Un-official Unsolicited Vista and Windows 7 Advice Thread

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  • HarlanBearHarlanBear Registered Users Posts: 290 Major grins
    edited December 19, 2007
    SloYerRoll wrote:
    Thanks all for the input.

    I'm gonna try NOD32. I like the idea of having a say in how it affects my machine like Harlan Bear said.

    In regards to Norton, I've uninstalled but.... Any resources for manually removing those stubborn files that don't go away w/ the uninstall?

    Just go to each individual file and uninstall. That's the only way I know.
    And I think you'll like NOD32, but no reason not to give the trial a try.
  • SloYerRollSloYerRoll Registered Users Posts: 2,788 Major grins
    edited December 20, 2007
    Downloading the trial now.

    What's:
    ESET Smart Security for Win XP/2000/Vista

    It's an optional d/l right beside:
    ESET NOD32 3.0 Antivirus for Win XP/2000/Vista

    I assume it's a sort of firewall?
  • HarlanBearHarlanBear Registered Users Posts: 290 Major grins
    edited December 20, 2007
    SloYerRoll wrote:
    Downloading the trial now.

    What's:
    ESET Smart Security for Win XP/2000/Vista

    It's an optional d/l right beside:
    ESET NOD32 3.0 Antivirus for Win XP/2000/Vista

    I assume it's a sort of firewall?

    I think it's a whole "suite" of protection software, but you'd have to read up on it at their site. I didn't bother with it since I already have a firewall and Windows Denfender seems like good protection as well. YMMV.
  • SloYerRollSloYerRoll Registered Users Posts: 2,788 Major grins
    edited December 20, 2007
    Nope MMDV!

    Just ran the deep scan and nothing in there!
  • PupatorPupator Registered Users Posts: 2,322 Major grins
    edited December 23, 2007
    I'm running no AV software and am amazed how much faster the computer runs. I've tried Avast, AVG, and NOD and prefer "none" to all of them. YMMV
  • SloYerRollSloYerRoll Registered Users Posts: 2,788 Major grins
    edited December 23, 2007
    Pupator wrote:
    I'm running no AV software and am amazed how much faster the computer runs. I've tried Avast, AVG, and NOD and prefer "none" to all of them. YMMV
    My machine stillscreams w/ NOD32.

    Hey Harlan,

    Any updates on ISO's? Just being the squeaky wheel!

    Cheers,
    -Jon
  • PupatorPupator Registered Users Posts: 2,322 Major grins
    edited December 31, 2007
    What are all those services?
    If you've ever looked and the running services list (or used any of the tips and tweaks to disable services and seen how many there are), you're probably not familiar with what many of them are. Here's a list of descriptions explaining many of them. From this list you should be able to determine if you'd like to disable it, or if you should just leave it alone.

