Another reason to be careful of Vista

[mbmz3]

I have an HP photosmart 1000 printer, it's 7 years old, still prints photos and documents great. But because it is 7 years old, HP won't provide a Vista driver for it.

I googled it and found a solution.

DON'T GET VISTA UNLESS YOU HAVE TOO!

[jtp]

The IT guy asked me if I wanted Vista of XP. After confirming that sticking with XP wouldn't cause us any problems, and that I could "upgrade" to Vista later if necessary, I chose XP.

a) I know it,
b) It isn't dumbed down for the general population (clicking 5 times that "Yes, I DO want to do that" is annoying), and
c) Vista is a memory hog and slows machines down WAY too much IMHO.



JTP
'00 Bright Red II, Black, Black 2.3

<b>PERFORMANCE: </b>Dinan Stage II suspension, Dinan strut tower brace, Porterfield R4S brake pads, Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 tires, UNGO MS8300 alarm, Doug Whalen Seat Bushings, Sylvania Silverstar headlights and fog lights. <b>MAINTENANCE: </b>Peake Research R5/fcx-II and SRS Reset Tools, Mity-Vac oil evacuator w/ brake bleeder, BMW Battery Tender. <b>COSMETICS: </b>Dinan Badge, OEM chrome exhaust tips, Magnetic stone guards, Roundel valve stem caps, Trunk-mounted Dragon sticker, WI plates: RES IPSA. <b>COMFORT: </b>Premium Package, Heated sport seats, “Z3 Roadster” heated vest (for GF), In-dash CD, LeatherZ MarkII armrest, OEM mesh windscreen. <b>CAR CARE: </b>Porter Cable random orbit buffer, Meguiars car care products, NOAH car cover, Plexus, Raggtop. <b>EXTRAS: </b>Z3Solutions warning triangle.

My Home Page

[cb4]

No guarantee but it might work. Another possible solution is to use a Vista driver from a similar printer or try one of the generic Vista printer drivers.

Don't you know that HP doesn't manufacture devices to last more than 2 or 3 years? We're living in a disposible society.

[mbmz3]

I used another HP vista driver. It prints documents ok, but I haven't tried photo's yet.

I'm one of those people, "if it ain't broke, than no need to replace it". The printer ain't broke yet, even though I would like another one that is faster and such.

later

[kmelby]

Yup! Vista REQUIRES Vista-written hardware drivers. Its not Vista's fault that HP isn't rewriting drivers for their older hardware - shall we say "built in obsolescence"? Just last night I gave my old, trusty, beloved HP Scanjet 6250 to my son and daughter-in-law because I couldn't get it to work the way I wanted with Vista (I do have another scanner). I was using Hamrick's viewscan and it wasn't allowing me to scan directly into my software.

However, try Hamrick software for your printer.

http://www.hamrick.com/index.html

I haven't used their viewprint software so I can't comment, however, it may work perfectly well for your needs.

In Vista, you can't use hardware drivers not written for Vista but you can usually use the compatibility mode for older software.

Kathy

[Serge]

Yes Vista might be a pain sometimes.

But like the other gentleman indicated it is HP that wants to sell you new stuff working for vista... they could update the drivers.

and to top this HP is not doing it for their new printer either. Imagine I just upgraded my servers to Windows 2003 Enterprise R2 64 bits, one the largest/powerfull version that you can get. at the same time we had to replace color inkjet printer capable of 11x17. we got a *brand new* "Business jet 2800", guess what... HP does not do 64 bits version of the printer driver! come on HP a "businessjet" and an "enterprise server" would you expect this?

I am the IT manager for an internationnal cie and HP is loosing our business (over Dell for servers) and HP looks like it does not care... we bough about 10 large (dell) servers in the last 12 months....

[andrewash]

I got a new laptop and - because of the overall deal - I took a model with Vista instead of XP. I really wish I could replace Vista. Too many pop ups and 'ya wanna do dis?' questions and time wasting bits.

I find that the longer I work with something, the faster I expect it to go, because I have become better able to navigate within it. This is true whether it is working with software or wending your way through an operating system. I HATE being interrupted and slowed down by all the annoying progress interuptors built into VISTA.

