Windows Vista Problem...

[FatherRob]

I hate Vista, but am somewhat stuck with it. I am having problems with it and its running terribly slow. It won't install the updates I have downloaded, and I am getting fed up.

I thought about reinstalling, but the CD says it will wipe the hard drive. I'd prefer to switch back to XP, but don't have a copy that's not proprietary (I have my Compaq disk with XP from an older computer) but I don't think it's legal to use that one and I don't want my hard drive erased.

Any ideas on what I can do, other than buy a Mac next time around?

Rob+

 

[cubbie]

I sometimes have problems downloading the updates from the update center. I will copy the KB number and download it from windows dowload site. That usually works for me.

A month ago, I was having problems with vista. I saved all of my personal data and then reinstalled vista from scratch with the recovery disks. It fixed a lot of the problems that I was having.

I've had to do this with XP in the past, too, so it's not unique to vista. Windows updates works better in XP, though.

 

[The Fatman]

If it were my system, the first thing I would do is reinstall the OS. You DO need to wipe the hard drive for any OS install though (Either downgrading, upgrading, or just reinstalling). If you have essential data you can't lose, I would burn it to a disc or transfer it onto a backup drive if you have one. But, with the other issues you listed, it could very well be a memory issue you can fix without reinstalling.

That said, as a couple preliminary questions:
Which version of Vista do you have (Basic, Premium, Ultimate, etc...)?
how much Hard Drive space do you have available (unused)?
how much system RAM do you have?
What programs are currently running in the system tray (those little icons by your clock in the bottom-right)?
Is your Windows Sidebar running?

As far as a downgrade to XP, you are right in that it would be a violation of your MS product license to use your Compaq XP disc on this new tower. On a more practical note though, those OEM OS discs tend to only have very limited and specific driver databases. Basically, if you use an HP/Compaq disc in a non-HP/Compaq tower, you might get some basic functionality, but you're going to spend anywhere from hours to days based on your PC skill looking up all your specific hardware drivers and manually installing them. If you're serious about downgrading to XP, you really should pay the $200 for a new retail copy of XP and use that.

 

[MilleniumLance]

DISABLE SYSTEM RESTORE!!! For one it doesn't even work and it is a system and resource hog . I had a serious crash and tried to use the restore and it kept coming back with an error so I disabled it and now my system is running smooth and fast...

every time you log onto the net, install a program, run a program or open a folder the system restore creates a new backup THAT DOESN'T WORK...thats just my 2 cents

to disable it goto control panel>system>system protection and uncheck your primary hard drive and restart you will see an instant increase in speed....another speed increase is disable any startup programs your not using {Start button search space>Msconfig>startup-uncheck any programs you don't need running in the background..

 

[Deks]

Actually, the System restore worked nicely for me in almost all situations I used it.
Had no problems.
Then again, I use XP Pro SP3.

If you want something that runs stable, use XP for now.
Use Vista only if you have a new generation based computer ... and even then it's speed/performance will be on par with what XP offers and not in any way better.

 

[roliver]

Windows updates works better in XP, though.

Windows Update works perfectly fine on both of my Vista systems. One of them is a four year old system that I did a clean upgrade on. Vista runs just fine on it, and is perfectly stable.

 

[cubbie]

Windows updates works better in XP, though.

Windows Update works perfectly fine on both of my Vista systems. One of them is a four year old system that I did a clean upgrade on. Vista runs just fine on it, and is perfectly stable.

You are lucky, then. I've had lots of problems with it and a quick google search shows lots of other people who have had problems with it.

 

[Deks]

My sister had issues with Vista Home basic on her laptop (which is hardly suitable for that OS) in regard to online updates.
I tried various solutions/tricks to get the updates that didn't want to install to work, but alas, nothing did.
Then SP1 came out and I was able to install it easily thus covering all of the patches and bug fixes that came out ever since.

I think most of the issues are covered for now and the systems works ok (apart from the fact the OS is a resource hog).

 

[JoeZhang]

I have windows vista and I like it a lot, it does what I want and has been rock solid.

 

[Candlelight]

Vista tried to kill me.

It grabbed a knife.

Send help.

 

[TerriO]

When I had a Vista Ultimate machine that worked, I liked it, actually.

Then my cats decided that the soda I was drinking really needed to be inside the computer instead of on my desk.

 

[Carpe Occasio]

I've read that Vista has issues with Automatic Updates when Symantec Anti-Virus is installed.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

If it were my system, the first thing I would do is reinstall the OS. You DO need to wipe the hard drive for any OS install though (Either downgrading, upgrading, or just reinstalling).