    These descriptions are from Steve Sinchak over at http://www.tweakvista.com.
    Apple Mobile Device - Provides the interface to Apple mobile devices. If you don’t have any apple hardware but use iTunes, then disable this service.
    Diagnostic Policy Service - The Diagnostic Policy Service enables problem detection, troubleshooting and resolution for Windows components. If this service is stopped, diagnostics will no longer function. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
    Diagnostic System Host - The Diagnostic System Host service enables problem detection, troubleshooting and resolution for Windows components. If this service is stopped, some diagnostics will no longer function. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
    Base Filtering Engine - The Base Filtering Engine (BFE) is a service that manages firewall1.gif and Internet Protocol security (IPsec) policies and implements user mode filtering. Stopping or disabling the BFE service will significantly reduce the security of the system. It will also result in unpredictable behavior in IPsec management and firewall applications.
    Certificate Propagation - Propagates certificates from smart cards.
    Computer Browser - Maintains an updated list of computers1.gif on the network and supplies this list to computers designated as browsers. If this service is stopped, this list will not be updated or maintained. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
    Desktop Window Manager Session Manager - Provides Desktop Window Manager startup and maintenance services. Disabling this will kill aero glass.
    Function Discovery Provider Host - Host process for Function Discovery providers. Detects devices such as Windows Media Center Extenders on your local network.
    Function Discovery Resource Publication - Publishes this computer and resources attached to this computer so they can be discovered over the network. If this service is stopped, network resources will no longer be published and they will not be discovered by other computers on the network.
    Group Policy Client - The service is responsible for applying settings configured by administrators for the computer and users through the Group Policy component. If the service is stopped or disabled, the settings will not be applied and applications and components will not be manageable through Group Policy. Any components or applications that depend on the Group Policy component might not be functional if the service is stopped or disabled.
    IKE and AuthIP IPsec Keying Modules - The IKEEXT service hosts the Internet Key Exchange (IKE) and Authenticated Internet Protocol (AuthIP) keying modules. These keying modules are used for authentication and key exchange in Internet Protocol security (IPsec). Stopping or disabling the IKEEXT service will disable IKE and AuthIP key exchange with peer computers. IPsec is typically configured to use IKE or AuthIP; therefore, stopping or disabling the IKEEXT service might result in an IPsec failure and might compromise the security of the system. It is strongly recommended that you have the IKEEXT service running.
    IP Helper - Provides automatic IPv6 connectivity over an IPv4 network. If this service is stopped, the machine will only have IPv6 connectivity if it is connected to a native IPv6 network.
    iPod Service - iPod hardware management services.
    IPsec Policy Agent - Internet Protocol security (IPsec) supports network-level peer authentication, data1.gif origin authentication, data integrity, data confidentiality (encryption), and replay protection. This service enforces IPsec policies created through the IP Security Policies snap-in or the command-line tool "netsh ipsec". If you stop this service, you may experience network connectivity issues if your policy requires that connections use IPsec. Also,remote management of Windows Firewall1.gif is not available when this service is stopped.
    Messenger Sharing Folders USN Journal Reader service - Service installed by Messenger to enable sharing scenarios.
    Network Location Awareness - Collects and stores configuration information for the network and notifies programs when this information is modified. If this service is stopped, configuration information might be unavailable. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
    NMIndexingService – A component of the Nero CD/DVD burning software that is not needed for burning.
    Offline Files - The Offline Files service performs maintenance activities on the Offline Files cache, responds to user logon and logoff events, implements the internals of the public API, and dispatches interesting events to those interested in Offline Files activities and changes in cache state.
    ReadyBoost - Provides support for improving system performance using ReadyBoost. If you do not use ReadyBoost, disable this.
    Tablet PC Input Service - Enables Tablet PC pen and ink functionality.
    Telephony - Provides Telephony API (TAPI) support for programs that control telephony devices on the local computer and, through the LAN, on servers that are also running the service.
    Terminal Services – Allows users to connect interactively to a remote computer. Remote Desktop and Terminal Server depend on this service. To prevent remote use of this computer, clear the checkboxes on the Remote tab of the System properties control panel item.
    Terminal Services Configuration - Terminal Services Configuration service (TSCS) is responsible for all Terminal Services and Remote Desktop related configuration and session maintenance activities that require SYSTEM context. These include per-session temporary folders, TS themes, and TS certificates.
    Terminal Services UserMode Port Redirector - Allows the redirection of Printers/Drives/Ports for RDP connections
    Themes - Provides user experience theme management.
    UPnP Device Host - Allows UPnP devices to be hosted on this computer. If this service is stopped, any hosted UPnP devices will stop functioning and no additional hosted devices can be added. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
    WebClient - Enables Windows-based programs to create, access, and modify Internet-based files. If this service is stopped, these functions will not be available. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
    Windows Audio – Manages audio for Windows-based programs. If this service is stopped, audio devices and effects will not function properly. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start
    Windows Audio Endpoint Builder - Manages audio devices for the Windows Audio service. If this service is stopped, audio devices and effects will not function properly. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
    Windows Defender - Scan your computer for unwanted software, schedule scans, and get the latest unwanted software definitions.
    Windows Error Reporting Service - Allows errors to be reported when programs stop working or responding and allows existing solutions to be delivered. Also allows logs to be generated for diagnostic and repair services. If this service is stopped, error reporting might not work correctly and results of diagnostic services and repairs might not be displayed. This service has always been a favorite for power users to disable. I'm not going to lie, it will give you a slight performance gain if you disable it since less overhead = more resources for your apps. However, Windows Vista is in Beta! Why wouldn't you want Microsoft to hear about the problems you are having. Don't you want them to be aware of issues you are having?
    Windows Firewall - Windows Firewall helps protect your computer by preventing unauthorized users from gaining access to your computer through the Internet or a network.
    Windows Image Acquisition (WIA) - Provides image acquisition services for scanners and cameras.
    Windows Management Instrumentation - Provides a common interface and object model to access management information about operating system, devices, applications and services. If this service is stopped, most Windows-based software will not function properly. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start. This service is used a lot in the enterprise environment in scripting events on computers. In the home area, there is no use for it and can be disabled. If in the future you ever have any problems with installing programs, try re-enabling this service again since some, not all, tend to use it.
    Windows Search - Provides content indexing and property caching for file, email and other content (via extensibility APIs). The service responds to file and email notifications to index modified content. If the service is stopped or disabled, the Explorer will not be able to display virtual folder views of items, and search in the Explorer will fall back to item-by-item slow search.
    Windows Time - Maintains date and time synchronization on all clients and servers in the network. If this service is stopped, date and time synchronization will be unavailable. If this service is disabled, any services that explicitly depend on it will fail to start.
    Windows Update - Enables the detection, download, and installation of updates for Windows and other programs. If this service is disabled, users of this computer will not be able to use Windows Update or its automatic updating feature, and programs will not be able to use the Windows Update Agent (WUA) API. While many disable this service, I think you are crazy if you do these days.
  • SloYerRollSloYerRoll Registered Users Posts: 2,788 Major grins
    edited December 31, 2007
    Great stuff pupator.
    As an additional comment for Adobe users:
    If you goto msconfig and browse under the startup/boot tabs. You'll see a line that's called "FLEXnet licensing service".
    Depending on which Adobe application you have running. You may need to Leave this checkbox "on" so it boots w/ the system. This takes virtually no system resources but can keep your Adobe product from having dreaded licensing issues.

