Vista

[jdrober]

I bought a new laptop with 1GB RAM and Windows Vista Home. Is that enough RAM
for VISTA or would another GIG make the 1.4GHZ process any faster ? Also,
what options do I have to go back to XP ? Would Microsoft trade me licenses ?
I mean would they be willing to provide a copy of XP for free if I want to
back level ?

Thanks,
Jim

 

[Gordon Shumway]

I can't answer your first question because I don't use Vista.

In answer to your second question: No. Micro$oft will not "trade" you a
Vista license for an XP license.

GS

 

[peter]

I have Vista Home Premium running nicely on a Laptop with 1gb of RAM amd a
1.7mhz processor...2gb would speed it up but only you can decide if you have
enough resources for what you are running on the laptop.
No...MS will not "trade" you a XP license for an Vista license.
If you really have your mind set on XP why buy a Vista Laptop??? If you
really really really want to go to XP you would need to purchase a retail
copy,then check your laptop manufacturers website for XP drivers for your
machine...download and safe them to a CD.The XP install would need to format
your HD which would erase all programs that you received as part of your
purchase.You would then install the Laptop XP drivers.This may or may not
void your warranty..check with the manufacturer.Chances are you have a
"recovery" partition on the HD which has the Vista installation
files/routine on it.Leave it alone in case you later decide to go back to
Vista..............good luck on your decision.
peter

 

[Detlev Dreyer]

I bought a new laptop with 1GB RAM and Windows Vista Home. Is that
enough RAM for VISTA or would another GIG make the 1.4GHZ process any
faster ?

Best to ask *before* buying a new laptop and best to ask the experts in
a Vista group. However, the general answer regarding the amount of RAM
is the same for all Windows versions: That depends on your needs. If
you're just using Windows Mail, yes, 1GB of RAM is certainly sufficient.

Also, what options do I have to go back to XP ? Would Microsoft trade
me licenses ?
I mean would they be willing to provide a copy of XP for free if I want
to back level ?

Nope.

 

[Jupiter Jones [MVP]]

Jim;
Many do OK with 1 GB RAM while others need 2 GB or more.
That really depends on your specific uses.

As for trading, your only option is the manufacturer that sold you the
laptop.
The decision of operating systems is best made before purchase since
new hardware may not have Windows Vista drivers, check with
manufacturer for details.
If you decide on Windows XP, return the laptop while still in the
return period.

Toshiba, Dell and possibly other major OEMs as well as nearly
countless other local shops continue to sell desktops and laptops with
Windows XP.

 

[HeyBub]

I bought a new laptop with 1GB RAM and Windows Vista Home. Is that
enough RAM for VISTA or would another GIG make the 1.4GHZ process any
faster ?

More RAM will allow Vista to run faster. Whether faster enough for you to
notice depends on what you're doing.

Also, what options do I have to go back to XP ?

Very few. Maybe two:
1. Take the laptop back and trade for one with XP
2. Buy a copy of XP and install it over Vista. This may not work because
hardware drivers for your laptop may not be available for XP.

Would
Microsoft trade me licenses ? I mean would they be willing to provide
a copy of XP for free if I want to back level ?

No.

 

[Patrick Keenan]

I bought a new laptop with 1GB RAM and Windows Vista Home. Is that enough
RAM
for VISTA or would another GIG make the 1.4GHZ process any faster ?

More may help. It depends what you use the system for.

Also,

what options do I have to go back to XP ? Would Microsoft trade me
licenses ?
No.

I mean would they be willing to provide a copy of XP for free if I want to
back level ?

No. Even with the Vista versions that do support downgrading, *you* have
to supply valid XP install media.

 

[Patrick Keenan]

I bought a new laptop with 1GB RAM and Windows Vista Home. Is that enough
RAM
for VISTA or would another GIG make the 1.4GHZ process any faster ?

More may help. It depends what you use the system for.

Also,
what options do I have to go back to XP ?

They are few, and are possibly none or "get a new laptop with XP".

You can buy a retail version of XP, AFTER determining whether the laptop
manufacturer HAS XP DRIVERS FOR YOUR LAPTOP.

If drivers aren't available, do NOT attempt to downgrade.

A basic guide is to see if the system is offered with XP. If it isn't,
chances are that XP drivers are not available.

Would Microsoft trade me
licenses ?

No, and you can't sell it, either.

And Vista Home does not have downgrade rights.

if I want to
back level ?

