Windows Vista Beta 2 Build 5384 on the Intel Mac

[sud0n1m]

You can now download a copy of Windows Vista Beta 2 build 5384 to try on your Intel Mac, legally and direct from microsoft: Check it out! (http://download.windowsvista.com/preview/beta2/en/x86/download.htm)

The public beta requires a key that you get free through microsoft, but will expire on June 1, 2007. Install away and let us know if it works!

[Vel]

I downloaded it and tried to run it under Parallels, but it failed due to lack of support for ACPI. After reading about what has happened to people's OS X partitions when installing Vista, I'm going to backup my home folder before I continue. I'll post an update when I'm done.

[McoreD]

Very curious to know how it works with Boot Camp. Thanks Vel!

[blairb666]

Installed the public beta last night on my 20" iMac and it works pretty nicely! Its slow as hell of course (typical Windows slowness) and I'm having a few hardware problems. According to the system, sound is in fact playing... but no sound comes from either the internal speakers nor with my external speakers (mini-TOS connection). Any ideas?

-B

[bdj21ya]

If you run the Vista advisor thing before installing, it should tell you that sound will not work in Vista without an updated driver from your manufacturer. Still, I'm sure we'll see some sort of workaround soon enough.

[Todd H]

Sound works in Vista. I can't remember exactly how I did it, but I went into control panel and changed one of the preferences. I'll try to load it up and let you know exactly how I did it.

Has anybody gotten Bluetooth working?

[sud0n1m]

Macrumors has a good install guide (http://guides.macrumors.com/Vista_Beta_2_on_Macbook_Pro) up

[blairb666]

If you run the Vista advisor thing before installing, it should tell you that sound will not work in Vista without an updated driver from your manufacturer. Still, I'm sure we'll see some sort of workaround soon enough.

I installed the driver from the wiki and I have sound now. :)

[bdj21ya]

Yeah, I got my sound working on my Acer Tablet now too (I didn't want to install Vista on my Mac, since I want to be able to use it for things I actually need to do).

My initial impressions of Vista are that it is very pathetic. Microsoft, true to form has made everything a little harder to do and a LOT slower. I can't believe how long it took me to get it to connect to a WEP secured wireless network. It wouldn't connect on an open key, I had to switch my router over to shared. I know it's a Beta, so I don't expect everything to work, but what disappoints me is how they made the whole interface so it was difficult for me to troubleshoot. I have a LOT of experience setting up and troubleshooting networks and it took me over an hour to figure out a way to get Vista connected to a WEP secured wireless router.

Also, I think it's funny the way windows will just say (not responding) whenever they have to switch to a new dialogue screen. I hope they work that out or it's going to give people a lot less confidence when using Vista.

I don't like the Aero interface, it seems to waste a lot of screen space while not adding a lot of function. However, I'm glad to see that Microsoft is at least trying to acheive some level of style. The new start button is definitely a lot cooler. The whole menu bar in general is a lot nicer. I like the way it handles the menubar icons on the right and the little preview of each window that pops up as you roll over it.

IE 7 is just sad. They've really wasted a lot of space and made it a lot harder to do a lot of things. Fortunately, you can still install firefox and have a normal looking usable browser.

I heard that Vista was going to have some features sort of like Expose. Anyone know how to make this function?

[blairb666]

I heard that Vista was going to have some features sort of like Expose. Anyone know how to make this function?

Win-Tab should do it... it isn't anything like Exposé and is really completely pointless. I wanted to like Vista, but really its just Windows XP with a new interface (partially new) and even more annoyances. You know what they say about polishing a turd...

-B

[Krevnik]

Sound works in Vista. I can't remember exactly how I did it, but I went into control panel and changed one of the preferences. I'll try to load it up and let you know exactly how I did it.

Has anybody gotten Bluetooth working?
As far as I can tell... Bluetooth in Vista is broken. Not just broken, but one huge regression from XP. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't... when it works, things like mice scroll-wheels don't work on a BT mouse that work on a USB mouse.

Thank you Microsoft, for regressing on a technology that you use in your own desktop product!

[bboucher790]

I love people who complain about stuff not working in a BETA product. When M$ releases their OS, then, and only then, can you review the OS. They are having a public BETA for a reason. I don't doubt that the OS will have faults when it is released in 2007, but that's what Service Packs are for. OSX has PLENTY of updates, so please spare me the comparison. NO OS is perfect. If they fail with security this time though, I fully blame it on the lack of intelligence from their software engineers. Only time will tell....

[bdj21ya]

Well, I agree it is silly to just assume that no bugs (like problems with BT) will be fixed. However, most of my complaints in my review are problems with things Microsoft is moving towards on purpose in Vista (like the terribly huge space-hogging GUI or the hiding normal tasks beneath several layers of menus).