Stop already and let me just go from here to there without a million 'billboards' blocking my path.

Vista is like watching a movie in a theater that keeps pausing to run a commercial. Looks and sounds great on the screen, but just when it gets really entertaining, some ad cuts into the scene and kills the whole thing.

Yes, I really do not care for what Microsoft has wrought. To borrow from the beginnings of Music Video TV:
I want my, I want my, I want my old XP!
You can have, you can have, you can have my VISTA free!<A HREF="http://www.theracesite.com/index.cfm?template=magazine&mti=15">Read "Through The Esses" on TheRaceSite.com</A>

<A HREF="http://www.ashautomobilia.com">ashautomobilia.com</A>

<A HREF="http://www.theracesite.com">TheRaceSite.com</A>

<A HREF="http://www.dailysportscar.com">dailysportscar.com</A>

[cb4]

It's faster to disable UAC than it was for you to type this about it.

Knowledgebase UAC

[andrewash]

I'm glad you are happy with working around an issue that aggravates the customer. I, as the customer who prefers better service, am not.

VISTA is a pain in the a$$ with no, zero, nada additional benefit over XP for this user. My bad for thinking the same kind of improvement realized when Windows dumped the ME version and went to XP would be realized with the introduction of VISTA.

VISTA was a giant step backwards in my opinion. And that is all this is, an opinion.

Hey, I didn't find out I don't like stewed carrots until I tried them. Now, I've tried (and continue to struggle with and against) VISTA and I don't like it either. Only trouble is, I could spit out the carrots. I can't afford to throw away the laptop.

Very
Irritating
System -
Take it
Away!<A HREF="http://www.theracesite.com/index.cfm?template=magazine&mti=15">Read "Through The Esses" on TheRaceSite.com</A>

<A HREF="http://www.ashautomobilia.com">ashautomobilia.com</A>

<A HREF="http://www.theracesite.com">TheRaceSite.com</A>

<A HREF="http://www.dailysportscar.com">dailysportscar.com</A>

[Giznaz]

You need to dig a bit to find the info, but it's there.

[cb4]

Read the article I linked to and you will learn about your OS. There is also a getting started with Vista that explains it. MS knows that people infect their own computers with viruses however users complain that these are installed unknowingly. Well, UAC now tells you when things like this happen. If you don't want to know about it, they tell you how to turn it off. What more do you want? If they defaulted it to off, people who know little about their computers would never know it was there. This attempts to protect users from themselves.

The upgrade you refer to (ME to XP) was significant as it moved away from DOS and also from 16-bit to 32-bit. Technically, it was an entirely different beast as XP did not evolve from ME. ME was the last gasp generation of the already dead 9x (DOS based) platform. It offered very little other than a name change and a repackage over Win98 SP/2. XP evolved from 2K which was a renamed NT.

The next logical progression is to 64-bit. Home users will be the last to go and some will surely be kicking and screaming all the way.

Change is inevitable. Where were we 25 years ago? Marveling over CDs, cordless phones, TV remotes and Commodore 64s.

[cb4]

Some newer hardware has only Vista drivers. Proceed with caution.

[Giznaz]

say it worked in each and every situation, or drivers, compatability, or ANYTHING about hardware.

I DID say M$ would allow it under certain circumstances. You know, thet pesky LICENSING thing.

Big difference.

Now take a smiley pill, and put a happy face on. Jheeze, already.

[jtp]

I'm not going to get into other threads, but it certainly appears that in this instance Carl was simply noting that it isn't always possible to back-grade to XP, and that one should proceed with caution before they do irreparable damage to their operating system. That seems a reasonable caution. And it was free of any attacks on you.

Would you rather than someone saw your post, blindly tried to back-grade to XP, and ended up frying their system because the drivers were not compatible? I think not.





