., and then manually implement the data on to the live system when it is there, or automatically (if you have a program written to take care of it, etc.) but still.

But over-all, despite my problems and lack of sound on this system, I am enjoying Vista; though it could have been a hell-of-a-lot better. The installation I enjoyed, I actually went to bed for about an hour, and well, (giggles) go figure, the installation was done. I of course, did have to select my time zone, and a few small things, but the system was up and running right away (with the 6 problems that I am down to 1 now with.)

I will rate Windows Vista® Home Premium a 4 out of 5 – but that’s my opinion. The reason for the 4 out of 5 rating is a result of the lack of support for hardware. Now if Microsoft had of made Windows Vista® support the hardware right out of the box, it would have gotten a 5 out of a 5 maybe.

Software Developers (All Levels)

I have written computer programs over the years for various platforms such as DOS, Windows, Linux, UNIX, and now that I own a MAC that will probably be added to the list of platforms. There are times that I will make use of components, products, and software that has been developed by third-parties, and there are times I just cannot help myself, but use a third-party product because it saves time, specially when it comes to down to deployment. This message really is really for software developers, or even people who write programs and would like to save time when it comes around the time to deploy your product; most of what is being posted is completely free and open source, or completely free and closed source.

Instyler Update-Notify
(http://www.instyler.com/products/lun.asp)
The Instyler Update-Notify application lets users of your product know when there is an update to your product available. There is a small application that creates a file containing the actual information about your product, and there is another file that contains information about the update that is available. The file that contains update information can be uploaded and accessed by WWW and FTP locations, and only is used to determine if the copy on the users’ machine is the latest version or a older version of your product, and if older, the user will be prompted to check for updates. The source code to this product is not available.

Inno Setup
(http://www.innosetup.com/)
Inno Setup is developed and published by Jordan Russell, and is an open source product that may be used for both commercial and personal purposes. The Inno Setup software allows you to create your own professional installation programs for your products that run on Microsoft Windows 95, 98, Me, NT, 2000, XP, 2003 and Vista. You may also download older versions of Inno Setup that support Windows 3 series, too. The source code to this product is available, and is written in Delphi 2.0-5.0 according to Jordan Russell’s site.

Nullsoft Scriptable Install System
(http://nsis.sourceforge.net/)
NSIS (Nullsoft Scriptable Install System) is a professional open source system to create Windows installers. It is designed to be as small and flexible as possible and is therefore very suitable for internet distribution. Being a user's first experience with your product, a stable and reliable installer is an important component of successful software. With NSIS you can create such installers that are capable of doing everything that is needed to setup your software. NSIS is script-based and allows you to create the logic to handle even the most complex installation tasks. Many plug-ins and scripts are already available: you can create web installers, communicate with Windows and other software components, install or update shared components and more. (This description was taken directly from the NSIS site.)

vbAdvance
(http://www.vbadvance.com/)
The vbAdvance site offers two components for Visual Basic 6 developers; one being a Console Support Code (“CSC”) which allows you to write console applications using Visual Basic. The other one allows you to embed Windows XP Theme support into your application, to write Terminal Server Aware (“TSA”) applications, Console Applications, and more. However, the vbAdvance product appears to no longer be sold, but you can still download a 30 day trial and when it expires, you can use only the CSC part.

Visual Studio .NET 2005 Express
http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/express/default.aspx)
You can download the Microsoft Visual Studio .NET Express Editions completely free of charge, and write your own programs for Microsoft Windows. If you are new to writing computer programs, these will also be a good source for writing code for Microsoft Windows. You may also purchase the Standard Edition, Professional Edition and others that may be available directly from this site – the Express versions are free, and stripped down versions of the actual Visual Studio .NET suite.

There are also sources all over the internet that contain source code for various languages, and too many too really list, but there are several I visit frequently, or once in a while. For your viewing pleasure, I have put together a very small list of web sites that contain source code (again, various languages):

• The Code Project (http://www.thecodeproject.com/)
• Planet Source Code (http://www.pscode.com/)
• GotDotNET (http://www.gotdotnet.com/)
• Source Forge (http://www.sourceforge.net/)
• vbAccelerator (http://www.vbaccelerator.com/)
• VBCode (http://www.vbcode.com/)

The reason I posted this is because I was asked questions about programming, and how to compile the source code from human readable format into machine readable code. So I figured I would write this in to the blog, after all, as the blog says, “The useful and useless content for the public.” I hope that you have enjoyed the little bit that I wrote tonight, I may pot more again later, give or take a few hours.

MyGeez – I couldn’t find a better name.

I have been sitting here for quite a while debating on whether or not to create a blog or just leave the entire idea alone. Tonight, I decided to create a blog just for the fun of it. I will not go in to details on how “MyGeez” was created, other then two thoughts I had run through my mind when I couldn’t use any of the names I originally had wanted, and the feature that “suggests” a name for you was just not right at all.

While I am sitting here typing out this message, I am doing several things at the moment. One of the things that I am doing is playing EverQuest on the PC, listening to iTunes on the MAC, randomly looking at weather updates on another system, and surfing the web on any of the systems, and debating on getting my laptop and having some fun with that system.

I also had to replace the wireless network adapter in my mother’s computer today since it had apparently died nearly four days ago. So I checked out Staples.com to see if they had deals for under $40.00 USD, and I came across:

http://www.staples.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/
StaplesProductDisplay?prodCatType=1&storeId=
10001&catalogId=10051&langId=-1&productId=
88021&cmArea=SEARCH

The Belkin Wireless-G Desktop Adapter was the only product I was able to purchase, and it does not seem to be a bad deal for the price it was being sold for. I must admit, I was disappointed slightly when I seen the packaging saying “up to 400ft”, and Staples saying “up to 1800ft”, and her system getting 44-48 MB when my laptop was getting up to and around 52-54 MB.

You can also see what type of Wireless Access Point (“WAP”) I am running by looking at the address I’ve provided below:

http://www.staples.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/
StaplesProductDisplay?prodCatType=1&storeId=
10001&catalogId=10051&langId=-1&productId=
153100&cmArea=SEARCH

Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition (my mom’s PC) sees the following (and others if I remember correctly on the Belkin Wireless-G Desktop Adapter):

• Open
  
• Shared
• WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy)
• WPA_PSK (TKIP)
• WPA-PSK (TKIP)
• WPA2-PSK (AES)

The bottom line between the Wireless Access Point (“WAP”) and the Belkin Wireless-G Desktop Adapter, they’re not bad choices. The WAP only coasted a few months ago, around $80.00 on sale, but they’re not bad if you’re tight on cash. You can get better, but the two I mentioned are not bad at all.

I will write something else soon, in a couple hours, tomorrow, or soon, but hopefully what I posted is not totally useless. Have a good day, night or a good time where-ever you are at, and happy blogging!