Why should I stay with Vista?

[Guest]

Hi all,

I don't want to sound like I'm trying to get a rise out of anyone here, but
I've been using Vista (pre-installed on my new laptop) for about 2 months now
and I am finding it difficult to justify using Vista instead of going back to
Windows XP. I've been very happy with XP for a long time - it's stable, quick
and gets the job done very well in my mind.

I have greatly expanded my point on my blog (link at the end), but the long
and the short of it is the bad outweighs the good and I can think of more
reasons to go back to XP than stick with Vista. Ultimately it's an overall
sluggishness that is probably the main reason. I have a desktop with XP on
it, with much lower specifications than my laptop and it feels snappier and
more responsive.

So, is there anything people can say to convince me to stay?

Cheers,
Alex

http://www.pixelapes.com/index.php/2007/08/27/should-vista-get-another-chance.html

 

[Bill Yanaire]

I did the same thing on my development box. I tried Vista, it was very slow
and had some other issues with some software so I wiped Vista off and
reinstalled XP. I still have Vista on a test box so I can play, but for
serious work, I use XP. Maybe Vista will be ready for prime after SP1 is
released.

 

[Richard G. Harper]

With all due respect, why should we? If you think you're better off with
Windows XP, then go back to Windows XP. If you can't convince yourself then
it's not really up to us to try, is it?

--
Richard G. Harper [MVP Shell/User] (e-mail address removed)
* NEW! Catch my blog ... http://msmvps.com/blogs/rgharper/
* PLEASE post all messages and replies in the newsgroups
* The Website - http://rgharper.mvps.org/
* HELP us help YOU ... http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm

 

[Brad]

Nobody should have to convince you. Nobody should try....

If you don't like Vista install XP. Vista can be sluggish for those that
prefer eye candy to a work machine. Turn off all the crap, set preferences
for best performance and spend a few bucks on bucket fulls of ram. you can't
feed a race horse on stale bread and expect it to win the Kentucky derby,
yet a Shetland will grow fat on the stuff and still perform well.
It's always been the same with a new OS, pour in the ram and turn off the
crap that is just there for show. XP can be made to run faster than NT5 if
you tune it right but when it first cam out XP was a dog for a while, as
were 95 and 98, as for ME well it was just a dog ;-)

One more thing, what's the deal with coming in and trashing the subject of
the news group, a more profitable experience can be had by stating what is
too slow and asking how to fix it.
Always up the ram as it costs so little and is a 5 minute job or most stores
will install it for free. The store I went into I purchased 1GB for less
than AU$90 and a lappy hdd and case, they fitted the hdd in the case and
formatted it, then would have installed the ram, I didn't need it done but
they were not flat out and were able to do some customer service. The
surprise is that they were the discount store in town. (The disc shop in
Rockhampton, QLD) I visit Oz once a year to buy all the parts I can't get
here, they will be at the top of the shopping list for next year.

--
Brad Leyden
6° 43.5816' S 146° 59.3097' E WGS84
Music has many forms, it can be found in nature as well as man made.
Music to my ears is my Tiagra 50W screaming when towing a Wombat from
Pakula.
To mail spam is really hot but please reply to thread so all may benefit (or
laugh at my mistakes)

 

[Adam steppin' n' fetchin' Albright]

I did the same thing on my development box. I tried Vista, it was very slow
and had some other issues with some software so I wiped Vista off and
reinstalled XP. I still have Vista on a test box so I can play, but for
serious work, I use XP. Maybe Vista will be ready for prime after SP1 is
released.

<Translation: He was Howdy Duty at the keyboard and mouse, has no
business doing any thing development wise, as no business messing with
Vista he is not qualified, and really has no class nor business with a
computer, period.>

<The only thing he can develop is his jars of cream.>

 

[Michael Solomon]

Hi all,

I don't want to sound like I'm trying to get a rise out of anyone here,
but
I've been using Vista (pre-installed on my new laptop) for about 2 months
now
and I am finding it difficult to justify using Vista instead of going back
to
Windows XP. I've been very happy with XP for a long time - it's stable,
quick
and gets the job done very well in my mind.

