Tag Archives: vista

NeoSmart Vista Support

Posted on by NeoSmart Technologies
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Every time we release news of a new Vista build from our sources, the result is invariably the same:
The first couple of replies are requests for info, flames, or praise.
The next couple are download links/requests.
And then come the support requests.

We love to help you, and can, but not here. A blog is not a support forum, and it makes it very hard to keep track of support requests. We have opened a new subforum specifically for Vista support, where the best of the official beta testers, MSFT volunteers, and all-around geeks can help out. Please use it to give help, get help, and to help us keep this blog clean.
Thank you!

Vista 5342 Digital Audio Support Completely Broken

Posted on by NeoSmart Technologies
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We’ve been asking around, and we have been downloading driver after driver and swapping sound cards all day long to no avail. Vista’s digital audio support is completely broken in this latest build. To be fair, it is not a CTP, but on the other hand, besides the lack of digital audio support on Microsoft Windows Vista Build 5342, it seems that the audio stack is exactly the same as that of 5308.

These comments are not made on whim nor are they fallacies in induction, NeoSmart Technologies carried out the most extensive review and troubleshooting guide for both digital and analog audio on 5308 (February CTP) which can be seen here.

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Vista Build 5342 Today!

Posted on by NeoSmart Technologies
30

As lame as this may sound, we knew about it first. To days ago to be exact.. But our host had given us the boot, and we couldn’t tell you that we would be getting a midnight build come Friday….  But that is OK, because NeoSmart Technologies has more than a mere build number and date. We have what’s coming in this build, what’s new, what’s fixed, what’s removed, and what’s buggy.

Not everything below will be in 5342, but most will. Items marked with a "*" will in all likelihood be released later on down the line.

NeoSmart Technologies also brings you an exclusive with some of the more annoying bugs that have been fixed in this build, as well as some bugs that have made a comeback.. It will be updated as new info comes in up until the release of 5342

[Support Forums]

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Windows Vista 5308.60 Screenshots

Posted on by NeoSmart Technologies
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NeoSmart Technologies has teamed up with digitalfive to bring you the first and the best of the Vista 5270.60 screenshots for all the various editions, from business to ultimate, to server! Click on each image to see the full-screen capture. Hover over each picture to read a brief description. Continue reading →

Digital/Analog Audio & Sound Drivers for Windows Vista

Posted on by NeoSmart Technologies
121

While Windows Vista may tout a “all-new and improved” audio stack with superb quality and resonance, it’s of no use if you don’t have the right sound card drivers for Windows Vista. The biggest problem with audio drivers for Windows Vista is with Digital Audio – most people can get their SPDIF or Digital outputs to spew analog sound – which just doesn’t work with hi-fi, digital speakers. NeoSmart Technologies has compiled a list of audio drivers for the most popular sound cards that experience trouble with Windows Vista, in hopes that our readers will find it useful.

  • SoundMAX Integrated Digital Audio – Analog audio with the drivers works fine, but digital audio doesn’t.
  • Creative Sound Blaster Live! Series – No sound by default, Creative drivers won’t install.
  • Creative Audigy 1 – No sound by default, Creative drivers won’t install.
  • Creative Audigy 2 – No sound by default, Creative drivers won’t install.
  • Creative Audigy 4 – Creative drivers install but constantly stutter.
  • Creative X-Fi Series – Creative drivers install but constantly stutter.
  • SigmaTel HD Audio – Default Vista drivers don’t well in digital, bad bass
  • SigmaTel Integrated Audio – No compatible drivers; Digital N/A.
  • Other AC ’97 – No compatible drivers; Digital N/A.

The last two entries do not support Digital Audio, and are simply a manner of finding the right drivers compatible with your chipset; making them at once the easiest to solve due to the lack of complications, and the hardest due to the large variety of AC ’97 implementations.

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Vista 5308 User Interview

Posted on by NeoSmart Technologies
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While our beta testers are breaking Vista and bending it backwards as far as it will go, we have put together a little (oh come on, its not THAT long..!) survey for you guys to answer.. We look forward to seeing your responses!

A) Do you have 5308?
1) Yes
2) Yes, as Main OS
3) Yes, but not going to install
4) Yes, but going to uninstall
5) No
6) No, but going to get it

B) Did you get 5308 from…
1) Microsoft Connect
2) MSDN Subscription
3) Other

C) Graphics impressions:
1) Awesome! (5)
2) Much better than before, definitely good (4)
3) OK (3)
4) 5270 was better (2)
5) Going the wrong way! Gimme 5270 back! (1)

D) Stability Impressions..
1) Never crashes (5)
2) Can go a day without crashing (4)
3) Always crashes (3)
4) Won’t Boot (2)
5) Won’t Install (1)

E) Install Speed
1) X minutes off of DVD
2) X minutes off of virtual DVD
3) X minutes off of extracted folder

F) Vista Speed
1) Very snappy, no lag whatsoever (5)
2) Faster than 5270, but still needs work (4)
3) Same as 5270 (3)
4) Much slower than 5270 (2)
5) Unusable due to lag in interface (1)

G) Driver support
1) Everything supported! (5)
2) One item not supported (4)
3) Two to three devices not supported (3)
4) Most thing don’t work (2)
5) Vista refuses to install on my hardware (1)

H) Application support
1) Everything supported! (5)
2) 2+ Programs install but don’t work (4)
3) 2+ Programs don’t install (3)
4) Most thing don’t work or install (2)
5) Vista refuses to install (1)

IntelliPoint & Intellitype on Vista

Posted on by NeoSmart Technologies
40

There’s a new version of IntelliPoint & IntelliType out that addresses this issue!

