Vista - The OS that keeps you wondering...

[Phoenixx]

EDIT: Original post irrelevant now - Problem has been identified and solved.

 

[sleepy]

I'm no Vista expert, trust me!
What does Right-Click > Properties look like on the Shortcut? Are there any commands and is the "Start In" (general path) correct or contain extra commands?

Do you know the name of the .ini and have you tried searching for extras or a wildcard *.*.ini search just to see if something funny turns up?

I might try a "Find" search in Regedit also, though that can be a pain given the size and vagaries of reg keys.

 

[Phoenixx]

EDIT: Forget everything i said, i know what the problem is.

I didnt actually copy the shortcut into the startmenu, but accidentally the executable itself. (Yeah, sleep-lacking pro user at work again.) I just noticed it when i checked the properties of the 'shortcut' in the startmenu. It wasnt one, it showed the properties of an exe. I think under XP this wouldnt have been a problem since XP would have turned it into a shortcut automatically. (If i remember correctly.) Or it just doesnt matter there since i dont remember ever having such a problem before.


Anyhow, i would still like to know where that second ini/appdir is located. Using the explorer search to find that second set of files might in deed be a good idea, although i think i have already checked all dirs where they could be. But then you never know, especially with anything that wears the microsoft brand,...

 

[sleepy]

Maybe there's an extra .ini somewhere along the path, for instance, C: or C:\Program Files\???
With the Explorer search, make sure to use *something like* Advanced search > search all hidden files/system folders/subdirectories.

 

[Phoenixx]

With the Explorer search, make sure to use *something like* Advanced search > search all hidden files/system folders/subdirectories.

That did the trick - i got it. (Guess where it was?)

Thanks a lot sleepy, without you i probably wouldnt have checked the shortcuts properties again since i didnt even realize its not actually a shortcut. Problem solved, and where the extra files go is clear now too.

I owe you a drink buddy,...

 

[maf]

Let's face it. Vista is a dud OS. 7 may go some way to addressing its issues, but a Windows reboot is needed!

 

[RockWizard]

Everybody I know who has Vista hates it. More crashes, VERY unstable, and just damn slow. Hopefully, if you want to do an upgrade, Win7 might be the ticket. From the reports I've seen, the new OS has a LOT of XP in it and more stable. Now....if they could make a "compatibility mode" that would work for older programs........

 

[Phoenixx]

I too wasnt too thrilled by what i saw when i tried Vista for the first time. It mostly seemed like a 'pimped' XP, and, well, lets face it, thats what it is for the most part. Hence switching to Vista didnt seem to make too much sense, plus all the bad reports from other people werent exactly encouraging either, so i let it be.

But then at the end of last year i thought what the heck, XP wont last forever, so i got me a systembuilder copy and started a long-term test to check out the new system for myself - if only to be able to say i gave it a fair chance by using it over an extended period of time myself rather than just believing what others say. Frankly, since my first impression wasnt too impressing i thought im probably back to XP in one maybe two weeks tops, and that i will start to use Vista on a regular basis only when it becomes absolutely necessary. But imagine my surprise; since then i have booted into XP only one single time and after 30 minutes or so i seriously couldnt shut down XP and reboot into Vista fast enough.

I found that once you have gotten used to the modern look and all the animated GUI effects etc. you just dont want to miss them anymore. I know its just eye candy but it certainly does make a difference - XP looked and behaved bland and boring in comparison. And once you have gotten used to the new options-arrangements (which were no doubt better organized in XP) its really not much different from what you were used to. Sure, a couple of older program versions dont work anymore and need updated, but then a lot of new ones which dont run on XP at all do so i guess in the end its a fair trade after all. (Most programs like games, media players etc. still run perfectly though so its no reason to be overly concerned.) Drivers for my hardware didnt give my any problems either - everything is perfectly installed. Performance is what you would expect from a hardware configuration like mine too, so no complaints in that department either. And best of all: Almost 3 months and not one single crash or BSOD. The system is stable, reliable, just as it should be. And what more can you expect?

Conclusion: I dont know how good or bad Vista was pre-SP1, but i can now tell from my own experience that a VistaSP1 system is quasi like a XPSP3 with a modernized GUI plus DX10 and a couple of new features. The only real bad thing, (and i mean real bad), is the new sound and video systems which underwent drastic changes and had absolutely ridiculous protection mechanisms added only to protect so called 'HD-Content' from being viewed without authorisation even though you can circumvent this by buying a simple $30.- standalone player. You probably have no idea what this move meant to the entire hardware industry and what disadvantages you have to accept as the user only so they could realize this morinic and ultimately useless content protection system. I only say intentional/arbitrary signal-degrading, etc., and yes, thats also the very reason why hardware accellerated features like EAX are gone under Vista. (It is also the reason why an average GFX card driver is now over 100MBs,...not to mention that manufactures literally have been tormented into making them Vista compatible.)

If you are interested in the whole story i strongly recommend to read THIS article, its a long read, but probably one of the most educational articles in the net as far as MS business-practics are concerned and how their decisions have an influence on the entire PC industry. Actually a must-read for every PC owner with an MS operation system,...i guarantee you, when you finished it (you really have to read the whole thing to understand the big picture) you will have a whole new appreciation for Microsoft!

And remember: All these efforts are rendered completely useless by a mere $30.- standalone player!

 

[Meecro Hyperion]

Ah Phoenixx. Paying tribute to the old motto:

'If at first you don't succeed, destroy any evidence you ever tried!'

 

[maf]

Hmm, the Conclusion part of your experience, Phoenixx, makes me want to stay as far away from Vista as possible.

 

[TheMcD]

Fun facts: The reason people stay with Vista is that getting XP back on is a real pain in the neck. I just experienced that with my personal journey to the better OS of the two.

Fact 2: Vista did not recognize my RSHIFT key. It just didn't. Never found out why.

The McD

 

[Phoenixx]

Vista did not recognize my RSHIFT key. It just didn't. Never found out why.

This seems to be something that affects quite a lot of people.

Personally i have used,...wait, let me count,...six different keyboards in the meantime, ranging from an old DIN Standard Keyboard via DIN-to-PS/2 adaptor to different PS/2 and USB Office- and Media Keyboards, (both wired and wireless), some with standard layout and some with 'notebook' layout (meaning only one WIN key and no NumBlock, etc.), which means i have practically one of every sort there is and yet with none of them did i have any problems with any of the keys ever. And on top of that i dont even use the standard default keymap because i like to reconfigure (via registry keys) the right WIN key and the Context key to function as system-volume up/down control. (So i have them on the lower part of the keyboard.)

Makes me wonder what you folks have in common,...it always seems to be right SHIFT that is affected,...

 

[maf]

Keyboard driver problem? (one of Vista's problems is its dodgy drivers). One solution I read was to to use HID Compatible device driver instead of whatever is currently assigned to the keyboard.

Reference: http://vogons.zetafleet.com/viewtopic.php?t=18465

 

[Phoenixx]

For what its worth, i have two drivers listed under properties for my current keyboard.

1.) i8042prt.sys

2.) kbdclass.sys

The keyboard i currently use is a wireless media-keyboard which transmits to a PS/2 connected receiver station. Standard Layout (German) with all Keys and NumBlock present, plus a couple of extra keys for browser, explorer and media player functions.

Works flawlessly in all applications.

The fact that there is a mouse driver listed as well (the first one) is probably because the receiver is for both mouse and keyboard signals.