Vista - compatability with Vista

I am buying a Laptop and would like to get Vista on it but I am worried that
it will not be compatable with other computers without it or my printer
(Lexmark 4300 all in one). Previously my scanner was not compatable with XP.

Angels3bmd wrote:
> I am buying a Laptop and would like to get Vista on it but I am worried that
> it will not be compatable with other computers without it or my printer
> (Lexmark 4300 all in one). Previously my scanner was not compatable with XP.

Go to Lexmark's website and look up whether your printer is compatible
with Vista. Do the same thing for other devices and programs.


Malke
--
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User

They'll be available March 31st.
http://www.lexmark.com/lexmark/seque...9_0_en,00.html
--
Cari (MS-MVP)
Windows Technologies - Printing & Imaging
http://www.coribright.com/windows

"Angels3bmd" <Angels3bmd@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:2C868F03-3B63-4FEC-8D21-EE80E6500CAB@microsoft.com...
>I am buying a Laptop and would like to get Vista on it but I am worried
>that
> it will not be compatable with other computers without it or my printer
> (Lexmark 4300 all in one). Previously my scanner was not compatable with
> XP.

Don't upgrade to Vista yet if you can avoid it. I couldn't find a state of
the art laptop without it though. MS are no longer selling XP preloaded on
machines. If you can find old stock in a store, buy it, or if you are
content with an older non-Core2Duo machine - most of those (if there are any
left) can still be got with XP on them.

I can't print from my laptop to my Lexmark Z25 when set as the Vista default
printer and connected to the USB port on the laptop. It's totally outrageous
that Vista cannot simply use XP drivers. It should be backwards compatible.
Things should become more, not less functional with a new OS! It would be so
easy for Microsoft to write an XP driver emulator but they won't.

Greg


"Angels3bmd" <Angels3bmd@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:2C868F03-3B63-4FEC-8D21-EE80E6500CAB@microsoft.com...
>I am buying a Laptop and would like to get Vista on it but I am worried
>that
> it will not be compatable with other computers without it or my printer
> (Lexmark 4300 all in one). Previously my scanner was not compatable with
> XP.

The Z25 is a 10 year old printer. Lexmark are writing drivers for printers
issued in the last 5 years. They cannot support models for which their
research shows there are only a couple of users, it's not economically
viable.
--
Cari (MS-MVP)
Windows Technologies - Printing & Imaging
http://www.coribright.com/windows

"Greg" <noway> wrote in message
news:e00M2JbaHHA.4520@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
> Don't upgrade to Vista yet if you can avoid it. I couldn't find a state of
> the art laptop without it though. MS are no longer selling XP preloaded on
> machines. If you can find old stock in a store, buy it, or if you are
> content with an older non-Core2Duo machine - most of those (if there are
> any left) can still be got with XP on them.
>
> I can't print from my laptop to my Lexmark Z25 when set as the Vista
> default printer and connected to the USB port on the laptop. It's totally
> outrageous that Vista cannot simply use XP drivers. It should be backwards
> compatible. Things should become more, not less functional with a new OS!
> It would be so easy for Microsoft to write an XP driver emulator but they
> won't.
>
> Greg
>
>
> "Angels3bmd" <Angels3bmd@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:2C868F03-3B63-4FEC-8D21-EE80E6500CAB@microsoft.com...
>>I am buying a Laptop and would like to get Vista on it but I am worried
>>that
>> it will not be compatable with other computers without it or my printer
>> (Lexmark 4300 all in one). Previously my scanner was not compatable with
>> XP.
>
>

Go back to microsoft main page, and type in "vista hardware compatibility" in
search. It takes you to a list of pages, pick the right one, and it lists
everything by type; i.e. printers, moniters, routers, etc

"Angels3bmd" wrote:

> I am buying a Laptop and would like to get Vista on it but I am worried that
> it will not be compatable with other computers without it or my printer
> (Lexmark 4300 all in one). Previously my scanner was not compatable with XP.

