Vista: Simpler is NOT Always Better

[TechnologyCoordinator]

Windows Vista was designed to try to please two different crowds:

1) Existing Windows Users that have graduated from 95, 98, 2K Pro, and XP
2) Folks who are attracted to the shimmer and shine of the Mac OSes


I've been using Vista for a year and a half now. I have Vista Ultimate (32-bit). My general impression is that there is a lot to like. However, I find myself butting heads with several features.

- User Access Control (UAC): Without a doubt the STUPIDEST feature in Vista. Security is good, but when you get prompted for EVERY SINGLE CHANGE you make on your machine, it becomes redundant. UAC trains users to power-click through vauge, meaningless, and annoying warning windows. The end result is frustration and no real security advantage.

- "Simplified" Backup: The backup tools in the "Ultimate" version of Windows offers so little options that I would consider it a joke. It doesn't say what it will backup, nor does it give you a choice of what to backup. These are the options you are given:

Normal Backup (an undefined backup of what MS has deemed important)
Full Backup (The whole kitten-caboodle)
Where to backup

But even the "where to backup" options reek of fail. It doesn't let you backup your files to the drive the OS is installed on. Which is good, for most setups. However, my approach was to put my OS and programs on one HD, and all my precious data on a seperate HD. In fact, I even edited the Windows registry to store My Documents, My Pictures, etc... on my D:\ drive, not the C:\ drive. However, because Vista has to baby all users my only option for backup was onto the drive that the data ALREADY existed on.



Vista "Ultimate"? I think not. More like Vista "for dummies".


- Vista Defrag, the "Ultimate" way: Ready for some ULTIMATE defraging? Too bad. Vista "Ultimate" defrag offers all the functionality you need, but gives you ZERO feedback as to how much fragmentation there is, how long the defrag will take, how far the way through it you are. The only thing Vista defrag tells you is that "This may take from a few minutes to a few hours."

FAIL FAIL FAIL

Vista "Ultimate" Defrag:


May I remind you what the "old" XP defrag looked like:


Vista "Ultimate"? I think not. More like Vista "for dummies".



I still used the Vista defrag because I don't always want to see the progress. However, a great, FREE alternative for backup is Comodo Backup. It gives the experienced user simple, yet powerful options:

Online Backup with Comodo Backup



I hereby open this up for discussion!:

Do you agree?
Do you disagree?
Know of other good backup programs?
Know of a good defrag alternative?

[tool_462]

Defrag program = Defraggler. Awesome, free, fast, easy.

I never used UAC, I cut it out with Vlite

[MagicLess]

UAC disabled, useful, maybe, annoying, yes.

Back-up, haven't used, probably should.

Defrag, once a week when I'm at work, but the feedback would make me feel more comfortable.

[TechnologyCoordinator]

Defrag program = Defraggler. Awesome, free, fast, easy.

I never used UAC, I cut it out with Vlite

Yup, I turned UAC off in the first week of having Vista.

I just downloaded and tried out DeFraggler, IT ROCKS! Thanks so much for sharing that with me. Long gone are the days of typing "Free [insert word here]" into google and actually getting a real result.

[tool_462]

Piriform writes awesome programs. They also make CrapCleaner if you didn't know.

[SuperFly03]

Defrag Program = O&O Defrag

UAC = annoying POS Disabled it before my first install. My dad likes it, I loathe it.

[Mandrake]

I run Vista myself, and I have to agree with you on some of the points here. I haven't touched the backup program myself, as I manually backup important documents and files to DVD from time to time.

As for the UAC, that has to be the worst feature MS ever came up with. It's intended to protect average users, but for people like me who are in the control panel all the time changing the settings around, it gets very annoying very quickly. Being asked for permission to change the date or time is just rediculous!

