So Long, Vista 64-bit

[Dadofamunky]

I'm not historically a Microsoft-hater. In fact, when I was a freelance computer writer I made a pretty decent living off of writing about products made during the Windows 3.0/Windows 3.1 boom. I've been a pretty staunch Windows user ever since as my main platform. So this is a big change for me. I've never downgraded an OS in my life, but I am this time. Even Windows 95 wasn't as big a problem.

Ever since I installed SP1(!) on my Vista 64 system, it's been a nightmare. I have incredible issues with audio skipping and stuttering in all media playback types. BluRay, iTunes, DVD playback, name it, I have problems with it. This never happened until I loaded SP1. It's also maddeningly intermittent and hard to troubleshoot. I've swapped motherboards, tried installing a new sound card, run complete memtests to see if it was a RAM issue, no luck. We thought it might be a grounding issue. Nope. Not even Microsoft's technical support line could help - even after a $59 support fee. They simply tried everything I had already tried!

I've had help and advice from many quarters and literally nothing has solved the problem. And by the way, Google "Audio Stuttering under Vista 64-bit" and you'll see that this problem is very widespread, even if it isn't happening to YOU.

As of now I'm building a disk image with my current Vista system, and when that's done I'm wiping the C drive and installing XP 64-bit, since I have a licensed copy with all the drivers I need. I have to admit, this is the most seriously irritating problem I have ever had with any computer. My personal opinion? Vista is simply a joke.

And no, forget Linux. Linux is useless for the work I do. Set up an IP router or a bunch of server-based networking services? Excellent. I can do that stuff in my sleep. Desktop and creative functions? Ehh, not so much.

Microsoft is initiating the first extensive layoff in the company's history. Frankly, as badly as Vista has performed in the market, I'm surprised it took this long. However, there's one guy at the top of Microsoft who really should be in line for an involuntary career change. Namely, Steve Ballmer. He has hopelessly mismanaged that company since BillG foolishly handed over the job to him.

When I pop up on this thread once again, you'll know I've got a heartbeat on the XP-64 system, complete with its Service Pack 2. I tried installing XP-64 once before on a completely different system and found it unusable due to complete lack of driver support. However, that's not the case on my Penryn system. However, who knows. I may have to surrender and restore my Vista image! Crippled Vista, which makes an Epic Fail of my multimedia content of all types. Inexcusable.

Funny how Microsoft is tossing Vista under the bus now. The thing never should have seen the light of day. Ballmer's head should be on a pike. I nominate him as one of the worst tech CEOs of all time. Why hasn't he been fired already?

I'm 85% through my disk image, and heading out. Hope to see those of you who respond soon.

 

[mechBgon]

I suppose you already tried reducing your OC and the other suggestions we gave you in the other thread?

Anyhow, good luck :beer: and you may want to look at some security suggestions since you'll be on WinXP again. Freshly revised.

 

[Dadofamunky]

Absolutely. I ran everything at stock. Also, Looked at the SATA drivers under Device Manager and the settings bore nor resemblance to your observations. It may be because I'm using RAID. Unsure. However, given the track record, I'm hardly optimistic. Heck, if XP-64 doesn't work out for some reason, I may yank 4 GB of RAM out and go back to XP 32-bit!

Image is done. At least this box is really fast! That sound you hear is Vista circling the drain... . . .gg........a...a..e...eh......

 

[nOOky]

That sux. Too bad you're having problems. I love Vista, no problems whatsoever except the Audigy 2 drivers suck. No sound skipping or problems though, I guess I got a good copy

 

[Dadofamunky]

Well, I'm back. I determined that the XP-64 install program does not like current-technology Intel RAID setups, so I had to go IDE mode on the SATA channel. Doesn't prevent me from finishing the install, imaging it, rebooting and setting up the RAID, and reinstalling the image again. Audio, Ethernet, SP2, ATI video drivers and chipset drivers all installed and working. So far I think this thing's a go. Fast as snot, too. Boots faster than Vista, though that might change after I finish loading my utilities and plug-ins.

