I'll add this for our fellow photographers ...

Vista is still missing a few thousand drivers for a start and developers are struggling to make their software work with the current release.

Wait until at least early 2008 to consider moving to Vista - even if a new machine is shipped with Vista. (Sure, you can test it anytime you want)

Dell don't even use Vista in any of their offices (for general admin), other than in support, where it's used for testing and evaluation. This is pretty normal in the corporate environment - it's all the stuff we know well and that is suitable for networking like XP and Linux.

As I see it, technically have the right to ask for XP SP2 for your new machine, without having to pay extra. I'd insist or take your money elsewhere.

For the time being just stay with XP SP2 (or Win 2K). Be sensible and be happy.

Terry,

In the March 2007 Windows Vista Application Compatibility Update was an update for 'Adobe Creative Suite CS2' and no doubt there will be more of these Application Package Updates rolling out monthly/bi-monthly and sorry I don't have any specifics of when or if there will be something for CS2.3.

Also when I first read this article in the Green Guide a couple of weeks ago I was going to shoot you an e-mail suggesting you get yourself a USB Key (2Gb or 4Gb) that can handle the Windows Vista Readyboost function as you will find it is the cheapest and one of the most effective hardware upgrades you can have regarding Windows Vista.

You can check out the following links for tech details and Grant Gibson's excellent list of devices that work with ReadyBoost and those that do not. Ideally the theory is to match your USB Readyboost device to the amount of RAM installed in your machine though 4Gb USB Drives are still rather expensive though a 2Gb device you will see a remarkable increase in Windows Vista speed once you plug one of these in. (I grabbed a 1Gb for $24 today for a friend and he was most impressed with the value and speed/caching increase that $24 gave him)

http://blogs.technet.com/jamesone/archive/2006/12/31/readyboost-money-well-spent-but-what-s-fast-enough.aspx
http://blogs.msdn.com/tomarcher/archive/2006/06/02/615199.aspx
http://www.grantgibson.co.uk/misc/readyboost/

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Concerned From Woy Woy

A couple of points :-

Windows Vista ships with around 27,000 Drivers with roughly a 40/60 ratio of what is on the installation media and what is available through Windows Update. It is not a Microsoft responsibility to ship drivers for every device it really is the device vendor and many of the mainstream device vendors are lacking to say the least.

Many corporations will not move straight away to Vista just as the case was when XP came out many hung off until SP1.

AMD for one are jumping at the opportunity as Robert McLaws posted regarding an internal AMD memo here.

So I am calling on all AMD employees to recognize and embrace everything Windows Vista represents and make it part of our DNA, to understand that we hold the keys to the kingdom in ways no one else does.

Terry, I have added some more information over at the Bleeding Edge that may help or may not help regarding CS2.3.

Stephen:

Thanks for your suggestions. I had, in fact, made sure that all the compatibility updates were installed.

I have been having conversations with Adobe people and they are sticking to the story that CS2 was conceived long before there was a chance to test it on Vista. The solution is to buy CS3 at the end of the month.

This is pretty unsatisfactory considering that the combined price of Vista plus CS3 will be more than a well-specced computer.

I am using Photoshop CS3 beta and I am guessing that Adobe is making the beta widely available to CS2 owners because they know there is a problem.

For the time being my advice to people for whom CS2 is a vital part of their operations is to hold off on installing Vista. I see all sorts of speculation on the Web -- some reckon that it might be a problem with CS2 and dual core processors; others think that the problem is having more than one hard drive; some suggest "run as administrator" as a solution -- it isn't. Others reckon that it is an Adobe conspiracy to punish Microsoft for some legal argy bargy the companies were involved in in the EU.

My copy of InDesign CS2 won't even open any more, but I suspect that might be a problem unique to me. I have been supplied with a beta of InDesign CS3 and that works fine.

And so it goes.

Terry

I am still having the same issues however I noticed your posting for the 15th and it idicates that you got InDesign working with some new patch that automatically installed.

I tried the Adobe Manual Update and updated everything I could and I still have the same issue.

Zack:

What happened was this. Last Sunday the Adobe update notification popped up on the screen. I selected Install and away it went, updating a number of CS2 apps. Once the update was complete I tried opening InDesign -- the one app that wouldn't even open -- and bingo! There is was. Working perfectly.

Have you set up your Adobe suite to automatically check for and notify of updates?

TL

Terry, can you tell us what this new high end machine of yours cost? Was it a put together box, or a brand name machine?

Robin:

Thereby hangs a tale.

Do you ever shop at www.graysonline.com.au? It is an online auction place, a bit like ebay only more interesting, I think.

Companies like Toshiba, Sony, Panasonic, Canon, Olympus, Dell, HP -- and more -- dispose of their superseded stock or stuff in open boxes through Grays.

It so happened that HP advertised a huge [about 66] bunch of highly specced PCs [AMD dual core, 4g RAM, 300g HD, 512mb video card, two optical drives, Windows XP Media centre installed]. HP says the RRP was $3000. Most of them sold for around $1300. That's what I paid.

Why were HP offering such a bargain? I am guessing that they reckoned they couldn't sell $3000 PCs loaded with XP and they couldn't open the boxes to load Vista because that would be too labour costly and in any case an open box makes a doodad second hand. So they decided to cut their losses [there wouldn't have been any, of course] and sell for less. And there still seems to be a steady stream of HP/Compaq PCs on Grays, not quite as flash as the one I bought but still good value.

With Grays you have to pay a 12.5% commission plus delivery -- all up it came to just over $1500, a price with which I was well pleased.

The 24in monitor I bought direct from Dell. I paid $1100. I see that they are now selling them for $1000.

I have installed Vista Home Premium, which is the natural upgrade from XP Media.

I have done a bit of business with Grays -- speaker, CRT monitor, memory card etc -- and the system and service are very good.

TL

Wow, now that the secret is out of the bag we all know where to shop. Thanks for the info.
Robin.