NationStates Jolt Archive

DOS is the best.

Ok, so Vista offically sucks. Today it has not start up at all. I can get to the logon screen and after I do that it either get itself stuck on the "Welcome" screen or it goes black. It can't be a virus, trojan or spyware because I've run it in safe mode and scanned the entire system twice and got rid of everything. Even after doing everything possible to fix this, it still won't work. So I now have two options, either I can pluck down $200 for repairs on the system which is pretty much them scanning it for virsus and Trojans etc. Or I could just go ahead and get a more stable OS. I would go to Linux, but I do have progans that run on Windows only, like FSX, MxO etc. So, what should I do?

((Poll coming))

Like I said before, better to wipe your drive clean and reboot from the original CDs - that's all you're going to pay Geek Squad $200 for anyway.

I would also question whether your laptop can handle Vista - did it come preloaded or did you install on an existing laptop?

What be them thar specs?

Go back to XP.:p

Isn't having a gaming computer that runs Linux a bit like having a Ferrari with square wheels?

Like I said before, better to wipe your drive clean and reboot from the original CDs - that's all you're going to pay Geek Squad $200 for anyway.

I would also question whether your laptop can handle Vista - did it come preloaded or did you install on an existing laptop?

What be them thar specs?

Well 1. It's a desktop. 2. It's a very high end machine, 2GB of memory and 400GB of HD space. and soon it will have GeForce 8800 Video Driver in it. It's a gaming system so it never had problems handling Vista. If I'm going to have to reboot it anyways (and loose all of my files) I might as well go Linux because knowing Window Vista stability, I"ll be back here again soon.

DOS is the best.

Expand on this please.

If I'm going to have to reboot it anyways (and loose all of my files) I might as well go Linux because knowing Window Vista stability, I"ll be back here again soon.

In which case, I suggest you take out the hard drive, plug it into another computer (note some OS files may be deleted from the moved hard drive) and back up all the data you need to. If you don't want to do that and have a flash drive, you can always try using BartPE (just google it).

It's a gaming system...I might as well go Linux
Seriously, I think your best bet is to rollback to XP.

DOS is the best.

Agreed. GUI formats ruined everything. Everything!

Isn't having a gaming computer that runs Linux a bit like having a Ferrari with square wheels?

Not really there are a few games I get a lot better performance out of that way ...

Yea....I have no idea what you mean by that....

It seems somewhat pointless to put a system which won't run the vast majority of games on a gaming computer.

Isn't having a gaming computer that runs Linux a bit like having a Ferrari with square wheels?

Yea....I have no idea what you mean by that....

option 3: Go back to XP.:pI vote for option 3.


And if you dont have the XP Disc. Then get Linux.

Well 1. It's a desktop. 2. It's a very high end machine, 2GB of memory and 400GB of HD space. and soon it will have GeForce 8800 Video Driver in it. It's a gaming system so it never had problems handling Vista. If I'm going to have to reboot it anyways (and loose all of my files) I might as well go Linux because knowing Window Vista stability, I"ll be back here again soon.

To some extent this sounds like a memory problem, especially the inability to log in - I'd also wonder how many games you've loaded onto it and how much space you have left on your disc.

It may be the spyware etc., even Ballmer admitted that you can wipe clean with whatever program and they just pop straight back up the next day, given you had so many, this may also be the cause. The only way to avoid this is to regularly reinstall.

As for my recommendations I would not spend the money for geek squad ever EVER.

At this point a reformat is probably the path of least effort and most gain in this case, Vista OEM and Retail also has repair abilities rather then a full re-install that may be worth a shot as well

Go with XP.

To some extent this sounds like a memory problem, especially the inability to log in - I'd wonder how many games you've loaded onto it and how much space you have left on your disc.

It may be the spyware etc., even Ballmer admitted that you can wipe clean with whatever program and they just pop straight back up the next day, given you had so many, this may also be the cause. The only way to avoid this is to regularly reinstall.

I only have FSX and MxO on it, those are the only games. Everything else is either Opera (Browser) or word documents that I have saved or files pretaining to the two games. THe rest is pretty much stuff that came preinstalled.

Do a repair install. If that fails, wipe the windows partition and reinstall.

your computer probably has a gremlin! the only cure is to take it apart and reassemble it having changed nothing

this always works for me and not just with computers ;)

I vote for option 3.

QFT

The only interesting thing about Vista is a new problem everyday... I use to run that piece of crap, then I went back to XP which in all honesty, is a LOT better. Now, how ever, I'm gone to Linux, it's fun :D It's interesting, and it's preety neat, too ^^

I only have FSX and MxO on it, those are the only games. Everything else is either Opera (Browser) or word documents that I have saved or files pretaining to the two games. THe rest is pretty much stuff that came preinstalled.
Rollback to XP, which will probably sort out your problems, then, if you're still interested, you can always try a dual-boot of some Linux distro.

Ubuntu (http://www.ubuntu.com/) is always a good bet to start your journey into the world of non-Windows OS's.

As for my recommendations I would not spend the money for geek squad ever EVER.
I called them once because I wanted them to look at something, they were like "oh, well you can bring it in and we'll look at it for $180." I was like fuck no, I rather have it not run any more.

I called them once because I wanted them to look at something, they were like "oh, well you can bring it in and we'll look at it for $180." I was like fuck no, I rather have it not run any more.

The only thing I would think about having them touch is something that needed to be verified for warranty purposes through them (and I would not buy anything from them that required that in the first part.

Delete C:\Windows\System 32
That always seems to work for me.*

If safe mode works, try reinstalling any 3rd party drivers you have (ie, nvidia drivers, wireless drivers).

*Doing so will leave your computer completely unusable.

As for my recommendations I would not spend the money for geek squad ever EVER.

At this point a reformat is probably the path of least effort and most gain in this case, Vista OEM and Retail also has repair abilities rather then a full re-install that may be worth a shot as well

I second this. I had a bad experience with them once; never again.
Nothing like it when you pay them to install 2GB of RAM, they install 1GB of off-brand RAM, and when you bring it back asking WTF is this, they imply that YOU are the thief and liar and changed the chips.

Expand on this please.

expand j:\1.ts c:\dos\7.q


couldn't resist.


Seriously though, I agree with option 3. Reinstall XP. Or set up a dual boot of vista and xp

DOS is the best.
While FreeDOS is neat on my craptop (http://i25.tinypic.com/vg37ls.jpg), I prefer a system which has like... multitasking? USB-support? music?

@Wilgrove: Go Linux and use the Windows programs in emulation (or ReactOS :) )! You should not rely on a DRM-infected slug for important things.

While FreeDOS is neat on my craptop (http://i25.tinypic.com/vg37ls.jpg), I prefer a system which has like... multitasking? USB-support? music?

BeOS (continued as Haiku) ?

Ok, so Vista offically sucks. Today it has not start up at all.

