OS Choice

[Guest Dreamchaser]

Dear all,

 

I've been a Win XP Pro user all this while. I'll be getting a new

desktop in a few months time and am really torn over the choice of OS

to get. Could anyone point me in the right directions please? We all

know that XP's days are numbered. Thanks in advance

[Guest Colin Barnhorst]

Re: OS Choice

 

If you wish to perform an in-place upgrade you will need to use Vista

Business or Ultimate upgrade editions. If you don't mind doing a classic

reinstallation of Windows you can also use Vista Home Basic or Vista Home

Premium upgrade editions. I doubt that you would be happy with the feature

set in VHB, however.

 

Without knowing what you use your computer for, it is not possible to

suggest an edition.

 

See:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/editions/choose.mspx

 

If you have trouble deciding between two editions, choose the higher one.

It is slightly more expensive to upgrade later than it will be buying your

final choice in the first place.

 

If XP came preinstalled on your computer you might as well buy an upgrade

edition of Vista since you cannot reuse an OEM copy of XP on another

computer anyway. If your copy of XP is retail then consider buying a

standard copy of Vista (not an upgrade) so you can continue to use the

retail XP or use it on another computer.

 

Be sure to download and run the Vista Upgrade Advisor now so you can

identify devices and software that will require updating or removal for

Vista.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/buyorupgrade/upgradeadvisor.mspx?wt_svl=20409a&mg_id=20409b

 

Make sure Vista device drivers are available for all the devices on your

computer. Download them and burn a cd.

 

 

"Dreamchaser" <jchchye@gmail.com> wrote in message

news:899a43cb-8e46-4a85-894f-559d28bf03b1@i12g2000prf.googlegroups.com...

> Dear all,

>

> I've been a Win XP Pro user all this while. I'll be getting a new

> desktop in a few months time and am really torn over the choice of OS

> to get. Could anyone point me in the right directions please? We all

> know that XP's days are numbered. Thanks in advance

[Guest Colin Barnhorst]

Re: OS Choice

 

Without knowing what you use your computer for, it is not possible to

suggest an edition.

 

See:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/editions/choose.mspx

 

If you have trouble deciding between two editions, choose the higher one.

It is slightly more expensive to upgrade later than it will be buying your

final choice in the first place.

 

The most popular edition is Vista Home Premium. I do not recommend Vista

Home Basic because its feature set is limited. If you want media center

stuff, VHP is the one.

 

If you want the longest possible support for Vista, choose Business. It is

the only retail edition scheduled for extended support (critical updates)

for five years following the end of mainstream support in a few years.

 

"Dreamchaser" <jchchye@gmail.com> wrote in message

news:899a43cb-8e46-4a85-894f-559d28bf03b1@i12g2000prf.googlegroups.com...

> Dear all,

>

> I've been a Win XP Pro user all this while. I'll be getting a new

> desktop in a few months time and am really torn over the choice of OS

> to get. Could anyone point me in the right directions please? We all

> know that XP's days are numbered. Thanks in advance

[Guest Dreamchaser]

Re: OS Choice

 

On Mar 19, 11:08 pm, "Colin Barnhorst" <c.barnho...@comcast.net>

wrote:

> Without knowing what you use your computer for, it is not possible to

> suggest an edition.

>

> See:http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/editions/choos....

>

> If you have trouble deciding between two editions, choose the higher one.

> It is slightly more expensive to upgrade later than it will be buying your

> final choice in the first place.

>

> The most popular edition is Vista Home Premium.  I do not recommend Vista

> Home Basic because its feature set is limited.  If you want media center

> stuff, VHP is the one.

>

> If you want the longest possible support for Vista, choose Business.  It is

> the only retail edition scheduled for extended support (critical updates)

> for five years following the end of mainstream support in a few years.

>

> "Dreamchaser" <jchc...@gmail.com> wrote in message

>

> news:899a43cb-8e46-4a85-894f-559d28bf03b1@i12g2000prf.googlegroups.com...

