[stone]

Does the ' Vista' operating system, have a quicker boot up period than ' Win XP' ? Would both systems, be on about an equal as per boot up time?

I do not have much experience with the ' VISTA ' system. Yes, it is going to be an intriguing learning curve for me, with " Vista Premium" on the new Qosmio G55. Especially in context of that gorgeous 18 inch screen. Are there some particapants on this forum using ' VISTA' ? If so, is there anything you can recommend to me, to keep any glitches or system errors to a bare minimum?

I have seen 'VISTA' on this model at the store. Yes, the 18 inch screen looks very bling and pleasing on the eye. Certain areas of the keyboard were lit up. and yes the effect was quite pretty. The flame design on lid is acceptable, and the laminated red glossy duco is quite appealing.

 

[RobtRoma]

Vista is "pretty" and supposedly more secure but it's not faster than XP for most operations. I use both. I have Vista on my home laptop, one home PC and my work PC. I have XP on one home PC and on a Virtual Machine (within Vista) on my work PC. For everyday computing, I like Vista. I'm a sucker for a "pretty" user interface. It works well when you are using programs and hardware that was designed for it. That leads to it's biggest downfall. If you have older software and hardware that you want to use, there is a chance it won't work or at least the way you expect it to. That is why I still have an XP machine at home and the Virtual Machine at work.

I don't notice a huge difference in speed but XP is slightly faster. It starts up faster and programs just seem snappier. I don't play games, but I've read that they tend to play better on XP. I think it's mostly to do with the drivers being much more mature. Then again, that was about a year ago. It might have changed since then. There are various articals on PCMag.com and PCWorld.com on how to increase the startup speed of XP or Vista. Basically they go thru various steps of turning off services and startup programs you don't need.

Personally, when I get a new PC, I format the hard drive and reinstall the OS and programs I need from scratch. It removes crapware the manufacturer might have installed and tends to make things quicker and more stable. I don't necessarily recommend this if you don't really know what you are doing though...

Basic recommendations... Remove any software you don't absolutely need and update the drivers. Find out what kind of graphics card is in the machine and read gaming forums about the card. You can find out which version of the driver is fastest and most stable. The simpler your system setup, the more stable it usually is. The fewer startup items and system services running, the quicker the system should be.

Good luck and let us know when you get the new laptop and how you like it

 

[stone]

Thanks for submitting your handy tips RobtRoma. I have checked out some web sites more thoroughly. Initially was not aware that the toshiba Qosmio G55 18 inch model, and the toshiba Qosmio X305 17 inch lappy have different specifications. Even though the G55 has the larger screen, and is quite capable at gaming ,it appears toshiba engineered the smaller X305 to be the more dedicated gaming lappy.

Actually i am a tad flustered. It's like being between a rock and a hard place. I totally love that 18 inch screen, but the G55 has only about a 2.3 ghz cpu and 512mb video memory. Have not been giving some net reviews a thorough perusal. The G55 has the stock standard Intel core 2 dual processor. That 17 inch screen Qosmio X305 has the advanced Intel core 2 Extreme dual processor. I think it is about a 2.53ghz cpu. Also the X305 has two Nvidea cards in SLI configuration providing 1gb of video memory. It has one solid state drive with flash memory, and a secondary hard drive of 7200 rpm speed.

From the way i comprehend it, Toshiba engineered the smaller X305 with an advanced processor, and graphics to be a more dedicated gaming notebook. The G55 18 inch screen must be impressive when watching dvd movies. But then it has less video memory, and does not have that higher speed cpu of the X305. I am not overly fanatical about gaming. But then by the same token it would give peace of mind, knowing with the X305 that it has the specs to handle all those later games.

Sorry about this, but that 18 inch display of the G55 has me in torment. When i observed it at the harvey norman store, that extra inch is obvious and does increase the viewing area. I suppose 512 mb of video memory is sufficient. Actually i find it a bit dissapointing that toshiba ,only have the CPU as 2.3ghz on that G55 beast. At least their 17 inch X305 has the upgraded Intel extreme processor at approximately 2.53 ghz. There are two hard drives on the G55, but they are the slower 5440 rpm speed.

So henceforth, the smaller Toshiba X305 specifically dedicated gaming laptop, has the edge as in SLI graphics and the advanced extreme CPU. Also the hard drive has the more efficient 7200 rpm speed. The other bonus is its seperate solid state flash drive. That G55 has the 18 inch screen and it is quite a sight to behold. But then i reckon i can live without a larger display. My heart is in love with that beast of a display, but my mind tells me that specifications of the gaming X305, would be a lot more practical for my circumstances.

