Tackling Vista 64-bit Problems....... Again.

[Honda_Boy]

Well, I decided to try Vista x64 again cause for some weird reason I can't seem to get a decent, stable install of XP on my main rig. I still have my XP install (I was smart this time) and am just experimenting with Vista trying to work out all the kinks. Kink 1 is the Audigy's inability to fully function in x64 (works but many features missing) but that's just due to incompatibility so X-Fi or something else is coming soon. Kink 2, blocky video when setting videos to full screen in Zoom Player. Fixed that one. For some reason in x64, Zoom defaults to a different filter than XP or Vista x86 (laptop with Vista Home Basic x86 never had a problem with video). I just switched the filter to the correct one and BAM, clearer full screen video (well as clear as a 704x400 or 1280x800 video can get when stretched to 1080p sizes) BUT a small annoyance. It switches to the Vista basic theme when the video starts and switched back when I shut Zoom off. Not much of a problem but I'm assuming the filter it was set on is supposed to keep it in Aero but the quality just sucks. (my x64 install is Home Premium with the full Aero Theme while my laptop x86 Vista install is Home Basic with the Basic Aero theme)

Now I have one last (known) problem. Kink 3. When doing Open File in Zoom Player (or anything for that matter), Vista x64 does not recognize .mkv files as Media so I have to tell it look at All Files to see them. XP and Vista x86 don't have this problem. They both recognize .mkv as Media Files. Why is this and does anyone have any ideas on how to fix it?

Also another thought. Not a real problem just a mild annoyance on both XP and Vista x64. I added the Vista cursors to my XP install but every now and then the animation for loading doesn't work right. The little blue circle sits static but if I go to the control panel and change the mouse cursor to one then back to the Vista and hit Apply, it works correctly again, or if I restart the system (guess which ways faster ). Well I noticed this happens on my Vista x64 Vista install and the EXACT SAME thing applies. It will occasionally quit spinning but if I reset the cursors, it works again, BUT my x86 install on the laptop, this NEVER happens.

Other than some of these minor problems, my Windows Vista Home Premium x64 SP1 install seems to be running quicker and more stable on my main rig than the Windows XP Home x86 SP3 install. I don't know why but on this rig, it's been pretty much impossible to get a decent install of XP while my old rig's XP install (before I formatted the drive to use in my newest one) was rock solid and fast. Note that my new one runs on an Athlon 64 X2 6000+ with 4GB of RAM and my old rig had an Athlon 64 3500+ with 1GB of RAM and it was faster in Windows XP than this one but the new x64 install is pretty dang quick (then again, i have no firewall or A/V installed right now).

So if any of you have any ideas on how to get around my little problems, I'd greatly appreciate it. It'd probably make me want to switch over permanently if I can get the file recognition fixed. I still don't quite get that x86 recognizes .mkv's as media but x64 doesn't. Anyway, Thanks.

[Honda_Boy]

OK, found another problem. When I'm viewing images in Windows Image Viewer (or whatever it's called) and only when I'm viewing on my main monitor, the color is all messed up. If I move it to the other monitor, it's fine. What's weird is, it's not the monitors fault:

and this is just trippy

With the window opened on the main:

and opened on the side:

Why is the color messed up if it's opened on the main and why does it stay correct when I do the flippy doodle thing if I opened on the side? Man this is just weird

Edited September 28, 2008 by Honda_Boy

[Honda_Boy]

I think I may have a solution for my Windows Photo Gallery problem. There's something I can switch that may or may not fix it but it's said that if I just delete the monitor's driver, that'll work too. I won't know till I get home. But I still haven't gotten Vista x64 to recognize my .mkv files as media yet. I think once I get that figured out, I may just switch over after getting a new sound card (I could use the integrated which works perfectly in Vista but frame rates in games will be hurt some and plus I want my dang EAX music effects).

[Falcon1986]

For the colour issue: Which colour profile are you using? Is it different on each monitor?

[Honda_Boy]

I fixed it. Uninstalling the monitors driver worked. But I still have yet to figure out the .mkv file problem. It sucks cause just about all the fansubs I download now are .mkv's and it's a mild inconvenience.

[Honda_Boy]

And, I finally figured out the last (known) problem. I unchecked Hide Extension of Known File Types (I had done that in XP and on my laptop but had forgotten to on this one, I just did it on an unrelated thought, I don't like hiding file extensions). SO I guess I've got it all figured out now. I just need to get a new sound card and I think I'll switch.

Man, it seems like most of my problems have really simple solutions and I feel like an idiot when I figure them out.