JTP
'00 Bright Red II, Black, Black 2.3

<b>PERFORMANCE: </b>Dinan Stage II suspension, Dinan strut tower brace, Porterfield R4S brake pads, Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 tires, UNGO MS8300 alarm, Doug Whalen Seat Bushings, Sylvania Silverstar headlights and fog lights. <b>MAINTENANCE: </b>Peake Research R5/fcx-II and SRS Reset Tools, Mity-Vac oil evacuator w/ brake bleeder, BMW Battery Tender. <b>COSMETICS: </b>Dinan Badge, OEM chrome exhaust tips, Magnetic stone guards, Roundel valve stem caps, Trunk-mounted Dragon sticker, WI plates: RES IPSA. <b>COMFORT: </b>Premium Package, Heated sport seats, “Z3 Roadster” heated vest (for GF), In-dash CD, LeatherZ MarkII armrest, OEM mesh windscreen. <b>CAR CARE: </b>Porter Cable random orbit buffer, Meguiars car care products, NOAH car cover, Plexus, Raggtop. <b>EXTRAS: </b>Z3Solutions warning triangle.

My Home Page

[Giznaz]

necessarily permanent. You retain FULL rights to Vista.

Again, screw the hardware. That was not, is not, and in the future, not part of ANYthing I've ever said about downgrading. That is assumed to be at your own risk.

I am only speaking to the fact that M$ licensing will allow you to downgrade certain versions of Vista to XP. If you wanted to try that route. You are not locked into having to use Vista on a new machine.

Not everyone is aware that this is even an OPTION!
Of course, YMMV, IIRC, TTIWWOP, LOL, BYOB and other internet acronyms.

Microsoft execs saw problems with early Vista

[jtp]

You made a suggestion about back-grading. It was a good suggestion. But there are some risks to doing so. Carl simply pointed that out. He did not attack, he did not belittle, he did not over-react. He simply stated a factual concern - that people should proceed with caution because some drivers might not be compatible. I think that was a fair and reasonable caution. It was innocuous at worst.

Like I said, would you really have wanted people to run headlong into your advice only to find that it caused them problems? Maybe they won't have issues, but if they do, wouldn't it have been nice to have a heads-up?

It seems as though you took it as some sort of slander against your mother or something.

I think everyone around here needs a deep breath. Cabin fever is starting to affect the boards!

JTP
'00 Bright Red II, Black, Black 2.3

<b>PERFORMANCE: </b>Dinan Stage II suspension, Dinan strut tower brace, Porterfield R4S brake pads, Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 tires, UNGO MS8300 alarm, Doug Whalen Seat Bushings, Sylvania Silverstar headlights and fog lights. <b>MAINTENANCE: </b>Peake Research R5/fcx-II and SRS Reset Tools, Mity-Vac oil evacuator w/ brake bleeder, BMW Battery Tender. <b>COSMETICS: </b>Dinan Badge, OEM chrome exhaust tips, Magnetic stone guards, Roundel valve stem caps, Trunk-mounted Dragon sticker, WI plates: RES IPSA. <b>COMFORT: </b>Premium Package, Heated sport seats, “Z3 Roadster” heated vest (for GF), In-dash CD, LeatherZ MarkII armrest, OEM mesh windscreen. <b>CAR CARE: </b>Porter Cable random orbit buffer, Meguiars car care products, NOAH car cover, Plexus, Raggtop. <b>EXTRAS: </b>Z3Solutions warning triangle.

My Home Page

[cb4]

Some new hardware does not have XP drivers. This was done through deals with MS. If you have a new Laptop that came with Vista preinstalled (I believe both Mary and Ash both did) you may not be able to install XP.

Your downgrade Vista to XP post didn't say anything about licensing the OS, just downgrading it. IMO, it sounded like a recommendation to proceed and since I know a little bit about this I can't let such a recommendation go without a warning. Some folks don't know about the driver situation as I suspect you didn't.

Worrying about an XP license while spending countless frustrating hours diagnosing device driver load failures is penny-wise and pound-foolish.

[Giznaz]

I said M$ will allow you to downgrade.

Carl said "Not Always..."

Exactly WHAT in Carl's statement addressed M$'s allowing you to downgrade?

Yes, he provided a caution about HARDWARE compatability. I was speaking on the LEGAL compatability.

Again, screw the hardware. M$ will allow you to downgrade. Is it a good idea? I've no clue, nor do I care. However, M$ will allow you to downgrade.

Always.
If you own the correct version of Vista.

And fulfill their OTHER legal requirements.

Always.

[Giznaz]

[Giznaz]

M$ Downgrade Info