Digital Home Thoughts - News & Reviews for the Digital Home

Be sure to register in our forums and post your comments - we want to hear from you!


Zune Thoughts

Loading feed...

Apple Thoughts

Loading feed...

Laptop Thoughts

Loading feed...





All posts tagged "Vista"


Saturday, October 11, 2008

A Saturday Operating System Re-Install

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Digital Home Talk" @ 04:05 PM

It's been a while since I've had to do this, but my installation of Windows Vista Ultimate on my media editing computer was acting so funky it was time for a wipe and re-install. I've been watching it go down hill for a few months now, mostly around codec problems (which is a rant for another day) and random application crashes. This morning was the last straw though: I kept getting DEP (Data Execution Protection) errors when using Sure Thing label-making software. Crash crash crash. I was somehow wishing that Windows Vista was different in this regard, but Windows is still Windows: shared DLLs, shared codecs, sloppy third party development, and a tendendency towards instability over time. I've found Vista to be better XP - most of my installs last a good year - but it's still a frustrating problem to have. Read more...


Wednesday, September 3, 2008

The Truth About Vista

Posted by Chris Gohlke in "Digital Home Software" @ 12:00 AM

http://www.tweakguides.com/VA_1.html

"So what makes this Vista article any different? The title provides a clue: it's as much about providing practical working solutions to resolve some of the commonly-quoted Vista annoyances as anything else. That in itself should give all Vista users a reason to read it. However it doesn't matter whether you use Vista or not, because this article does something that most of the others don't: it takes an objective and up-to-date look at the current state of Vista, with a range of facts, clear examples and informed opinions aimed squarely at debunking a lot of the myths and FUD we've been gagging on for the past year. So for those of you still considering whether to make the switch from XP, for those of you who want to abandon Vista and go back to XP, for those of you who used Vista a while ago and who are wondering whether it's worth using again now - this article puts things in perspective with the latest facts. What this article doesn't do: it doesn't try to make you believe that Vista is the greatest (or worst) thing since sliced bread. It doesn't try to force you to think a certain way by taking liberties with the truth just to prove a point. It doesn't try to highlight how witty and incisively sarcastic I can be. And most certainly this article doesn't try to dazzle you with technical jargon."

This article is really a great look at Vista. It hits nicely on a lot of the supposed "facts" about the problems with Vista and points out how many of the same things were said about XP when it was released. Make sure you read through to get some solutions for common problems as well as a look ahead to Windows 7.

Tags: Vista, XP

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Average Mac Costs at Least 2x Average PC

Posted by Chris Gohlke in "Digital Home Hardware & Accessories" @ 02:30 PM

http://www.dailytech.com/Vista+Comp...rticle12590.htm

"While obviously it’s comparing apples and oranges, and the products appeal to different markets, it’s interesting to look at how Mac prices have changed versus PC prices. Macs have gone from an average price of $1,432 and $1,574, for desktops and laptops respectively in June '06 to $1,543 and $1,515 respectively in June '08. While much lower to start, PCs are now even lower in average sale price. The average PC notebook went from $877 to $700, while the average desktop dipped just barely from $559 to $550. Vista PCs have reached a sweet point with pricing that is appealing not just to the high end crowd, but to the masses. And while prices are staying constant, hardware features are increasing, which is good for the consumer. As Mr. Baker puts it, "Of course there is feature creep—there always is.""

This article brings up an interesting point. No matter how great you think the Mac OS is, is it really worth a 100%+ premium in the purchase price of a computer?

Tags: Vista, Mac

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Windows UX Taskforce

Posted by Chris Gohlke in "Digital Home Software" @ 12:00 AM

http://www.istartedsomething.com/ta...force/index.php

This site is not officially connected with Microsoft, but in light of their efforts with the Mojave Experiment, they'd be wise to take a look at this site. Basically it is sort of like Digg for Windows Vista quirks. You can post things you find strange and others vote on if they agree or not.

Tags: Vista

Monday, July 21, 2008

Vista Animated Wallpaper for All

Posted by Chris Gohlke in "Digital Home Software" @ 06:00 PM

http://www.stardock.com/products/de...es/purchase.asp

"Now all users of Windows Vista can have animated wallpaper with DeskScapes 2.0. DeskScapes 2.0, now available on all versions of Windows Vista not just Windows Ultimate,supports playing video as animated wallpaper, dynamically generated content as animated wallpaper, and more. (Windows Ultimate users can still download DeskScapes 2.0 for free.) Stardock also provides a free animated wallpaper creation program called DreamMaker which allows users to insert video files, triggers, credit info, and more along with a website (dream.wincustomize.com) to submit their creations to share with others. The free edition includes several animated wallpapers to show off what is possible (including Desktop Earth, Water Dream, Grassy Field and others); the premium edition is priced at $19.95 and supports adding third-party animated wallpaper (hundreds are available) and includes the additional premium content."

Personally, I find animated desktops VERY distracting. But, if you are into that sort of thing, DeskScapes will run on all versions of Vista. If you've already got Vista Ultimate, go for the free download of their content since you've already got the ability to run animate wallpapers.

Tags: Vista, DeskScapes

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Windows Vista's Subtle Gems

Posted by Chris Gohlke in "Digital Home Software" @ 02:00 PM

Most on-line posts about Vista usually end up with a pretty negative focus resulting in statements about reverting back to XP. I’ve been using Vista for a couple of months and since Service Pack 1 resolved my stability issues, I’ve been quite pleased and have no desire to go back. As I’m still using XP at work, the constant back and forth between OS’s has made me notice some of the subtle tweaks the Vista team made to everyday tasks that never seem to get mentioned. So this thread is dedicated to sharing all the less than obvious changes to Vista.


