Vista vs XP

[brother_sid]

I'm about to buy a new laptop and was wondering which is a better
operating system: Windows XP or windows Vista. I've read some of your
comments and was thinking maybe Vista is a bit of a doozy. What do
you think??

Sid

 

[Kerry Brown]

I'm about to buy a new laptop and was wondering which is a better
operating system: Windows XP or windows Vista. I've read some of your
comments and was thinking maybe Vista is a bit of a doozy. What do
you think??

Sid

I prefer Vista over XP. If you will depends on what you use your computer
for. If your hardware and programs are Vista compatible I'd give it a try.
If not then XP is better for you. It will take some research on your part to
determine this.

 

[Will]

I'm about to buy a new laptop and was wondering which is a better
operating system: Windows XP or windows Vista. I've read some of your
comments and was thinking maybe Vista is a bit of a doozy. What do
you think??

Sid

Depends on the specs of your new laptop.

 

[Lang Murphy]

I'm about to buy a new laptop and was wondering which is a better
operating system: Windows XP or windows Vista. I've read some of your
comments and was thinking maybe Vista is a bit of a doozy. What do
you think??

Sid

I won't tell you to buy a laptop with either XP or Vista on it. I'll tell
you some of the things I'd consider if I were in the market for a new
laptop, as it relates to Vista.

Cost... you can get a "cheap" laptop with Vista. It will have Vista Home
Basic (no Aero and less features than Home Premium) and 512MB RAM. Uh, I
wouldn't buy one of these. Home Basic may be acceptable for one, but 512MB
RAM is not. Check out this page for Vista version comparisons:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/editions/choose.mspx.
Vista Mobility Center is only available in Home Premium and above. I don't
have any experience with using the Mobility Center features, so I'm not
saying this is required for using a laptop. See this page for Mobility
Center info:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/features/details/mobilitycenter.mspx

Depending on what you want to do with your new laptop, Vista requires, imho,
1GB RAM, minimum. If you plan on using memory intensive applications, e.g.,
virtual machines, then buy as much RAM as you can afford (for either XP or
Vista).

I've installed Vista Ultimate on two Dell laptops; a Latitude D620 and a
D820. It ran fine on both. The main problem with Vista is having drivers.
Decent drivers. There are, apparently, many crappy drivers for Vista right
now. One hopes that situation will improve. My installs were clean installs.
I suspect that many OEM vendors threw together Vista images without much
concern over whether all the crappy software they bundle with a system would
even work with Vista. Same with drivers. I would demand a Vista DVD with any
system I purchased and as soon as I got it home, I'd wipe the drive and do a
clean install.

Even if I decided to buy a laptop with XP on it, I'd want to investigate
whether the laptop is Vista Capable... which, in MS speak, means it will run
Vista Home Basic, or Vista Premium Ready, which means it will run Vista Home
Premium and above. Especially if I think I might want to move to Vista in
the not too distant future.

Personally, I think Vista is an improvement over XP. That's largely because
I have had no issues on any of the PC's on which I've installed it (All
Dell's; desktops and laptops). No doubt others have differing opinions. I
know that were I to experience the same heart ache exhibited by many of the
folks in this NG (which is why most folks come to this type of support NG),
then my view of Vista would be less positive.

I'd figure out which laptop I was interested in buying and come back here
and other Vista NG's (like hardware_devices and installation_setup) ask if
any others are using that laptop with success. I would visit the vendor's
website and check the forums on that vendor's web site to see what kinds of
Vista related issues might be occuring. I'd do the same thing if I were
getting a laptop with XP... (but check out XP NG's, obviously)

Good luck,

Lang

 

[Richard Urban]

I think you have to make your own decision.

--


Regards,

Richard Urban MVP
Microsoft Windows Shell/User

 

[Justin]

I'm about to buy a new laptop and was wondering which is a better
operating system: Windows XP or windows Vista. I've read some of your
comments and was thinking maybe Vista is a bit of a doozy. What do
you think??

Sid

Vista is as much of a consumer product as the laptop you are buying it with.

If you are asking if Vista will or will not give you problems then: If you
didn't know "much" of a $1,000+ consumer product and were unsure as to
whether you would like it or not, would you buy it from someplace what took
returns? That would be my suggestion. Make sure your laptop is returnable
or exchangeable with a XP model in case you find out you do not like it or
the manufacture you bought it from slapped Vista on unqualified hardware.

If you are generally asking if Vista is worth getting then: yes.

