Going back to XP from Vista

[Mayfriday0529]

Anyone done this yet? I mean i know how to do it, just not sure if I should really do it.
I bought a new Dell specifically because I wanted Vista... all the flashy and cool stuff.

But I'm still pretty much doing most of my general work on my laptop with XP. All my hardware works with Vista, what I'm having issues is mostly with software applications not working or have to wait for updates.

 

[Shawn]

This was posted before: http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=34&threadid=2024436&enterthread=y

Anyway what software are you using that doesn't work?

 

[Tarrant64]

Let us know what software isn't working. Some of us here may have a solution for you.

Also, are you familiar with Vista's compatability mode? And if so have you attempted to use that as well?

 

[Mayfriday0529]

Originally posted by: Shawn
This was posted before: http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=34&threadid=2024436&enterthread=y

Anyway what software are you using that doesn't work?

Sorry, I looked and didn't see another thread for it.

Adobe Photoshop CS2 is not supported, Adobe wants us to upgrade to CS3. I like editing pictures and Paint.Net is not enough for me.
I downloaded Adobe's Photoshop Elements 5 trial version, which they claim works, but it kept crashing during install. Finally it installed using Admin rights, but once I ran it and kept crashing and closing.

I also bought this WD Passport USB 2, 120gig hard drive. I wanted to use it with the new Windows Backup on Vista. That always keeps crashing with 0x000 errors or telling me the drive is not formatted properly. (I?m sorry that I don't have the exact errors, I'm at work right now)

AOL?s AIM software is still under Beta and I don't like installing Beta. (I like AIM better than other third party apps)
I also would like to use the Free AOL Antivirus being given out, but it has not been updated to support VISTA. I'm currently using the free CA Antivirus version. I don't like the other free versions like AVG etc.

iTunes although it was updated, some say that you wait still, there are still bugs with iTunes and Vista, don?t want to lose my music collection.

My Blackberry Desktop software also works quirky under Vista?.

Divx also doesn?t work, according to their website and forums. So I can?t play my Divx files.

These are the only things I can think of. I like Vista in general, but I got this cool machine with AMD Dual Core, 2 gigs of RAM, that would probably be awesome with XP running on it. I could probably do a Dual Boot if needed. That?s what I have at work for testing purposes.

 

[Tarrant64]

Originally posted by: Jnetty99

Originally posted by: Shawn
This was posted before: http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=34&threadid=2024436&enterthread=y

Anyway what software are you using that doesn't work?

Sorry, I looked and didn't see another thread for it.

Adobe Photoshop CS2 is not supported, Adobe wants us to upgrade to CS3. I like editing pictures and Paint.Net is not enough for me.
I downloaded Adobe's Photoshop Elements 5 trial version, which they claim works, but it kept crashing during install. Finally it installed using Admin rights, but once I ran it and kept crashing and closing.

Photoshop CS2 Does work in Vista. I am running it.
http://www.cnet.com.au/software/imaging/0,239035345,339274477,00.htm

I also bought this WD Passport USB 2, 120gig hard drive. I wanted to use it with the new Windows Backup on Vista. That always keeps crashing with 0x000 errors or telling me the drive is not formatted properly. (I?m sorry that I don't have the exact errors, I'm at work right now)

I haven't used the Windows Backup utility, to back it up to an external HD. Does it work without it?

AOL?s AIM software is still under Beta and I don't like installing Beta. (I like AIM better than other third party apps)
I also would like to use the Free AOL Antivirus being given out, but it has not been updated to support VISTA. I'm currently using the free CA Antivirus version. I don't like the other free versions like AVG etc.

I am able to run AIM Pro and AOL Aim just fine. As far as antivirus goes, I guess you can't be too picky at the moment. Better to have than without.

iTunes although it was updated, some say that you wait still, there are still bugs with iTunes and Vista, don?t want to lose my music collection.

iTunes did not work for me for about a month. I installed an update for it, and it wouldnt' even launch at all. By the 3rd time it's up and running now just as good as Windows XP. Check for the latest versions!