I would go to Linux, but I do have progans that run on Windows only, like FSX, MxO etc. So, what should I do?


option 1: install Windows XP Pro
option 2: install a Linux release (Ubuntu is very simple, I've been told), and use the WinE (windows emulator).

WinE (windows emulator).

Wine actually stands for "Wine Is Not an Emulator". I wouldn't put my trust in Wine if I were the OP, because while Wine is getting better and better all the time, there's still the risk that it can't run your programs at all.

I say you should take a live CD, such as the Ubuntu one, for a spin. No installation is required and you get to see how it likes your hardware. If you have an old Windows 9x/2k/XP CD, you can always virtualize Windows and solve the problem with your old Windows programs that way, should Wine fail.

Or you could just use XP. Downgrading from Vista to XP seems to be pretty popular.

The only interesting thing about Vista is a new problem everyday... I use to run that piece of crap, then I went back to XP which in all honesty, is a LOT better. Now, how ever, I'm gone to Linux, it's fun :D It's interesting, and it's preety neat, too ^^

I still run vista and I have to say it work pretty damn good apart from the odd incompatibility with older programs or drivers (like when the old Nero burning software would install because vista noted it was too shite to work with vista) but that didn’t matter because I have XP on too though I hardly ever use it (and Nero 7 now runs on Vista).

Your problem Wilgrove sounds like one I did have not long ago though, where Vista wouldn’t load properly after I restarted my computer after installing some new drivers on XP. However I was able to solve it with a few restarts, a temp file wipe and a virus sweep with Vista’s Windows Defender that found 1 Trojan. There was no need to do any reinstalling or formatting.

I love old-skool games like death rally, but they only work on (ms-)DOS. U don't need windows: In my case it caused more problems than it fixed. This while DOS has NEVER failed under my supervision. I don't understand why DOS didn' upgrade or try to compete with windows...

I love old-skool games like death rally, but they only work on (ms-)DOS. U don't need windows: In my case it caused more problems than it fixed. This while DOS has NEVER failed under my supervision. I don't understand why DOS didn' upgrade or try to compete with windows...

There's an emulator called Dos Box for windows that will let you run older DOS games even if windows command line won't let you. It's quite handy.


As for Wilgrove's problem, gonna go with the crowd here, reinstall XP. Wait til the first service pack is out for Vista then try again, if you're a masochist.

Ok, so Vista offically sucks. Today it has not start up at all. I can get to the logon screen and after I do that it either get itself stuck on the "Welcome" screen or it goes black. It can't be a virus, trojan or spyware because I've run it in safe mode and scanned the entire system twice and got rid of everything. Even after doing everything possible to fix this, it still won't work. So I now have two options, either I can pluck down $200 for repairs on the system which is pretty much them scanning it for virsus and Trojans etc. Or I could just go ahead and get a more stable OS. I would go to Linux, but I do have progans that run on Windows only, like FSX, MxO etc. So, what should I do?

((Poll coming))

Well, if it wasn't a gaming machine, get Linux. Since it is, go back to XP.

Well, if it wasn't a gaming machine, get Linux. Since it is, go back to XP.
QFT. Though since we're starting from scratch, I recommend a dual-boot; starting with XP first to get familiar functionality up.

Well 1. It's a desktop. 2. It's a very high end machine, 2GB of memory and 400GB of HD space. and soon it will have GeForce 8800 Video Driver in it. It's a gaming system so it never had problems handling Vista. If I'm going to have to reboot it anyways (and loose all of my files) I might as well go Linux because knowing Window Vista stability, I"ll be back here again soon.

That's hardly high end :P

If you hit F8 during boot up, there should be a logged boot option. If you boot like that a log file should get generated that will show you where the boot up process is falling over.

DOS is the best.
True. :p

I still have Win98SE and it works just fine. :D

option 1: install Windows XP Pro
option 2: install a Linux release (Ubuntu is very simple, I've been told), and use the WinE (windows emulator).

Wine is not really designed for gaming
If gaming is the goal use Cedega

Cedega is Wine. Well, more or less.

And yet the gaming performance and stability and support are light years appart

expand j:\1.ts c:\dos\7.q


couldn't resist.


Seriously though, I agree with option 3. Reinstall XP. Or set up a dual boot of vista and xp
By the way they brought the expand function back in Server2003 Resource Toolkit (and compress)

Wine is not really designed for gaming
If gaming is the goal use Cedega
Cedega is Wine. Well, more or less.

It takes up half my laptop's hard drive, slows it to a crawl and sucks the battery to death. Ugh.

True. :p

I still have Win98SE and it works just fine. :D

Indeed. When coupled with office 2000 it even runs acceptable on my old 200MHZ machine.

Linux might be better for that one though (at least more up to date.. which might be wise if I ever decide to allow it internet access ;))

I love old-skool games like death rally, but they only work on (ms-)DOS. U don't need windows: In my case it caused more problems than it fixed. This while DOS has NEVER failed under my supervision. I don't understand why DOS didn' upgrade or try to compete with windows...

DOS is fairly stable indeed...it has two major problems though: you can't multitask (there are application switchers but that's not quite the same) and then there is the ridiculous memory setup...but otherwiseits a fine system, very transparent: you know exactly what's going on.

Well 1. It's a desktop. 2. It's a very high end machine, 2GB of memory and 400GB of HD space. and soon it will have GeForce 8800 Video Driver in it. It's a gaming system so it never had problems handling Vista. If I'm going to have to reboot it anyways (and loose all of my files) I might as well go Linux because knowing Window Vista stability, I"ll be back here again soon.

Stick with windows if you want it for gaming.

And yet the gaming performance and stability and support are light years appart
Such is the marvel of open source. It's kinda like how Ubuntu is Debian Linux; these things fork depending on how developers want to proceed.

Such is the marvel of open source. It's kinda like how Ubuntu is Debian Linux; these things fork depending on how developers want to proceed.

I agree, I was just pointing out the project that is more gaming focused for the benifit of discussion about gaming performance

Or you could just use XP. Downgrading from Vista to XP seems to be pretty popular.

I got the chance to work with Vista on several other computers, so I just didn't bother upgrading to it on mine.

I got the chance to work with Vista on several other computers, so I just didn't bother upgrading to it on mine.

Yeah I moved my work machine over to it as soon as it was released and spent 8+ months on it before changing jobs

Just have not moved mine over to it yet.

Personally I did not really have any issues, Decent hardware and spent some time Like I always do configuring things to how i like them. worked just fine for me.

Wine is not really designed for gaming
If gaming is the goal use Cedega

I have to say that while Cedega used to be the clearly better choice for gaming, Wine has come a long way the last few years. While I'm sure there are a bunch of games that still work better in Cedega, Wine now supports more titles and is overall better.

