is vista THAT bad?

  • Thread starter Thread starter tom18222
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Man,
I would NEVER trust using the same PC configuration that was being used for net use.

I'm probably going to wind up with a Mac Mini because I want to use Logic. A friend has Sonar 7, but I don't want to be forced to use Vista.


Hell, if I had my way - I'd be using something that worked in DOS! LOL

The only Windows version that I liked was 3.11 or 3.14(aka Windows for Workgroups) I liked those - I never liked any of MS's "multitask" softwares for the most part.

95 had bugs
98 had "features" (which had previously been called "bugs" in Windows 95)
XP-pro wasn't that bad, but it had things about it that I HATE.


Tim
 
warble2 said:
Did it for four years and through trial, error and tweaking, managed to have a stable PC for recording using Sonar w/ Windows XP Pro - and used it for work as well including Internet, etc.

I guess I'm not in my right mind, but I guarantee there are quite a few people here who have been in the same situation. This is a home recording Website, and not everyone may have multiple machines and will have to make their one PC work for everything they'd like it to do. Not possible in all cases of course, but people often come here for advice on the possibilities of making that work.
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Yeah, I think it’s a bit dramatic putting it like that. A separate machine for audio is the ideal and I guess if you run a professional studio then it probably is a must.

But I’ve used the same PC for everything (recording, intenet, games etc) for the past 4 and half years and have not had a significant problem. Actually it did recently start behaving a bit oddly (not recognising some USB devices, games not starting, generally slowing down a bit etc).

I spent about an hour backing up all the stuff I needed, another hour formatting the hard drive and reinstalling the OS and now it’s like having a new machine again.
 
Kevin Deschwazi said:
I spent about an hour backing up all the stuff I needed, another hour formatting the hard drive and reinstalling the OS and now it’s like having a new machine again.
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Seems like that is just something to do every so often. I had my install of XP Pro running for about four years without major show stopping issues, and just built a new PC to get up to snuff (dual core processor, DDR2 ram, etc.). Old one worked fine until the MB started behaving badly - not recognizing IDE among other things. I simply disabled the network connection for my DSL when I recorded audio and shut down some processes that didn't need to run. I don't go crazy installing tons of software including not installing Kazaa, Limewire, etc. and a bunch of crap. Amazing how well things run when you're not "farking" around. If one wants to download free music and software or whatever, good luck keeping it going for long and especially for recording audio without glitches.

Anyway, I've been busy tweaking my new one and have got it running great for my audio needs at this point. I'm out of my mind, so this new one has Internet access as well :D
 
Over the years I installed a heck of a lot of crap which I didn't need or use. This was only my second home PC and my first with internet access.

It's nice to start with a clean slate and now I know what I actually use and I just have that stuff installed. Hopefully I'll get a few more years out of it!

Yeah, I find most of the apps I have going on in the background is stuff I need for going online, like antivirus and firewall. When I record I disable the LAN connection which of course means I can shut down the security stuff too.

It's a pretty efficient recording comp in that state.
 
Tim Brown said:
But the MAC will be much more stable than a PC.



Tim
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More Stable ? - I can agree with that.



I may someday get an iLaptop (ibook ? iwhatever they are called) for my wife.

That's who they are for - people who are not good with technology. lol
 
Tim Brown said:
Man,
I would NEVER trust using the same PC configuration that was being used for net use.
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I use the same PC for everything. I just have various partitions and installs of windows for different things. The stuff I don't want the net anywhere near has the network card disabled. Simple as that. In terms of stability, it's not much different from having more than 1 PC.
 
legionserial said:
I use the same PC for everything. I just have various partitions and installs of windows for different things. The stuff I don't want the net anywhere near has the network card disabled. Simple as that. In terms of stability, it's not much different from having more than 1 PC.
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You didn't say you were running Vista (I assume not) -- I would not be surprised if Vista prevented you from running multiple partitions somehow.

At my house, I've got two macs (mini and macbook), one debian box that functions as a file/print/caching dns server, one dualboot win2k/ubuntu box, and one Vista 64bit home box (different people using them, of course). I haven't paid much attention to the Vista box - my daughter uses it -- but I think she's already had difficulty doing routine things with legitimately owned media files (like movies she made with her phone, etc.). I don't have time to even assess the risks of trying to use that box for recording. Frankly, the OS creeps me out, and I'd like to get rid of it -- I was unlucky enough to have to quickly rebuild her computer at about the time that there were rumors that MS would soon de-support XP, so I went with Vista.

Win2k, unfortunately, doesn't seem to have the driver support for the audio interfaces I like to use, and so I haven't done much with it.

The mac mini was OK, but the ethernet connection is flaky -- I'm not sure what the issue is, but I'm certain it's with the computer itself, and not the cables or upstream switch, etc. I've read similar complaints on the internet (surfing on the other computers :) ). I have to use wireless networking to keep it hooked up so my wife can use it consistently, and even that's not so strong. I did use it for recording before I got the macbook.

The macbook is really good (although I admittedly haven't leaned too hard on the ethernet jack, staying wireless most of the time, which is strong). I even did a hard drive upgrade myself on it over the weekend, and it was really (unexpectedly) easy. Beyond that, I really like Logic Express 8, which requires a mac, of course. And, since they introduced OS X, there is some techy appeal -- any box that ships with perl installed is alright with me -- I grew up speaking only perl to my parents, and still have a tendency to lapse into it in stressful situations, like when I get pulled over for speeding.