I'll start off with the process for copying files. For this example, let’s say I have a directory with 50 files, “foo01.doc” through “foo50.doc”. In XP, if I copied “foo20.doc”, it would be automatically called “Copy of foo20.doc”. I’ve never liked this because in a sorted list, I would prefer the copy to be next to the original. Vista makes a small change by instead naming the copy “foo20 Copy.doc”. Much better in my opinion. Often when I copy a document, I’m doing so just to use it as a template for something similar, so right after making the copy, I usually rename it to something appropriate for the new document. In XP, if I went to rename the above file, the entire “Copy of foo20.doc” would be highlighted and I would have to made sure to retype the extension. Under Vista , when I choose to rename the same file only the “foo20 Copy” is highlighted by default, but I still have the option of changing the extension if I like. Much smoother.


What are some of the other little things you’ve discovered in Vista that you really like?

Tags: Vista

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Willcom's D4 Handles Vista in Style

Posted by Chris Gohlke in "Digital Home Hardware & Accessories" @ 11:00 PM

http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/14/...nto-our-hearts/

"Check it out, 'cause you're looking at what must be the world's smallest QWERTY device capable of running Windows Vista Home Premium SP1. At least it will be when it makes its debut in Japan come June. Measuring just 188 x 84 x 25.9mm and 470grams, all that power / battery conservation / smallness of the Willcom D4 (aka, Sharp-built WS016SH) comes courtesy of a 1.3-GHz Atom processor pumping away beneath that sliding / tilting 5-inch, 262k color, LED-backlit 1,024 x 600 touchscreen hiding a 64-key QWERTY keyboard. Inside you'll find 1GB of memory, a 1.8-inch 40GB disk, 2 megapixel camera, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, microSD slot, HD audio codec with mono-speaker, and Opera browser riding atop Japanese PHS (W-SIM) or 802.11b/g WiFi. Hitting Japan for ¥128,600 (about $1,254) -- a lot less with 2 year contract."



Oh my! That looks pretty sweet. If you need to be running Vista on a portable this looks like the way to go. I'll be curious to see some performance specs regarding how well this little number actually handles Vista.

Tags: Vista, UMPC, Willcom

Thursday, February 28, 2008

ATI TV Wonder 600 USB

Posted by Chris Gohlke in "Digital Home Hardware & Accessories" @ 05:00 PM

http://windowsvistablog.com/blogs/w...er-600-usb.aspx

"Picking up the ATI TV Wonder 600 USB TV tuner allowed me to easily add TV functionality to my main desktop PC. I had TV functionality in a matter of just a few minutes. Since the ATI TV Wonder 600 is a USB device, I can pack the device up and take it with me and use it on my laptop as well."



Brandon over at The Windows Experience Blog has an initial look and unboxing of the ATI TV Wonder 600 USB. I've got a similar product hooked up to my XP machine and have to agree that this is a really easy way to add a TV tuner whether you are afraid to open up your computer or just don't have the space to add an internal card.

Tags: Vista, ATI

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Firefox & Flash Problems: What's Going On?

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Digital Home Talk" @ 01:37 PM

Is anyone else out there having problems with Flash 9 and Firefox 2.0.0.12 on Windows Vista, specifically with YouTube video playback? According to Adobe's "About Flash" page I've got Flash 9 (version 9,0,115,0) installed under Firefox. The problem manifests itself when I start to watch a YouTube video: the playback will start then pause after about two seconds. Hitting play doesn't start the video. I can seek through the video once it's loaded, but I don't get any audio, or video - just still frames. Under IE7, Flash 9 and YouTube work without a problem. I have almost no Firefox add-ons installed: Google Browser Sync, IE View, and Session Manager, so I doubt any of them are causing problems. I figured an un-install and re-install would do the trick, but that hasn't helped. I'm not sure what to try next...any suggestions?


Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Microsoft Reintroduces Plus! for Windows Vista

Posted by Jeremy Charette in "Digital Home Software" @ 07:00 PM

http://www.istartedsomething.com/20080116/plus-for-windows-vista-games/

"The first edition of Microsoft Plus! was codenamed frosting, like frosting on a cake. (Insert Portal cake joke). When Microsoft introduced Ultimate Extras for Windows Vista, everyone naturally assumed this was the replacement for Plus! delivered digitally instead of a retail product, but that might turn out to be false. The eagle-eye enthusiasts at WinBeta (and also credit to the Neowin.net forums) have spotted an interesting product listed in Future Shop’s, a leading technology retailer in Canada, catalog. “Microsoft Windows Vista Plus Pack (PC)“."


I bought the Plus! pack for Windows XP, and while it had a few neat apps and games, I'm not convinced the $30 was worth it. I think I'll end up skipping the Vista Plus! pack, unless it comes with a must-have application or theme. I've been trying to get away from my computer, not spend more time on it! For the casual home user though, this might be just the thing to liven up the day. How bout you? Worth it?


Featured Product

The Canon PowerShot S100 - The incredibly fun and small camera that offers you 12.1 megapixels with a bright f/2.0 lens and full 1080p video recording . MORE INFO

News Tip or Feedback?

Contact us

Thoughts Media Sites

Windows Phone Thoughts

Digital Home Thoughts

Zune Thoughts

Apple Thoughts

Laptop Thoughts

Android Thoughts

Reviews & Articles

Loading feed...

News

Loading feed...

Reviews & Articles

Loading feed...

News

Loading feed...

Reviews & Articles

Loading feed...

News

Loading feed...

Reviews & Articles

Loading feed...

News

Loading feed...

Reviews & Articles

Loading feed...

News

Loading feed...