need new machine: VISTA or XP?

[maya]

hi,

I need to purchase a new machine fairly soon, probably next week, have
been shopping around for months.. just realized that now machines
come v/Vista installed, not XP.. so I'm wondering: CAN you still
choose to buy a machine w/XP installed instead of Vista? I hear
Vista is a monster of a memory-hogger (what else is new?) I think it
would be a bit frustrating to purchase a new powerful machine only to
have a large portion of the memory eaten up by OS.. also I don't know
if sw I have on disk (some of them rather old) will run on Vista

any opinions? is Vista a good choice?

thank you...

 

[Paul Randall]

hi,

I need to purchase a new machine fairly soon, probably next week, have
been shopping around for months.. just realized that now machines
come v/Vista installed, not XP.. so I'm wondering: CAN you still
choose to buy a machine w/XP installed instead of Vista? I hear
Vista is a monster of a memory-hogger (what else is new?) I think it
would be a bit frustrating to purchase a new powerful machine only to
have a large portion of the memory eaten up by OS.. also I don't know
if sw I have on disk (some of them rather old) will run on Vista

any opinions? is Vista a good choice?

thank you...

Is your current system has a version of WXP whose eula allows moving it to a
different computer? If so, then I would suggest buying a new with Vista
installed and with a hard drive large enough to set up a dual boot system.
Before you buy it, you also want to be sure that the hardware can handle the
older OS you want to install. I've heard that the BIOS of some Compaq
desktops with Vista were optimized for use with Vista and may not handle any
other OS. Or drivers for older OSs may not be available. Some Compaqs come
with the hard drive already partitioned, with the small partition holding
system recovery info -- everthing to supposedly return the hard drive to the
state it had when it left the Compaq factory. I don't know how this affects
dual bootability. By having a dual boot system, you will have the best of
both worlds and can take you time in evaluating which of your applications
can and can not be run on Vista and whether you want to take the performance
hit of Vista, which generally runs a little slower than XP.

-Paul Randall

 

[Jim]

hi,

I need to purchase a new machine fairly soon, probably next week, have
been shopping around for months.. just realized that now machines
come v/Vista installed, not XP.. so I'm wondering: CAN you still
choose to buy a machine w/XP installed instead of Vista? I hear
Vista is a monster of a memory-hogger (what else is new?) I think it
would be a bit frustrating to purchase a new powerful machine only to
have a large portion of the memory eaten up by OS.. also I don't know
if sw I have on disk (some of them rather old) will run on Vista

any opinions? is Vista a good choice?

thank you...

I just called (15 March) HP and the still have the Pavilion dv4270us
available with XP installed. I have one on the way with my tax rebate
cash. YMMV

-Jim

 

[Guest]

Only if you buy it off of eBay or perhaps Dell's online outlet store (check
their website). It MIGHT be cheaper just to buy a new bundle from Dell w/
Vista pre-installed and upgrade the memory. Dell seems to always have great
offers when they throw in 17" or 19' monitors or free memory upgrades. So if
your only concern is a slow Vista machine then consider upgrading the memory.

 

[Rock]

hi,

I need to purchase a new machine fairly soon, probably next week, have
been shopping around for months.. just realized that now machines
come v/Vista installed, not XP.. so I'm wondering: CAN you still
choose to buy a machine w/XP installed instead of Vista? I hear
Vista is a monster of a memory-hogger (what else is new?) I think it
would be a bit frustrating to purchase a new powerful machine only to
have a large portion of the memory eaten up by OS.. also I don't know
if sw I have on disk (some of them rather old) will run on Vista

I think any new computer purchases should have Vista. Vista does need more
memory. 1GB works well, 1.5 - 2.0 seems to be a sweet spot. Vista has
significant improvements in memory management. It will try to find a use
for all installed memory, much more so than XP. So even with large amounts
of memory, the task manager will show a large amount being used. Some
people don't understand that, and then make claims that Vista is hogging the
memory. No, it's putting the memory to use caching programs and files.
When it's needed elsewhere the memory is released for that need.

I run Vista Ultimate on an almost 5 year old system in a multi-boot with XP
with 1GB of memory. It routinely shows free memory at 0 or close to it,
less than 10 MB. That's good. In some things it works faster than XP, in
others a bit slower.

I suggest you first get a test system with Vista, set it up with the
programs you need and see how it works for your needs. There is a lag in
driver support for legacy hardware, as is the case when any new OS is
introduced, and the inevitable software incompatibilities. Much current
software will run on Vista but some doesn't without an upgrade.

There is a paradigm shift going from Vista to XP. User account control
gives the user much more control over what runs on the system, but it can be
frustrating in the initial setup of a new system and for new users or those
who don't understand it. So that's why I recommend you testing a system
with Vista before making a wholesale change.

 

[Rock]

hi,

I need to purchase a new machine fairly soon, probably next week, have
been shopping around for months.. just realized that now machines
come v/Vista installed, not XP.. so I'm wondering: CAN you still
choose to buy a machine w/XP installed instead of Vista? I hear
Vista is a monster of a memory-hogger (what else is new?) I think it
would be a bit frustrating to purchase a new powerful machine only to
have a large portion of the memory eaten up by OS.. also I don't know
if sw I have on disk (some of them rather old) will run on Vista

One last comment. There are Vista specific newsgroups.

microsoft.public.windows.vista.administration_accounts_password
microsoft.public.windows.vista.file_management
microsoft.public.windows.vista.games
microsoft.public.windows.vista.general
microsoft.public.windows.vista.hardware_devices
microsoft.public.windows.vista.installation_setup
microsoft.public.windows.vista.mail
microsoft.public.windows.vista.music_pictures_video
microsoft.public.windows.vista.networking_sharing
microsoft.public.windows.vista.performance_maintenance
microsoft.public.windows.vista.print_fax_scan
microsoft.public.windows.vista.security

 

[R. McCarty]

Several factors come into play on a new machine with Windows
Vista.

Applications:
1.) Will you be adding your own 3rd-Party software or simply
use what ships on the PC from the Factory.
a.) If use what ships then Vista is acceptable
**Remember many new PCs ship with "Trial" versions, so
plan on additional purchases for AV, CD-Burning, etc..
b.) If 3rd-Party applications will be used - are they compliant ?

Quirks & Anomalies:
2.) How willing are you to deal with unresolved issues such as
printer drivers and other peripherals you already own and intend
to use on the new PC. Just because "It" works under XP doesn't
guarantee it will do the same running Vista.

Getting comfortable with Vista:
3.) Learning curve - Vista takes some time to get used to, If
you're willing to work through the changes then Vista is OK
If you can't deal with significant changes in where things are
and how they work, XP may be a better choice.

 

[Richard]

I like & use Vista without any problems whatsoever.
If you went to a local pc builder you'd get a new machine with xp if that's
what you want.

 

[mikeyhsd]

memory is meant to be used, not sitting around empty.
memory handling seems to be much improved in vista.
you need minimum 1gb of memory.
if buying a new computer might shoot up to 2gb.



(e-mail address removed)



hi,

I need to purchase a new machine fairly soon, probably next week, have
been shopping around for months.. just realized that now machines
come v/Vista installed, not XP.. so I'm wondering: CAN you still
choose to buy a machine w/XP installed instead of Vista? I hear
Vista is a monster of a memory-hogger (what else is new?) I think it
would be a bit frustrating to purchase a new powerful machine only to
have a large portion of the memory eaten up by OS.. also I don't know
if sw I have on disk (some of them rather old) will run on Vista

any opinions? is Vista a good choice?

thank you...