>

>

>

> > Dear all,

>

> > I've been a Win XP Pro user all this while. I'll be getting a new

> > desktop in a few months time and am really torn over the choice of OS

> > to get. Could anyone point me in the right directions please? We all

> > know that XP's days are numbered. Thanks in advance- Hide quoted text -

>

> - Show quoted text -

 

New system will be used for office work and incorporating gaming as

well. Been hearing lots of things about Vista being graphic-intensive

and worried it may disturb my work and play. Not wanting to jump to

any conclusions and make decisions that I may regret, so I came here

seeking an opinion or two.

Had experienced Vista on friend's system and XP is so much familiar to

me, still.

[Guest Colin Barnhorst]

Re: OS Choice

 

Get Vista Business. All editions of Vista game the same way.

 

"Dreamchaser" <jchchye@gmail.com> wrote in message

news:8696114b-f618-437d-8223-12620b0d163d@e23g2000prf.googlegroups.com...

On Mar 19, 11:08 pm, "Colin Barnhorst" <c.barnho...@comcast.net>

wrote:

> Without knowing what you use your computer for, it is not possible to

> suggest an edition.

>

> See:http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/editions/choos...

>

> If you have trouble deciding between two editions, choose the higher one.

> It is slightly more expensive to upgrade later than it will be buying your

> final choice in the first place.

>

> The most popular edition is Vista Home Premium. I do not recommend Vista

> Home Basic because its feature set is limited. If you want media center

> stuff, VHP is the one.

>

> If you want the longest possible support for Vista, choose Business. It is

> the only retail edition scheduled for extended support (critical updates)

> for five years following the end of mainstream support in a few years.

>

> "Dreamchaser" <jchc...@gmail.com> wrote in message

>

> news:899a43cb-8e46-4a85-894f-559d28bf03b1@i12g2000prf.googlegroups.com...

>

>

>

> > Dear all,

>

> > I've been a Win XP Pro user all this while. I'll be getting a new

> > desktop in a few months time and am really torn over the choice of OS

> > to get. Could anyone point me in the right directions please? We all

> > know that XP's days are numbered. Thanks in advance- Hide quoted text -

>

> - Show quoted text -

 

New system will be used for office work and incorporating gaming as

well. Been hearing lots of things about Vista being graphic-intensive

and worried it may disturb my work and play. Not wanting to jump to

any conclusions and make decisions that I may regret, so I came here

seeking an opinion or two.

Had experienced Vista on friend's system and XP is so much familiar to

me, still.

[Guest Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]]

Re: OS Choice

 

Dreamchaser <jchchye@gmail.com> wrote:

> Dear all,

>

> I've been a Win XP Pro user all this while. I'll be getting a new

> desktop in a few months time and am really torn over the choice of OS

> to get. Could anyone point me in the right directions please? We all

> know that XP's days are numbered. Thanks in advance

 

If you have a choice, stick with XP Pro. Seriously. If it comes with Vista,

make sure you have downgrade rights so you can keep using that. If that

isn't possible, Vista Business x64 with a ton of RAM will be OK. I'm still

not convinced that makes it "better" than XP Pro SP2, though!

[Guest PD43]

Re: OS Choice

 

Dreamchaser <jchchye@gmail.com> wrote:

>New system will be used for office work and incorporating gaming as

>well. Been hearing lots of things about Vista being graphic-intensive

>and worried it may disturb my work and play. Not wanting to jump to

>any conclusions and make decisions that I may regret, so I came here

>seeking an opinion or two.

 

If you get anything OTHER than Vista Home Basic, buy all the RAM you

can afford. Home Basic does well with 1 gig because it doesn't have

the "Aura" interface.

[Guest Bob I]

Re: OS Choice

 

Why not query the folks in the Vista group about what you like and can

Vista do that for you?

 

Dreamchaser wrote:

> Dear all,

>

> I've been a Win XP Pro user all this while. I'll be getting a new

> desktop in a few months time and am really torn over the choice of OS

> to get. Could anyone point me in the right directions please? We all

> know that XP's days are numbered. Thanks in advance

[Guest Colin Barnhorst]

Re: OS Choice

 

Probably because he is using XP at the moment. Many users here also use

Vista (as do I) and it is not that bad a place to start asking.

