advice from vista users.

Xenocide Geek

alright, so... i just bought an 8800GT (hell yeah!), and i'm going to upgrade to Vista, for DX10 and whatnot.

i've sort of let myself slide when it comes to information about Vista, so i need some help here.

i plan to install it probably tomorrow/two days from now, and i wanted to see if anybody could tell me the native windows services to turn off, what software updates to avoid, or whatever.

i'm talking about stuff like, when SP2 for Windows XP use to completely break it.

Vista is usable now, right? i'm mildly worried about Vista spying on me, something nagging at the back of my mind - some kind of service that's built in, that acts like some sort of firewall/antivirus? i'm honestly not sure, which is why i'm making this thread.

what should i look out for, what should i download to fix any issues that may come up, what should i turn off, etc. or has all this been fixed since Vista's release and everybody complaining? i'm willing to go to extreme lengths - i'm a computer guy, so i enjoy learning the ins and outs of an operating system, but i need a leg up initially.

Mace1370

Assuming you have an IQ above 90, turn off UAC and have your main account be an administrator. That will disable all of the annoying stuff you hear people talking about (constantly asking for your OK for everything, etc). Just run a good antivirus program and you'll be set.

enderwiggin13

I personally turn UAC off as well, but some may feel more comfortable with it on.

Otherwise, best I can recommend is to read through the services themselves and make the determination as to what you do and don't need. Blackviper has put together a pretty good breakdown of services and what they do.

http://www.blackviper.com/WinVista/servicecfg.htm