For a reinstall, wiping the disk is not necessary. If reinstalling in the same location is not desirable for some reason, a "parallel installation" will usually suffice. Install Windows to a different directory (e.g. c:\winxp).

The Windows "upgrade" process is certainly arduous enough that I would recommend starting from scratch, but for a simple reinstall, you shouldn't have to wipe everything unless you're hopelessly infested with viruses and don't know how to get rid of them AND preserve your data.

 

[Gaseous Anomaly]

I've read that Vista has issues with Automatic Updates when Symantec Anti-Virus is installed.

This is news to me, I run Norton Internet Security and I have no problems with automatic update running. I do have auto update set to let me download the update or not if I so desire.

 

[Carpe Occasio]

I've read that Vista has issues with Automatic Updates when Symantec Anti-Virus is installed.

This is news to me, I run Norton Internet Security and I have no problems with automatic update running. I do have auto update set to let me download the update or not if I so desire.

I don't have Vista so I'm only going by what I've read on the Internet, and apparently it's not a universal issue with Symantec anti-virus products.

 

[Gaseous Anomaly]

I've read that Vista has issues with Automatic Updates when Symantec Anti-Virus is installed.

This is news to me, I run Norton Internet Security and I have no problems with automatic update running. I do have auto update set to let me download the update or not if I so desire.

I don't have Vista so I'm only going by what I've read on the Internet, and apparently it's not a universal issue with Symantec anti-virus products.

Norton and Symantec are one in the same.

 

[Carpe Occasio]

This is news to me, I run Norton Internet Security and I have no problems with automatic update running. I do have auto update set to let me download the update or not if I so desire.

I don't have Vista so I'm only going by what I've read on the Internet, and apparently it's not a universal issue with Symantec anti-virus products.

Norton and Symantec are one in the same.

Yes, I know. But apparently not all problems/issues are one in the same.

 

[FatherRob]

That said, as a couple preliminary questions:

All of the following answers apply to my machine, a Gateway P-6822 Laptop with a 1.50 GHz Intel Core2 Duo Processor

Which version of Vista do you have (Basic, Premium, Ultimate, etc...)?

Home Premium

how much Hard Drive space do you have available (unused)?

Local Disk (C) 151 GB free of 222 GB / Recovery (D) 3.90 of 10.0

how much system RAM do you have?

1014 MB

What programs are currently running in the system tray (those little icons by your clock in the bottom-right)?

Intel Graphics Media Accellerator for Mobile, BigFix, Google Desktop, Camera Assistant Software, Napster, Synaptics Pointing Device, McAffe Anti-Virus.

Is your Windows Sidebar running?

No.

Rob+

 

[Gaseous Anomaly]

When I bought my laptop I was running McAfee internet security. The computer was always running slow till I uninstalled the McAfee. I now run Norton Internet security and everything is good to go. You might try and disable the McAfee and see if that helps.

 

[The Fatman]

Other than McAfee, you don't seem to have any obvious resource drags or Spyware in your system tray. The available hard drive space is good, but 1024MB (1GB) RAM is pretty low for Vista Premium. The Windows Aero desktop is incredibly memory intensive. Teamed with McAfee Security Center, I'm not surprised you're experiencing slowdown. I don't believe that should cause Windows Update to fail, but I'm not surprised by anything Vista does.

If you want to go this route, and see if it's a low memory issue causing your problems, there's a couple steps you should try

1) upgrade the system RAM to 2GB, at least. Gateway lists your system as using DDR2 667MHZ laptop RAM, so I took the liberty of searching that out for you at Newegg. Any of those should be compatible with your laptop.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010260381+1309221136+1309121117&name=2GB+(2+x+1GB)


2) Uninstall McAfee. Go to Start - Control Panel - Programs and Features. Then select McAfee from the list, and click the button that says Uninstall. Follow the on-screen prompts to fully remove it from your system. For security, there are several options that are available online for free that use far less system resources than McAfee and work just as well (if not better). I like AVG, but other options include AVAST! and Trend-Micro PC-Cillin. You can get any of these at http://www.download.com


3) This step may already be done, I forgot to ask this earlier. Vista should be current, with Service Pack 1 installed. The hotfixes in SP1 went a long way towards stabilizing Vista. To see if you have SP1 installed, go to Start - Control Panel - System. That info screen will say Service Pack 1 below where is says Microsoft Windows Vista if you have it. If it doesn't, you will want to download the full version (totally bypassing the not-functioning Windows Update) by clicking here:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...6d-5ebb-413b-89c9-cb3d06d12674&DisplayLang=en

Try those steps above, see if things start running more smoothly. If not, It is time to reinstall the OS.