Microsoft Vista - Why?!

[Mike_182]

All of you will know that I will defend Vista until I'm blue in the face because on the whole I think it's a big step forwards in terms of usability and experience over Windows XP. It's had a hard birth with people nowadays thinking they're good at computers and downloading the Torrents for RCs and Betas, and wondering why it's unstable.

However, this one thing has annoyed me - Microsoft, why oh why...

You can no longer password protect 'Compressed Folders', AKA Zip files natively in Vista. I can't, for the life of me, think of a valid reason why they would do this. I want to host a compressed folder on my webserver containing Outlook Standard 2003, but obviously I don't want just anybody going through it. Answer - password protect it. Unfortunately that required me to get my Windows XP machine out to do it!

Has anyone else noticed any features that have been 'removed' from Windows Vista? And no, I don't want a typical Vista-bashing thread, as IMHO it's uncalled for - as has already been established people want different things from their computers, and I for one can't be arsed with yum install gnome-desktop.i386, rpmbuild -bb SPECS/ and modprobe driver every time I want to do anything.

Love you really KDF.

 

[David]

No hyperterminal or dragging commands into command prompt or executing remote commands via pstools....but it's still better than XP

 

[Daz]

Password protect the folder on the webserver.

 

[Mike_182]

No hyperterminal

Yeah, that's moderately annoying.

or dragging commands into command prompt

Used to like the CMDHere Powertoy for WinXP, but never knew that you could drag commands into Command Prompt. Think we're all still waiting on the Powertoys?

or executing remote commands via pstools....

I use DameWare NT Utilities, so never used that - although a long time back used to use BRCMD.

Daz - it's a secure FTP site, but hey. It was my first solution to the problem.

 

[David]

hypterminal is annoying cause i used it a lot to configuse cisco switches etc. just some of the things i've noticed

 

[Mike_182]

hypterminal is annoying cause i used it a lot to configuse cisco switches etc. just some of the things i've noticed

Yup, and HP ProCurves, and Nortel BayStacks... Hell, every networking device.

Was kinda silly of them to leave it out!

 

[Has]

HyperTerminal available from here:

http://www.hilgraeve.com/hyperterminal.html


I needed it back for my CCNA!

 

[KDF]

and I for one can't be arsed with yum install gnome-desktop.i386, rpmbuild -bb SPECS/ and modprobe driver every time I want to do anything.

Love you really KDF.

FAIL lol.



:quiet:

 

[McBunny]

HyperTerminal available from here:

http://www.hilgraeve.com/hyperterminal.html


I needed it back for my CCNA!

wouldnt putty do ? and im sure the hilgreave hyperterm is for personal use only

 

[David]

i use putty now

 

[KDF]

I use putty for SSH/Telnet when using a windows client.. very lightweight.

 

[@Spoonie]

However, this one thing has annoyed me - Microsoft, why oh why...

Probably security reasons as the passwords are easily cracked. Standard hacking practice, once you have a password from a users data, in this case from a zipped folder, you can begin to try it elsewhere i.e logon, hotmail, etc etc.

 

[Daz]

PuTTY is awesome.. and does everything you need for Cisco/Procurve config (Serial access).

 

[Has]

Yup i prefer PuTTY also, but we were only allowed to use HT on the course.

 

[Darren S]

I use Putty every now and then too - nice and small.

As for Mike's original post, the things that annoy me with Vista are where they just seem to but extra layers of dialogue/menu options to get to the same point as you did in XP? Why? When there is no benefit in doing so?

D.

 

[Mike_182]

As for Mike's original post, the things that annoy me with Vista are where they just seem to but extra layers of dialogue/menu options to get to the same point as you did in XP? Why? When there is no benefit in doing so?

D.

See there are some bits they've done that that I agree with you - however there are other bits that the extra 'layer' helps end users. Remembering that you're bordering on (or are) a power user - that's certainly how you strike me - so you'll know how to do most workstation-level work.

Think of your Gran though, she might find this:

More useful than a wireless icon telling her that she has signal. That graphically displays:

A - Where they can't get to the Internet. Is the problem with the network (the first half of that picture) or the connection to the internet (the second half of that picture)?

B - Why they can't see printers or folders that they've tried to share.

C - Has a place to manage their various connections.

 

[Darren S]

Good points Mike. Must admit, I've had fewer calls off my dad with issues on his PC, now that he has Vista - lol.

It does seem more 'descriptive' to new comers on a PC. And I guess that can only be a good thing.

D.

