WGD said:
A technically-oriented representative at one of the nation's large
'box' houses suggested that:
You mean a chain store like Best Buy or CompUSA?
Be very wary of getting any advice from people like this at the big chain
computer store.Very few of these people know what they are talking about.
Most of the people at computer stores (especially the big chain stores) are
usually hired because of their willingness to accept something close to
minimum wage, not because of their technical proficiency. If they knew
anything, they could almost certainly get a better job.
There are some exceptions, but computer store salesman are generally among
the *poorest* sources of computer information. Based on what you've been
told, your "technically-oriented representative" is not one of those
exceptions.
1. I stay w/XP-MCE, that Vista (Premium) still has a lot of problems
I've been running Vista Ultimate here since November 18. I've experienced
zero problems with it.
That doesn't mean that nobody has any problems with it. There are always
some problems in any new computer program, and the newer the product, the
more likely there is to be problems. But as new operating systems go, my
experience is that there are have been very few problems with Vista.
Nevertheless, my view is that you're going about this backward. A change of
operating system should be driven by need, not just because there is a new
version available. Are you having a problem with Windows XP that you expect
Vista to solve? Do you have or expect to get new hardware or software that
is supported in Vista, but not in XP? Is there some new feature in Vista
that you need or yearn for? Does your job require you have skills in Vista?
Are you a computer hobbyist who enjoys playing with whatever is newest?
If the answer to one or more of those questions is yes (and your hardware is
adequate for Vista), then you should get Vista. Otherwise most people should
stick with what they have. There is *always* a learning curve and a
potential for problems when you take a step as big as this one, regardless
of how wonderful whatever you're contemplating moving to is. Sooner or later
you'll have to upgrade (to Vista or its successor) because you'll want
support for hardware or software that you can't get in Vista, but don't rush
it.
2. Vista is NOT compatible with Office 2002, that trying to get
Office 2002 to work with Vista will be a serious challenge thus
requiring an upgrade to Office 2003 (minimally) or Office 2007.
That's simply false. The only problem is that with Outlook, you will need to
enter your userid and password each time. Vista can't save it.
3. Office 2007 is NOT compatible with XP-MCE (should reverting back
to XP be necessary)
Again, completely false. See
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/products/ha101668651033.aspx
4. Once upgrading to Vista is accomplished, that reverting back to
XP-MCE will require a total restore.
That's correct.
