Last week I finally removed Vista RC1 from my notebook. I haven’t had sound on my computer without tinkering within the boot menu since October. I haven’t been able to play Second Life or record audio since that time on this computer and, overall, other than the fact that my 64 bit computer has been smoking fast, I’ve not gotten a great deal out of the beta.
Since I’ve been playing a character in a video game for the past few months, I really need sound on my gaming machine, so the annoyance of no sound and no mic was just too much to bear. I wiped it off my machine and put XP Pro on (can’t find my Media Center CD) last Thursday.
I got my pre-launch copy of Vista Business yesterday (free when you watched some Microsoft videos), but it’s 32 bit so I won’t use it. I am looking for a UMPC so I’ll likely put Vista on there if it doesn’t come installed.
Of course, there’s another problem. I went to 6 PC stores here in the Roanoke Valley today and all had their PCs removed for the Vista launch. Here I am trying to find a smaller laptop, or UMPC, for the trip out to San Fran on Sunday and no store here will sell me a machine. I’m going back to Best Buy tomorrow, but I am not holding out hope. It’s a real bummer because likely I’ll have to lug my 10-lb (almost) laptop on the plane to San Francisco and when I get the Intel ThinkPad I’ll have to lug them both back home.
I know, too many laptops is a good problem to have, right? I just am a big lazy geek and the massive amount of time spent at the computer means my arms are weak so I don’t look forward carrying them both.
Don’t forget to sign up for the blogger meetup if you’re local. I’d love to meet you.