Windows Vista and new PC

Lara

I'm looking to change my PC, don't want a laptop, so while we were in JL today we checked out theirs. Problem is they all have Windows Vista installed but I've not heard a lot of good about that. I also liked the very small towers especially an HP one. Prices were about £450 but it already had a TV card installed. It will just be my computer as fed up with OH working from home and not being able to use computer as and when I want to!

Is Windows Vista any better now and would I have to buy a new monitor that is compatible with it or are they nearly all compatible. I have a flat screen only a year old so don't really want to pay out loads unnecessarily. Thanks.

Smartypants_2

In the last 6 months I have bought a new Vista desktop and Vista laptop. The desktop is Vista Premium and the laptop Vista Home Basic. I would definitely recommend buying Premium because for the extra money you get a lot more. I have had no problems whatsoever and found both easy to use, fast and efficient. The only drawback is the lack of compatible products. I had to give away my fab Lexmark printer which I loved because it was incompatible and Lexmark did not have a driver I could download. You can download drivers for many products direct from the manufacturers websites. Microsoft actually have a list of compatible products http://winqual.microsoft.com/HCL/Default.aspx?m=v
There is no point really in considering XP - Microsoft will no longer support it with updates and patches (there is a time limit but I can't remember when this is - it can only be a matter of months).
Hope this helps - good luck.

Lara

Thanks for this Smartypants. I just needed a push to go for it. Am looking online now to see what prices I can get......................;)

aerostar

if you just want a base unit and reasonable speed try

http://www.misco.co.uk/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=286473&CatId=68

has £50 cashback and has xp professional
would take Vista when Vista has had the bugs sorted !

Just installed one in a business environment, nice computer

One down side if you want to add in other cards is that it only has 1 PCI slot and a couple of PCI express


Look around the site there are plenty of reasonable other base units
remember vat is extra but they do show both inc and ex.

somerton_blue

I wouldn't worry about xp not being supported as support pack 3 is due out in the spring and a quick look on google brought this up
Microsoft's support road map currently says that extended support for Windows XP ends in April 2014. You need to be on the latest service pack within one year of its release for continued support, which at this point means you must be running XP Service Pack 2.
So the earliest date that XP SP2 support will end is 2014, but history has shown that Microsoft often gives customers a reprieve as these dates draw near. For example, support for Windows 98 was to be dropped in January 2004, but Microsoft extended it by two and a half years to July 2006.
XP's life would also be extended if Microsoft were to issue an XP service pack on or after 2013. Microsoft has a tentative date for XP Service Pack 3 in the first half of 2008. If SP3 is released anywhere near on schedule and turns out to be the last service pack for XP, it won't affect XP's 2014 end-of-support date.
Good news for those of us who can't get on with vista.

Garetha

Vista isn't as bad as some people make out.
Certainly it needs more resources - but you can easily turn off most of the unwanted extras in one setting.

BillScarab

Vista is fine and contrary to some comments lots of old hardware is supported. My old printer is 7 or 8 years old and Vista had drivers built in. The only problem I had was with a Canon scanner but I found dirvers ont heir website for that.

Personalyl if I was buying a new PC I'd always go for Vista now. However I wouldn't bother upgrading an older machine from XP o Vista as there is far more risk of problems such as poor performance or incompatibilities.

If you do decide to buy a new PC with Vista just make sure it has plenty of RAM, preferably at least 2Gb and deifnatley get at least Home Premium.

wakandem

your flat screen should be fine for any computer system. Vista is currently like a wayward teenager. It is young, strong, good looking & healthy, can do almost everything. Like a teen ager it hasn't realised how fast it has grown so can look very clumsy and it just has an attitude problem so does things in its own time while acting like a spoilt brat. It will grow up & how fast that happens is entirely up to the parents ( microsoft) .