    i.e. I run Web Premium CS3 and I have to have this item boot w/ my machine ir I get licensing errors and can't fire up any Adobe programs.

    Cheers,
    -Jon
  • HarlanBearHarlanBear Registered Users Posts: 290 Major grins
    edited December 31, 2007
    SloYerRoll wrote:
    My machine stillscreams w/ NOD32.

    Hey Harlan,

    Any updates on ISO's? Just being the squeaky wheel!

    Cheers,
    -Jon

    Pardon my stupidity, but ....headscratch.gifne_nau.gif
  • SloYerRollSloYerRoll Registered Users Posts: 2,788 Major grins
    edited December 31, 2007
    No Harlan, My mistake. I thought you were the one helping me out. As I reviewed the thread. It was actually Rhuarc that was helping me out by figuring why I can't view .iso files even though I can mount the iso as a disk...

    Sorry for the mixup.
  • HarlanBearHarlanBear Registered Users Posts: 290 Major grins
    edited December 31, 2007
    SloYerRoll wrote:
    No Harlan, My mistake. I thought you were the one helping me out. As I reviewed the thread. It was actually Rhuarc that was helping me out by figuring why I can't view .iso files even though I can mount the iso as a disk...

    Sorry for the mixup.

    No problem, Jon. I actually went through this thread to see if I asked about ISO before I responded. Gets a bit confusing around here, but always informative.
  • PupatorPupator Registered Users Posts: 2,322 Major grins
    edited December 31, 2007
    SloYerRoll wrote:
    Great stuff pupator.
    As an additional comment for Adobe users:
    If you goto msconfig and browse under the startup/boot tabs. You'll see a line that's called "FLEXnet licensing service".
    Depending on which Adobe application you have running. You may need to Leave this checkbox "on" so it boots w/ the system. This takes virtually no system resources but can keep your Adobe product from having dreaded licensing issues.

    i.e. I run Web Premium CS3 and I have to have this item boot w/ my machine ir I get licensing errors and can't fire up any Adobe programs.