My Blackberry Desktop software also works quirky under Vista?.

I don't use this so no input, sorry! I do however have a Samsun A900 that I can plug directly in using a USB adapter. Takes awhile hunting down drivers, and they only have drivers for XP, but it does work just fine.

Divx also doesn?t work, according to their website and forums. So I can?t play my Divx files.

I have Divx, VLC, etc. all running under Vista. There are a few codec packs out there as well. Not all work, and some make the issue even worse.

These are the only things I can think of. I like Vista in general, but I got this cool machine with AMD Dual Core, 2 gigs of RAM, that would probably be awesome with XP running on it. I could probably do a Dual Boot if needed. That?s what I have at work for testing purposes.

Sweet machine.

Phew! OK!

A lot of these problems sound like there could be a bigger issue related to your install, and not all the software.

 

[Kyanzes]

Nothing of what you have listed should catch you as a surprise. It's a new, closed source, operating system that'll basically won't mature for about a year or two. I would say the latter is more believable, I might even underestimate the time it will need to become as reliable as an up-to-date XP. It's a new toy for people who either have a lot of time on their hands and for those who simply need its features/support that cannot be found in XP. If you don't plan to go 64 bit and don't need DX10 yet then simply wait for SP1. Ofc you are free to beta test VISTA for M$. Don't get me wrong, I would like to fiddle with it too but $800 for the Ultimate Retail version (the price here where I live, I know in the US it's less than half of this) is simply outrageously high. I for one would never buy an OEM license because it would technically cease to be valid on MB replacement and it would ask for reactivation too often under enthusiast level of use.

 

[Shawn]

I don't see any reason why Photoshop CS2 wouldn't work. I'm using CS and it works fine. My friend uses iTunes and he has no problems with it in Vista. I also don't know why you'd have problems with AIM but I use trillian and it works fine in Vista. Divx also works. Just install ffdshow.

 

[Mayfriday0529]

Originally posted by: Shawn
I don't see any reason why Photoshop CS2 wouldn't work. I'm using CS and it works fine. My friend uses iTunes and he has no problems with it in Vista. I also don't know why you'd have problems with AIM but I use trillian and it works fine in Vista. Divx also works. Just install ffdshow.

i'll try it all out and if all fails reinstall Vista fresh.

Also AIM is now up to version 6.1 "Vista Ready"

 

[loup garou]

Originally posted by: Jnetty99

Originally posted by: Shawn
I don't see any reason why Photoshop CS2 wouldn't work. I'm using CS and it works fine. My friend uses iTunes and he has no problems with it in Vista. I also don't know why you'd have problems with AIM but I use trillian and it works fine in Vista. Divx also works. Just install ffdshow.

i'll try it all out and if all fails reinstall Vista fresh.

Also AIM is now up to version 6.1 "Vista Ready"

See if you can get that backup error as well, I back up to all sorts of external drives (both complete PC and regular file backups) and have yet to encounter any problems. Interested to see what the error is exactly.

 

[Metron]

Originally posted by: Tarrant64
Let us know what software isn't working. Some of us here may have a solution for you.

Also, are you familiar with Vista's compatability mode? And if so have you attempted to use that as well?

Nortel's VPN Client (v6) will not work with Windows Vista, so no telecommuting for people with new machines. Anybody have any luck with VPN under Vista?

 

[loup garou]

Originally posted by: Metron

Originally posted by: Tarrant64
Let us know what software isn't working. Some of us here may have a solution for you.

Also, are you familiar with Vista's compatability mode? And if so have you attempted to use that as well?

Nortel's VPN Client (v6) will not work with Windows Vista, so no telecommuting for people with new machines. Anybody have any luck with VPN under Vista?

According to the release notes 6.07 is Vista compatible (Vista only, actually). However, it will not run as a service.

 

[voodoodrul]

I have been waiting since Vista's release for drivers that actually work. My machine, which works flawlessly in XP, refuses to game in Vista without a BSOD and/or CTD every 5 minutes. Some games work great, others don't. For example, I can make STALKER BSOD Vista every single time. Start the game, run towards the rail line, run right along the railroad until you are killed by excessive radiation. Once dead, press ESC to go to the menu. It usually crashes to the desktop or BSODs outright.