To get IntelliPoint running on Vista:

  1. Grab the latest version of the Microsoft IntelliPoint software.
  2. Run setup, it will extract the files and folders to C:\Program Files\Microsoft IntelliPoint 5.x\
  3. After it extracts, exit setup.
  4. Open Windows Explorer, go to C:\Program Files\Microsoft IntelliPoint 5.x\IPoint\SETUP, and find “oemsetup.exe”
  5. Download intellipoint.ini from our servers.
  6. Drag and drop intellipoint.ini over oemsetup.exe; wait ten minutes, then go to CP -> Mouse and have a little look see.. It should be installed :)
  7. Enjoy!
  8. If after these steps some functionality is missing, see this forum topic on hard-coding the device ID.

To get IntelliType running on Vista:

  1. Grab the latest version of the Microsoft IntelliType software.
  2. Run setup, it will extract the files and folders to C:\Program Files\Microsoft IntelliType 5.x\
  3. After it extracts, exit setup.
  4. Open Windows Explorer, go to C:\Program Files\Microsoft IntelliType 5.x\IType\SETUP, and find “oemsetup.exe”
  5. Download intellitype.ini from our servers.
  6. Drag and drop IntelliType.ini over oemsetup.exe; wait ten minutes, then go to CP -> Mouse and have a little look see.. It should be installed :)
  7. Enjoy!

It’s a Microsoft Consipiracy!!

Posted on by NeoSmart Technologies
2

I may be very, very wrong here, but it sure does look like what follows is true. At any rate, its not illogical, so in all likelihood I’m not (no matter how much it looks like it :P) going off the deep end here..

Microsoft is going to dump the My Documents Folder!!

That said, I had better explain myself, real quick too….

For the last so-many builds, CTPs, and Betas, the My Documents folder (or simply ‘Documents’ as Microsoft claimed it will rename it) has not appeared on the desktop.. Checking and double checking settings, the registry, etc. all point to it being there… except its not… The bug reports filed come back as “Known Issue..” OK, fine it was a known issue in 5112 (Beta 1)… And 5219 you say?? Weird :S

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Digital Audio on 5270?

Posted on by NeoSmart Technologies
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As I might have mentioned in an earlier post, the Windows Update service in Windows Vista’s latest CTP (5270.9, December CTP) works; and I used it to grab the sound drivers for my SoundMAX Integrated Digital Audio device…

Well, besides coming with enhnaced (and long overdue) functionality to control volume on a per-application basis (ever try to play Quake 4 or C0D2 while listening to some hard core music in the background??!) it comes with more-or-less enhanced sound.. The drivers it grabbed are not available on the SoundMAX website for use on Windows XP. Though I do not have?a professional studio or a sound-card benchmarking device; unless thine ears decieve me, the sound is clearer…..

But there is a catch. There always is, get used to it.. I have the Boston BA735 Digital Speakers… In order to listen to anything on my computer I had to switch them with analog headphones… It seems that Digital Speakers are not yet fully funtional in 5270?

Be it as it may, it seems that Microsoft is determined to overhaul the user media experience; one step at a time. First it was video (new LDDM Card coming my way!!) and now its the sound… Let’s just hope they don’t reinvent the joystick :P

Build 5270 Bloat..

Posted on by NeoSmart Technologies
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Nope, the build itself does not contain (besides the obvious, the traditional, and the beatuiful) bloatware; but apparently certain aspects of the user interface lead us to believe there is something known as ‘compile bloat’ in this build…

In one sentence, Compile Bloat is when a program (or in this case, a group of programs and DLLs) are compiled with full Debug and Memory Management information; normally used in-lab to quickly return to the source code upon reaching an error…

While it seems mighty unlikely that Microsoft mis-compiled 5270.9 (its a CTP afterall!), how else do you explain that though the OS and its components are not taking too much memory or CPU (not mamny memory leaks; except a rumor around IE7); yet though you cannot pin it on any one thing; it seems to be overall less than ideally responsive at the end of the day. No, I do not mean that after a day of use it slows down; rather that it gives the feeling of offering some sort of counter to your search for a fluid OS.. What else can it be? An overclocked video card, DWM Express activated, not many processes running….

I’ll leave you to ponder over that as I sneakily step out the backdoor to head off for another long day at University…