That at least has been my experience, and it's also what I hear from the Wine IRC support channel. Ubuntu and Debian (unless you run one of the bleeding edge variants) has rather old, and in Ubuntu's case sometimes a bit broken, versions of Wine, so that might be part of why you find Cedega better, but it's easy to stay up to date from Wine's own repositories so it's a good idea to do that.

Yeah I moved my work machine over to it as soon as it was released and spent 8+ months on it before changing jobs

Just have not moved mine over to it yet.

Personally I did not really have any issues, Decent hardware and spent some time Like I always do configuring things to how i like them. worked just fine for me.

Yeah, a little time to adjust is always necessary. I still hate Word, though. :)

Yeah, a little time to adjust is always necessary. I still hate Word, though. :)

I used to support about 1400 staff members probably 600 + of which were professors

When we moved to word 07 OMG what a pain in the ass ... they could NOT get a handle on saving things as a .doc so that their students would be able to open it with older versions of office ... my staff spent lots of time on that and is a royal pain in the ass cause they never came out with a word conversion tool for Mac's

Also the IE7 change was a pain, IE7 will change spaces into _ in URL's which is a problem when professors put documents with spaces in the title on their online course in desire to learn (the online course software) it would create havok

I used to support about 1400 staff members probably 600 + of which were professors

When we moved to word 07 OMG what a pain in the ass ... they could NOT get a handle on saving things as a .doc so that their students would be able to open it with older versions of office ... my staff spent lots of time on that and is a royal pain in the ass cause they never came out with a word conversion tool for Mac's

Also the IE7 change was a pain, IE7 will change spaces into _ in URL's which is a problem when professors put documents with spaces in the title on their online course in desire to learn (the online course software) it would create havok

Fortunately, I haven't had to deal with those problems. Autoformatting issues are what I hear about most frequently. And for me personally, Word's grammar check feature is irritating. It doesn't seem to be able to check grammar correctly any more than before.

True. :p

I still have Win98SE and it works just fine. :D

USB support is sometimes problematic on 98SE, but it's a great gaming platform. Win3.11, Win95B, Win98SE, and WinXP - that's the good Windows gaming progression (though before 98SE came out, you might have been better off using DOS 6.2 - or even DOS 4.2).

I used to support about 1400 staff members probably 600 + of which were professors

When we moved to word 07 OMG what a pain in the ass ... they could NOT get a handle on saving things as a .doc so that their students would be able to open it with older versions of office ... my staff spent lots of time on that and is a royal pain in the ass cause they never came out with a word conversion tool for Mac's

Also the IE7 change was a pain, IE7 will change spaces into _ in URL's which is a problem when professors put documents with spaces in the title on their online course in desire to learn (the online course software) it would create havok
IE7 does a lot of stupid things.

If you use the history in your address bar for navigation a lot, that was never a problem before, but now with the address bar above the menu buttons switching from one to the other now requires an extra mouse click every time because you can't see the menu buttons with address bar expanded.

Fortunately, I haven't had to deal with those problems. Autoformatting issues are what I hear about most frequently. And for me personally, Word's grammar check feature is irritating. It doesn't seem to be able to check grammar correctly any more than before.

Word's grammar check is the bane of proofreaders everywhere. I loathe grammar check. There's very little it actually gets right.

Indeed. When coupled with office 2000 it even runs acceptable on my old 200MHZ machine.
That's what I did: Made myself a better typewriter that doesn't run anything else but - not even internet. It's the only way I can keep myself writing. ;)

And on this computer it's "Never change a running system".
USB support is sometimes problematic on 98SE, but it's a great gaming platform. Win3.11, Win95B, Win98SE, and WinXP - that's the good Windows gaming progression (though before 98SE came out, you might have been better off using DOS 6.2 - or even DOS 4.2).
True, you need good, specific drivers for each USB-thing you plug in.

Aah... the memories! At home I still have my 386 33MHz with Win3.11 and DOS 6.2 - How slooow can you gooo?

Does anyone else find the constant noise from the hard drive(s) to be extremely irritating in Vista? Does anyone even have that problem? It goes on for at least a minute after I start the computer and then it can start at any time and it usually goes on for minutes before it stops.

Does anyone else find the constant noise from the hard drive(s) to be extremely irritating in Vista? Does anyone even have that problem? It goes on for at least a minute after I start the computer and then it can start at any time and it usually goes on for minutes before it stops.Actually... no. I can't remember a time since I've had Vista that I've even noticed the hard drives.

For that matter, I've had a pretty good experience with Vista overall, once I tamed it to behave as I like. Most importantly convincing it that when I sign on as an administrator, I actually want administrator privileges and don't want to be asked about it every time.

For that matter, I've had a pretty good experience with Vista overall, once I tamed it to behave as I like. Most importantly convincing it that when I sign on as an administrator, I actually want administrator privileges and don't want to be asked about it every time.

But that was on purpose. The main Administrator account does not ask for permission (but you need to activate it before it can be used, showing you have some knowledge of the system) by default, secondary admin accounts allow you to do stuff but keep asking if you are certain.
Until you tweak of course.

Actually... no. I can't remember a time since I've had Vista that I've even noticed the hard drives.

For that matter, I've had a pretty good experience with Vista overall, once I tamed it to behave as I like. Most importantly convincing it that when I sign on as an administrator, I actually want administrator privileges and don't want to be asked about it every time.

You know that's the one thing. The one thing that was almost beginning to approach the status of "any good" in Vista. Granted it's a really bad implementation of it that goes to entirely opposite extremes from XP and 9x with it now wanting to ask "are you sure" to change one of your own folders. Granted that with it, Microsoft have got a patent granted for a security mechanism that Linux and other Unixes have have had prior art on for decades (maybe it's one of those infamous 235 MS patents that Linux is said to violate, yet MS won't show the code for), but at least you now have access controls.

So what do people do? Turn it off. Or log in and use an administrator account as a regular account. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

And when these people get infected with god knows what because some program arsed about with an important part of the system and they didn't get a warning message, who will they blame? Let me guess... begins with an M. Ends in T. Has an "icrosof" in the middle. 9 letters.

(And this coming from a Linux user. I must be losing my mind.)

But that was on purpose. The main Administrator account does not ask for permission (but you need to activate it before it can be used, showing you have some knowledge of the system) by default, secondary admin accounts allow you to do stuff but keep asking if you are certain.
Until you tweak of course.I would of liked if it asked for some sort of password, instead of a simple yes/no.

I would of liked if it asked for some sort of password, instead of a simple yes/no.

Yeah and I would have also liked more granularity, akin to sudo where you are able to specify WHAT a user can run as administrator and what they can not.

I don't ever use sudo...

I do not on my machine but I have had to host servers for Networking courses where they need the ability to run things like TCPDUMP and nessus and don't want them all using the administrator account

Yeah and I would have also liked more granularity, akin to sudo where you are able to specify WHAT a user can run as administrator and what they can not.
I don't ever use sudo...