Prey sometimes starts and plays for hours on end. Other times, it crashes before even starting the menu.

Creative's X-Fi drivers are complete crap too. This same soundcard works flawlessly in XP. In Vista, I get constant popping and clicking. I have already replaced this card once, so it's not a hardware problem.

If anyone blames these problems on hardware, you are wasting your time. I have already gone around and around. It's not hardware, it IS drivers.

So this machine I put together specifically for Vista gets to sit powered off for months on end while I wait for drivers..

Completely unacceptable.

Whereas Vista works great on mainstream, midgrade, or even quite old hardware. It just seems to be the cutting edge stuff that refuses to work. My cheapo laptop that runs Vista has no real problems..

Anyway, whatever. Give me drivers already. Just read the Nvidia forums for a fun time with a lot of very angry people.

 

[pulse8]

Originally posted by: Metron

Originally posted by: Tarrant64
Let us know what software isn't working. Some of us here may have a solution for you.

Also, are you familiar with Vista's compatability mode? And if so have you attempted to use that as well?

Nortel's VPN Client (v6) will not work with Windows Vista, so no telecommuting for people with new machines. Anybody have any luck with VPN under Vista?

That's the one thing I had to do with Vista was create a virtual machine running XP so I could VPN and Remote Desktop into work.

 

[PepperBreath]

Vista so far has been a great OS but I think I will be going back. I just miss some of the programs I ran in XP that no longer work in Vista like Notebook Hardware Control. Plus, game performance is a bit weird on both my laptop and desktop. I tried playing Deus Ex on my laptop and the sound was scratchy and full of pops. No matter how I tweaked the INI settings I couldn't fix it. Infernal ran like crap on my desktop no matter what settings or resolution I ran it on. It ran fine at Very High quality at my LCD screen res of 1680x1050.

So basically it's just the game performance that's bugging me. I don't game all that much but I am a stickler for game performance and it's just bad enough that I feel like I need to go back.

Edit:

Also, a few minor things that have been bothering me. My laptop will sometimes wake properly with Vista, sometimes it won't. When I open the lid, occationally the backlight will flash on like it's going to wake but then shut off again. If I type in my password blindly, it will sometimes recover and go back on but sometimes this doesn't work. Kinda bugs me.

And for some reason my GeForce 6800 GT seems to "shut down" on my desktop. I'll get a notification that it was shut down due to some error but was recovered. It's never happened while I was using it but it still kind of bothers me that it's doing that.

 

[voodoodrul]

Originally posted by: PepperBreath
Vista so far has been a great OS but I think I will be going back. I just miss some of the programs I ran in XP that no longer work in Vista like Notebook Hardware Control. Plus, game performance is a bit weird on both my laptop and desktop. I tried playing Deus Ex on my laptop and the sound was scratchy and full of pops. No matter how I tweaked the INI settings I couldn't fix it. Infernal ran like crap on my desktop no matter what settings or resolution I ran it on. It ran fine at Very High quality at my LCD screen res of 1680x1050.

So basically it's just the game performance that's bugging me. I don't game all that much but I am a stickler for game performance and it's just bad enough that I feel like I need to go back.

Edit:

Also, a few minor things that have been bothering me. My laptop will sometimes wake properly with Vista, sometimes it won't. When I open the lid, occationally the backlight will flash on like it's going to wake but then shut off again. If I type in my password blindly, it will sometimes recover and go back on but sometimes this doesn't work. Kinda bugs me.

And for some reason my GeForce 6800 GT seems to "shut down" on my desktop. I'll get a notification that it was shut down due to some error but was recovered. It's never happened while I was using it but it still kind of bothers me that it's doing that.

These are not minor problems, man.. Saying Vista has been a "great OS" with all these serious problems is giving it far too much credit.

It's an odd day when I can get better performance and usability in Linux than I can in Windows, including gaming. I can run all the modern games I play without incident in OpenSUSE, thanks to Cedega 6.0..