No. Even with the Vista versions that do support downgrading, *you* have
to supply valid XP install media.

 

[Patrick Keenan]

I bought a new laptop with 1GB RAM and Windows Vista Home. Is that enough
RAM
for VISTA or would another GIG make the 1.4GHZ process any faster ?

More may help. It depends what you use the system for.

Also,
what options do I have to go back to XP ?

They are few, and are possibly none or "get a new laptop with XP".

You can buy a retail version of XP, AFTER determining whether the laptop
manufacturer HAS XP DRIVERS FOR YOUR LAPTOP.

If drivers aren't available, do NOT attempt to downgrade.

A basic guide is to see if the system is offered with XP. If it isn't,
chances are that XP drivers are not available.

Would Microsoft trade me
licenses ?

No, and you can't sell it, either.

And Vista Home does not have downgrade rights.

if I want to
back level ?

No. Even with the Vista versions that do support downgrading, *you* have
to supply valid XP install media.

 

[Mike Hall - MVP]

I bought a new laptop with 1GB RAM and Windows Vista Home. Is that enough
RAM
for VISTA or would another GIG make the 1.4GHZ process any faster ? Also,
what options do I have to go back to XP ? Would Microsoft trade me
licenses ?
I mean would they be willing to provide a copy of XP for free if I want to
back level ?

Thanks,
Jim

If the video card shares RAM with the rest of the system, you need to
upgrade to 2gb.

If you want it to boot through all of the startup items faster, you need to
upgrade to 2gb

If you want programs to be a little more responsive, you need to upgrade to
2gb..

If your laptop has a built in webcam and you want decent streaming video
quality from it, you need to upgrade to 2gb..

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I bought a new laptop with 1GB RAM and Windows Vista Home. Is that enough RAM
for VISTA or would another GIG make the 1.4GHZ process any faster ?

How much RAM you need for good performance depends, as always, on what
apps you run, and is *not* the same for everyone. I can't tell you how
much *you* need, but I'll point out that 1GB is about the minimum
amount that most people find adequate. Many people report a
substantial performance boost by going to 2GB.

If it were me, I'd get 2GB, but it's also possible that 1GB is
sufficient for you.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

I bought a new laptop with 1GB RAM and Windows Vista Home. Is that enough RAM
for VISTA or would another GIG make the 1.4GHZ process any faster ?

There's no set answer. It depends entirely upon how you're going to be
using the computer, and you've told us nothing about that. However,
because a laptop always "sequesters" a portion of the RAM for use by the
intergrated video adapter, I'd seriously consider increasing the RAM to
2 Gb if you're going to be doing any sort of multimedia work.

Also,
what options do I have to go back to XP ?

Your best choice would have been to purchase the laptop with WinXP
installed, to start with. Several OEMs still offer WinXP on their products.

Be that as it may, it's your computer, so the choice is, ultimately, yours.

However, there could be a couple possible adverse repercussions of
which you should be aware. First and foremost, if the specific computer
model in question was designed specifically for Vista, there may well be
no WinXP-specific device drivers available to make the computer's
diverse components work properly. Consult the computer's manufacturer
about the availability of device drivers. Secondly, removing an
OEM-installed operating system and replacing it with another will almost
invariably void any and all support agreements and, sometimes, even the
warranty. You would, at the very least, have to re-install Vista before
getting any support from the manufacturer. Again, consult the
computer's manufacturer for specifics. Thirdly, there may be the
additional cost involved in purchasing a WinXP license for this new
computer. (An OEM CD and license from some previous computer will not
do, for legal and usually technical reasons.)

After backing up any data you wish to transfer to the new OS
installation, simply boot from the WinXP installation CD. You'll be
offered the opportunity to delete, create, and format partitions as part
of the installation process. (You may need to re-arrange the order of
boot devices in the PC's BIOS to boot from the CD.)

HOW TO Install Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;en-us;316941

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/clean_install.htm

Then, assuming that the laptop can be made to work with WinXP, the
backed up data can be restored and applications (Those that are
WinXP-compatible, that is) re-installed.

Would Microsoft trade me licenses ?
I mean would they be willing to provide a copy of XP for free if I want to
back level ?

No, of course not. Microsoft is a business, not a charity. (Remember,
you purchased Vista from the laptop manufacturer, not from Microsoft.)
You might direct this question to the computer's manufacturer to see if
they offer such an exchange.


--

Bruce Chambers

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