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How not to do a performance test

Mon, 19 May 2008 12:55:33 PDT

Via 4Sysops, I read an article written by InfoWorld's Randall Kennedy, where he calls Vista "a bloated pig of an operating system." Without a doubt, Vista runs slower on the same hardware than XP. However, when you use the phrase "bloated pig," you'd better be sure you've got your performance tests in order. Unfortunately, I found so many mistakes with his testing methodology that Mr. Kennedy's results are meaningless.

Oh, Technology Analysts...

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 11:19:20 PDT

My intent in starting this site was to create original content and not merely add to the Blogosphere's endless supply of hot air. Sometimes I just can't help myself, like when I read quotes like the ones in this USA Today article on why Vista isn't being adopted by businesses. The point of the article is entirely correct. Right or wrong, businesses don't want anything to do with Windows Vista. However, one quote in particular really rubs me the wrong way.

John Dvorak article: Vista's 11 Pillars of Failure

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:38:42 PDT

John Dvorak makes a living saying things that rile people up, and his latest missive details 11 reasons why Windows Vista hasn't done well in the market. Dvorak makes some good points in his Vista's 11 Pillars of Failure, but he also says a lot of things I either disagree with, are non-issues or no longer important, so I'll talk about his points one by one in my response.

Customize the Windows Start menu’s recent programs list

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 17:55:28 PDT

Windows keeps track of recently used programs and lists them prominently on the Start menu. This is a nice feature because it puts the programs you use most within easy reach. However, the problem is that the program entries tend to move up and down in the list depending on how often they're used. This article shows how to replace the automatically generated list of recent programs with a custom list.

Best practices for setting up a Windows print server

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 17:34:21 PDT

Print servers are something almost every company uses, but not everyone sets up in the optimum way. Over a long time working with printers and servers, I've come up with a set of best practices that work well for setting up and supporting Windows printers and print servers.

Ed Bott fixes a Vista machine, finds out why people think Vista sucks

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 11:01:15 PDT

Blogger Jeremy Toeman had problems with his Sony Vaio Vista laptop that were so bad that he actually gave up and bought a MacBook. Ed Bott read about the problems and fixed them. In short, Ed did a clean Vista install, tracked down missing drivers and disabled some startup items that were causing problems. In the end, the system was actually stable and fast, which was an enormous change from the way it was shipped from the factory.

The lesson here is not that Vista can be fixed. The lesson is that Microsoft would be insane to continue allowing PC makers to install crap software, cruddy utilities and junk security suites on Windows PCs. Vista is a fine operating system, but my experience with it has only been on clean installs. Most people get Vista in the state that this Sony was in, where the manufacturer loads so much junk on the PC that Vista does in fact appear to suck. This is why Walt Mossberg panned his Vaio, which lead to a lot of other "Vista sucks" posts in the blogosphere. Microsoft continues to allow this practice at their own peril.

Five uses for Sysinternals Process Explorer

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 21:30:36 PDT

Microsoft's Windows Sysinternals group writes a bunch of great utilities for finding out what's going on with Windows systems. This article covers five useful functions of one the Sysinternals utilities, Task Manager-like application Process Explorer.

Test full versions of Microsoft software for $349

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 11:36:07 PDT

If you're an IT Professional, aspiring IT pro, student, blogger or are just curious about testing full versions of Microsoft software, you can get access to almost all of Microsoft's operating systems, servers and non-developer applications by buying a $349 yearly TechNet Plus subscription. TechNet Plus gives you access to install legal copies of Windows Vista, Office, Windows Server, Exchange Server, SQL Server, ISA Server and lots of other apps. Keep reading for more details.

Benchmark your PC

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 14:18:27 PDT

If you've tweaked your PC, overclocked your CPU or added a faster hard drive and want to know how much difference it makes, you need a benchmark utility. Although there are large, complex benchmark suites available, I cover a few free, easy to use utilities that generate a score for your PC and its various components.

Thoughts on the Popular Mechanics Mac vs PC article

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 17:09:32 PDT

Popular Mechanics recently gathered a group of consumers to rate and test Macs versus PCs. In some ways, the results weren't surprising. Leopard is faster than Vista and the testers expressed a mild preference for the Macs over the PCs. However, I like both operating systems and there is more to the test than just the results, which I discuss in my article.