Yeah and I would have also liked more granularity, akin to sudo where you are able to specify WHAT a user can run as administrator and what they can not.

Don't you mean setuid? ;)

Sudo and su (and kdesu, and whatever else) will only let a user run stuff as root if they have the root password. Making a program setuid root will run that proggie as root regardless of who you are, allowing users to run a specified program as root without the root password. Which, incidentally, is a really bad way of doing things.

But that's Linux for you. It gives you complete and total control, right up to being able to put that gun to your own head and pull the trigger.

I don't ever use sudo...

Call me silly if you like, but I rather like the *Ubuntu way of doing things. You physically can't log in as root. You have to use sudo, thus reducing the amount of time that the root user is logged in to a minimum (ie: zero).

Call me silly if you like, but I rather like the *Ubuntu way of doing things. You physically can't log in as root. You have to use sudo, thus reducing the amount of time that the root user is logged in to a minimum (ie: zero).

Actually, you can set it up to allow logging in from the login screen as root. I've done it once.

You just don't need to do it in many cases, as few, if any, tasks require logging in initially as root.

Even manipulating files in directories controlled by root can be done by other means (such as using gksudo nautilus to open a file browser with root privileges).

Ubuntu (or any version of Linux for that matter) manages permissions better than any version of Windows.

Call me silly if you like, but I rather like the *Ubuntu way of doing things. You physically can't log in as root. You have to use sudo, thus reducing the amount of time that the root user is logged in to a minimum (ie: zero).

Thats a rather empty lock on ubuntu it takes about 3 seconds to make the change (which I always do)...

But either way more of an annoyance to me as I log into the appropriate account to complete the tasks needed and no more. It slows down how I naturally do things with providing bare minimum exposure.

Don't you mean setuid? ;)

Sudo and su (and kdesu, and whatever else) will only let a user run stuff as root if they have the root password. Making a program setuid root will run that proggie as root regardless of who you are, allowing users to run a specified program as root without the root password. Which, incidentally, is a really bad way of doing things.

But that's Linux for you. It gives you complete and total control, right up to being able to put that gun to your own head and pull the trigger.

Naw I meant sudo with the ability to control group escalation though in a lot of cases setuid is a good choice as well

http://nerdsex.istheshit.net/images/hlrzocqe.jpg

You can still login as root. Just give 'sudo su' or 'sudo -s -H' a whirl.

Or set the password with sudo passwd root will activate the account and set the pass.

http://nerdsex.istheshit.net/images/hlrzocqe.jpg
I reboot a few times a day.

Call me silly if you like, but I rather like the *Ubuntu way of doing things. You physically can't log in as root. You have to use sudo, thus reducing the amount of time that the root user is logged in to a minimum (ie: zero).
You can still login as root. Just give 'sudo su' or 'sudo -s -H' a whirl.

You can still login as root. Just give 'sudo su' or 'sudo -s -H' a whirl.

Well, it is Linux. You can customise it however you like. However by DEFAULT, no you can't log in as root in any Ubuntu-ish distribution.

Also, wouldn't that be using sudo? ;)

...and what on earth makes you reboot any UNIX-based OS a few times daily? Bad hardware, or just because you feel like it?

If you're looking for my opinion (you're probably not looking for my opinion), I think Vista is a decent OS. I've been using Vista Ultimate for about a month in my new machine, and after a bit of configuring various settings to my liking, it has been running with out a hitch. My games still look quite sexy as well and run smoothly, despite the fact that Vista is a resource hog.

I would just recommend reformatting - perhaps you unintentionally changed some setting, or accidentally installed something that made it go crazy, I dunno, but I would give it another chance, especially because you spent the money on it.

For reference, I'm running it on a Core 2 Quad Q6600, 2GB Kingston Dual Channel RAM, 10,000 RPM Western Digital Raptor HDD, EVGA GeForce 8800 GT Superclocked, ASUS P5K-V Mobo, Sound Blaster X-FI Extreme Audio sound card...

If you're looking for my opinion (you're probably not looking for my opinion), I think Vista is a decent OS. I've been using Vista Ultimate for about a month in my new machine, and after a bit of configuring various settings to my liking, it has been running with out a hitch. My games still look quite sexy as well and run smoothly, despite the fact that Vista is a resource hog.
Allot of that resource hogging is to actually make games run faster. On a system like yours, you should actually get better performance than on XP.
I would just recommend reformatting - perhaps you unintentionally changed some setting, or accidentally installed something that made it go crazy, I dunno, but I would give it another chance, especially because you spent the money on it.
Keep in mind, WGA limits the number of times you can reformat without having to buy a new license.

Well, it is Linux. You can customise it however you like. However by DEFAULT, no you can't log in as root in any Ubuntu-ish distribution.

Also, wouldn't that be using sudo? ;)
Using sudo once, you can make it so you never have to sudo again.

Also, 'sudo su' and 'sudo -s -H' both work by default on Ubuntu. Hell, you can even do it while running the livecd.
...and what on earth makes you reboot any UNIX-based OS a few times daily? Bad hardware, or just because you feel like it?
1) Laptop. 'Nuff said.

2) Power saving.

3) My PC is in my room. It is hard to sleep with it on.

If you're looking for my opinion (you're probably not looking for my opinion), I think Vista is a decent OS. I've been using Vista Ultimate

That. That right there.

Now, try running Vista Basic and tell me it's anywhere near as good.

for about a month in my new machine, and after a bit of configuring various settings to my liking, it has been running with out a hitch. My games still look quite sexy as well and run smoothly, despite the fact that Vista is a resource hog.

I would just recommend reformatting - perhaps you unintentionally changed some setting, or accidentally installed something that made it go crazy, I dunno, but I would give it another chance, especially because you spent the money on it.

For reference, I'm running it on a Core 2 Quad Q6600, 2GB Kingston Dual Channel RAM, 10,000 RPM Western Digital Raptor HDD, EVGA GeForce 8800 GT Superclocked, ASUS P5K-V Mobo, Sound Blaster X-FI Extreme Audio sound card...

This is probably why your games run well. Put 12 tons of rocket thrust onto a Reliant Robin and it will go incredibly fast (http://www.techeblog.com/index.php/tech-gadget/top-gear-space-shuttle-complete), but it doesn't make Reliant Robins any good. Windows just happens to be the only OS that most games are released for.

That. That right there.
Now, try running Vista Basic and tell me it's anywhere near as good.


Get Vista Home Premium, Business or Ultimate. Avoid Vista Basic or any form of it.

That. That right there.
Now, try running Vista Basic and tell me it's anywhere near as good.


Get Vista Home Premium, Business or Ultimate. Avoid Vista Basic or any form of it.

Yeah, I've heard things about Vista Basic, mostly from friends who have HP or Dell machines that come with it installed. I chose Ultimate because I wanted everything that should be included in the OS, and not some watered down version. I also intend to make full use of DX10 when more games utilize it, and when I drop another 8800 and 2 more GB of RAM into this biatch.

