I thought Vista was an interim release, like ME?? that's what I read, anyway.
Nope. It rewrites a lot of code. It's considered a new OS. Think of it like Windows 95. If you grab one of the first CDs of Windows 95 and try it without any patches, you'll find it's riddled with bugs, and a lot of people did indeed complain loudly about it.
Windows 7 will probably be like Windows 98. I'm guessing that a lot of people will just get the next version of Windows, which will not rewrite as much, but they'll feel better because they've been repeatedly told that Vista is flawed and that nothing will be fixed until the next version of Windows.
Which is pretty silly, because Microsoft is and will be fixing Vista.
I regularly deal with 12+ gigabyte audio files, and 100+ gig video files, and Vista just couldn't be relied on to deal with large data movements. Period.
PC Pete: Have you tried SP1 of Vista? The vast majority of file transfer issues should be fixed in the first service pack.
Yes, Microsoft is fixing Vista. Despite the naysayers, there is nothing really "fundamentally" wrong with it. It can be fixed, and they are working on the issues. My system is already vastly more stable than when Vista was first released.
BTW, all of my games work fine in 64 bit Vista, on both my GeForce 6800 and GeForce 9600. I don't have the slightest clue what gamers are whining about. I think most of them probably haven't been updating their drivers.
Windows Blinds 6 also works, although there still seems to be some theme switching bugs, especially when switching back to Aero. Switching back to Aero inevitably seems to cause DEP issues.
couldn't even get drivers for some of my hardware because x64 Vista FORCES you to use signed drivers. So therefore, I won't be upgrading to Vista anytime soon.
Most companies are using signing for their latest drivers anyways. I did have some troubles with a Bluetooth adapter, but for the most part I barely noticed the requirement. New hardware especially works great with Vista.
Signing drivers is good: It makes sure you have an uncorrupted copy of the drivers. In addition, if they have "WHQL" or "Certified for Windows Vista" on them, they have been tested for stability. It's Microsoft's attempt to try to get the hardware manufacturers' attention and try to get the drivers fixed.
The vast majority of "Vista issues" are really not Microsoft's fault: They are often the result of poor drivers released by hardware manufacturers.
FYI, check you video card drivers monthly. I don't know about ATI, but I do know that nVidia is cranking new drivers out almost monthly. The latest drivers will really solve the vast majority of complaints with 3D and gaming software.
Relocate settings files, data files etc into "Common Files" (C:\Users\Public) instead of "Program Files".
This is very important! Microsoft locked down Program Files to prevent malicious (or poorly written) software from overwriting other software and causing system instability. Developers should be aware that Vista has a
lot of under the hood rewrites and changes that are invisible to the user but very visible to the developer.
