NEWSLETTER 3 – Oct 2006

VISTA, jump sooner or later?

Time is running out !

Vista certainly seems to be coming In Jan/Feb. See http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15131736/ .

After my last talk to the User’s Group, Microsoft released Vista RC 1, the pre-release versions. In the talk I had demo’d Vista Beta 2. The differences are more in the techie details, and in the adding of more features. I am playing with Vista RC 1 using the virtual computer products: VM Ware’s Virtual Workstation and Microsoft’s Virtual PC.

Buying a new PC: If you are AT ALL thinking of buying a new PC, I STRONGLY advise you do so before the new Vista OS comes out. I think everyone has forgotten the chaos that happened when XP came out in the Fall of 2001. People trying to move to XP found that their older printers were not supported, older programs did not run, and that they had to buy the newest version of crucial programs they used. This added greatly to the anticipated cost of their new computer. So – beware! Do your homework – explore the support sites for each of your peripherals – see if Vista drivers are already out or will be out soon.

Other issue with a new version of Windows: Microsoft always releases their products in the final Beta stage – not all things are corrected. The new large user base brings them information not gleaned during testing. It is only then that they release a flurry of patches and upgrades. SO – If you don’t want to be a beta tester for Microsoft, DON’T goto a new version of Windows in the first few months. Some say you shouldn’t run it until the first Service Pack is out.

Of course – if you buy a new PC after the new OS is out – well – enjoy the jump into the deep end! J

Since I am running RC 1 here in the shop I can offer you what I hope will be a useful service. I will install any programs that you are concerned about into my test environment to determine if they will work under the new OS Vista.

If you want to play around with RC 1, I see the installation cds up on ebay. Remember that they were free on Microsoft, but are being sold for $10 or more. You get 2 cds, 1 for x86 pcs (32-bit) and 1 for 64-bit pcs. The x86 Pcs are the traditional Pentium 4 and such pcs. Each disk is licensed for 10 computers, unlimited reinstalls on each of those 10 computers. You can also download the .iso file from http://download.windowsvista.com/preview/rc1/en/download.htm . You will then use Roxio or Nero to burn that disk image(.iso file) to create the installation disk. Basic versions of these cd burning tools might not be able to burn an .iso image file.

There is an readiness tool for hardware and software Vista readiness at Microsoft – http://www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/getready/default.mspx click on “Evaluate Your Current PC”, download and run the tool. It will install a program which will asses your pc. There is also a wonderful web-based general readiness tool at ATI, the video card maker’s web site - http://www.ati.com/technology/windowsvista/GetReady.html . If you want to see the results from the assessments of my new pc – contact me.

When will I upgrade to Vista? I will have to run Vista Ultimate or Business as I need domain server log-in ability due to the network we are running here in the house. I am not sure when I will rebuild my new PC to Vista, probably a month or 3 after it is released, perhaps I will do dual boot. And then there is the cost factor – it is predicted that Ultimate and Business will run over $300 ! OUCH! L

(note: According to a ZDNET news feed today, RC2 is due out any day now. (later) Microsoft allowed downloads of RC 2 for only 2 days and have blocked access to it now.)

THE NEW INTEL CORE 2 DUO CPUs

I mentioned these at the last talk, and that they were backordered – they are no longer backordered. I ordered my new Dell PC in August and received it in early September. YEAH! My old PC was: Pentium 4 2.6ghz – 1 gig memory . My new PC is: Pentium 4 6600 core 2 duo 2.4 ghz – 2 gig memory. With all of my programs installed, this new PC has not slowed down in any way . Video editing is now a breeze instead of a chance to catch up on reading!

The reviews of these new cpu chips estimated a speed increase of 25%, but I am seeing almost 75% performance boost. I think this is coming from not only the dual core cpu, but also the faster memory and faster motherboard bus speeds.

There are still some pitfalls in choosing the correct Core2Duo cpu chip, so please ask for help if you decide to get a new pc. I do those consults for free.

This Newsletter is available on the web at www.pinonpc.com\newsletter-3.htm