Vista should not be forgiven for such a large scale issues list. This OS has been known to the industry for years now and the driver models have been nailed down for almost as long. There is no excuse for these driver problems. I could understand not giving full functionality, but completely killing the machine or BSODing? No thanks..

In the modern world, an OS needs to use universally accepted standards and leave them alone. You don't ball up a list of new changes, like entire new driver models, and shove them on the world. At worst, these changes should have been incremental. There should be no "new version" of Windows. There should be a Windows version for Home, for Business, and for Enterprise, but no new versions every couple years. It pisses off the industry and only causes us more problems.. and for what? New DRM and a dated UI (Aero) which only mimics what has been done for years in Linux?

Lame.. There's really no excuse for this.. Imagine that you get to do this all over again in 2010!

 

[Mayfriday0529]

Originally posted by: loup garou

See if you can get that backup error as well, I back up to all sorts of external drives (both complete PC and regular file backups) and have yet to encounter any problems. Interested to see what the error is exactly.

This is the error that i get right now.

The backup target drive F:\ failed with the following error:
The backup disk has a corrupted file system. Fix it using the disk error checking tool, or choose a different backup location. (0x81000008)

But I gotten another error before totally different. I'm guessing Windows Backup doesn't like FAT32 drives? That's what Western Digital formats the drive as even with its reformat utility.

Update: The windows help says the following "The location is not formatted as NTFS, FAT, or Universal Disk Format (UDF) (also called Live File System). Backups can only be saved to disks that are formatted using the NTFS, FAT, or UDF file systems. For more information, see Comparing NTFS and FAT file systems."

Here is the other error, found it in the logs
File backup failed because a shadow copy could not be created. The system might be low on resources. The error is: The shadow copy provider had an unexpected error while trying to process the specified operation. (0x8004230F).

 

[andeekaf]

I share your sentiments on Vista, but for me it is a case of looking on in envy at my girlfriend using my Mac. God, I miss that machine.

To me, just a simple home & business user, Vista seems laden with problems due to driver issues. My main issue is a BSOD with different error messages when I close the lid of my laptop. I've worked around by deactivating the sleep mode. Hardly ideal, but it works.

I've been trying to get a driver to create a tethered UN with my HTC Magician - bluetooth doesn't connect either. I'm wasting hours scouting around for various driver updates but to avail - despite Vista telling me I have the latest driver installed and the device is working properly!

My retailer suggested a clean install of the OS, so I've just tried to back up my files using vista's Back Up and Restore Centre which failed with the same disk error reported - corrupt file system...(0x81000008) and I can't find the disk error checking tool in Vista that the error message refers to.

I'm using a WD Passport external hard drive and to test the HD I've just backed up 3GB of stuff from my Mac without any problems.

This really is the nail in the coffin as far as I'm concerned. I can't even back up my files for a clean install.

Is it me, my system set-up or does Vista have real issues?

AK

Windows Vista Ultimate (OEM upgrade)
Philips X59 (a PC world special with Vista Home Premium pre-installed)
1GB RAM
Intel Core Duo T5500 @ 1.66 Ghz
Mobile Intel 945GM/GU Express Chipset

 

[andeekaf]

Appended to previous post.

I've just backed up my files.

I found the disk checking tool in Vista here:

1. Start > Computer
2. Right click on your "external drive"[mine is the g:] and then select Properties.
3. Under properties select the "Tools" tab and here you will find the Error Checking utility. Select check now.

After my disk was checked and no errors found, I right clicked on the c:, selected Properties and used the Back Up utility in the Tools tab to back up my files to the g:.

I hope this works for you too.

I'm now on a mission to get my USB modem driver working - found at xda-developers.com.

AK

 

[Mayfriday0529]

Just to update: I went back to Windows XP Pro for now...

 

[RebateMonger]

Originally posted by: Metron
Anybody have any luck with VPN under Vista?

Well, I've used the built-in Windows Vista VPN client with my Windows-Server-based VPN, and that works fine. But it doesn't do you any good.