Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Upgrade - Old Version Review

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(More customer reviews)Wow, I don't even know where to begin. Here's the horrifying details (so far)...
1. Installation. I heard the rumors about long installations. I can't tell you how long mine took because it finished sometime after I went to bed, about six hours after I had started.
2. Internet. This one almost brought me to tears. Vista kept setting up two network connections, one to my wireless network, and one to a mysterious "unidentified network." The troubleshooter told me Vista had two active connections and that was causing the problem. Simple right? Disable the "unidentified network" connection. Poof, there went my wireless with it. Enable my wireless, back comes the mystery network. I actually knocked out wireless to my entire house at one point in this circle of doom. Finally, as a stab in the dark, I manually disabled all network adapters on my machine except the wireless adapter. And that's why I'm able to write this review now...
3. Incompatibility. I knew there would be problems. Norton Ghost was good as gone, but I knew that. Then my antivirus turned out to be a no go. A few other applications would surely need upgrades. But ITUNES??? Come on! I could also list the games that used to run but no more, but this review is already getting long enough.
4. Hiding my stuff. I no longer own my My Music folder. I mean, Vista security TELLS me I'm the owner, but "permission is denied." I found a workaround on Microsoft's website "...sometimes you may lose access to your My Music folder during the upgrade." Oh that's lovely. By digging into the deep hidden folders per their instructions I found my music, and copied it to the desktop. At one point the file copy dialog box said "Moving files, 44,519 days remaining." I wish I was making that up. Fortunately Vista was over-estimating that a little.
5. New Features that don't work. I paid the extra dough and bought the premium version of Vista. The aero look is very cool. For about 3 minutes. Then I get a message saying "The desktop manager has stopped working." And I'm back to Vista Basic. That extra $50 may not have been money well spent.
6. The new Media Player won't play my newly rescued songs. It tells me it thinks many of my songs are on the I: drive. (I don't have an I: drive)
7. Things can get awful slow. My machine is four months old. It's dual-core, 2 Gig of memory, dual graphics cards, top of the line mobo. Under XP it flew. It wasn't broke. So I upgraded to Vista, you know, to break it.
Okay, that's enough. You get the idea. I had a few small XP gripes so I thought I'd try Vista. Bad mistake. Big ugly bad mistake. Vista may be great someday, but for me it's been 72 hours of hell.
At least I can uninstall, can't I... I can't? D'OH!!!
(And yes, I used the Vista Upgrade Advisor)

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Windows Vista Home Premium makes finding information, staying connected, and interacting with your PC easier and more secure. Using, organizing, and sharing photos, video, TV programs, and music becomes a part of your everyday life. With Windows Vista Home Premium, balancing your checkbook, doing homework, watching a movie, listening to music, or playing a game is a better and more enjoyable experience.

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Microsoft Windows Vista Business UPGRADE Review

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(More customer reviews)I've just finished upgrading to Vista Business using the Upgrade DVD. During the upgrade from Windows XP pro, the upgrade failed. Because of the timing of the upgrade process, I was left with a non working machine. Every attempt I made to fix the broken upgrade failed as well. As I saw it, the only way to fix this was to install an clean version of the OS to get back to my data. Unfortunately I was wrong (I'll get to that later.) During the clean install, when I entered my product key I was informed that the key was only for upgrades, not clean installs. But, at this point, what could I do, the upgrade failed and my machine was dead. There was an option to not enter the product key at this point, and re-enter it after the OS was running. SO... I continued with the install. After that the install went quite smooth, Vista is up and running on my machine right now as I right this warning message. It looks cool, there are a few issues such as my bluetooth wireless drivers aren't available yet, but I knew about that in advance when I ran the upgrade adviser. BUT now for the BIG issue. When I attempted to use my valid product key to activate Windows Vista, I was informed that my KEY wasn't valid because I did a clean install. After spending 2 hours arguing with MS tech support, they basically told me this... I had to do a clean install of XP and then attempt to do the UPGRADE again!!! WTF!!! They expect me to spend another 8 hours (after I've already spend 5 hours to this point) putting XP back on just to ATTEMPT the upgrade again (which might fail again!??!!?) OR my other option is to spend $299 for the Full install version to avoid the 8 hours of wasted time. This is complete bull! I've been working with MS products for a very long time and every "upgrade" product in the past allowed you to do a clean install if you provided a valid key of a previous product during the clean install process. This product isn't ready for you! Please save yourself time and energy fixing issues that MS should have had worked out. DO NOT buy the UPGRADE DVD, because you are risking $200 on a possible upgrade failure, then will have to spend a lot more time OR another $300 to get another product key.


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Windows Vista Business is the primary edition of Windows Vista for business desktop and mobile PCs. Windows Vista Business helps keep PCs running smoothly and securely, with less reliance on dedicated IT support. For larger organizations, Windows Vista Business provides dramatic new infrastructure improvements, enabling IT staff to spend more time adding strategic value to the business. Windows Vista Business also offers powerful new ways to organize, find, and share information, while helping people stay better connected in the office and on the road.