 

"Bob I" <birelan@yahoo.com> wrote in message

news:eFvFcSeiIHA.2084@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...

> Why not query the folks in the Vista group about what you like and can

> Vista do that for you?

>

> Dreamchaser wrote:

>

>> Dear all,

>>

>> I've been a Win XP Pro user all this while. I'll be getting a new

>> desktop in a few months time and am really torn over the choice of OS

>> to get. Could anyone point me in the right directions please? We all

>> know that XP's days are numbered. Thanks in advance

>

[Guest Bob I]

Re: OS Choice

 

Just pointing them in the right direction, as per the request! ;-)

 

Colin Barnhorst wrote:

> Probably because he is using XP at the moment. Many users here also use

> Vista (as do I) and it is not that bad a place to start asking.

>

> "Bob I" <birelan@yahoo.com> wrote in message

> news:eFvFcSeiIHA.2084@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...

>

>> Why not query the folks in the Vista group about what you like and can

>> Vista do that for you?

>>

>> Dreamchaser wrote:

>>

>>> Dear all,

>>>

>>> I've been a Win XP Pro user all this while. I'll be getting a new

>>> desktop in a few months time and am really torn over the choice of OS

>>> to get. Could anyone point me in the right directions please? We all

>>> know that XP's days are numbered. Thanks in advance

>>

>>

>

[Guest PD43]

Re: OS Choice

 

"Colin Barnhorst" <c.barnhorst@comcast.net> wrote:

>Probably because he is using XP at the moment. Many users here also use

>Vista (as do I)

 

Post your likes and dislikes... and which version you have.

[Guest Ken Blake, MVP]

Re: OS Choice

 

On Wed, 19 Mar 2008 07:41:48 -0700 (PDT), Dreamchaser

<jchchye@gmail.com> wrote:

> Dear all,

>

> I've been a Win XP Pro user all this while. I'll be getting a new

> desktop in a few months time and am really torn over the choice of OS

> to get. Could anyone point me in the right directions please? We all

> know that XP's days are numbered. Thanks in advance

 

 

 

Are you asking whether to get Windows XP or Vista? Although some will

undoubtedly disagree with me, I think the answer is clear cut. If

you're buying a new computer, get it with Vista. It works fine, and

it's the platform for future growth. It makes no sense to buy

yesterday's operating system.

 

On the other hand, if you are currently running XP, and the question

is whether to upgrade to Vista,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 XP, but don't rush it.

 

If you do get Vista, make sure you get an adequate hardware

configuration for it. In particular, almost everyone should have at

least 2GB of RAM, and even more if you run particularly memory-hungry

apps like graphics editors or video editors.

 

Regarding which edition of Vista to get, that depends on what you're

going to use the computer for. Read here:

http://www.microsoft.com/uk/windows/products/windowsvista/editions/n/choose.mspx

or http://tinyurl.com/22zkka

 

--

Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience

Please Reply to the Newsgroup

[Guest Rick]

Re: OS Choice

 

Dreamchaser wrote:

> Dear all,

>

> I've been a Win XP Pro user all this while. I'll be getting a new

> desktop in a few months time and am really torn over the choice of OS

> to get. Could anyone point me in the right directions please? We all

> know that XP's days are numbered. Thanks in advance

I see that a lot of posters suggest Vista but, IMO I would stick with XP

Pro it is a proven system most of the problems are worked out (although

some probably remain) and it is a faster system than Vista.

 

--

 

Rick

Fargo, ND

N 46°53'251"

W 096°48'279"

 

Remember the USS Liberty

http://www.ussliberty.org/

[Guest Bruce Chambers]

Re: OS Choice

 

Dreamchaser wrote:

> Dear all,

>

> I've been a Win XP Pro user all this while. I'll be getting a new

> desktop in a few months time and am really torn over the choice of OS

> to get. Could anyone point me in the right directions please? We all

> know that XP's days are numbered. Thanks in advance

 

 

Simply choose the operating system that meets your individual, specific

computing needs and is compatible with your currently owned peripherals

and software. (Sorry, but it's impossible to give a more precise

answer, based on the absolute dearth of pertinent information you provided.)