Yeah, I've heard things about Vista Basic, mostly from friends who have HP or Dell machines that come with it installed. I chose Ultimate because I wanted everything that should be included in the OS, and not some watered down version. I also intend to make full use of DX10 when more games utilize it, and when I drop another 8800 and 2 more GB of RAM into this biatch.

Vista Basic is for people who read email and go web surfing. It's not much good for anything else. Vista Home Premium is the same as Windows XP Home and MCE 2005 combined.

I'd use Vista Business.

Allot of that resource hogging is to actually make games run faster. On a system like yours, you should actually get better performance than on XP.

Keep in mind, WGA limits the number of times you can reformat without having to buy a new license.

See, this is what should be classed as illegal.

Fact is, they have no legal power to prevent you from hacking your legally bought copy of Windows to let you install it as many times as you like. However you would probably lose your warranty. Plus as soon as WGA is updated it'd probably include a method of detecting the way you hacked your copy and start disabling things. Advantage. Pah.

Damn I love Linux. Basic? Premium? Ultimate? Just a way of ripping you off, darling. Hell, you can even get the Linux Genuine Advantage (www.linuxgenuineadvantage.org) if you really love crippleware that much. That and Compiz Fusion beats Aero hands down every time. Even gives OS X's shiny interface a run for its money.

More games developers need to support it though. Not just CCP, Epic and ID Software (with the occasional contribution from Egosoft).

See, this is what should be classed as illegal.

Fact is, they have no legal power to prevent you from hacking your legally bought copy of Windows to let you install it as many times as you like. However you would probably lose your warranty. Plus as soon as WGA is updated it'd probably include a method of detecting the way you hacked your copy and start disabling things. Advantage. Pah.
Why? You click a box the first time you boot the OS that says "Here are the conditions, either live with them, or you can return the OS for a full refund."

If you don't like it, get a refund.

That and Compiz Fusion beats Aero hands down every time. Even gives OS X's shiny interface a run for its money.
Compiz lacks polish, badly. When you log out, your windows will lose there borders before the are closed. When Compiz is loaded, your apps will lose there window boarders, and move. The same happens when Compiz is unloaded. Not things that happen with Aero or Aqua.

See, this is what should be classed as illegal.

Fact is, they have no legal power to prevent you from hacking your legally bought copy of Windows to let you install it as many times as you like. However you would probably lose your warranty. Plus as soon as WGA is updated it'd probably include a method of detecting the way you hacked your copy and start disabling things. Advantage. Pah.

Damn I love Linux. Basic? Premium? Ultimate? Just a way of ripping you off, darling. Hell, you can even get the Linux Genuine Advantage (www.linuxgenuineadvantage.org) if you really love crippleware that much. That and Compiz Fusion beats Aero hands down every time. Even gives OS X's shiny interface a run for its money.

More games developers need to support it though. Not just CCP, Epic and ID Software (with the occasional contribution from Egosoft).

Games are a big business. Giving away your valuable source code for a game to open source is not something games products want to be doing in hurry. The last thing you want is someone cloning your game and stealing your sales.

Games are a big business. Giving away your valuable source code for a game to open source is not something games products want to be doing in hurry. The last thing you want is someone cloning your game and stealing your sales.

You misunderstand.

Neither UT2004, Doom 3, EVE Online nor any of the aforementioned companies' other products are open source. You don't have to open the source up for your application for it to run on a GPL'd operating system. That's a Microsoft-invented lie. (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2001/06/02/ballmer_linux_is_a_cancer/) Unfortunately, there are people who don't realise how twisted some people in that company are. Especially Ballmer.

Get Vista Home Premium, Business or Ultimate. Avoid Vista Basic or any form of it.

In other words, pay a few hundred pounds instead of "only" about a hundred. For the upgrade version. That only lets you install twice.

Sorry, Microsoft. You lost a Windows user (albeit a not very enthusiastic Windows user) when you decided that all users are guilty until proven innocent. Activation? Genuine Advantage? For whom?

Just don't whinge to us when Crysis isn't ported Linux eh?But I will, because my Windows is currently crippled and I can no longer play Crysis.

In other words, pay a few hundred pounds instead of "only" about a hundred. For the upgrade version. That only lets you install twice.

Sorry, Microsoft. You lost a Windows user (albeit a not very enthusiastic Windows user) when you decided that all users are guilty until proven innocent. Activation? Genuine Advantage? For whom?

Just don't whinge to us when Crysis isn't ported Linux eh?

Just don't whinge to us when Crysis isn't ported Linux eh?

Funny you should mention that, since the dedicated server for Crysis is currently being ported to Linux (http://www.nohaxnetwork.com/showthread.php?t=3028). Now, I can see why they'd do the server-side first, seeing as most servers.. well.. run Linux.

However with over 30 million Linux users worldwide, that's a market that developers can't just ignore. Maybe a client-side port will be made, maybe not.

And really, should I be that bothered about a game that'll be way too demanding on my poor old computer, when sooner or later I will probably be able to buy a DS version that'll have all the playability of the more detailed PC version? It happened with Call of Duty 4, and the DS port of that is surprisingly playable. The Spectre mission with a touch screen is grrrrrreat!

But I will, because my Windows is currently crippled and I can no longer play Crysis.

In my home PC, the Hitachi Deathstar hard drive started dying but somehow Windows XP is still running ... some bits of OS don't work though.

Actually, under WINE you can play Crysis ... albiet at powerpoint slideshow speed.

In my home PC, the Hitachi Deathstar hard drive started dying but somehow Windows XP is still running ... some bits of OS don't work though.

Actually, under WINE you can play Crysis ... albiet at powerpoint slideshow speed.
Mine is actually due to WGA. My CD key isn't, um, authentic.

And I cannot play anything with Wine due to problems between X.org and fglrx (ie, fglrx supports version 7.2, but my X.org is 7.3...)

Why? You click a box the first time you boot the OS that says "Here are the conditions, either live with them, or you can return the OS for a full refund."

If you don't like it, get a refund.


Compiz lacks polish, badly. When you log out, your windows will lose there borders before the are closed. When Compiz is loaded, your apps will lose there window boarders, and move. The same happens when Compiz is unloaded. Not things that happen with Aero or Aqua.

Considering Compiz is still beta, it's damned good. Also, most people don't turn Aero off halfway through doing something? Also, they don't tend to start Aero halfway through doing something either. Of course, Linux being Linux, it lets you do things like that, with all the accompanying wierdness that that involves.

Try using Mandriva 2008, which comes with Compiz out of the box, starts it as the default window manager, and doesn't shut it down until you shut the computer down. I've been running it on my laptop for some time now and it's rather nice. None of the disappearing window decorations and such, anyway. Only problem I've had is with video overlays, but I think that's a driver problem. Its also a minor bug and only really becomes noticeable if I try moving the desktop cube around while playing something (in which case, the video stays in the same position 'behind' the main graphics and doesn't move while the cube does). In any case, it's damned reliable and looks pretty. What more could I want?