 

[Alastair.]

ive got vista, i hate it so much, really slow, even from the day i bought it! takes about 20mins 2 load the s**t up and i hardly have any programs running

 

[Mike_182]

ive got vista, i hate it so much, really slow, even from the day i bought it! takes about 20mins 2 load the s**t up and i hardly have any programs running

Really though, did you install it on a s**t computer?

I've got it on all sorts of computers, rangng from an old-skool Pentium D, to an old Sony with the first of the Dual Cores, to my Quad-core desktop machine. None of them I'd say ran with any performance issues - in fact I'd say they were all on a par with XP.

Maybe you should look into why you're getting performance issues, rather than blaming Vista?

It's like moaning that your Laguna is slow, because you decided to put the shell on your 1.2 Clio engine... If it can't do it, don't.

 

[FiDoDiDo]

I agree with Spoonie with the passwording of zip files.

Been using Vista for a while now and wasn't pleased with it at first as I couldn't find anything but most things can be found. Most of it is just hidden so that your normal user doesn't see all the workings behind everything.

At work I can't use Vista as I need low level access to hard drives and Vista doesn't give that like XP used to because of security etc. If it wasn't for that I think we would have upgraded as it's much more stable compared to XP particularly when you see the things it does to prevent failure.

 

[Darren S]

I agree with Spoonie with the passwording of zip files.

Been using Vista for a while now and wasn't pleased with it at first as I couldn't find anything but most things can be found. Most of it is just hidden so that your normal user doesn't see all the workings behind everything.

At work I can't use Vista as I need low level access to hard drives and Vista doesn't give that like XP used to because of security etc. If it wasn't for that I think we would have upgraded as it's much more stable compared to XP particularly when you see the things it does to prevent failure.

+1

Alt+Tab has never worked so well. On XP it was good - on Vista I've found it to be almost fool-proof. Likewise in killing processes too.

D.

 

[Mike_182]

I agree with Spoonie with the passwording of zip files.

Been using Vista for a while now and wasn't pleased with it at first as I couldn't find anything but most things can be found. Most of it is just hidden so that your normal user doesn't see all the workings behind everything.

At work I can't use Vista as I need low level access to hard drives and Vista doesn't give that like XP used to because of security etc. If it wasn't for that I think we would have upgraded as it's much more stable compared to XP particularly when you see the things it does to prevent failure.

+1

Alt+Tab has never worked so well. On XP it was good - on Vista I've found it to be almost fool-proof. Likewise in killing processes too.

D.

Ghey. Windows Key + Tab FTW.

Hell, if they've spent time making it pretty, I may as well use it And it's a bit easier than Alt+Tab to see what you're looking for when you've got a million windows open.

 

[FiDoDiDo]

Quite neat having the preview of the screen when you hover over the program on the taskbar as well.

 

[Alastair.]

ive got vista, i hate it so much, really slow, even from the day i bought it! takes about 20mins 2 load the s**t up and i hardly have any programs running

Really though, did you install it on a s**t computer?

I've got it on all sorts of computers, rangng from an old-skool Pentium D, to an old Sony with the first of the Dual Cores, to my Quad-core desktop machine. None of them I'd say ran with any performance issues - in fact I'd say they were all on a par with XP.

Maybe you should look into why you're getting performance issues, rather than blaming Vista?

It's like moaning that your Laguna is slow, because you decided to put the shell on your 1.2 Clio engine... If it can't do it, don't.

uhhhhh my laptop came with vista, its a GATEWAY laptop with 80gb hardrive that cant be 2 s**t, sister has vista on heres 2 and hers is slow

 

[Mike_182]

uhhhhh my laptop came with vista, its a GATEWAY laptop with 80gb hardrive that cant be 2 s**t, sister has vista on heres 2 and hers is slow

I don't mean to disappoint you or dick on your fireworks, but a Gateway laptop with an 80GB hard drive can only be s**t...

Edit, scrap that it's not particularly clear. Any Gateway laptop can only be s**t.

 

[Alastair.]

2 be honest a computer is a computer at the end of the day, as long as it goes on the net i couldnt care, i aint no computer freak tbh.

 

[Daz]

2 be honest a computer is a computer at the end of the day, as long as it goes on the net i couldnt care, i aint no computer freak tbh.

That's fine, but you could say a car is a car at the end of the day too, so why aren't you in a battered old Nova?

Different things, for different people.. everyone enjoys different stuff..

So, a computer isn't a computer to everyone

 

[Alastair.]

^ spose