In article <uHPBlTOaHHA.208@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl>, Cari (MS-MVP) wrote:

> They'll be available March 31st.

<< * These dates may change in the future. >>

My Z25 is not a ten year old printer. It was manufactured in February 2003
and I bought it sometime that year. It is four years old. The Z25 was a
popular low end printer.

Besides, my point is that regardless of whether a manufacturer of a printer
decides to write Vista drivers for it, Microsoft should write their new
operating system so that it can use the drivers of the old operating system.
Is that too much to ask? Why on earth can't such a 'so-vista-cated' program
use the drivers employed by its less sophisticated previous incarnation? Why
should we have to buy new printers?


"Cari (MS-MVP)" <NewsGroups@coribright.com> wrote in message
news:%23ccTTYbaHHA.3584@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
> The Z25 is a 10 year old printer. Lexmark are writing drivers for
> printers issued in the last 5 years. They cannot support models for which
> their research shows there are only a couple of users, it's not
> economically viable.
> --
> Cari (MS-MVP)
> Windows Technologies - Printing & Imaging
> http://www.coribright.com/windows
>
> "Greg" <noway> wrote in message
> news:e00M2JbaHHA.4520@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
>> Don't upgrade to Vista yet if you can avoid it. I couldn't find a state
>> of the art laptop without it though. MS are no longer selling XP
>> preloaded on machines. If you can find old stock in a store, buy it, or
>> if you are content with an older non-Core2Duo machine - most of those (if
>> there are any left) can still be got with XP on them.
>>
>> I can't print from my laptop to my Lexmark Z25 when set as the Vista
>> default printer and connected to the USB port on the laptop. It's totally
>> outrageous that Vista cannot simply use XP drivers. It should be
>> backwards compatible. Things should become more, not less functional with
>> a new OS! It would be so easy for Microsoft to write an XP driver
>> emulator but they won't.
>>
>> Greg
>>
>>
>> "Angels3bmd" <Angels3bmd@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> news:2C868F03-3B63-4FEC-8D21-EE80E6500CAB@microsoft.com...
>>>I am buying a Laptop and would like to get Vista on it but I am worried
>>>that
>>> it will not be compatable with other computers without it or my printer
>>> (Lexmark 4300 all in one). Previously my scanner was not compatable
>>> with XP.
>>
>>
>

Did you try installing your XP driver in XP Compatibility mode?

If Vista is made backwards compatible with all older hardware and software,
we might as well call it Windows 3.1 and be satisfied with the speed that it
manages to reach ie snail pace. At some point, one must move forward. What
was so wrong with your old PC that you required a new one? Did you perhaps
consider repairing or upgrading it before you purchased the new one? As far
as I'm aware, no one is forcing you to change to a new PC with Vista.

If you want to run at a high speed with today (and tomorrow's) technology,
you must accept that some old hardware and software will NOT be compatible
with it. If you want to keep this old hardware, then use your older PC.

And it's not when you purchased the printer, it's the date when the printer
was first manufactured. Lexmark are going back to 2003 with their Vista
drivers. Far enough to cover most printers still in service (according to
their records and research). It may have been a popular low end printer,
but apparently most of them are no longer working.
--
Cari (MS-MVP)
Windows Technologies - Printing & Imaging
http://www.coribright.com/windows



"Greg" <noway> wrote in message
news:%230E3iwoaHHA.2172@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
> My Z25 is not a ten year old printer. It was manufactured in February 2003
> and I bought it sometime that year. It is four years old. The Z25 was a
> popular low end printer.
>
> Besides, my point is that regardless of whether a manufacturer of a
> printer decides to write Vista drivers for it, Microsoft should write
> their new operating system so that it can use the drivers of the old
> operating system. Is that too much to ask? Why on earth can't such a
> 'so-vista-cated' program use the drivers employed by its less
> sophisticated previous incarnation? Why should we have to buy new
> printers?
>