Funny you should mention that, since the dedicated server for Crysis is currently being ported to Linux (http://www.nohaxnetwork.com/showthread.php?t=3028). Now, I can see why they'd do the server-side first, seeing as most servers.. well.. run Linux.

However with over 30 million Linux users worldwide, that's a market that developers can't just ignore. Maybe a client-side port will be made, maybe not.

And really, should I be that bothered about a game that'll be way too demanding on my poor old computer, when sooner or later I will probably be able to buy a DS version that'll have all the playability of the more detailed PC version? It happened with Call of Duty 4, and the DS port of that is surprisingly playable. The Spectre mission with a touch screen is grrrrrreat!Most games have support a Linux version for their dedicated version. This is really nothing new, and not any indication that Crysis is going to be ported over. However, the fact that Crysis was developed using DirectX, which so far only supports Windows indicates that it is never going to be ported. To do so would require the entire game to be rewritten.

Also, developers can't ignore the Linux's market share? Well stop the presses! They are doing so now and still managing to be quite successful.

Mine is actually due to WGA. My CD key isn't, um, authentic.

And I cannot play anything with Wine due to problems between X.org and fglrx (ie, fglrx supports version 7.2, but my X.org is 7.3...)

I'm lucky, at work we have a lot of unused XP licences ...

I have played with Linux and I do find X-Windows is horribly annoying at times.

I'm lucky, at work we have a lot of unused XP licences ...

I have played with Linux and I do find X-Windows is horribly annoying at times.Well, it wouldn't be a problem if I wasn't using the unstable version of the distribution, with an overlay full of experimental packages. If I was using a more sane version, it'd be fine.

Most games have support a Linux version for their dedicated version. This is really nothing new, and not any indication that Crysis is going to be ported over. However, the fact that Crysis was developed using DirectX, which so far only supports Windows indicates that it is never going to be ported. To do so would require the entire game to be rewritten.


Like EVE Online which is designed to use... erm.. DirectX?

CCP had a little chat with TransGaming, did a deal, ripped out some bits of Cedega that are involved with the Direct3D->OpenGL converting, and now you have EVE Online on Mac and Linux. So much for having to rewrite the entire game.


Also, developers can't ignore the Linux's market share? Well stop the presses! They are doing so now and still managing to be quite successful.

Not as successful as the company that decides "hey, let's have a chat with TransGaming" or "hang on, let's give Linux a shot". See above.

Considering Compiz is still beta, it's damned good. Also, most people don't turn Aero off halfway through doing something? Also, they don't tend to start Aero halfway through doing something either. Of course, Linux being Linux, it lets you do things like that, with all the accompanying wierdness that that involves.

Try using Mandriva 2008, which comes with Compiz out of the box, starts it as the default window manager, and doesn't shut it down until you shut the computer down. I've been running it on my laptop for some time now and it's rather nice. None of the disappearing window decorations and such, anyway. Only problem I've had is with video overlays, but I think that's a driver problem. Its also a minor bug and only really becomes noticeable if I try moving the desktop cube around while playing something (in which case, the video stays in the same position 'behind' the main graphics and doesn't move while the cube does). In any case, it's damned reliable and looks pretty. What more could I want?

I learnt SUN UNIX at uni and well, the skills are very useful in Linux (some things haven't changed much). And vi is still a prick of a text editor.

Like EVE Online which is designed to use... erm.. DirectX?

CCP had a little chat with TransGaming, did a deal, ripped out some bits of Cedega that are involved with the Direct3D->OpenGL converting, and now you have EVE Online on Mac and Linux. So much for having to rewrite the entire game.


I've read Cedega is dead as WINE is already adding DX9 and DX10 support.

I've read Cedega is dead as WINE is already adding DX9 and DX10 support.

Nice. Figured it would happen eventually. Would be interesting to see if those parts of WINE are GPL or LGPL. If they are GPL, then you won't be able to use those parts in any proprietary product (this is very different from making a proprietary product run on a GPL OS, which you can very legally do). TransGaming will still be able to make a mint selling solutions to proprietary developers.

However if they are LGPL, that's just going to make converting DX games to Mac and Linux even easier. Personally I can't wait.


Also:
http://tweakers.net/ext/i/1189159019.jpg
Pretty. And on Linux.

Considering Compiz is still beta, it's damned good. Also, most people don't turn Aero off halfway through doing something? Also, they don't tend to start Aero halfway through doing something either. Of course, Linux being Linux, it lets you do things like that, with all the accompanying wierdness that that involves.
I have a dualhead setup. I keep WMP running on my second screen, while I play games. Since current hardware only supports one process having direct rendering access, Areo has to return to its stripped down version in order for the game to run at all. Instead of having borderless windows and the like, it gracefully takes over. Your app stays in the same screen position to boot.

Also, Compiz has been in development for nearly the same time as Areo. its been two and a halfish years and Compiz is still a beta. Besides that, if you know it is beta, why are you using it in a Linux vs Windows comparison? If it is not going to work for people (Which is what beta implies. If that is not the case, are the devs simply keeping the name to defer blame?), then it can't really be better than a less featureful product that does.

Try using Mandriva 2008, which comes with Compiz out of the box, starts it as the default window manager, and doesn't shut it down until you shut the computer down. I've been running it on my laptop for some time now and it's rather nice. None of the disappearing window decorations and such, anyway. Only problem I've had is with video overlays, but I think that's a driver problem. Its also a minor bug and only really becomes noticeable if I try moving the desktop cube around while playing something (in which case, the video stays in the same position 'behind' the main graphics and doesn't move while the cube does). In any case, it's damned reliable and looks pretty. What more could I want?Mandriva makes my machine emit a high pitched scream that is simply unbearable. It is the only distro to ever do so. Also deb > ebuild >>> rpm. Anyways, try running gedit or kate and log out without closing it. If you know how, make gedit or kate a startup app and see what happens when Compiz finally loads.

Also, if Compiz is being included in distributions, and is damned reliable, what is it still doing being called a beta?



Also, I need a new wireless router. Mine is crashing daily or so. Any suggestions as to a brand?

Snip

Also, I need a new wireless router. Mine is crashing daily or so. Any suggestions as to a brand?

First of had good luck with Beryl emerald setup myself (ubuntu machine) dual head setup

But that being said I have had good luck with my Buffalo router ... stable great range and security features (as well as features like reserved DHCP that Linksys "Forgets" for some reason)

I'm lucky, at work we have a lot of unused XP licences ...

I have played with Linux and I do find X-Windows is horribly annoying at times.

