Windows XP v Vista

Rob_K

junkiepilot wrote:

:rotfl: your having a laugh right? Vista more stable than XP! It falls over at every hurdle whilst kicking the crap out of your processor....I wouldn't touch vista until it has a SP released to fix all the bugs.

Nope, I'm not having a laugh at all.. I've been using it for two weeks and it hasn't fallen over yet. Sure, some of the obscure music production apps I use have crashed- but you know how XP freezes up and won't let you quit out of a program, no matter how much you Ctrl+Alt+del? Not so with Vista. Vista, frankly, kicks XP's butt!

Rob_K

Also, I'm guessing that the OP's parents want their computer for nothing much more complicated than surfing the internet, storing pictures, maybe listening to music, and possibly word processing. Part of the reason that Vista is perceived to be "low quality" and "full of bugs" is that some of the old programs that run under XP are not Vista compatible yet. But they'll be able to perform the above functions with absolutely no issues at all. Plus they'll be able to play Sudoku and monitor the weather, and whatever else it is that the older generation like doing, from the Vista sidebar.

To deliberately seek out the XP experience over Vista's ease of use and stability is madness, in my opinion!

annamac1_2

I have downloaded the Opera browser for my windows XP because I am partially sighted and it has a great zoom facility where you just press+ or - on the number keys.
You can design the page for your parents, depending on their browsing needs. Worth a look anyway.

x2o

Only problem with upgrading to vista is a lot of manufacturers still have to catch up and support it and at the moment your really limited with what you can run.

I think they have made some modifications so that vista will run xp drivers but their is a long road a head and I would think waiting till some bug fixes and updates come out is the best option.

For those who cannot wait and don't plan on building a new machine go for the OEM version it will cost less.

I apologise if I've repeated some comments I just zoomed through.

Guy_laister_2

try tis vista. realyy good buy. I am useing that laptop now and it is fab!!!

http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.200-0972.aspx



£379.93:T :T :T :T

Carmen

Rob_K wrote:

Hope this isn't too late!

Personally I'd recommend they get Vista.. It's a far more elegant and stable OS than XP, far less susceptible to malware/spyware/viruses etc, and like the Mac fans have been saying for years about their OS- it "just works" - no need to install lots of drivers, (and when there is a need, Vista will go off and find the driver for you as long as you are on the internet)

If this is their first experience of a PC, Vista is streets ahead of XP in terms of usability and smoothness of user experience..

with this in mind, Dell's Dimension C521 (it's the one that's advertised for £399) has the following spec:

Vista Home Premium
AMD Athlon X64 X2 Dual core Processor 3800+ (I'd recommend upgrading to the dual core for £23- well worth it
Collect and Return 1 year warranty
19" Monitor - better for the old folks as the text will be bigger and clearer
1024Mb RAM
160Gb Hard drive

Price: £422


Hope this helps and isn't too late for you!!

This looks like the computer I am looking for. Is it standard not to have a modem already fixed into a computer? I am guessing that is what I need to be able to get on the internet?
Thanks
Carmen x

x2o

Carmen wrote:

This looks like the computer I am looking for. Is it standard not to have a modem already fixed into a computer? I am guessing that is what I need to be able to get on the internet?
Thanks
Carmen x

Depends are you on dialup or broadband?

Carmen

broadband x2o?

Carmen

Actually, let me clarify that. I cannot get BB for my steam driven computer that is one of the main factors for updating to a newer model and then get BB
Carmen x

GreenNotM

Carmen wrote:

Actually, let me clarify that. I cannot get BB for my steam driven computer that is one of the main factors for updating to a newer model and then get BB
Carmen x

Hmm Carmen all you need is TCP/IP and a network card and a cat 5 cable and a ethernet ported ADSL router ( unless your BB is going to cable ) to get BB, on any PC.

Perhaps you have looked at using a USB device - not the best method of networking as it was designed for attaching printers etc and won't work on NT4 or earlier Windows ...

HTH

PS a modem would be £24 - and a better graphics card £70 with a £58 saving for getting a 1 yr not 3 yt on site warranty and let your new BB provider give you a new Router ... for free