It's a good arrangement, though - at some time, when Microsoft releases Vista SP2, I can simply reinstall my Vista image and update with the new SP2 to see if that fixes the audio issues.

I hate hosing an OS, but really, with disk imaging, nothing ever needs to be lost. Having disk space be so cheap is really a boon. I remember spending $600 for a 50 MB SCSI disk for my old Amiga and being thrilled.

 

[gizbug]

You'll be back to Vista sooner rather than later. XP = Obsolete (64bit xp especially).

 

[Maximilian]

Maybe windows 7 will solve all the problems you have.

 

[bsobel]

Run this on your V64 system....

http://www.thesycon.de/deu/latency_check.shtml

 

[Mem]

Originally posted by: Dadofamunky
I'm not historically a Microsoft-hater. In fact, when I was a freelance computer writer I made a pretty decent living off of writing about products made during the Windows 3.0/Windows 3.1 boom. I've been a pretty staunch Windows user ever since as my main platform. So this is a big change for me. I've never downgraded an OS in my life, but I am this time. Even Windows 95 wasn't as big a problem.

Ever since I installed SP1(!) on my Vista 64 system, it's been a nightmare. I have incredible issues with audio skipping and stuttering in all media playback types. BluRay, iTunes, DVD playback, name it, I have problems with it. This never happened until I loaded SP1. It's also maddeningly intermittent and hard to troubleshoot. I've swapped motherboards, tried installing a new sound card, run complete memtests to see if it was a RAM issue, no luck. We thought it might be a grounding issue. Nope. Not even Microsoft's technical support line could help - even after a $59 support fee. They simply tried everything I had already tried!

I've had help and advice from many quarters and literally nothing has solved the problem. And by the way, Google "Audio Stuttering under Vista 64-bit" and you'll see that this problem is very widespread, even if it isn't happening to YOU.

As of now I'm building a disk image with my current Vista system, and when that's done I'm wiping the C drive and installing XP 64-bit, since I have a licensed copy with all the drivers I need. I have to admit, this is the most seriously irritating problem I have ever had with any computer. My personal opinion? Vista is simply a joke.

And no, forget Linux. Linux is useless for the work I do. Set up an IP router or a bunch of server-based networking services? Excellent. I can do that stuff in my sleep. Desktop and creative functions? Ehh, not so much.

Microsoft is initiating the first extensive layoff in the company's history. Frankly, as badly as Vista has performed in the market, I'm surprised it took this long. However, there's one guy at the top of Microsoft who really should be in line for an involuntary career change. Namely, Steve Ballmer. He has hopelessly mismanaged that company since BillG foolishly handed over the job to him.

When I pop up on this thread once again, you'll know I've got a heartbeat on the XP-64 system, complete with its Service Pack 2. I tried installing XP-64 once before on a completely different system and found it unusable due to complete lack of driver support. However, that's not the case on my Penryn system. However, who knows. I may have to surrender and restore my Vista image! Crippled Vista, which makes an Epic Fail of my multimedia content of all types. Inexcusable.

Funny how Microsoft is tossing Vista under the bus now. The thing never should have seen the light of day. Ballmer's head should be on a pike. I nominate him as one of the worst tech CEOs of all time. Why hasn't he been fired already?

I'm 85% through my disk image, and heading out. Hope to see those of you who respond soon.

My personal opinion is its user error or something else,Vista x64 is so damn stable in my experience,I have yet to have any serious issues in 2 years,infact its not hard to get any OS very stable,normally its either driver/software/hardware, and very rarely the OS.


Oh as to google search you can google stuttering with any OS and get hits,it means nothing.

 

[bsobel]

My personal opinion is its user error or something else,Vista x64 is so damn stable in my experience,I have yet to have any serious issues in 2 years,infact its not hard to get any OS very stable,normally its either driver/software/hardware, and very rarely the OS.

While the tone of his rant does make you want to just move to another thread, I'm willing to bet the dpc latency check sits there showing red. Its then up to him to find the bad driver (or two) I'm willing to bet he's got. I've seen lots of crappy drivers (in terms of overhead) on otherwise rock solid (stability wise) systems.