I spent the last few years running xless linux distro's as they were primarily servers/information gathering nodes and did not need a gui but the install I have going at work now (deb) has been a great envyron to team with being a windows server admin

Awesome to have both sets of tools comfortably at your fingertips

Like EVE Online which is designed to use... erm.. DirectX?

CCP had a little chat with TransGaming, did a deal, ripped out some bits of Cedega that are involved with the Direct3D->OpenGL converting, and now you have EVE Online on Mac and Linux. So much for having to rewrite the entire game.
But that technically isn't a port. They just ensured that it would run in Cedega. A Port would mean an actual Linux executable that does not require you to have to load the API of another OS into memory. Also, you have to buy both Cedega and EVE on Linux, while you only need EVE on Windows.

I have a dualhead setup. I keep WMP running on my second screen, while I play games. Since current hardware only supports one process having direct rendering access, Areo has to return to its stripped down version in order for the game to run at all. Instead of having borderless windows and the like, it gracefully takes over. Your app stays in the same screen position to boot.

Also, Compiz has been in development for nearly the same time as Areo. its been two and a halfish years and Compiz is still a beta. Besides that, if you know it is beta, why are you using it in a Linux vs Windows comparison?


Because it's good. And free. And I think the developers of Compiz are a little more honest when it comes to describing the status of their products than "let's release a beta and pretend it's finished, try and fix the problems with a service pack later along the line" Microsoft.


If it is not going to work for people (Which is what beta implies. If that is not the case, are the devs simply keeping the name to defer blame?), then it can't really be better than a less featureful product that does.

Mandriva makes my machine emit a high pitched scream that is simply unbearable. It is the only distro to ever do so. Also deb > ebuild >>> rpm. Anyways, try running gedit or kate and log out without closing it. If you know how, make gedit or kate a startup app and see what happens when Compiz finally loads.


Oh I agree about the .deb thing. Aptitude rocks. However, Mandriva loves my laptop a lot more than Kubuntu does.


Also, if Compiz is being included in distributions, and is damned reliable, what is it still doing being called a beta?


See above ;)


Also, I need a new wireless router. Mine is crashing daily or so. Any suggestions as to a brand?

Eh, I dunno. If you want something hackish, try Linksys plus some kind of OpenWRT firmware (wahey, Linux again). If you already have a Linksys, try seeing if it's OpenWRT-compatible and reflashing it, seeing as it seems you have nothing to lose. My Belkin Pre-N router is far superior to any standard G router I've ever used - even when only talking to standard G cards. Maybe the Belkin N1 routers are better still. Plus you get the Belkin lifetime warranty.

Don't go for a basic G Belkin though. They are a bit crap.

First of had good luck with Beryl emerald setup myself (ubuntu machine) dual head setup

But that being said I have had good luck with my Buffalo router ... stable great range and security features (as well as features like reserved DHCP that Linksys "Forgets" for some reason)

Seconded on Buffalo

But that technically isn't a port. They just ensured that it would run in Cedega. A Port would mean an actual Linux executable that does not require you to have to load the API of another OS into memory. Also, you have to buy both Cedega and EVE on Linux, while you only need EVE on Windows.

Uhm, no.

The EVE Linux version is native. They used the bits of Cedega that are necessary to run a DX game in Linux, and ported the rest. It's a native version, largely. You don't need to buy Cedega to run EVE on Linux or Mac. Go check out www.eve-online.com and see.

edit: didn't realise this, but the Linux version actually has a lower system requirement than the Windows version. Like I was saying.. it's a native port.

Because it's good. And free. And I think the developers of Compiz are a little more honest when it comes to describing the status of their products than "let's release a beta and pretend it's finished, try and fix the problems with a service pack later along the line" Microsoft.A while ago they were honest. They're product has been ready for a release candidate label for a long time. All it really lacks is integration into Gnome/KDE and such. Gnome and KDE are not going to support it if it keeps its perpetual beta status.


Oh I agree about the .deb thing. Aptitude rocks. However, Mandriva loves my laptop a lot more than Kubuntu does.
Kubuntu is scary. Almost always Ubuntu + KDE is better.

Eh, I dunno. If you want something hackish, try Linksys plus some kind of OpenWRT firmware (wahey, Linux again). If you already have a Linksys, try seeing if it's OpenWRT-compatible and reflashing it, seeing as it seems you have nothing to lose. My Belkin Pre-N router is far superior to any standard G router I've ever used - even when only talking to standard G cards. Maybe the Belkin N1 routers are better still. Plus you get the Belkin lifetime warranty.

Don't go for a basic G Belkin though. They are a bit crap.[I have a Linksys, and it is not OpenWRT compatible. I've had a Belkin, it was crap. I think it was rather basic though. Also, is Wireless-N backwards compatible the same way Wireless-G is?

Uhm, no.

The EVE Linux version is native. They used the bits of Cedega that are necessary to run a DX game in Linux, and ported the rest. It's a native version, largely. You don't need to buy Cedega to run EVE on Linux or Mac. Go check out www.eve-online.com and see.

edit: didn't realise this, but the Linux version actually has a lower system requirement than the Windows version. Like I was saying.. it's a native port.
I stand corrected.

However, the Linux version does not support my graphics card.

Seconded on Buffalo

Yeah I had good luck until I changed over to a bit more ... robust network (got a hold of a Aironet1200 a PIX 501 and using the Buffalo for just the routing portion for now (Had a debian box built for that for awhile but needed the hardware))

But spent a year with just the Buffalo and it worked great

A while ago they were honest. They're product has been ready for a release candidate label for a long time. All it really lacks is integration into Gnome/KDE and such. Gnome and KDE are not going to support it if it keeps its perpetual beta status.



Kubuntu is scary. Almost always Ubuntu + KDE is better.

I have a Linksys, and it is not OpenWRT compatible. I've had a Belkin, it was crap. I think it was rather basic though. Also, is Wireless-N backwards compatible the same way Wireless-G is?

Yes, perfectly.

However, N is still in "draft" status as far as I know. So if you're after a fully N network, make sure you get all the same brand. It's a bit like a couple of years ago when you had all the "Turbo G" stuff out, where different manufacturers made their stuff entirely incompatible with each other. If it's incompatible, it will drop down to standard G rates.

I stand corrected.

However, the Linux version does not support my graphics card.

Unfortunately, yes. Means as and when I upgrade my machine to an EVE standard, I'll be stuck with having to use Nvidia's shitty proprietary drivers or using some Intel GPU, for now.

Ya never know though, that might change. What with ATI opening their drivers for the latest chipsets and all. Would be nice to have an ATI card in Linux that supports more than OpenGL/Mesa 1.3.

Yes, perfectly.

However, N is still in "draft" status as far as I know. So if you're after a fully N network, make sure you get all the same brand. It's a bit like a couple of years ago when you had all the "Turbo G" stuff out, where different manufacturers made their stuff entirely incompatible with each other. If it's incompatible, it will drop down to standard G rates.