Actually the reps ,at harvey norman want to test " Chrysis" on maximum settings for the 512mb video memory Qosmio G55. They want to find out if it will struggle a bit for the game on those setings. The results will intrigue me. I will now hazard a guess. Please correct me if i am way off base. I am surmising that the Qosmio X305 with the Nvidea SLI configuration, which totals 1MB of video memory, and the extreme processor would handle the " Chrysis" game with more efficiency, as opposed to the G55.

At the moment my gut instinct and intuition, is leaning me toward that X305 for obvious reasons. A faster hard drive speed. The cpu has more speed and is intels extreme version. It has that solid state drive with flash memory. As regards gaming it seems the X305 has the better Nvidea set up as in SLI configuration. My current ' Toshiba Satellite Pro P100" has only a 17 inch monitor. I am quite happy with size of screen. It is a vast improvement on what i originally began with.

Once upon a time my first notebook was a Compaq Presario with a 12 inch screen. :lol: I then progressed to another compaq lappy with a 13 inch display. :lol: Only one inch extra and yes the viewing area was nothing significant. 17 inches is possibly not considered dynamic by some people, but on a lappy i find it has just enough real estate size. My satellite is heavy enough, on the odd moments that i travel to a friends place. That Qosmio 18 inch G55 was definitely heavier.

Is anyone on here using video cards in SLI? What are your thoughts on the SLI set up in context of gaming? So should i go for the 18 inch G55? Or would you recommend, i opt for the more dedicated game notebook as in the smaller 17 inch X305? Please keep in mind that the G55 18 inch monitor is full on eye candy. But then the X305 has the advanced graphics set up, extreme processor with more clock frequency, plus the superior faster 7200 rpm hard drive ,and that other bonus of solid state drive with flash memory.

http://news.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/ ... 22402.html

 

[jonas1022]

I've heard that Vista is a pretty face and like allot of pretty faces, it tends to be more maintenance heavy. Supposedly it runs faster, but I have heard grumblings from folks that have it. I have a duo core processor with all the yada yada 3.2 Ghz (minimal for Vista) stuff on my pc to enable me to run Vista, but currently run XP and will eventually convert to Vista... Once the grumblings from the PC brain trust have stopped. Work machine has an older XP version, and they are all talking about converting to Vista. That usually means in another two years or so to upgrade the machinery. Maybe I'll be retired by then...HA!

 

[HybridArchitect]

Once the grumblings from the PC brain trust have stopped. Work machine has an older XP version, and they are all talking about converting to Vista. That usually means in another two years or so to upgrade the machinery. Maybe I'll be retired by then...HA!

Might as well wait until the new Windows 7 arrives from Microsoft (late next year?). No official shipping date -- when Microsoft does announce that, it will be the nail in Vista's coffin as it will signal the end of that operating systems short, troubled life (joining BOB, Windows ME, and others&#8230.

Windows 7 sounds like a solid improvement that should actually reduce the processing load (though time will tell). I suspect most Windows users will end up skipping Vista and upgrading straight to the new OS when it finally ships.

P.S. -- as for me, I'm an Apple fanboy who runs Windows XP Pro under Boot Camp & Parallels Desktop on my Intel-based Macs. :cigar:

 

[stone]

I did a search on " Windows 7". Gave some sites a tentative perusal. Had a look at some screen shots. To me it still basically looks like Vista, in the graphical user interface. I am aware that the microsoft software engineers, intend to make improvements on the new system. I comprehend that " WIN 7 " will look different.

My analysis is that it will be VISTA, with a cosmetic design upgrade but the programmers will improve its functionality. I comprehend they would make it more stable, and will attempt to eliminate device driver and hardware issue problems.

My apology if anyone is offended. Please correct me if i am way off base. So it will be Vista with a tad different appearance, but they are going to re-write the code, because obviously microsoft would need WIN 7 to have potential.

Good evening ladies and gentlemen. Welcome back to "VISTA" but we have titled it as " WIN 7'. It has a newer face but the code has been reconfigured. :lol: Only submitting how i feel about the new operating system.

With all due respect, i hope microsofts efforts on WIN 7 will be significant. By the same token, i am not going to be too excited. Also i have no intention of waiting for windows seven to be released in australia, so that i can buy the new laptop. :lol: My apology for i am not being cynical or sarcastic. I like the toshiba X305 because of its specifications.

As regards the title of " Windows seven" it is reasonable, but not quite my cup of tea. Microsoft have their reasons for that name, but i find it quite amusing. :lol: My older brother perceives my humor " as warped ". No problem, because i just enjoy looking at things differently than other people.

http://www.windows7news.com

 

[Scooter Scott]

I've attempted to use Vista Ultimate a few times with poor results. My computer would crash about 3x a day...quite annoying. Hopefully Windows 7 takes care of all the crap that Vista has...