 

[Roy Coorne]

I'm about to buy a new laptop and was wondering which is a better
operating system: Windows XP or windows Vista. I've read some of your
comments and was thinking maybe Vista is a bit of a doozy. What do
you think??

nothink

 

[Gerard Seibert]

nothink

Is the laptop you are considering purchasing certified as Vista ready?
If so, I would go with the most current OS available. There is nothing
to be gained by using an OS that has been superseded by a newer version.


--
___
oo // \\ || Gerard
(_,\/ \_/ \ ||
\ \_/_\_/> || "The only secure computer is one that is
/_/ \_\ || unplugged, locked in a safe and buried 20
___________ || feet under ground in a secret location ...
and I am not even too sure about that one.

Dennis Huges, F.B.I.

 

[ray]

I'm about to buy a new laptop and was wondering which is a better
operating system: Windows XP or windows Vista. I've read some of your
comments and was thinking maybe Vista is a bit of a doozy. What do
you think??

Sid

Most consultants I know are advising their clients to wait for at least
SP1 before purchasing vista - too many current issues.

 

[Dale White]

I'll go with Kerry B's answer on this, else I'll get accused of spreading my
Dogma around.

Look at everything you use your laptop for, especially if it's work related
and make sure all the apps you have at list claim to offer "Vista support".
2 things that keep me from using Vista full time, especially on the laptop
is the VPN software I use doesn't offer Vista drivers at this time and
PCanywhere doesn't work with Vista at this time. So Even if I absolutely
loved Vista to death, I couldn't use Vista until I get those two issues
fixed.

On the side of the house that falls under personal opinion, I'd say XP is a
known good with at least 2-3 more years of life left, with plenty of
support, drivers and apps. Vista is not. You may get your favorite game to
work, then you might not. You might notice some of your older apps, just
behave oddly. At this early, you're going to work and suffer through any
bugs or problems, until fixes and updates are released to address them.

Like Kerry said, you're going to have to do a little research to find out if
what you use on a day to day basis works well with Vista. List out what you
can't live without, and how much you're willing to spend on software
upgrades (buying newer versions) to make it work.

Or you can take the safe approach, go with XP, and in 1-3 years update to
Vista, when most of the "will it work ?" be already answered

 

[jonah]

I would go for XP now and wait a while for Vista, I like it, I have
been using it for months through all the Beta Versions and now the
Retail version and it just is not a viable production system yet, it
has too many issues mainly with 3rd party stuff and drivers.

XP was only really sorted after SP2 was released, Vista is a major
headache right now but it will be sorted eventually.

Rumour hgas it that the next version of Windows - Vienna will be out
in 2 years, I am waiting for the next one and using XP / Linux till
then with Vista as a plaything not a real PC.

Jonah

 

[Guest]

Sid,
This is only my thoughts.
If you are familiar with XP and can still buy a Laptop with it installed?
Go for that.
You may see if the Laptop fits the critiria for Vista.
That way...later ...after alot of the bugs are chased out of Vista you
could upgrade to it.
If this machine is for music and playing around then Vista may be your
need/want.
But if it is for work? Go with XP for now.

 

[xfile]

Hi,

My 2 cents in addition to those suggested,

(1) software compatibility: Make sure all frequently used software are
compatible with the OS, not just hardware. In fact, hardware issues are
relatively easier to be solved than software compatibility, and it is the
later ones that will affect your use of the computer.

(2) learning curve: Changes are good - in general, but not every change is
being well thought and implemented so not all changes are as good. You
would need to learn some new stuffs, but the question is, would it worth the
efforts and will provide you longer-term benefits, or it's just for the sake
of changes and fixing things that are not broken, or even worse, giving you
new problems.

TCO (total cost of ownership) includes replacing/upgrading/finding new
software if they can't work with the new OS (in addition to H/W) and the
learning efforts vs. benefits will be received.

No definite answer and some people would only rely on instinct for decisions
(which is ok) but it will be you to make the final decision.

Hope this helps.

 

[Dale M. White -LV32]

Vista IS better technically. In 1-2 years however I will without
hesitation recommend Vista over XP. --
Jhaks

"Is better technically", seems to be subject at this point. There is nothing
I do in Vista that I can't do in XP, and in most cases, XP does it faster.
My laptop runs along fine on XP, not so good on Vista. It's old and needs
replacing to run vista, but I then have to convince the boss why I need a
newer laptop to run Vista. First question I get, "what does Vista do that XP
doesn't ?" The argument of "Well, it is better technically, that's why I
need more hardware to run it" just doesn't work with them. I have the option
to run Vista on this laptop (which I am), but compared to XP, it just chugs
along, takes longer to load apps.

So I ask you, what is your selling point for Vista and it's technically
advantages over XP, which does everything I need, at an acceptable speed on
a 3 year old laptop ?