 

[IEC]

I've had very few issues with Vista 64 bit. But then I installed from a MS TechNet SP1 image so I never installed the SP manually.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Originally posted by: bsobel

My personal opinion is its user error or something else,Vista x64 is so damn stable in my experience,I have yet to have any serious issues in 2 years,infact its not hard to get any OS very stable,normally its either driver/software/hardware, and very rarely the OS.

While the tone of his rant does make you want to just move to another thread, I'm willing to bet the dpc latency check sits there showing red. Its then up to him to find the bad driver (or two) I'm willing to bet he's got. I've seen lots of crappy drivers (in terms of overhead) on otherwise rock solid (stability wise) systems.

I've got some sort of MAJOR dpc latency issue on my Foxconn NV6150-based S939 mobo. Every few seconds, I get a mouse freeze, and my DPC latency spikes up to 290000 us or whatever. A big red bar.

I have no idea what causes it, I don't think it's a particular driver, some sort of strange interaction with the BIOS. CnQ is turned OFF. I wonder if it's an incompatibility with polling the IDE bus for CD-ROM auto-insert notifications, and the bus hangs or something. I have a 250GB Seagate 7200.10 HD as Master, with an NEC/Sony Optiarc 7xxx IDE DVD burner.

I can't even burn a DVD at full 4x speed on this rig, whereas my friend with an Abit IP35-E and (first, an E2200, now an E5200) can burn at 16X on his Samsung IDE burner, with the same model Seagate 250GB IDE HD, all on the same IDE channel on the Jmicron add-in controller (PCI-E).

I'm going to replace the mobo eventually, or possibly the whole computer. It makes watching online video slightly problematic, as there is a minor skip every few seconds.

Other than that, it runs alright.

 

[bsobel]

I don't think it's a particular driver

By definition its one or more drivers. The DPC latency is a measure of how much time is being spent in a driver. Start disabling them until you find it, and don't be surprised if its something you didn't expect, I've seen it on all kinds of weird devices from wireless network cards to fingerprint readers.

 

[MrPickins]

Originally posted by: Dadofamunky

It's a good arrangement, though - at some time, when Microsoft releases Vista SP2, I can simply reinstall my Vista image and update with the new SP2 to see if that fixes the audio issues.

I hate hosing an OS, but really, with disk imaging, nothing ever needs to be lost. Having disk space be so cheap is really a boon. I remember spending $600 for a 50 MB SCSI disk for my old Amiga and being thrilled.

I haven't seen any other threads you posted about you issues, so you may have answered this.

Have you been working from the same fubared disk image the whole time while trying to fix your issues? Or have you tried a reinstall of Vista and SP1?

I initially had issues with SP1, but a reinstall fixed everything, and I have been rock solid stable for months now.

 

[Dadofamunky]

Originally posted by: gizbug
You'll be back to Vista sooner rather than later. XP = Obsolete (64bit xp especially).

I don't think so. So far, it's running everything I throw at it perfectly. I even managed to get iTunes 8 to run properly, burning CDs and everything. Heh. Time will tell. So far it looks like I'll wait for Windows 7.

Originally posted by: bsobel
Run this on your V64 system....

http://www.thesycon.de/deu/latency_check.shtml

Too late now! Wish I'd seen THAT a few weeks ago! I'm bookmarking that sucker. That looks like a real must-have going forward. Thanks.

Originally posted by: Mem

My personal opinion is its user error or something else,Vista x64 is so damn stable in my experience,I have yet to have any serious issues in 2 years,infact its not hard to get any OS very stable,normally its either driver/software/hardware, and very rarely the OS.

Oh as to google search you can google stuttering with any OS and get hits,it means nothing.

Yeah, well, I'm glad it works for you. I think the vast majority are in your position. Unfortunately, I'm not, and I'm hardly ignorant. :beer:

Originally posted by: MrPickins
I haven't seen any other threads you posted about you issues, so you may have answered this.

Have you been working from the same fubared disk image the whole time while trying to fix your issues? Or have you tried a reinstall of Vista and SP1?

