Vista Beta Disk Requirements

I received the latest Windows Vista beta release today and attempted to install on my test machine. Easier said than done. The installer wants 7.6 Gb of free disk space on a partition in order to select it for install. Oh geez, I only have 4.4 Gb free. WTF? This is ridiculous, it can't need that much free space.

Update: Freed enough space to get past choosing partition. Next step fails with error message "Setup is unable to locate a locally attached hard drive to store temporary files". Search on MS discovers others who've said you need 16 Gb free to install this. Sheesh. I give up.

No Corvettes In My Future

I'd been thinking that in a couple years I'd be ready to upgrade from my Eclipse convertible to a Corvette. So what shows up on the local dealer's lot? A vette that is exactly what I would have ordered: red convertible, manual transmission, Z51 sport package, everything. I wasn't quite ready to buy yet, but this was too good to be true. I had to check it out, and visited them for a test drive.

I was impressed with the interior, amenities and smooth ride, but that was it. The shifting was not particularly smooth, this particular car made a ticking noise in the engine under hard acceleration, and the fun to drive quotient through the gears was just missing.

I wanted something to compare it to so went across the street to the Porsche dealer to look at a Boxster. They had a base Boxster with the 240hp engine available and I took it for a test drive. Now we're talking! This baby was quick, agile, rev-happy and had the fun to drive experience I was after.

Wanted one more car to drive and luckily the BMW dealer just got in last week one of the new Z4 M roadsters, just raved about in this month's Car and Driver magazine. They let me go by myself, and holy shit, does it go. I've never driven a car this quick and responsive. With 330hp this thing took off like a bat out of hell and never quit, with quick acceleration out of every gear. I definitely went faster than I should have, but who was watching.

Since the Corvette on the lot didn't meet my desires, I'll plan on upgrading later like originally, but who knows, if I get the bug and the right Boxster S shows up I just may take it.