Just bought a PC with Windows Vista... advice needed! Should I take it back?

[Whisperer]

After several years, I finally plunged in. Nice PC... nice monitor...nice price.
I'm debating returning it , and getting a custom-built PC with XP.
For one, my guitar port wont work, everything is unfamiliar.... and mysterious harddrive action...
Any thoughts on Vista?
Is it worth staying with?

[Mark Davis]

I was helping a friend who just got Vista and since I dont have it was unfamiliar but do know all the other versions of windows like the back of my hand.

What I found myself doing was typing in my search engine how do I make my computer appear on my screen? Where is add remove programs in vista?

I always got a great easy answer so just use your search engine for all your answers.

[Slow Reflexes]

Personally, I'm not buying Vista until I absolutely have to. If I can skip it completely, I'll be happy. The next one's gotta be an improvement (fingers crossed).

If you know how to do it, just wipe the drive and install XP instead. It'll run a lot faster.

Or, take it back and buy a Dell while you can still get XP installed (like another week or two), or go with your custom system.

Just can't imagine sticking with Vista...

[Whisperer]

yea, the 2gigs of ram with xp would be terrific, as i've used 250 megs for the last 5 years! What a hassle!
Anyone happy with Vista?

[Joe-Bob]

Originally Posted by Whisperer

Anyone happy with Vista?

I was for about 6 months until my laptop started crashing, and wouldn't wake up from sleep anymore.

[smitty54017]

You could just go to buycheapsoftware.com and buy an OEM copy of XP and install a clean copy on your PC. Then put Vista back on it when they fix all of the bugs with another service pack, or install Windows 7 when it comes out.

[mchet]

When does it look like Windows 7 will be coming out? I know they are ceasing support for XP in the not to far off future, at least that is what I heard a few weeks back, and I refuse to use Vista...

[robt57]

Originally Posted by Whisperer

yea, the 2gigs of ram with xp would be terrific, as i've used 250 megs for the last 5 years! What a hassle!
Anyone happy with Vista?

You can stick a USB memory stick in and Vista will use it. Lots of folks do not know this. Got my son a new PC with vista and we started researching putting XP on it. It is running fine and we are no going to put XP on it. Other than the new navigation curve, it is working well

BTW, it is really just XP underneath.

[Mark Davis]

When windows went from 95 to 98 there was no learning curve when windows went from 98 to ME same thing in 5-10 mins you had all the new changes figured out. When windows went from ME to XP there was a slight learning curve in 15-20 mins you could easily figure out all the changes.

When XP went to Vista they changed all the names of the stuff thats what makes it harder for experienced users. Add remove programs in vista is just called Programs My computer inside Vista is just Computer.

They tried to make it look like a Mac and work more like a Mac I think thats what messed people up so much if they would have left the names the same it would be way easier to learn.

Microsoft wont drop support of XP till 2012.

[robt57]

Originally Posted by Mark Davis

When windows went from 98 to ME same thing in 5-10 mins

I figured in 11 minutes ME was the worst POS OS MS ever dreamed up. I would not support it in my consulting biz back then.

[Unseen]

Originally Posted by Mark Davis

I was helping a friend who just got Vista and since I dont have it was unfamiliar but do know all the other versions of windows like the back of my hand.

What I found myself doing was typing in my search engine how do I make my computer appear on my screen? Where is add remove programs in vista?

I always got a great easy answer so just use your search engine for all your answers.

There's a learning curve, but I'd say Vista is in a stage like the early days of XP, which became much more stable over time.

Remember, someday XP won't be supported anymore.

I'm getting a Mac the next time around anyway.

[Gibson]

Originally Posted by mchet

When does it look like Windows 7 will be coming out? I know they are ceasing support for XP in the not to far off future, at least that is what I heard a few weeks back, and I refuse to use Vista...

I understand that Microsoft is aiming for 2010. Some reports say as early as 2009, but I don't see it myself.

[beep.click]

In my job, I provide support to people with XP and Vista. Usually, when one of our guys buys a new laptop, he gets Vista.

I find that people go through a learning curve, and some of them are grumpy for a few days. But none of them has bailed on Vista.

HOWEVER, a lot depends on what you do with your computer. The guys who are OK with Vista do mostly email and internet. In the tech department, where I work, some people have tried Vista for a few months, and they've gone back to XP.