The defragging is a different matter, IMO. The automatic defrag that just runs without ever needing to be touched is a great feature for most users. For those users like us who want to see whats going on though, MS should have included something like the XP Defrag. To that end I use, and recommend, O&O Defrag. It's not free, but there is a free trial and I feel that the price is well worth it given the quality of the software.

[YMAA]

Searching is by far my least favorite part of Vista. It just sucks. XP's search was way better.

[Mandrake]

Searching is by far my least favorite part of Vista. It just sucks. XP's search was way better.

The instant search is one of the best features of Vista IMO. Being able to find stuff quickly and easily by just popping open the start menu and quickly entering a search term is a godsend to me. It's also incredibly useful for quickly locating applications in the start menu without having to sift through 'all programs'.

XP, OTOH, gave you that ridiculous search character by default. Disabling that dog and watching it slowly leave was always very painful for me.

[YMAA]

It would be quick and easy if the search tool actually worked. It opens quickly, but for some reason it doesn't find what I'm looking for. If I look for all the Excel spreadsheet files in XP, I type in "*.xls." For some reason it doesn't find them all, even when I tell it to look in non-indexed locations (in my case, everything is non-indexed because I disable that ridiculous service).

[randomizer]

Fragmentation check:

c:\>Defrag C: -a -v

Defrag:

c:\>Defrag C: -v

[tool_462]

It would be quick and easy if the search tool actually worked. It opens quickly, but for some reason it doesn't find what I'm looking for. If I look for all the Excel spreadsheet files in XP, I type in "*.xls." For some reason it doesn't find them all, even when I tell it to look in non-indexed locations (in my case, everything is non-indexed because I disable that ridiculous service).

Same problem I have, crappy setup. I don't know where these "indexed locations" are but I can't seem to find one

I HATE those annoying blue and green folders, app data/user data etc. One day I'll find out how to get rid of them in Vlite.

[Gneisenau]

MS needs to take a few years off the new OS writing crap, and do some real research. Then develop a totally new concept in OSes and start from scratch. Toss everything they have and start with a clean slate. Sure they won't be able to release another OS till 2017 or so, but unless they do something similar, each version will just be a patch for the last one. Apple needs to do something similar.

I'm not sure they need to code to the lowest common denominator either. That always produces crap.

[wuzy]

1) UAC
Even thought I don't see it in the Administrator account of Server 2008, my experience with it in non-admin account has been good. It's just a painless click and you know when you're expecting one. Or you could turn it off...

2) Backup
What's that? *looks at the 3x1TB RAID5 array*
I'll get a DLT drive when I feel my data is warrants that much protection.
I know in the CompTia A+ test they want you to know how to use the built-in Windows backup. But what I want to know is who in the corporate business use such simplistic retarded stuff? (Even more retarded, System Restore )

3) Yeh, defraging in Vista is retarded indeed.
But I'm used to using PerfectDisk 2008 Server.

[randomizer]

(Even more retarded, System Restore )

Oi, system restore FTW!

Seriously, its not hard to use a DOS prompt to defrag. Saves hard drive space instead of installing other garbage. Just make sure you DO defrag. Last time I checked in Vista my fragmentation on C: was about 26%.

[huddy]

I loathe UAC
I also despise Superfetch in my laptop system... it works great on my desktop though.

[DaSickNinja]

If you don't know how to turn off UAC, you need it.

[YMAA]

If you don't know how to turn off UAC, you need it.

More importantly, if you don't know where to look for a tutorial on how to turn it off, you need it.

[Violet_wind]

If you don't know how to turn off UAC, you need it.

What!! That's impossible! I'm a responsible Vista User even if I can't turn off UAC!!

Hey cool! Julia sent me an attachment... cutepuppys.jpg.exe

Better open it.

Seriously, I can tolerate UAC, but I don't like the new defrag system... the status center is cool, but...

[baligavinod]

Fragmentation check:

c:\>Defrag C: -a -v

Defrag:

c:\>Defrag C: -v

+1

used to do this even on XP