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Far Cry 2 Review

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(More customer reviews)Far Cry 2 is OK. It's nothing to write home about, though.
My issues with the game:
1. - Guns - Who did the firearm research on this game? Some guns, like the AK-47, are completely mirror image. Some, like the HK G3, are just wrong. (Charging handle and ejection port both on the left side? Not in this reality.)
2. - Damage - Shooting someone in the chest with 10-20 rounds from the PKM to kill them? Zzzzz.
3. - No prone? Come on, is this the 90s?
4. - Enemies can see me in the dead of night, and know where I am, even when I am in the bushes and using a silencer. Hmmm...
5. - Repetative missions - Wow, let's do the same missions over and over and over and over and over...
6. - Respawning badguys. Just cleared that guard post? Funny that all the guards are back 3 minutes later...
7. - "Most realistic fire ever!" - with fire graphics that look completely unrealistic.
Give this property back to Crytech. Ubisoft did a half-baked job at best.
EDIT: Also, the DRM this game installs broke the Burn feature of Windows Media Player on my PC. Buyer Beware.
EDIT 2: SecuRom has a program on their website that will allow you to remove their DRM from your machine. However, it will be reinstalled - without warning or notification - the very next time you play a game with SecuRom DRM. If - like me - you have issues with burning CDs after installing one of these game, you pretty much have to uninstall the DRM anytime you want to burn. Convenient, huh?

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Far Cry 2 by Ubisoft is the anticipated sequel to the award-winning original that brings players into the beautiful and hostile world of Africa. Far Cry 2 for Windows Vista/XP features open-ended gameplay that allows you to play the game whichever way you choose, with the choices you make affecting where the game leads you.
Outstanding Graphics Ubisoft developed the Dunia Engine specifically for Far Cry 2. Among other things, the Dunia Engine delivers realistic, interactive environments, special effects, real-time night-and-day cycles, and smart enemy AI.
Expansive, Realistic Environment Far Cry 2 is set in a fictional region of Africa where you are caught between two rival factions at war. The Ubisoft team spent a lot of time filming and photographing in Africa to get all the details of the landscape and native wildlife. The result is a huge gameplay area that is 50 square kilometers, taking players into and out of the jungle and savannah. Wild animals such as zebras, buffalo, gazelle are encountered during the game, with both players and enemies allowed to interact with them.
Far Cry 2 features an incredible level of detail and realism, with a minimal in-game interface to detract from immersion. For example, players will need to navigate the world using an in-game map and navigation system, weapons will disintegrate over time, and fires will spread and propagate.
Each of the actions a player takes is reflected in the environment and changes the content of the game. To fulfill your mission, you need to play the enemies against each other, using both strategy and skill.
Huge Range of Weapons and Vehicles Far Cry 2 offers gamers a wide range of weapons, from a machete for hand-to-hand combat, to a sniper rifle that can stealthily pluck off enemies from afar. As weapons disintegrate over time, they might jam or even explode in your hand.
There are also a large range of vehicles such as gliders, trucks, cars, and boats that will let you fly, drive, slide, and hover over the open landscapes.
Multiplayer Options for up to 16 Players Far Cry 2 supports up to 16 players and has four gameplay modes: Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Diamond, and Uprising. Players can choose from six different classes in multiplayer, each with its own set of pros and cons. Just as in the single-player mode, multiplayer games will feature dynamic elements, making each session unique.

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Dead Space Review

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(More customer reviews)This is another game I had been planning to order, until I discovered that EA has yet again placed hidden software in the game that is incredibly difficult to uninstall (and has had issues with Vista 64, my OS). I am all for companies protecting their IP, but they should find better ways to do it, such as through Steam or other verification platforms that do not install hidden software that will slow down my computer for the rest of the time I own it.

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Dead Space from EA is sure to please any action-adventure gamer looking for a bloody battle against deadly aliens. Dead Space for PC begins when a massive mining ship, the USG Ishimura, comes in contact with a mysterious alien artifact and suddenly loses its communications with Earth. Engineer Isaac Clarke is sent to repairthe Ishimura's communications, but arrives to find a floating vessel that has become a complete bloodbath. The crew is mutilated and infected with an ancient alien scourge. Clarke's repair mission is transformed to one of survival as he fights to save himself and return the artifact to the planet at any cost.
Fight with Weapons and Telekinesis The alien hordes are incredibly resilient. You'll have to find creative ways to neutralize the attacking enemies by shearing off limbs with powerful weapons. And when the ammo runs out you'll be thankful that you can use your telekinetic powers to pick up objects (even the aliens' own severed arms and legs) and hurl them at your advancing enemies.
Graphics, Effects, and Sound Increase the Horror EA delivers an incredibly frightening experience with state-of-the-art graphics and effects, an audio system that will have you jumping out of your seat, and a truly horrific atmosphere that is permeated with death, mutilation, and despair. You'll have to be resilient to slash through the alien onslaught and stop this virulent scourge. As you explore the ship, the tragic story of the USG Ishimura will unfold in gory detail as you discover frantic logs from the hideously transformed crew in their final days.
True Zero-G Effects You'll be able to take full advantage of zero gravity in Deep Space. Battling enemies and solving puzzles takes on new challenges and present ingenious opportunities with the Zero-G game play. You can use zero gravity to create your own path around obstacles by walking on walls and the ceiling. Leap across vast distances or change your perspective to gain a strategic advantage over your enemies.

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