 

[Justin]

"Is better technically", seems to be subject at this point. There is
nothing I do in Vista that I can't do in XP, and in most cases, XP does it
faster. My laptop runs along fine on XP, not so good on Vista. It's old
and needs replacing to run vista, but I then have to convince the boss why
I need a newer laptop to run Vista. First question I get, "what does Vista
do that XP doesn't ?" The argument of "Well, it is better technically,
that's why I need more hardware to run it" just doesn't work with them. I
have the option to run Vista on this laptop (which I am), but compared to
XP, it just chugs along, takes longer to load apps.

So I ask you, what is your selling point for Vista and it's technically
advantages over XP, which does everything I need, at an acceptable speed
on a 3 year old laptop ?

For me, no more screen tearing and instant search (two things you CAN NOT
reproduce in XP). Add a much more responsive desktop and more luxurious
experience and you have a winner. Soon DX10 will be added to that list.
Then you get into the little things like explorer enhancements which people
usually cry about until they actually USE IT and get to know all it's
features/advantages.

 

[Justin]

If a person is not a heavy gamer - screen tearing should not be an
issue in XP.

Gaming has absolutely nothing to do with the tearing of the desktop.

For instant search, a person could use Google Desktop -

No. That is NOT the same thing. Neither is Windows Desktop Search.

As to the "more responsive desktop", please compare apples to apples.
On the SAME machine, I would bet XP is almost always more responsive
than Vista.

What did you think I was comparing? That was SAME MACHINE.

 

[Anthony]

It is this simple: Vista

The only advice is to purchase a laptop with Vista pre-installed, and pick a
laptop that has Vista Home Premium. (Don't buy a Vista Home Basic Laptop)

 

[Justin]

Gaming has absolutely nothing to do with the tearing of the desktop.

No. [Google Desktop] is NOT the same thing. Neither is Windows Desktop
Search.

What did you think I was comparing? That was SAME MACHINE.

FYI, I have never seen screen tearing outside of a game, and I have
been around and developing systems on computers for over 25 years.

Granted, Google Desktop and Vista Instant Search are not the same thing
- just the same basic concept. Google Desktop seems to do pretty well
without the high overhead of Vista.

Good for Google, however it's NOT the same thing. The fact that Vista is
INSTANT is the gain in productivity. Go back to your apples to apples rule.

If you were to put Vista on my notebook ( 1.7 Centrino with 512meg ram
), it would run like a snail. XP works just fine. If you throw 2 gigs
of ram at Vista, it should run OK.

It runs more then OK with 1GB of memory. I didn't say Vista is more
responsive on ALL machines. Looking forward with new hardware Vista is much
more responsive then XP. Even going back a year or two people are finding
Vista more responsive.

But, why should I have to throw 2
gigs at just the operating system? Basically, the "same" machine that
you were talking about falls within probably the 2 gig range and
possibly two processors.

1GB to 4GB and Hyper Threading to Dual Core.

 

[Hugh Wyn Griffith]

Since it is a laptop I'd try and check newsgroups and Forums like the
one on Compuserve where people are reporting in on their experiences on
specific laptops.

I've seen reports of features on laptops with XP not functioning on a
similar machine with VISTA and when this happens you need a laptop
manufacturer who is actively developing the utilities needed.

It's less of a problem with desktops because laptop hardware is
customized much more even when names seem similar.

See what RAM is installed and how it is installed. Have they left any
spare slots? Can you get at them (I have an Averatec that I like very
much; some of my specific model came with 2x 256MB and XP Home;; mine
came with 1x 512MB but to get to the slot to fit another 512MB I have
to strip the machine down into pieces and according to one email from
Averatec that invalidates the warranty! So I'm still on 512MB which is
OK for XP but I'd certainly upgrade if it was just a question of
lifting off a panel.

Toshiba are very fussy about what memory is warranted to work -- they
only support Kingston and not all varieties of Kingston: the Value
range tends to give problems.

So you really have to be cautious with a laptop and especially with
VISTA. Regard 1GB RAM as a minimum starter for VISTA and either start
with 2GB or upgrade it yourself.

And others have mentioned software that you already have -- will it run
OK or not? If it's CD/DVD burning you may have to upgrade.

If you can wait a few months I would.

 

[cquirke (MVP Windows shell/user)]

On Mon, 2 Apr 2007 11:12:47 -0700, "Anthony"

It is this simple: Vista

The only advice is to purchase a laptop with Vista pre-installed, and pick a
laptop that has Vista Home Premium. (Don't buy a Vista Home Basic Laptop)

Why not? What does Premium get you, other than Aero?