    Cheers,
    -Jon

    Great info for the folks around here! Thanks!
  • zackerzacker Registered Users Posts: 451 Major grins
    edited January 9, 2008
    Microsoft Office 2003 and Vista..?
    so Im getting a new PC with vista home premium and will want to load office on it... (for home business purposes) and was looking into office 2007 and have heard nothing but bad reviews..i use 2003 now on my XP machines and was wondering if Office 2003 will work on a vista machine.. anyone have this combo?
    thanks!
    http://www.brokenfencephotography.com :D

    www.theanimalhaven.com :thumb

    Visit us at: www.northeastfoto.com a forum for northeastern USA Photogs to meet. :wink

    Canon 30D, some lenses and stuff... I think im tired or something, i have a hard time concentrating.. hey look, a birdie!:clap
  • PupatorPupator Registered Users Posts: 2,322 Major grins
    edited January 9, 2008
    Yes, it will work fine.

    Make sure you (after install) go to office.com and download the 2007 document compatibility pack so that you'll at least be able to open the 2007 formatted documents.

    I like Office 2007, but 2003 does run a bit faster on Vista.
  • zackerzacker Registered Users Posts: 451 Major grins
    edited January 9, 2008
    Pupator wrote:
    Yes, it will work fine.

    Make sure you (after install) go to office.com and download the 2007 document compatibility pack so that you'll at least be able to open the 2007 formatted documents.

    I like Office 2007, but 2003 does run a bit faster on Vista.

    thanks much!! im on 03 at work and home and so is my wife.... its bad enough im not going to be on my beloved XP now....lol but give up my Office 03... never!!! lol
    http://www.brokenfencephotography.com :D

    www.theanimalhaven.com :thumb

    Visit us at: www.northeastfoto.com a forum for northeastern USA Photogs to meet. :wink

    Canon 30D, some lenses and stuff... I think im tired or something, i have a hard time concentrating.. hey look, a birdie!:clap
  • PupatorPupator Registered Users Posts: 2,322 Major grins
    edited January 9, 2008
    zacker wrote:
    thanks much!! im on 03 at work and home and so is my wife.... its bad enough im not going to be on my beloved XP now....lol but give up my Office 03... never!!! lol

    I think you'll be pleased with Vista if you give it a fair chance. Read through this thread and take some of the suggestions listed (turn off UAC if it annoys you, make sure you don't have an AV program that's a resource HOG, etc.)

    I'm demonstrably more efficient at the things I do on Vista than I was with XP.
  • zackerzacker Registered Users Posts: 451 Major grins
    edited January 9, 2008
    well im gonna give it a shot, although my wife will be on it more than myself, I still have my box running XP... im happy with it for now.
    http://www.brokenfencephotography.com :D

    www.theanimalhaven.com :thumb

    Visit us at: www.northeastfoto.com a forum for northeastern USA Photogs to meet. :wink

    Canon 30D, some lenses and stuff... I think im tired or something, i have a hard time concentrating.. hey look, a birdie!:clap
  • cmasoncmason Registered Users Posts: 2,506 Major grins
    edited January 9, 2008
    zacker wrote:
    thanks much!! im on Office 03 at work and home and so is my wife.... its bad enough im not going to be on my beloved XP now....lol but give up my Office 03... never!!! lol

    Have Office 03 at work, and Office 2007 at home. I really like 2007, it is far eaiser to use. At first it was bewildering, but if you just start using it, you find that formatting and such are far far simpler. I think it is a dramatic improvement.

    you can default 2007 to save in 2003 format, simple to do, and it seems to work fine.
  • RichardRichard Administrators, Vanilla Admin Posts: 19,893 moderator
    edited January 9, 2008
    Pupator wrote:
    Yes, it will work fine.

    Make sure you (after install) go to office.com and download the 2007 document compatibility pack so that you'll at least be able to open the 2007 formatted documents.

