Vista Home Premium or XP Pro?... Opinion Please?

[Guest]

I have an older Dell computer running XP Home that I'm using to archive data,
photo and video files (C:\) and backup (D:\) for the other computers in my
home plus I have a shared printer attached.

I've had to buy two new Dell Vista Home Premium notebooks. One for my wife
for her business and one for my daughter for her birthday. My other daughter
wants a notebook for Christmas (Vista, of course) and I have to upgrade my
Mac Book Pro** from XP Home to Vista so I can help my wife with her business,
working on shared files and Office 07 stuff.

Problem... Vista won't read or write to shared drives or folders on XP Home.
Some security requirement for user id and password... meaning I at least need
XP Pro for the older Dell I'm using basically as a file server.

Through my employer's discount purchase plan with MS, I can get XP Pro for
$129 or Vista Home Premium for $99 (both upgrades). Vista Home Basic is not
available via this program, so also $99 at retail.

The Dell computer in question is a 1.8 GHz Pentium 4, 512 RAM (can easily
upgrade if necessary), 250 GB HD (x2). The video card won't support Aero, but
I probably prefer not to have that on this machine anyway.

With Vista, I'll have the latest OS and be good for the foreseeable future.
But, I may sacrifice performance. But I'm just using it for backup, file
storage and printing from various laptops. With XP, it will cost more, miss
out on some Vista features, but maybe better performance???

So, which one do you think I am better off with and why?

Appreciate you guys' and gals' input.

** I don't understand the Mac vs. PC fights. Like have an 06 GTO and 05
Durango HEMI in my garage... I have the best of both worlds. <g>

 

[Andre Da Costa[ActiveWin]]

Well, its not a machine you would be using everyday, like you say, just for
backups. I would go with Windows Vista, with XP support ending in a couple
years might as well get it with Vista and save yourself the trouble when it
comes to support if the need arises. Although its a low priority machine I
would still up the RAM just to improve performance.

Hey, why not just get a Windows Homer Server license instead which is
excellent for backing up multiple machines? You can even set it up to be
remotely logged into over the Internet and maintain?

 

[Taibear ios]

Vista is crap.. keep away....on your computer with those specs it will run
as fast a frozen mammoth found in siberia.

I suggest you use XP.

If you want files only why dont you install linux that is free and set up a
network with the other pcs?

You can try www.pclinuxos.com that is easy to use

 

[Guest]

all i know is between win xp pro and vista..i wish i had never seen
vista..you should run not walk if you decide on one of the two and get xp
pro..vista might be ok on a new computer,,that comes with vista..but i bought
this whole version of vista premium and it sucks..its not worth what ever you
can get it for

 

[Chris Game]

Problem... Vista won't read or write to shared drives or folders
on XP Home.

Try logging onto the Guest account on the XP-home machine. Don't ask
me why, but it worked for me.

 

[Nepatsfan]

In

I have an older Dell computer running XP Home that I'm using
to archive data,
photo and video files (C:\) and backup (D:\) for the other
computers in my
home plus I have a shared printer attached.

I've had to buy two new Dell Vista Home Premium notebooks.
One for my wife
for her business and one for my daughter for her birthday. My
other daughter
wants a notebook for Christmas (Vista, of course) and I have
to upgrade my
Mac Book Pro** from XP Home to Vista so I can help my wife
with her business,
working on shared files and Office 07 stuff.

Problem... Vista won't read or write to shared drives or
folders on XP Home.
Some security requirement for user id and password... meaning
I at least need
XP Pro for the older Dell I'm using basically as a file
server.

Through my employer's discount purchase plan with MS, I can
get XP Pro for
$129 or Vista Home Premium for $99 (both upgrades). Vista
Home Basic is not
available via this program, so also $99 at retail.

The Dell computer in question is a 1.8 GHz Pentium 4, 512 RAM
(can easily
upgrade if necessary), 250 GB HD (x2). The video card won't
support Aero, but
I probably prefer not to have that on this machine anyway.

With Vista, I'll have the latest OS and be good for the
foreseeable future.
But, I may sacrifice performance. But I'm just using it for
backup, file
storage and printing from various laptops. With XP, it will
cost more, miss
out on some Vista features, but maybe better performance???

So, which one do you think I am better off with and why?

Appreciate you guys' and gals' input.

** I don't understand the Mac vs. PC fights. Like have an 06
GTO and 05
Durango HEMI in my garage... I have the best of both worlds.
<g>

It's your money, but maybe you ought to try fixing your
networking issue before running out and buying an OS upgrade.
I've no problem accessing shared folders on an XP Home Edition
system from a computer running Vista Home Premium.

You might want to post a question to the XP networking
newsgroup if you're looking for help with this problem. Provide
as many details as possible including the exact text of any
error messages that are displayed.

Meanwhile, you can check on the following;

On the XP Home system go to Start -> Run and enter cmd.exe in
the Open box.
Click OK.
At the command prompt, enter the following command.

net user guest

Look next to Account active. It should say yes.
If it says no, enter the following command.

net user guest /active:yes

Good luck

Nepatsfan

 

[Kerry Brown]

I'd look at Windows Home Server.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/windowshomeserver/default.mspx

http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-CCQ...2320?ie=UTF8&s=software&qid=1192717983&sr=8-2

 

[Taibear ios]

Boost ego? Lol you got to be kidding.. My posts are all about vista. Most of
the time I bash it because its crap...
Who made you net-nanny to say what other peoples opinions should be?
I also help people with problems in here....

by now that if you where to use even a fraction of your time complaining
to instead productively use the new OS

I am a master of Vista. If vista was good I would not have a reason to say a
single bad word.
I don't go to XP or other OS's newsgroups to complain. Why do you think I am
bashing vista?
IT DESERVES EVERY INSULT I CAN INVENT!
Its not me who cannot harness da monster. It is the simple folk that I care
about.