I haven't even tried to get the audio interfaces to work with Linux, but maybe it would work -- Audacity is good for what it is, but it seems like most of the plugins are compiled for windows.
 
Tim Brown said:
Bill Gates doesn't "own" apple, but he does indeed own a large amount of it's stock. That's how Apple was able to survive - Wozniack and some of the other guys evidently teamed up with Gates, and they forced Steve Jobs out of his position....he still has a job with Apple, but he doesn't have the power he once used to force people to work all sorts of crazy hours and stuff IIRC.


Tim
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Awesome. He's my new hero.

Seriously, though. Vista is fine for everyday use, but I plan on leaving my audio workstation an XP machine. Everything works with it, and seeing as I just bought an older card, most of it would stop working with Vista. Leopard is a better update to OS X than Vista is to XP, but it still has it's share of issues.

I would say get a mac, but I also hate being limited by how non-upgradable they are. That's why my non-workstation is a macbook and my workstation is Windows. Much easier to keep up with my needs. The main reason why I would have a mac is because of the way it handles things. For instance, you never get fragmented drives on a mac-formatted hard drive, and you don't need to restart your computer to clear the RAM. They are far more efficient machines, and I do think you get what you pay for (especially when you consider most of the stuff that they come with), but if you can live with small inconveniences and saving $1,000, go with XP. Not Vista.
 
Also, to those of you wondering why we hate things that hog our RAM (cpc, was it?)... I, for one, love using virtual instruments and plug-ins because I have no outboard gear. This means that I need to have access to a lot of processing power, so every little bit counts.
 
Ok, seriously. All the Vista haters need to stop being such pussies and step up to the best version of Mine Sweeper ever made. DO IT.
 
Sloan said:
Ok, seriously. All the Vista haters need to stop being such pussies and step up to the best version of Mine Sweeper ever made. DO IT.
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If it had Ski Free I would in a heartbeat.

I miss Ski Free. :( Although getting past that evil snowman at the end was IMPOSSIBLE.
 
Ski Free? Do you mean that really VERY old game where you were going down a U-tube and doing tricks?
 
haha, i remember playing that back in the day, then i would realize zelda was better, or mario 3
 
antichef said:
You didn't say you were running Vista (I assume not) -- I would not be surprised if Vista prevented you from running multiple partitions somehow.
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Nah I'm using XP. But I didn't think about that. If that's the case, it's another black mark against Vista in my book.
 
mac more stable? weird because my xp and vista has never had a virus or froze or stopped working , while a few of the only times i used a mac, the mac software (itunes, etc) completely froze the computer. plus with pc's youc an customize what you put into your computer, what hardware/software it uses from the start, for MUCH cheaper.. mac you're stuck with the hardware configurations they sell you to an extent, and have less software and hardware choices.
 
cpc said:
mac more stable? weird because my xp and vista has never had a virus or froze or stopped working , while a few of the only times i used a mac, the mac software (itunes, etc) completely froze the computer. plus with pc's youc an customize what you put into your computer, what hardware/software it uses from the start, for MUCH cheaper.. mac you're stuck with the hardware configurations they sell you to an extent, and have less software and hardware choices.
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Yawn...

Price isn't everything in this world. People DO pay more $$ for something which gives them a better experience. That is why we have brands like Cadillac, BMW...

If you're a Wal-Mart guy, fine - stop knocking the people who can afford to go to Nordstrom instead and who don't have a problem paying a premium.

I can affort and do prefer Macs after being a DOS/Windows PC user since 1988 and, yes, Macs are much more straightforward AND stable. Control over your hardware components is a good thing and eliminates the complexity of the interaction between components, their drivers and the OS.

I didn't have to waste days troubleshooting the Firewire controller on my Mac like I did on my XP Laptop because its VIA Firewire chipset didn't get along with my audio interface. Oh yeah, the Mac also already had the driver, so all I did was plung my interface in and start recording music in GarageBand and Logic...
 
I'm running XP, been going great for almost 3 years now. In that time i've had to do some routine maintenance but nothing more. Why fix something that isn't broken? If its common knowledge a lot of DAW's run very smoothly on XP [with the right hardware]...the answer seems obvious.

The options to me would be XP or a mac. Why would you even bother with vista yet? Do you want to make music or learn about the new O/S from microsoft?
 
brzilian said:
Yawn...

Price isn't everything in this world. People DO pay more $$ for something which gives them a better experience. That is why we have brands like Cadillac, BMW...

If you're a Wal-Mart guy, fine - stop knocking the people who can afford to go to Nordstrom instead and who don't have a problem paying a premium.

I can affort and do prefer Macs after being a DOS/Windows PC user since 1988 and, yes, Macs are much more straightforward AND stable. Control over your hardware components is a good thing and eliminates the complexity of the interaction between components, their drivers and the OS.

I didn't have to waste days troubleshooting the Firewire controller on my Mac like I did on my XP Laptop because its VIA Firewire chipset didn't get along with my audio interface. Oh yeah, the Mac also already had the driver, so all I did was plung my interface in and start recording music in GarageBand and Logic...
Click to expand...

obviously price isn't everything, you obviously didn't read the rest of my message where i said xp and vista has never froze or had a virus on me, while mac has a few of the only times i used it.. so if i can have a much more stable system, with more software and hardware choices, that i can customize to my own liking , AND get it at a much cheaper price, then the choice is obvious.
 
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