I tried Vista for a few days on one of my home machines. I had serious issues getting my TV tuner software to work, and I ended up going back to XP.

[TDPRI]

If your HD is churning you probably have Hard Drive Indexing turned on. This will index every word on your entire HD. And, it bogs things down. I turned it off within the first day or two of upgrading to Vista.

Their thinking is, once the HD is down indexing then it should fly when you search for things on your computer. They further think that people pay no attention to their files and are always searching for stuff.

So, they think this is a major plus for Vista. Truth is, it makes your HD unresponsive ALL the time, not just the times few and far between that you are searching for that email with the word "eggplant."

Search out some Vista speed up tips on the web, you'll find this one in the top 5 for sure.

PS. I love Vista and have used it for a long time (beta tester) my daughter's new laptop has it as well and she's very happy with it. Of course, I set up her new laptop and TURNED OF HD INDEXING!!

[Mark Davis]

Originally Posted by robt57

I figured in 11 minutes ME was the worst POS OS MS ever dreamed up. I would not support it in my consulting biz back then.

What I always found amusing is I never had 1 crash lost a file or even ever had to reinstall ME but most of my friends had probs with it.

XP with service pack 3 installed is about as stable as your gonna get using Microsoft.

I also wonder why all these people who complain about Vista dont just install XP on a D partition or another drive and make a dual boot system that way they can use XP for the music programs and other things Vista doesnt work with.

[RiverDog]

I've had Vista for about 8 months now and I love it. It's not hard to figure out. You just have to familiarize yourself with it. Yes, it is a resource hog but it's not too bad. Just make sure you are running at least 2 GB of RAM.

[Moonrider]

My advice? format the drive and put Ubuntu Linux on it. Now THAT'S a performance upgrade!

[jumpnblues]

I'm no computer geek but virtually every comment I've heard or read about Vista has been negative. I'm staying with XP until I see good reason to switch. And right now that looks like Microsoft's next generation operating system...if it's a good one.


Tom

[gibsonjunkie]

Computers shipped new with Vista appear to have far fewer problems. Trying to upgrade an existing XP machine to Vista - well, I tried it once - won't do that again...

[aunchaki]

Originally Posted by Mark Davis

What I always found amusing is I never had 1 crash lost a file or even ever had to reinstall ME but most of my friends had probs with it.
XP with service pack 3 installed is about as stable as your gonna get using Microsoft.

I concur about ME. It was a trooper for me back in the day; never had a problem with it. The ultimate expression of the Win95 family tree, for what that's worth.

I bought a copy of Vista Home Basic OEM to install on a PC I was building. The MS site said that the specs of my machine were good enough to run it, if most the eye candy was turned down/off. I thought, "Well, let's give it a try!"

It was so-so. It looked nice and and some nice widgets. It ran basic web and office software fine (long loading times, but snappy enough when running). The problem came when trying to run some OLD games. Not high-speed, 3D supergames, but games that were a few (3-4) years old. They really showed it down so as to be basically unplayable. My graphics card was mid-level, but had certified Vista drivers. No joy.

I wiped it and went back to what I consider the most secure WinOS ever made: Windows 2000 Pro, the ancestor of XP and Vista (and child of WinNT). It's a great OS, but it's finally getting squeezed out (MS hasn't wanted people to run it for years). They've updated their latest and greatest (IE, WMP, other stuff I don't use) to specifically NOT run on it, to force people to upgrade. Too bad. It's a fine OS.

I'm building a new PC this year to replace my 9-year-old workhorse (Athlon 900MHz, Win2kPro). I wouldn't mind a super-PC running Vista, but I have to ask myself, "How much more awesome would it be running Win2k?!" If it's snappy with Vista, it would be an incredible Win2k machine!

Oh, Ubuntu and FreeBSD rock! Go multi-boot!

[Guitar_Ninja]

Originally Posted by jumpnblues

I'm no computer geek but virtually every comment I've heard or read about Vista has been negative.

True, but when do you hear anything good about Microsoft? And yet they dominate the computer industry. I'm just saying they have to be doing something right. I'm certainly a big fan of my Xbox360. Hopefully it doesn't red ring on me...

[petebradt]

Shoot it.

[freshmattyp]

Just make sure thst your new PC has XP drivers available before you try to load XP. Some of the newer hardware is Vista only, and when they say Vista only, they mean it.