With belkin and 3com fighting at the beginning having problems crossing brands with the "pre" standards" is entirely likely

Also, Posi, with regards Linux and WiFi drivers, make sure you read up on the ndiswrapper compatibility list. Belkin Pre-N "Airgo" drivers have just (last couple of months) started working with the latest ndiswrapper, not sure about the rest.

Also, Posi, with regards Linux and WiFi drivers, make sure you read up on the ndiswrapper compatibility list. Belkin Pre-N "Airgo" drivers have just (last couple of months) started working with the latest ndiswrapper, not sure about the rest.

God and stay away from anything with a broadcom chip ... I have had some built in ones that were some of the biggest pains in the ass I have ever seen

With belkin and 3com fighting at the beginning having problems crossing brands with the "pre" standards" is entirely likely

Yuck.

Still, MIMO is the way of the future. Seriously excellent stuff.

Yes, perfectly.

However, N is still in "draft" status as far as I know. So if you're after a fully N network, make sure you get all the same brand. It's a bit like a couple of years ago when you had all the "Turbo G" stuff out, where different manufacturers made their stuff entirely incompatible with each other. If it's incompatible, it will drop down to standard G rates.
Its still in draft status?? Wow, I remember when I bought my dad a router last year, Staple's had Wireless-N routers and had a picto-gram explaining the differences between B, G, Super G, and N. I guess, I'll not go for one. I'm actually on a B network with computers that all support G. My router is about six years old.

Yuck.

Still, MIMO is the way of the future. Seriously excellent stuff.

Yeah ... it would be nice to get to play with some of the new tech as it comes out like I used to be able to :) but now with infrastructure support I no longer do any wireless :) All Wired and WAN now.

Its still in draft status?? Wow, I remember when I bought my dad a router last year, Staple's had Wireless-N routers and had a picto-gram explaining the differences between B, G, Super G, and N. I guess, I'll not go for one. I'm actually on a B network with computers that all support G. My router is about six years old.

I dont normally bother for residential ... the range is not an issue in most case and TCP still sucks over wireless N or not ... when I need that sort of bandwidth I plug in

Its still in draft status?? Wow, I remember when I bought my dad a router last year, Staple's had Wireless-N routers and had a picto-gram explaining the differences between B, G, Super G, and N. I guess, I'll not go for one. I'm actually on a B network with computers that all support G. My router is about six years old.

Hah. They say wireless N, but unless something has changed very recently, take a look at the box. You'll see something in very small writing that'll say "Draft v2.0" or somesuch. Pre-N was draft 1.0.

Of course it could have changed. Been a few months since I last looked at WiFi.

I dont normally bother for residential ... the range is not an issue in most case and TCP still sucks over wireless N or not ... when I need that sort of bandwidth I plug in

Eh, it depends. Wired is always going to be rock-solid reliable. However walking around your house with a laptop and a wire is not a good option. Plus unless you go to the edge of the range, you'll be getting 108Mbps. That and the nature of N and MIMO means you won't get interference - or as much interference - because your router and card will channel-hop to avoid it.

It's good stuff. Just needs to be standardised.

Intel is supposed to be releasing discrete cards late Q3. Although, I haven't heard anything about it for about six months. It would be nice.

Also, my card supports OpenGL 2.1. I'm interested to see what happens with the RadeonHD driver, now that documentation is available.

Heh.. whether your card supports it is immaterial. Whether the drivers support it however...


Run glxinfo and look at your OpenGL version string. That should tell you what your current set-up supports. Mind you, the people I've talked to on this are using open drivers versus proprietary...

Well, I plan to uses this router until it dies like my current one is wanting to do. I have had to restart the bugger twice tonight.

Yeah but with the N standard in question to start with and the chances for major change in the future I would bet on G based standards being compatible for longer right now then N

I've got a Pre-N wireless PCI Express x1 installed in the desktop but my router is only G so ... never mind.

Unfortunately, yes. Means as and when I upgrade my machine to an EVE standard, I'll be stuck with having to use Nvidia's shitty proprietary drivers or using some Intel GPU, for now.

Ya never know though, that might change. What with ATI opening their drivers for the latest chipsets and all. Would be nice to have an ATI card in Linux that supports more than OpenGL/Mesa 1.3.Intel is supposed to be releasing discrete cards late Q3. Although, I haven't heard anything about it for about six months. It would be nice.

Also, my card supports OpenGL 2.1. I'm interested to see what happens with the RadeonHD driver, now that documentation is available.

Hah. They say wireless N, but unless something has changed very recently, take a look at the box. You'll see something in very small writing that'll say "Draft v2.0" or somesuch. Pre-N was draft 1.0.

Of course it could have changed. Been a few months since I last looked at WiFi.
This was June/July. IIRC, the only N router they had was $200+.

I dont normally bother for residential ... the range is not an issue in most case and TCP still sucks over wireless N or not ... when I need that sort of bandwidth I plug inWell, I plan to uses this router until it dies like my current one is wanting to do. I have had to restart the bugger twice tonight.

Also, my townhouse is five stories tall. We have computers in both the top and bottom floors. My mom also won't let us run cables or anything. I'm stuck with wireless.

Also, Posi, with regards Linux and WiFi drivers, make sure you read up on the ndiswrapper compatibility list. Belkin Pre-N "Airgo" drivers have just (last couple of months) started working with the latest ndiswrapper, not sure about the rest.I'd be waiting a good while before I got new cards for the computers. For starters, I don't think I can replace it on my laptop, so it would be a waste until at least the laptop is too slow to be useful.

Actually, my mom's laptop has a B card. I should see if it is upgradeable...

Heh.. whether your card supports it is immaterial. Whether the drivers support it however...


Run glxinfo and look at your OpenGL version string. That should tell you what your current set-up supports. Mind you, the people I've talked to on this are using open drivers versus proprietary...

$ glxinfo | grep "GL version string"
OpenGL version string: 2.1.7276 Release

$ glxinfo | grep "GL version string"
OpenGL version string: 2.1.7276 Release

Oooh fun.

I hope the ATI/EVE problem gets fixed then. I really don't want to be stuck with proprietary drivers that may or may not break every time I decide to upgrade the kernel.

Oooh fun.

I hope the ATI/EVE problem gets fixed then. I really don't want to be stuck with proprietary drivers that may or may not break every time I decide to upgrade the kernel.2.6.23 has so far been the first time I can remember when fglrx supported the latest kernel. Usually it is a version behind.

fglrx will probably work. However, the version that most distros ship is quite old. fglrx underwent a complete re-write and the first versions were quite buggy. ATI urged distros to sticked with the older codebase. I think they are recommending the latest fglrx, which is about 55% faster than the old codebase.

Things will get interesting when OpenGL 3.0 get finalised.

Things will get interesting when OpenGL 3.0 get finalised.OpenGL 3.0 will change nothing.