Windows Vista

[Luce]

I was looking for a new laptop today, and all the shops seem to stock are laptops which are compatible with Windows Vista. This doesn't come pre-loaded on, but you can of course purchase it for the grand sum of £80. I asked what the difference was between Vista and XP, and the answer seems to be not a lot - the desktop just looks different and "is easier to use than XP" (not that XP is hard to use in the first place?)
My question to you all is.... is anyone running Vista/ can anyone outline the differences/benefits/disadvantages between Vista and XP? Thanks.

[Hellfire]

I use 2x vista, one desktop one laptop, apart from security flaws... its.. not much different

[Big Gay]

Bill Gates does his bit to prove the old computer saying:

No matter what magic the hardware geniuses pull outa their ass, the software dweebs will piss it all away.

and my advice:

NEVER GO WITH THE FIRST RELEASE OF ANY SOFTWARE.

wait till "polish kit alpha" or whatever they're going to call service packs for this OS

Windows 95 OSr2; Windows 98 SE; Windows XP SP1;

[Luce]

So is it just wiser to order a laptop with XP but enabled for Vista, so I can possibly upgrade later?
And how easy would it be to swap operating systems once Vista has been out for a while?
Was Vista the only new OS Microsoft were planning on releasing, or is there another new one?

[ShyBoy]

To be completely honest with you, coming from a tech geek who frequents tech geek forums (hexus.net) - the general consensus is vista in itself works fine as an operating system, and there's no reason to get XP now (which is 7 years old I think).

There are those who think it's just buggy but to be honest if you use it there's not much to go wrong. It just works, like windows xp. Some nice extra bits have been added and / or improved - XPs search indexing was notoriously poor but Vista's is brilliant and they've added a new search thing.

Of course it's up to you, but there are fixes being released all the time. You can upgrade but it's not free. By 'easier to use' I think they mean the interface has been given an overhaul so everything's a bit more accessible. There are under the hood improvements as well but at the end of the day it's just an operating system, and for general internet stuff most people could still get on with windows 98. Without a doubt though Vista is much faster than XP.

I think it's a bit of a myth that Vista is buggy as hell to be honest - most likely spread by those who dislike 'Micro$oft'. When it was first released there was a lack of drivers but pretty much all hardware now has vista drivers.

It's your decision at the end of the day but I'd always advise someone to go with Vista over XP now - it's all to do with the technology cycle at the end of the day. In 2008 a new operating system is being released, Windows Server 2008. Though that will be on very few desktops (some people prefer the server editions because they're more stable).

If you're really flumoxed then you could always give linux a whirl. The main issue being it won't run windows only apps (so a lot of games). It will have office, internet, messenger though.

[noog]

buy a mac :)

[ShyBoy]

buy a mac :)

Or that. But it's even more expensive to keep running than a PC :p

[Calvin]

Vista aint all its cracked up to be. I.e Pile of shite :D

[CoolMe]

I'm superised no one metioned my name!

Hello, Mine name is 007 And im a 00 For Microsoft.

Can you please detail your computer usage and what you do regards a computer.

Then we can all reommend you an OS

I'm currently using Vista on 3 out of 6 of the computers and its fine, i would not recommend vista for gaming unless its home Basic.

I hope i've been able to help you today and please fill in the form below regards my service :D

*shows form*

[ShyBoy]

Wouldn't recommend it for gaming? :/

http://forums.hexus.net/showthread.php?t=108140

47 people thought it was fine
11 people thought there were problems
15 people werent running it (why in a thread about vista?)

[CoolMe]

Its a personal thing :P

[DG]

I was looking for a new laptop today, and all the shops seem to stock are laptops which are compatible with Windows Vista. This doesn't come pre-loaded on, but you can of course purchase it for the grand sum of £80. I asked what the difference was between Vista and XP, and the answer seems to be not a lot - the desktop just looks different and "is easier to use than XP" (not that XP is hard to use in the first place?)
My question to you all is.... is anyone running Vista/ can anyone outline the differences/benefits/disadvantages between Vista and XP? Thanks.

I installed the beta version - after 3 days I formatted the hard drive and put Xp back on

[Monserrat]

As with Big Gay, don't touch software until it is at least one service pack in. Personally, I did as follows:

- Windows 95C (last version, Mar 1999)
- Windows 98SE (last version, Sep 2001)
- Windows 2000 SP4 (last SP, Dec 2004)
- Windows XP SP2 (current SP, Dec 2006)

I missed out Milennium because that was the worst OS that MS had the misfortune to release! I missed out NT just because it wasn't very compatible. Vista will be a 2-3 years away for me.

[CoolMe]

2-3 Years :o

[Luce]

"I installed the beta version - after 3 days I formatted the hard drive and put Xp back on"

What's the beta version? Is there an alpha version?! What did you dislike so much that after 3 days you wanted XP back?

[CoolMe]

Beta means testing ignore that comment

it goes through stages of development for the public :)

I would say go with vista, and if your not happy whip it off and stick a copy of XP back on, that way you have a license for Vista when you want it!

[Luce]

If I bought a laptop enabled for both XP and Vista, surely I would still have a license for Vista (or the ability to load it on if needed), but wouldn't have spent 80 quid on the software just yet, until I knew it was worth investing in?

[CoolMe]

No no no no,

If you buy a Laptop Pre-loaded with vista on then its more then capable of running XP

[Luce]

But then I have to remove Vista somehow, and put XP on...how do I do that?!
I would buy a laptop enabled for Vista, but it wouldn't come loaded with any software, because apparently none do nowadays... So instead of loading Vista onto it (which I should buy separately and install myself), could I still load XP on using installation CDs I already have from buying a previous computer, and not ruin the laptop?
Sorry to sound like a complete numpty here, but asking in high-street computer shops, I couldn't get much sense out of anyone that worked there...

[noog]

No no no no,

If you buy a Laptop Pre-loaded with vista on then its more then capable of running XP

But be careful, some PC manufactrers don't bother to support XP at all with their Vista machines...

[CoolMe]

Ohh, didnt know about that well its all up to you.

You could go with a Pre-loaded vista laptop or a XP laptop which can handle vista and in the future go from there.

But are you an average user just Internet, Email, IM?

If your still stuck and not sure which to choose, take a look at this

[ShyBoy]

Even if it's ready for vista, vista and xp are software. So you have to own a licence to use either.

If you start with XP you'll have to buy vista. If you start with vista, you'll have to buy xp. Although XP is probably the most pirated OS ever ;). *will get into trouble one of these days*

[Luce]

I use the computer for internet research, email, msn, Office applications such as Word, Excel. Am definitely not a gamer! Upgrading because my current laptop seems to have ground to a halt (it runs so slowly you can't tell the difference). My laptop is almost always on a desk and connected to mains supply, but I still want something smaller and lighter, pref. a 12.1" screen, for portability in the future.

[CoolMe]

Go with vista, it has really good portiblity settings :)