Vista - XP or Vista

All my programs are starting to screw up (PC with Win 98, OE6, IE6). I have
little confidence in my ability to trouble shoot (my PhD is not in
computers), so I may just buy a new computer. I have XP on my other
computer (although the hard drive did crash once), and have heard that Vista
has too many bugs. Where can I get an unbiased review? (I only need
minimal configuration, for internet, and no network. My other computer is
the workhorse.)

--
- Alan Justice

Either would be fine for your needs. Sounds like you've a number of legacy
programs, so probably XP would be more appropriate.

SteveT

"Alan Justice" <spam@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:e3zm9qNbIHA.484@xxxxxx
If you can hold off until some time in March, you will then be able to buy a
computer which has Vista SP1 pre-installed. Ensure that you do actually get
Vista SP1.

Vista has come a long way since the early days, and the SP1 update takes
Vista to a new level (higher). What you might want to do in the meantime is
check that all of your external devices and programs are Vista compatible.
This requires donkey work, going from one manufacturer/author website to
another..

--
Mike Hall - MVP
http://msmvps.com/blogs/mikehall/default.aspx

If you're buying a PC with a preinstalled operating system you probably
won't have much choice - it'll likely be Vista. Either should suit your
needs. Vista took a bit of getting used to for me, but since you're coming
from Win98 the same will probably apply to either of them for you.

XP is no more buggy than any other OS (cue the hail of Linux supporters but
you did ask for an UNBIASED opinion). If it's a choice of XP or Vista, and
you're going to buy one of those separately and install it on a fresh
machine yourself, Vista will almost certainly be cheaper.

Do check for compatibility with all your old software before buying. Vista
is notoriously incompatible in this regard. It doesn't even fully support
Office 2000, and that's a (albeit obsolescent) Microsoft product.

Both versions include a compatibility wizard for older programs, and quite
often running a program in Windows 98 mode will solve any problems you may
have. If in doubt, XP might be the safer option here but bear in mind it
too is eventually going to become obsolete.


"Alan Justice" <spam@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:e3zm9qNbIHA.484@xxxxxx

Previously Tiberius wrote:I bought a new Compaq with Vista Home on it and have had quite a bit of
problems with my existing software that I had installed on my (now) dead
XP Pro laptop.

I put Office 2003 Pro and most programs work except when saving files to
a different directory than the default causes a 30 second delay that
seems like everything is locked up. Then it frees up and the directory
will change. I am still trying to figure out where my outbox emails go
when I send email from Outlook.

I spent a day and a half trying to get Motorola Phone Tools installed
only to give up and go to my XP Pro desktop.

I had to buy a new antivirus because the Norton V10.2 would not run on
Vista, I needed Norton 10.4 and it was a cost to upgrade.

I would be happy to go back to XP Pro if I had known about the DEGRADE
capability or for that matter is the DEGRADE capability built in and
just has to be purchased? Or can I purchase XP Pro and have it install
over the top of Vista?

Is the SP1 going to have more software compatability than the original
or is it more for stability, security and speed?

TIA, GWB

On Mon, 11 Feb 2008 10:26:13 -0800, Alan Justice wrote:
IMHO - if there is no particular reason why you would want vista then it
might be better to do xp. DELL, for one, offers computers with xp
installed instead of vista. It will require some looking to find
computers with xp or another alternative instead of vista, but they exist
- it's up to you whether it's worth the bother.

"George W. Barrowcliff" <george.barrowcliff@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:uqG5yCObIHA.208@xxxxxxHome versions of Vista have no downgrade rights. If Compaq does not
provide XP drivers for the computer you bought from them, it will be
difficult or impossible for you to run XP on it, even if you purchase XP.

On Mon, 11 Feb 2008 10:26:13 -0800, "Alan Justice"
<spam@xxxxxx> wrote:

Why? It would seem that if "all [your] programs are starting to screw
up," worst case, you could solve the problems without any
troubleshooting by reinstalling Windows and all your programs. Why do
you need a new computer?

I'm not trying to talk you out of buying a new computer if that's what
you want, but that reason makes no sense to me.



Here's my view:

1. If you're reading about problems *here* for example, in the
newsgroups, this is where people come with their problems, not with
their successes. You get a very distorted view of what's going on in
the real world here; as someone once said, "hang around a transmission
shop and you will think that all cars have transmission problems."

2. Most problems, by far, that people report have nothing to do with
defects in the software. They result from people's ignorance, from bad
or inadequate hardware, from old drivers, from viruses, from spyware,
and so on. And except for very rare situations, they always get a fix
for their problems, and in most cases, that fix is a very simple one
to implement.

You may not think my view is unbiased, but I run Vista here and am
very happy with it. I have no problems with it at all. I know many
others who have experiences similar to mine.


Then if you get a new computer I see no reason for you not to get
Vista. But note two things:

1. make sure you get a powerful enough machine. In particular, I would
get 2GB of RAM

2. Vista is different in many ways from XP, and it will undoubtedly
take you some time to learn and get accustomed to the differences.
That experience can be frustrating at first.

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

On Mon, 11 Feb 2008 10:26:13 -0800, "Alan Justice"
<spam@xxxxxx> wrote:
For minimal computing either should work. I would go with XP though
as it has better performance so you won't need to buuy as much
hardware.

All good points. But tell me: To reinstall all the programs, won't I lose
what's on the computer now? Not everything is saved in "my documents," so I
may not even be able to find it all to back it up. Or will reinstallation
leave that all alone?

--
- Alan Justice

"Ken Blake, MVP" <kblake@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:2lf1r3d997obhphg6jev5t26pl4b7m67ct@xxxxxxhaveVistais