How many times have we asked you to backyp your claims with hard facts,
and how many times have you ignored this request? You can't provide
facts because you have none.

Oh ... dont be so sure about that... I have explained for more than 14
months now why vista is horrible.
You are new here.. but even some of the regulars like frank still have no
clue because they ignore what I say. Blind on purpose? Heck yeah!
If I do it the way it must be done in order to prove what I claim, then it
would create much chaos, havoc,
and it would do real harm to Microsoft. It would create flamewars and
endless discussions that would not do anything really
to help anyone.

If I was to do the above I would do it so well everyone would see how crap
vista is. But I dont want to do real harm...
I am actually trying to NOT stir up too much controversy!

So stop asking for proof! Just take my word for it.

no purpose other than to confuse people who come here looking for an honest
answer.

You got to be kidding right? I give the best possible advice! AVOID VISTA!!!
Its simple advice and it works. If you have vista, format and go back to an
OS that works.
If you cant do that and you are stuck with vista.. then I will assist you
with vista. If you LOVE vista, you are stupid.

I think it simple.. you will learn with time.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the input. I'm leaning that direction (Vista). I just don't want
to have it run so slowly on this machine that it's frustrating or barely
usable. On the other hand, XP Pro may run better and I can buy Home Server in
a year or two.

By the way, Home Server per MS website is not just software. It's hardware,
too, both integrated and not available until end 2007.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/windowshomeserver/buy.mspx

Appreciate the help.

 

[Guest]

I can't do Linux... can't learn another OS and software right now. I have OS
X Leopard on the way (my "fun / creative" OS... <g>), need to learn the added
features of Office 07 w/ Bus Cont Mgr for my wife to help her. At least XP
Pro, all the menus and stuff is in the same place as XP with only a couple
added things I need to learn. Considering the value of my time, it's worth
the $129 to not have to do that.

Appreciate the input and other ideas, though. Thank you!

 

[Charlie Tame]

Reading the last lines below you obviously go for quality products
(wonder if my truck would beat your Durango?) and Vista will have
improved quite a bit by the time you feel like learning some more. I
think XP Pro would be a good choice with some "Known" software (You
obviously already know what you plan to do with it) because at this time
it is a bit unpredictable whether Vista and your machine in combination
will be stable enough for a business use.

Sorry to be boring but XP Pro SP2 has been pretty much rock solid for me

 

[Guest]

Network works just fine. I get an error in Vista when trying to log into a
shared folder on the XP Home machine requiring User and Password and a dbx
with some verbiage stating that it will not work on XP Home.

I'll try the guest account thing, though. Thanks.

PS... I just tried it. All that works. It's Vista's backup that requires ID
and Password to access a network share and stating that it will not work on
an XP Home machine.

In using Vista backup (I had my wife's and daughter's machines backup to
each other for the time being), I don't really like it. The files are getting
huge and you need Vista restore to read anything. I m

But xopy to a mapped network drive / folder is working fine.
(C:\WINDOWS\system32\xcopy.exe c:\users\*.* /s f:\Test\ /c /d /i /y). It's
one of my favorite, cheapest, fastest and easiest backup solution if I'm just
looking for an extra copy of the data files. I may just stay with that and
say to heck with it.

 

[Guest]

Per the website, not available until late 2007 and it will be a
hardward/software combo solution. It doesn't look like software will be sold
seperately. Might be worth it a year or two down the road when this old Dell
is no longer useful and I have more money. For now, it's fine.

Thanks for the advice and info.

Tom.

 

[Guest]

Hey thanks! What truck do you drive? The Durango is pretty quick, but the GTO
smokes it. (6.0L 400 hp LS2, 6 speed). They're not exactly BMW or Mercedes.
But it does pay to buy quality. Life and time is too valuable to waste
otherwise. By the way, the Durango is the wife's, though we share both
vehicles. She insisted on the HEMI. <g>.

On XP Pro, I'm leaning that route, though other replies here have me
thinking of just keeping XP Home. Vista Backup applet won't work with 'Home'
and 'Pro' has a couple features worth having for me needs... worth $129?
That's the dilema.

The other thing that has me leaning toward Pro is the hardware requirements
vs. Vista. I think I'd get much better performance with Pro and not need all
the overhead built into Vista just for a server and backup machine.

Appreciate your opinion and input.

Tom.

 

[Kerry Brown]

Per the website, not available until late 2007 and it will be a
hardward/software combo solution. It doesn't look like software will be
sold
seperately. Might be worth it a year or two down the road when this old
Dell
is no longer useful and I have more money. For now, it's fine.

It's for sale now at the Amazon link I posted. It is OEM software but it is
for sale separately from hardware.

 

[MICHAEL]

* Kerry Brown:

It's for sale now at the Amazon link I posted. It is OEM software but it is
for sale separately from hardware.

It is a fine piece of software, too. I have been using WHS since the betas
and I have been impressed. Microsoft got it right with WHS. It's easy to
install if you buy it separate from a server appliance, easy to use, and does
what it says it will do. Great product.


-Michael