Vista Review

I’m wondering how many people out there (on average) have updated their Vista laptops and desktops to SP1 not that it’s been available quite awhile. I have to say – I haven’t updated my laptop yet at all, especially since I read that (despite the initial hype) machines aren’t running faster at all post-upgrade, they’re (mostly) in fact running slower!

This guy at TechIMO reports his system running squirrelly after the upgrade, so he backed it out with system restore.

Then again – it’s a double edged sword, since if I don’t upgrade in the near future my machine might be vulnerable to new exploits, the one recently announced that renders Windows Vista security useless.

It looks like I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t, and I may have to make a choice this year. Have you upgraded your Vista yet? What have you experienced?

Ask the Admin had the pic above, and you know come to think of it – I have seen this Vista error (“you do not have permission to view the current permission settings”). How redundant is this? It’s incredibly stupid, I mean this isn’t even “permissions” in the normal sense like read and write. It’s “you don’t have permission to view the freakin’ permissions!!!”. AND – to add insult to injury it gives you the ability to give yourself permission to change those permissions! I think that the layers of BS in Vista permissions are approaching the ways that government has so seamlessly impacted my life…

This is one of the most ridiculous things I’ve heard of in a very long time. The Register is reporting that an entire shipment of Windows Vista laptops was possibly infected with the ‘Stoned’ bootsector virus from 1994. These notebooks were shipped with both Vista and Bullguard Antivirus. I CANNOT BELIEVE that neither of these picked up on the virus at all. It truly seems unconscionable for this to happen. But then again – in the update at the bottom of the article, it does point out that over time very, very old virus definitions and signatures are removed, and the software did detect the virus, but had no way to remove it. Even thought you can never truly completely get rid of a virus – this is a really big embarrassment to both Microsoft and Bulldog.

Well, a few posts back I? talked about how I had to turn off all security just so I could connect to work using VPN adn IE7.? It’s bad enough that I had to turn off all the security in IE regarding ActiveX stuff…but now every single time open Internet Explorer 7 to do anything in Windows Vista security error messaging takes over and gives me this:

[photopress:vista_risk.jpg,thumb,pp_image]

(click image for full view)

I mean, now – every single time I open IE this “Security Settings at Risk” page are my default home page.? Ever time – and I don’t see any way to change it!? I can get to my default home page “if” I click the home button, but that’s the only way.? ? ? Also – Windows Vista (being big brother and all) now pastes this little info bar on the top 1/2″ of each and every web page that I surf saying “You current security settings put your computer at risk.? Click here to change your security settings.”

There is a little “x” at the right of the browser to close this little bar, but it’s only temporary.? If you type in or navigate to another page, or open a new tab or windows it comes right back.? This constant nagging basically is Windows Vista saying “we know you turned off the security, but that’s a very, very bad thing – and you probably don’t know any better (idiot).? So, we’re going to bug you, and bug you, and nag you until you turn the security back on again – and there’s no way to stop us from bugging you – FOREVER!”

Didn’t I pay for Windows Vista?? Shouldn’t “I” be in charge of what I turn on and off?

Windows Vista – you manage to SUCK (again).