I have greatly expanded my point on my blog (link at the end), but the
long
and the short of it is the bad outweighs the good and I can think of more
reasons to go back to XP than stick with Vista. Ultimately it's an overall
sluggishness that is probably the main reason. I have a desktop with XP on
it, with much lower specifications than my laptop and it feels snappier
and
more responsive.

So, is there anything people can say to convince me to stay?

Cheers,
Alex

http://www.pixelapes.com/index.php/2007/08/27/should-vista-get-another-chance.html

The only non-subjective reason I can think of would be one, there may not be
XP compatible drivers for the hardware on the new system and second, if
there are OEM apps that came with the new system of which you've found
useful, they would be lost to you as would any other app you might have that
requires Vista or some Vista feature.

Beyond that, it's all subjective, personal view, bias and opinion.

It's not a debate, if you're not happy with it, change. But, do realize,
the new software and hardware will more and more be designed for Vista and
less and less for XP as we move forward. That doesn't mean, if you leave
Vista you can't come back but it is something of which to be aware going
forward if you decide to make that change, a decision you seem already to
have made.

 

[Guest]

Hey Brad.

Thanks for the quick response. I have tweaked Vista to try and garner a
better performance from it. I have disabled a lot of the services and stopped
a lot of processes from starting up. Similar to my post install duties in XP.

I feel the new system should really be adequate to perform well on Vista (I
have a Turion X2 TL-60 and 2 Gb DDR2 Ram @667Mhz). I could increase this to
4Gb but that would not be a particularly cheap outlay (in around €250), and
I'd also have 2 x 1Gb sitting around doing nothing.

I didn't mean to come in and trash the group and I'm sorry if it comes
across like this. I was actually hoping to see if there is anything I'm
missing that really gives me incentive to use Vista over XP.

Perhaps as I am new to the system there are things that people on here find
advantageous and productivity-boosting in Vista that I haven't noticed?

In my usage of Vista I signed up to the Customer Improvement Programme and
have been using the help feature to continually submit feedback on various
features. I do think that there is a lot of potential for this OS, but at the
moment I can't see what advantage there is to me using it instead of XP.

I hope that I am explaining myself correctly as I am no fan of people just
trying to rile other people, and would much rather see coeherent arguments
and discussion. So far I have been surprised by some of the responses, which
have equated to, if you don't like it then go.

That's not what I'm saying here. What do you think makes it more productive
and more enticing than XP at this point in time. I can't imagine me not using
it in a year's time, perhaps when I get a quad core desktop, lots of RAM and
64 bit support has improved to allow me to pump my new machine full of RAM
(of which I have every intention).

 

[David]

Why would anyone care what OS you use?? I find XP works fine on our two
desktop PC's (several years old), and I find that Vista, for the most
part, works well on our new laptops. I don't see the point in replacing
XP with Vista, but I've got no problem having migrating to Vista when
purchasing current hardware. My complaints with Vista are just nits.
Little aggravations--nothing major. And i think it looks nicer,
although that's not something that's gonna excite anyone who has issues
with Vista's appetite for speed and memory.

I'll reiterate--I don't really care, and i doubt others care what OS you
run.

Dave

 

[Guest]

Hi Richard,

You don't have to convince me of anything. If you were interested though,
I'd love to hear what you find useful and helpful regarding productivity and
day-to-day use of Vista.

Perhaps this will demonstrate to me some of the functionality that I haven't
discovered yet. As a Windows user for the past 10 years (ever since I started
tinkering with computers) I had assumed that a Windows discussion group would
be a good place to ask for people's reasons on liking their new OS.

Alex

 

[Richard Urban]

Sounds like you have made your choice, so go for it.

I am not going to tell anyone why they should use Vista. It's a personal
choice, along with the type of skivvies you wear.

--


Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User
(For email, remove the obvious from my address)

 

[Spanky deMonkey]

You shouldn't stay with Vista, you should install Ubuntu!

 

[David]

So far I have been surprised by some of the responses, which
have equated to, if you don't like it then go.

Well, when all is said and done, if you aren't happy with Vista, no
amount of praise for it by others should deter you in reverting back to
XP. IF you want to try to make peace with it, spend some time on line
reading up on tips and tricks. surf the net, using google for "vista
tips", etc. No one can make your decision for you as to your OS of choice.