I initially had issues with SP1, but a reinstall fixed everything, and I have been rock solid stable for months now.

No, I did at least five complete re-installs. Extremely frustrating, since I agree with Mem above that it should not be hard to make an OS stable so long as you're intelligent about your hardware and software decisions. After a fresh install, invariably the system would work just fine with a minimum setup, bare minimum needed to exercise the various media types. In every instance the skipping audio would appear after two or three weeks. Tried reinstalls both ways with the internal audio chip and a discrete PCI audio card. Same exact issue. I went to significant time and expense to try to make this problem go away.

I think bsobel is probably right that it comes down to a driver issue, but in the end I've got to use the computer and spend a heck of a lot less time troubleshooting it. Right now I've installed and tested absolutely everything I used to run on Vista 64, on XP 64 and so far everything is running like a tank. If it continues to work for me I see no reason why I shouldn't wait till Windows 7 - after all, it looks like Microsoft is intent on killing Vista anyway.

Heck, for all I know, it's a deep-seated incompatibility with my chosen microATX platform, and all this would go away if I just anted up another chunk of money to do an ATX build with a standard mobo. But seeing as how my company just shut down permanently and I'm not made of money, I think I'm gonna have to live with what I've got.

Much to my surprise, it's looking like XP 64 is a go. If this lasts I will never use Vista again, and simply wait for Windows 7.

 

[Mem]

Yeah, well, I'm glad it works for you. I think the vast majority are in your position. Unfortunately, I'm not, and I'm hardly ignorant.

Its very easier to blame OS even for experienced users,anyway you can bet there will be similar issues with Win7,Win8 etc since you'll always find one or two unhappy users with issues sad but true.

Ever since I installed SP1(!) on my Vista 64 system, it's been a nightmare.

Clue there, obviously conflict/issue with SP1 and something you got installed.

Personally I would of done a reformat,borrowed a full Vista SP1 DVD,installed drivers and my software one at a time to find the issue,sometimes its not always easy and can be frustrating,I have had my fair share of issues with Win98/XP etc to name a few but in the end they were all solved and not the fault of the OS.

 

[wwswimming]

Originally posted by: DadofamunkyEver since I installed SP1(!) on my Vista 64 system, it's been a nightmare. I have incredible issues with audio skipping and stuttering in all media playback types. BluRay, iTunes, DVD playback, name it, I have problems with it. This never happened until I loaded SP1. It's also maddeningly intermittent and hard to troubleshoot. I've swapped motherboards, tried installing a new sound card, run complete memtests to see if it was a RAM issue, no luck. We thought it might be a grounding issue. Nope. Not even Microsoft's technical support line could help - even after a $59 support fee. They simply tried everything I had already tried!

I've had help and advice from many quarters and literally nothing has solved the problem. And by the way, Google "Audio Stuttering under Vista 64-bit" and you'll see that this problem is very widespread, even if it isn't happening to YOU.

As of now I'm building a disk image with my current Vista system, and when that's done I'm wiping the C drive and installing XP 64-bit, since I have a licensed copy with all the drivers I need. I have to admit, this is the most seriously irritating problem I have ever had with any computer. My personal opinion? Vista is simply a joke.

i'm running XP64 on the same MB, Asus P5E-VM HDMI.

i'm curious why MS with all their resources has trouble resolving this problem.

is there a pattern developing as far as which audio devices/ firmware rev's.
are incompatible with Vista64 ?

 

[MrPickins]

Originally posted by: Dadofamunky

Originally posted by: MrPickins
I haven't seen any other threads you posted about you issues, so you may have answered this.

Have you been working from the same fubared disk image the whole time while trying to fix your issues? Or have you tried a reinstall of Vista and SP1?

I initially had issues with SP1, but a reinstall fixed everything, and I have been rock solid stable for months now.

No, I did at least five complete re-installs. Extremely frustrating, since I agree with Mem above that it should not be hard to make an OS stable so long as you're intelligent about your hardware and software decisions.

In that case, I can't blame ya for making the switch.