Microsoft -- I am starting to hate

[Bateluer]

I've never seen them. The hard part is making the flash drive bootable.

I use HP's Flash Drive formatting tool (the trick, which still to this day does not make sense, is you have to do a full format. A quick format will not work).

Now the flash drive is bootable.

Pop in your Vista/7 DVD and copy its contents to flashdrive. Set bios to boot off of it and voila.

Funny how we have to jump through hoops to do this with Windows, but with Linux, its a standard option.

 

[iGas]

I would DL the latest Mint/Ubuntu/Fedora/Debian and be done with it.

Win7 took forever to install/update on my OC AMD 940 with 4 GB, and Mint 10 took roughly 30 min to install (update run in the background and doesn't hamper any function while I'm NEFing in ATOT).

 

[rasczak]

All I have.

anyone in your family going to school? just piggy back off of them for a discounted copy of windows 7.

 

[rasczak]

I would DL the latest Mint/Ubuntu/Fedora/Debian and be done with it.

Win7 took forever to install/update on my OC AMD 940 with 4 GB, and Mint 10 took roughly 30 min to install (update run in the background and doesn't hamper any function while I'm NEFing in ATOT).

I've spent an hour at the most configuring and updating windows 7. This includes office 2007 updates.

 

[iGas]

I've spent an hour at the most configuring and updating windows 7. This includes office 2007 updates.

Yeah it took me about an hour or maybe a bit more, and Linux was 1/2 that.

 

[Thermalzeal]

I second using Windows 8 preview. If your going to put up with Vista's nonsense, you might as well put up with the few quirks of Windows 8. And when that comes out, PLEASE buy a copy.

Anyways....I think everyone in here is starting to hate YOU. How can you be an Anandtech member and be on Vista.

 

[zinfamous]

i slipstreamed my XP all they way up to SP3, I think.

I haven't used it in several year though.


OP: I'm still confused; why don't you use Win 7?

 

[zinfamous]

anyone in your family going to school? just piggy back off of them for a discounted copy of windows 7.

is that promo still running?

The education pricing that I can get from work is about $50 for an update version.

--I paid $30 back when they ran that .edu promo soon after release (Win 7 Pro, 64bit)

 

[rasczak]

is that promo still running?

The education pricing that I can get from work is about $50 for an update version.

--I paid $30 back when they ran that .edu promo soon after release (Win 7 Pro, 64bit)

Yes. I just bought a copy for my wife. $64.00 for a key and DL link. Another 14 if you wanted media.

 

[Anubis]

theres nothing wrong with vista, FFS get off his back about it

and unless you slipstream/put updates on a flash drive it takes a while for any version of windows if you are installing from the release disk

 

[Wyndru]

Like many others have said, slipstream and USB boot, it might be worth including an up to date universal driver pack in the slipstream too so you can make it real quick and simple.

 

[mvbighead]

It'll take far longer than that, if you only have a pre-sp1 XP disk. Last time I installed XP from that media, it was Updates>Reboot>SP1>Reboot>Updates>Reboot>SP2>Reboot>Updates>Reboot>SP3>Reboot>Updates.

Similar for Vista.

But, its good that they supported their OSs, right?

Who the frack installs SP1, then SP2, then SP3?

What you should do is:

Install SP3, then install remaining updates.

Profit.

 

[mvbighead]

FYI, this is the link:

http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=24

Note the following from the link:

System requirements
Supported Operating Systems: Windows XP Home Edition , Windows XP Professional Edition, Windows XP Service Pack 1, Windows XP Service Pack 2

 

[Krazy4Real]

I decided yesterday to reformat and throwa fresh copy of Vista on. Took the typical couple hours. This was started yesterday morning....I just now finished installing all the fucking updates and service packs. Fucken wow!

This is what is wrong.

 

[DrPizza]

Just a thought: the next time you're hating on Microsoft, install some Adobe software and start playing with pdf files. Try to turn off the "search to see if there are Adobe updates" and see how that works out for ya.

 

[FelixDeCat]

I decided yesterday to reformat and throwa fresh copy of Vista on. Took the typical couple hours. This was started yesterday morning....I just now finished installing all the fucking updates and service packs. Fucken wow!

I started putting Vista on my nephews 7 year old computer last week. Now here we are in November and Im still trying to install that crappy OS. SP1 would not install properly w/o workarounds. Dot net 3.5 was a pain in the ass that took days to fix. It was one damn thing after another and IM STILL INSTALLING UPDATES!!!

Compared to WIN7, Vista is a nightmare from hell.

 

[FelixDeCat]

Who the frack installs SP1, then SP2, then SP3?

What you should do is:

Install SP3, then install remaining updates.

Profit.

OMG theres a SP3?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Miramonti]

retro thread is retro.

 

[airdata]

Windows 7 can take as little as 10 minutes to install.

I do recall Vista SP1 taking a ridiculous time to load... but yeah... it's 2011. Stop using windows ME.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Why vista?

If the computer is old, put XP, if it's newer, put 7. Vista is a "skip" OS, just like Windows ME was.

 

[D1gger]

Just install Vista from your media, then download and install Vista SP2

Link: http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=24212

Then you will only have to download and install the updates since SP2.

 

[lord_emperor]

It'll take far longer than that, if you only have a pre-sp1 XP disk. Last time I installed XP from that media, it was Updates>Reboot>SP1>Reboot>Updates>Reboot>SP2>Reboot>Updates>Reboot>SP3>Reboot>Updates.

Similar for Vista.

But, its good that they supported their OSs, right?

Why didn't you just download the service pack 3 file from M$ first?

http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=24

 

[jhansman]

Want to enjoy your OS install? Put Win7 w/ SP1 on a USB flash drive and install to a SATA3 SSD. About 10 min. tops.

 

[Shawn]

You need to download the latest SP version of Vista. If doesn't matter where you get it, just use your legit key and it will be fine.

 

[Shawn]

Why vista?

If the computer is old, put XP, if it's newer, put 7. Vista is a "skip" OS, just like Windows ME was.

There is nothing wrong with Vista. I used it since the public beta came out with no issues and continued using it with no issues until I switch to windows 7 when the public beta came out for that.

Windows 8 public beta sucks ass however, and I'm thinking 8 will be the skip OS.