 

[Jupiter Jones [MVP]]

"...convince me to stay?"
No one can or should even try.
No one but you is familiar enough with your circumstances to attempt
to do so.

If you believe you will be better off with Windows XP, by all means go
back to it.
Windows XP will probably be supported for several more years so the
fact a newer operating system is out is not sufficient reason in
itself to move.
Most should not move to a new operating system until the requirements
for new hardware or software require the upgrade.

If the software and hardware manufacturers have not made the updates
you need for their products to run efficiently, that is another reason
to stay with Windows XP.

Windows Vista works fine for me on my computers with the software I
use.

Contact the laptop manufacturer for options.
My guess is you have had the laptop for to long so a change of
operating system will have to be at your expense.
Verify all your hardware has Windows XP drivers available before
starting the switch.

 

[Guest]

Hi Jupiter,

Fair enough. I am getting the feeling that I asked the wrong question here.

For the record, I really don't think it is a hardware issue. This is a brand
new laptop from HP's new laptop range. I would have thought dual-core with
2gb of RAM was a decent whack to throw at Vista. As mentioned in the article,
it's a series of things about Vista that are not enthusing me with a desire
to stick with it. I have no driver issues (barring an old external sound card
which doesn't matter as I have a newer one anyway

I get the feeling the question I should have asked is:

What do you find are the day-to-day improvements, especially from a
productivity point-of-view, that you gain by using Vista over XP?

 

[Guest]

You will be using Vista (by choice) within a year - I bought a new machine
(similar spec to yourself) + Vista and my wife has done nothing but moan
about it since and despite having a few issues with it - i love it

Although there doesn't seem to be any immediately apparent benefits over XP,
personally i got a gut feeling i am using an O/S that is much more powerful,
and we have yet to find out how it can perform

back in the 80's I remember wondering whether to buy an Atari ST (gazillion
games) or the all new singing and dancing, multi-tasking, blitter chipping,
atari-beating Amiga (1 game, 'the juggler' i think ) - after deciding on
the Amiga for first few months i was a bit disappointed by a series of
'atari-ports' games that were no better than the atari and i had
considerably less choice - then software houses starting writing
specifically for the Amiga blitter chip which made the AtariST look
positively 'old-hat'

I think the same with Vista, in that shortly it will be running applications
that could never happen on XP

 

[KickinChicken]

Stay with Vista....It comes with a Chess Game!
And when you beat a Vista game...you get Fireworks!
That's all the reason you need!
Its cool looking.
It is the very first Windows since 3.1 that has yet to blue screen on me.
Installed in Feb, not one crash...very stable.
It looks cool.
It has 3D flip.
It has tons of performance monitoring tools.
That glassy look impresses the ladies!
Its more secure than Ubuntu!
It cost alot...that also impresses the ladies!
etc....

 

[Guest]

Hi Jethro,

Thanks for your response. I like the reference to the Amiga! That was the
second computer I ever owned (before that I had a dedicated word processor).
Ah what a dream machine that was back then!

I really do see myself using Vista in the future. I am just trying to make a
decision whether I take a break from it for a while and wait for the
reasoning to weigh in more heavily on Vista's side.

 

[Charlie Wilkes]

Hi Jupiter,

Fair enough. I am getting the feeling that I asked the wrong question
here.

It's not your fault. This group is full of Vista enthusiasts, and Vista
isn't getting much respect these days. Hence these people are defensive
and angry.

I get the feeling the question I should have asked is:

What do you find are the day-to-day improvements, especially from a
productivity point-of-view, that you gain by using Vista over XP?

Good luck. I have seen this question asked by many people in many ways,
and I have yet to see a convincing answer.

Charlie

 

[Frank]

Hi Jethro,

Thanks for your response. I like the reference to the Amiga! That was the
second computer I ever owned (before that I had a dedicated word processor).
Ah what a dream machine that was back then!

I really do see myself using Vista in the future. I am just trying to make a
decision whether I take a break from it for a while and wait for the
reasoning to weigh in more heavily on Vista's side.

:

I have a question...you keep mentioning the term
"productivity"...exactly what do you do productivity wise, on your
computer(s)?
Would you furnish some details?
Thanks.
Frank

 

[Peter Foldes]

Sounds like you already made up your mind. Use the OS that you feel more comfortable with.