    I like Office 2007, but 2003 does run a bit faster on Vista.

    Beware of one potential issue if you are planning on staying with 2003. A friend of mine's new computer came with a one month demo of 2007 pre-installed. If you then install 2003 and later uninstall 2007, it can screw up 2003. Best to uninstall 2007 before installing an earlier version.

    Cheers,
  • SloYerRollSloYerRoll Registered Users Posts: 2,788 Major grins
    edited January 9, 2008
    For some reason I wasn't able to run 2003 on my machine. I even manually updated w/ service packs etc.
    2007 runs like a champ though. I had a small issue w/ anti-virus. But it's all over the web and it's an easy fix. If your apps load slowly (like 2+minutes slow) just google "office 2007 anti-virus".
  • PupatorPupator Registered Users Posts: 2,322 Major grins
    edited January 9, 2008
    cmason wrote:
    Have Office 03 at work, and Office 2007 at home. I really like 2007, it is far eaiser to use. At first it was bewildering, but if you just start using it, you find that formatting and such are far far simpler. I think it is a dramatic improvement.

    I agree. I know that people complain about "the ribbon," but I can't tell you how many times I've needed to make a formatting change only to look up and realize I could do it with one or two clicks on the ribbon. Much better than when everything was buried 2-3 menus deep!
  • RichardRichard Administrators, Vanilla Admin Posts: 19,893 moderator
    edited January 10, 2008
    Pupator wrote:

    There is one app out there that I think all Windows users should have installed, configured, and running daily: SyncBack. There is a 100% free version which I have installed on all my computers. With it you can set up automatic backups with all kinds of options (include and exclude sub-folders, file types, etc). You can backup to local drives or networked drives.

    I recently bought a large external drive for backup and took your suggestion about SyncBack. It rocks! I splurged and bought the high end version ($30 :D) because I wanted to incremental backups on a weekly cycle. I'm quite pleased with the product and highly recommend it to others.

    Cheers,
  • SloYerRollSloYerRoll Registered Users Posts: 2,788 Major grins
    edited January 10, 2008
    rsinmadrid wrote:
    I recently bought a large external drive for backup and took your suggestion about SyncBack. It rocks! I splurged and bought the high end version ($30 :D) because I wanted to incremental backups on a weekly cycle. I'm quite pleased with the product and highly recommend it to others.

    Cheers,

    I missed this post somehow. Thanks Richard for commenting on it. I'm gonna try this out tomorrow!
  • PupatorPupator Registered Users Posts: 2,322 Major grins
    edited January 11, 2008
    SloYerRoll wrote:
    I missed this post somehow. Thanks Richard for commenting on it. I'm gonna try this out tomorrow!

    Syncback is one of the two best apps ever (UltraMon being the other); but I've never used the paid version - I'll give it a look as well. clap.gif
  • cmasoncmason Registered Users Posts: 2,506 Major grins
    edited January 11, 2008
    I tryed Syncback, Acronis, lots of others...none of them appealed to me...too much overhead and I do not want proprietary formats or compression. I have had a crash before, and needed a photo NOW, the only way to get my PC working was a Linux CD, and the files were in a compressed folder that only my backup app could decipher.

    Of course I have other PCs in the house now, but I much prefer simple file backup/duplication over anything fancy. I simply copy all the files in my 'photo' folder to an external harddrive. Any new or updated files are added. Simple. This runs once a day. I work under the premise that if I deleted something, I meant to delete it..and I have 24hrs to change my mind.

    Anyway, my tool(s) of choice are Synctoy, and Karen's Replicator. Both are FREE. Karen's is a bit old in the tooth, but works just fine. Synctoy is Microsoft's tool, and it works really well, especially when syncing over the network. The only issue with Synctoy is its need to use Task Scheduler as the scheduler. But it works great, and can be used for many other things, including (my favorite) syncing photos on my laptop and desktop. I can download files to the laptop while traveling, and sync them to my photos folder at home. Then just tell Lightroom to go look for photos, and done! Check it out.