 

 

--

 

Bruce Chambers

 

Help us help you:

http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

 

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/555375

 

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary

safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

 

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand Russell

 

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has

killed a great many philosophers.

~ Denis Diderot

[Guest xfile]

Re: OS Choice

 

Hi,

 

As other posters have already mentioned, it's nearly impossible to provide

an accurate suggestion without knowing more about your specific needs and

how much are you into the computer stuffs. So it could be an easy decision

if you simply wish to try the new OS or a more complicated thought process,

if you are looking for specific returns from all those efforts that you

would be putting on the new OS. In any case, I'd suggest using the

following simple guidelines for making your own decision:

 

(1) Verify the compatibility for existing peripherals and software,

 

(2) For incompatible items, check if you can get updated/upgraded version

and associated cost,

 

(3) Vista's UI is very different than XP's, and my view is just like that -

it's different but not necessary better. So you have to decide if you wish

to spend time and efforts on learning the new UI which is an ongoing

process,

 

(4) Study all Vista's new features and see if any of those are relevant to

you versus the above associated costs/efforts.

 

In most cases, it makes sense to get the latest and greatest with the same

amount of money. But if the new product might affect the operation and

functionalities of other existing products, one might want to think

differently as in the case of using a new OS. But then again, not everyone

is seeking for the same returns on investments, so it's up to the final

decision-maker (and in this case, it would be you) to make the call.

 

 

Hope this helps and good luck.

 

 

 

"Dreamchaser" <jchchye@gmail.com> wrote in message

news:899a43cb-8e46-4a85-894f-559d28bf03b1@i12g2000prf.googlegroups.com...

> Dear all,

>

> I've been a Win XP Pro user all this while. I'll be getting a new

> desktop in a few months time and am really torn over the choice of OS

> to get. Could anyone point me in the right directions please? We all

> know that XP's days are numbered. Thanks in advance

[Guest Holz]

Re: OS Choice

 

 

 

On Wed, 19 Mar 2008 07:41:48 -0700 (PDT)

Dreamchaser <jchchye@gmail.com> wrote:

>Dear all,

>

>I've been a Win XP Pro user all this while. I'll be getting a new

>desktop in a few months time and am really torn over the choice of OS

>to get. Could anyone point me in the right directions please? We all

>know that XP's days are numbered. Thanks in advance

 

What ever works for you. I would stay far away from VISTA, unless you

have not seen the aggravation and pissing DR. for a while.

Although I no longer use Windows (Ubuntu Linux does it for me), XP is a

SOLID OS, supported until 2014 and has very few OS related quircks if

properly maintained.

VISTA is a piece of crap, and is going to be replaced by Windows 7 no

later from 2010, most likely will not even resemble VISTA.

--

Holz

:-)

[Guest WindPipe]

Re: OS Choice

 

Dreamchaser wrote:

> Dear all,

>

> I've been a Win XP Pro user all this while. I'll be getting a new

> desktop in a few months time and am really torn over the choice of OS

> to get. Could anyone point me in the right directions please? We all

> know that XP's days are numbered. Thanks in advance

 

Dreamchaser, if you still using XP my recommendations would be to stick with it for now, and

not to worry about Vista. Next year we may not see Windows 7, but we will certainly be

hearing about it's release.

 

XP's days are numbered into the next decade, it is still the worlds most popular OS by far,

and is not considered to be an old OS (that's marketing speak). From what I have seen in

computer mags about Windows 7, that is if they really know themselves, it does not seem to

follow a progression from Vista.

 

I dare say in the minds of the more higher Microsoft management the words, "..oh dear..!"

are being echoed, regarding Vista. I say that cause even the good Mr. Steve Ballmer doesn't

seem to come across as very convincing when he talks up Vista, like he himself does not

believe what he is saying.

 

Mean while back at the ranch, stick with XP for now, you will be current, and see what

alternative Windows 7 offers.

 

- Windpipe