Vista stupidity

[LewisM]

Wife let me take the old Vista laptop to use as my astro PC (that's all that is loaded on it now after a clean install and HDD format). I am having a weird issue in Windows Mail though.

To prevent auto-executing virii, I naturally set the preview pane for email OFF. Problem is, it keeps resetting back to preview pane ON, which is bugging the living daylights out of me!

Anyone know how to set the preview pane off PERMANENTLY in the registry or something?

Also, how to make it permanent Admin so I can avoid half the annoying popup privilege requests when installing software etc.I know there is a way.

[astro744]

I'm not sure about the mail issue but the second issue you have is related to UAC (User Account Control). Settings are in Control Panel. Set it to never notify.

I couldn't stand Vista and went back to XP and then later to Windows 7. The file manager in Vista did not recognise MTS video format.

[pw]

Get a Win 7 upgrade and save yourself a lot of misery, do a clean install.

[LewisM]

On my good laptop, I do run Win7, and had used it astronomically for over a year. I recently damaged the power socket though, which I repaired, but decided to use another lappy for acquisition of images - hence the Vista monster!

The CD drive doesn't even work so that foiled my plans to UPGRADE it to XP (have original disc). Might need to buy a download version (non-CD) and upgrade it to XP or 7.

Vista was / is so damned clunky!

[ZeroID]

Vista is a disaster, I wouldn't even consider using it for anything.
Are you able to copy XP install onto a USB stick on the other computer and run it from there ? Or borrow a USB DVD drive ?
What make\model is the laptop ?

[Regulus]

Don't know a lot about Vista: I went from XP to Win7. Couldn't you just use something like Mozilla Thunderbird as the mail program?
XP will install from a USB if u can copy it over: I have had to do that a few times.
I also put a copy of the OS install disk in a folder on the hard drive so that any changes to windows that needs the disk can be done quicker from the HDD and once it has learned that the OS install disc is on the HDD it doesn't ask for the CD next time u make a change.

[Shano592]

I have found Vista to be quite solid. My old Dell has had it from new. About 2 years ago I had a progressive virus that was destroying *.exe files across the drive, so I had to reformat... the first time in 5 years.

It never missed a beat, never had any BSOD's. 7 years old, and aside from being a little slow now, it still gets used in the warehouse on a daily basis.

Nah, Vista isn't the problem! ;)

[acropolite]

Win 7 isn't much different to Vista, as Shane said later releases of Vista were quite solid. I'm not sure why you're so obsessed with turning off the preview pane, I've not heard of anyone ever getting a virus from looking at an email in the preview pane, usually it's launching attachments that causes the problem. In any case if your AV is up to scratch the email won't get a chance to cause any problems. I can't remember exactly how UAC is turned off but I think this link will tell you. http://windows.microsoft.com/en-au/windows/turn-user-account-control-on-off#1TC=windows-7

[Shano592]

To turn off UAC, you go into the User Profiles, and for each user, you set it to on or off.