dieseldoc Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 I am sure we have covered this before, but couldnt find anything with the search tool. How has IDS been working with vista? Am also looking for the requirements of the computer for ids? Will keep looking and let you know if I find it. I am shopping for a new laptop and want to make sure if I get one it work well with ids Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LARRY BRUDZYNSKI Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 Ask Bruce on this one. He had a blow out with Vista not long ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Amacker Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 Yep, a whopping blowout that I won't forget soon. Vista should be fine with IDS, I think it's in the Tech Notes, but I'd suggest that you have a laptop built for you with XP Pro or Home. Find a local PC shop with some good geeks and it will actually be better and cheaper than the big box stores, with better tech support. Believe me. I have bought several dozen new PCs in the last decade, and have about 10 working laptops bought since 2003 with XPP. XPP is going away sometime soon and I bought a couple of sealed copies for my next endeavor. MS finally got the bugs worked out of it and it's a really good OS. Why screw with success? Our automotive industry runs several years behind the rest of the world when it comes to PC compatibility. There are many auto programs that struggle with Vista, IE7, and the latest version of anything. Scan tool programs, ISIS, etc. have given me real fucking grief. Even IDS gave me a giant assache when it was released. I'm a glutton and gotta be the first schmuck to have everything, so I end up being the guinea pig that burns the tech support line up trying to get my shit working correctly. I'm partial to HP/Compaq laptops and had a really bad experience with Dell. I have gone to "custom" towers built by the local PC store. My latest towers have a terabyte, 4 gig, dual burners, 2.3g processors, and cost $1200 with a 3 year P&L warranty. That's several hundred less than Best Buy without the warranty. All XPP, of course. Just for the record I still really hate Vista........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dieseldoc Posted June 23, 2009 Author Share Posted June 23, 2009 I have used dells for years because that is what my shop buys us. I have not been super impressed with the ones I have had. I was looking at an HP and I like it, the only thing was that it had vista. I will have to do some more shopping and see what I can get that has xp Pro. I am finally comfortable using xp pro and dont want to switch and learn something new. I have heard the horror stories especially yours bruce with vista. Being that I am not a computer guru I want something I know will work well. Thanks for the info guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Amacker Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 You won't be able to buy a PC with XP from a major retailer unless they unload Vista and reload XP (which has been an option in the past). Like I said, XP is on the tail end of its availability so getting it could be a problem. I only did the unload/reload thing once, and it did not turn out well. Many of the (automatically installed) drivers in XP were not there, requiring much grief for basic shit like a MS mouse, internet, GPS driver, etc. Full blown XP takes up something like 15 gig of space, which is mostly drivers for every widget on the face of the earth. (this is a good thing) Ask some people about a referral on local PC builders. There's usually one in every suburb around here.... Good Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastendpowerstroke Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 I got the wife a DELL Vostro A860 laptop for Christmas. It's got duo core 1.6 ghz 160gb hard drive DVD/CD burner 15.6 HD wide screen, it came with 2gb of ram but I added 2 gb more(ebay 4gb=$40). It had VISTA home basic but the Greatest thing about Dells is if you have a OEM dell windows XP restore disc is you can install a fresh clean and LEGIT copy of XP on any dell computer no matter what OS it has or had on it. I currently have 4 dells one desktop and three laptops only one had XP on it originally all have XP pro now. right now it's $459 it was $429 at Christmas time for $99 more you can just order it with XP http://www.dell.com/us/en/business/noteb...s=bsd&cs=04 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G. Bedford Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 I use an Acer Aspire One mini laptop. They come preloaded with XP Home. It has a 10 inch screen and a keyboard big enough for you folks that type with more than two fingers. Picked it up for $250 at Wal-Mart. I love the size and light weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DwayneGorniak Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 I have seen allot of these mini laptops from Acer, HP, etc. Most of them have XP on them. If I was to buy a new laptop right now to be an IDS, I would definitely look at one of these units. There are just so darn nice and portable and definitely priced right. Great little units IMHO. And they won't use up much space in the tool box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Amacker Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 I've got one of those mini laptops (Asus EE PC), but it has just one function- GPS. I keep it in the car with MS Streets and Trips loaded on it, which is my savior when traveling. The screen is bigger than my portable GPS and has way more functionality. If you're young and your eyes are good, it might work for IDS. As you get older, you'll appreciate a larger screen. If you do get a mini laptop (without a hard drive) for IDS, watch the size of the flash drive. Mine is only 4gb or so on the main drive plus the 4gb card I put in. I saw a mini advertised with 16gb flash the other day. My IDS folder is over 3gb because of all of the calibrations in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DwayneGorniak Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 I didn't realize they had no hard drives like that. Kinda sucks. And I definitely do love my 15.4 inch screen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G. Bedford Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 The model I have came with standard 1 gig RAM and a 160 gig hard drive. Actually, the screen is better than the toughbooks we have and you can't beat the difference in price. I purchased the extended warranty for an extra $60 so I have a 3 year coverage. So, for around $300 I'm happy with its performance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Amacker Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 Wow, that's really something. I'll check it out at WallyLand next time I'm there.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DwayneGorniak Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 I've seen that unit. Great deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FordTechCA Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 well some inside info for all of you, ford gave up trying to get IDS and Vista working. if you are patient and are up for a challenge, yes IDS can run on vista but Ford will never support it. the guys back in detroit are skipping straight to Win 7. one of the other problems if i remember correctly was getting vista and the really outdated wireless card for the VCM to function too. i havent tried vista. im running my IDS on a virtual drive in XP on my vista laptop. im about to install the win 7 rc though and give win 7 a try. other problems were the usb/ethernet cable that connects to the VCM from what ive been told. you may have to search for the driver for the cable from the manufacture to help with making IDS work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.