    By the way, I backup my photos folders, and the Lightroom DB. For files that I have done extensive edits on, I create XMP and back those up too. (don't do automatic XMP because my PC is too $#@%!&*! slow).
  • PupatorPupator Registered Users Posts: 2,322 Major grins
    edited January 11, 2008
    Good suggestion, I've used synctoy as well.

    Just to clear up any confusion you may have created about Syncback though -

    It doesn't use proprietary formats.
    It can Backup (one way) or Sync (two way)
    It has almost zero overhead.
    The free version does enough for almost everyone.
    It can do remote/network syncing as well.

    Sounds like there are two good options out there!
  • RhuarcRhuarc Registered Users Posts: 1,464 Major grins
    edited January 11, 2008
    @SloyerRoll

    Sorry it took me so long to get back with you on the issue with your DVD Image! I still haven't really found anything. The same type of images works fine on my machine using a variety of different software. Do you know anyone else who has used this same image and had it work? The only thing I can figure outis that there may be something corrupt with the image. Is there anyway you can rerip/redownload it?


    For general information I though I would post up the programs I use on a daily basis.

    FilebackPC - this is a backup program that is similar to SyncBack. It pretty much can do anything related to keeping this backed up or in-sync. The amount of customization you can do is staggering. I HIGHLY reccommend this for people to at least look at along with SyncBack if you are looking for this type of utility.

    LogMeIn - This puts a little program into your taskbar. As long as this is running youc an go to logmein.com, log into your account, and remotley access your PC from anywhere. THe beauty of itis that since it goes over the internet it ignores all firewalls and routers. No need to forward ports or set exception lists.

    Hamachi - This is a little program that allows you to create a virtual LAN that you can password. Anyone else can then use that LAN name and password to join your virtual LAN. Things like remote printing and file sharing then work exactly like they would over a regular LAN. You can also use it for things like LAN gaming, texting, etc...

    UltraMon - I don't think this needs any introduction. A simple but great utility for managing multiple monitors.

    Orb - A small utility that alows you to access your files from anywhere on the web. It is realy great for streaming TV, Movies, Music, and viewing pictures. It automatically changes the quality of a video to match the speed of the internet you are using.

    CrushFTP - A simple FTP server that can run as a service. Allows a lot of customization, and has abuilt in web interface to allow FTP access to files from anywhere without the need for downloading a seperate client.

    Trillian - A nice program for people that use IM alot on several accounts. You can be looged in at the same time to several different IM services, or several accounts on one service. Has a much smaller memory footprint than running all the regular apps.

    All of these are programs that are running on my computer all the time, and that I find invaluable.
  • SloYerRollSloYerRoll Registered Users Posts: 2,788 Major grins
    edited January 11, 2008
    No worries about the timing Rhuarc. Thanks for that info! I'll sort through it as soon as I can. Just didn't want to leave your post hangingthumb.gif

    Some prety cool stuff in there. Can't wait to check it out!
  • cmasoncmason Registered Users Posts: 2,506 Major grins
    edited January 11, 2008
    Rhuarc wrote:
    @SloyerRoll


    LogMeIn - This puts a little program into your taskbar. As long as this is running youc an go to logmein.com, log into your account, and remotley access your PC from anywhere. THe beauty of itis that since it goes over the internet it ignores all firewalls and routers. No need to forward ports or set exception lists.

    Logmein is fabulous. If you have family PCs that you manage from time to time, or even if you just want to get to your home PC to upload a photo when you are at work, this program is awesome. Heck I have it on all 3 PCs at home, my sister-in-laws PC, father-in-law PC, and my Dad's PC. When I am at home I will use Logmein rather than walk down the hall to the kids' PC
  • SloYerRollSloYerRoll Registered Users Posts: 2,788 Major grins
    edited January 15, 2008
    I'm sure you'll think I jsut crawled out from under a rock. but what's so cool about UltraMon? I've never heard about this app that needs no introduction. I've been running multiple monitors for quite a while now and the Nvidia control panel seems to be just fine.

    ?
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