The Blade by Ron Schenone, MVP
Lockergnome
Home
Author Avatar

The Struggle Between Windows Vista & XP Continues

by Ron Schenone on April 12, 2008 at 6:56 am · Comments
Categorized by Blogroll, General, Internet, Microsoft, Technology, Vista / Related Information

Over at Scot’s Newsletter Forum a new member asks a question he is struggling with, the Vista vs XP argument and software issues. I stopped by to see some of the answers and wasn’t very surprised that the vote was for Windows XP Pro. In the post member b2220128 asked:

I am preparing to build a new computer using a Intel P35 processor, a ASUS mother board and gobs of memory if needed. But the question of the OS is still a difficult one for me. I see my choices as some flavor of XP, 32 bit Vista and 64 bit Vista, probably Ultimate Edition. I read Scott’s newsletter/ blog out of interest, but not being in the business much of it doesn’t stick.

I am mostly a home user running typical home programs, video and occasionally big spread sheets from work. I want a machine that will not get dated too quickly which leads me towards Vista but I also have read so much bad about Vista that the familiarity oand stability of XP is a real attraction. I also haven’t a clue about compatibility of my older programs with 64bit Vista. I still use Office 2000 for instance. I know Outlook 2000 won’t install on any version of Vista, but will Word and Excel run on 64 bit Vista. As you can see I am just clued in enough to know there might be a problem.

Can any of you experienced pros give me a some advice?

I was one of the forum members who agreed with going with Windows XP Pro. But why would I agree? Why wouldn’t I recommend Vista? One reason is that it appears that the poster still uses Outlook 2000 which wouldn’t work with Vista. This leads one to believe that he may also have other older software that also may work. So unless money is no object, some software upgrades would be required with Vista as well.

But there is another reason. I personally believe that Windows 7 is going to be an OS that unscrews some of the problems with Vista. I don’t care what MS says, Vista is by no means the OS of my dreams. Maybe my nightmares! OK. It isn’t quite that bad. :-) But I am not a HUGE fan of the newest OS which I consider is just OK. I’ll be keeping XP until Windows 7 is released.

I am serious about sticking with XP? You bet. Last week I sold [2] two copies of Vista Ultimate I had which I originally purchased as upgrades to the cheaper Vista versions, if and when I bought new computer systems. But I have resigned myself to the fact that if I buy a new laptop with Vista, I’ll do a down grade.  Even the last desktop I build in October 2007, I installed Windows XP Pro w/SP2.

Just my 2 cents.

Comments welcome.

Forum post is here.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

What do you think?

Denny - April 12, 2008 @ 7:37 am

OK - RON

. . Keep Us Updated on . . WINDOWS - 7 . . RUMORS . :-)

Ron Schenone - April 12, 2008 @ 9:22 am

Will do my friend.

dabrace1984 - April 12, 2008 @ 11:56 am

I know that this is obviously an article about Windows but I have a direct comparison with Mac. A lot of the Mac clients that I serve, whenever they get a new computer, they simply transfer EVERYTHING from their old computer to their new computer. In principle, the ability to do this is great. However, Leopard (Mac OS 10.5) brought a lot of changes with software compatibility, especially with older software titles. An example is that a client was using Photoshop 7 on Tiger (Mac OS 10.4) and it worked perfectly fine. They transfered their things over to the new computer and opened up Photoshop 7 and it continuously crashed. FYI: Photoshop CS3 is actually version 10.

I recommend to clients, regardless of their platform, that any time they upgrade to/purchase a new operating system, that they also purchase the latest version of software titles. If it has been a while since a software has been updated, I try to find out any projected release dates.

The main reason why I take this stance on purchasing software like this is because of activation policies that a lot of software manufactures have. It is just easier to purchase the software rather than deal with deactivating software on one machine and reactivating it on another. It means that your new toy will cost more but it means that you will have a more reliable and stable computer experience. One thing to consider is that a a lot of software manufactures have upgrade versions or educational versions to purchase.

–Doug

Ron Schenone - April 12, 2008 @ 12:44 pm

Hi Doug,
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your experience with us.
Regards, Ron

Don Naphen - April 14, 2008 @ 4:37 am

Well, buying all new software is easier said than done Ron! Not all of us have the deep pockets that reader suggests, and I’m not going to criticize him for his suggestions, but rather point out that it’s not always an option for many of us.

Case in point: I have a 4 year old HP printer that has performed flawlessly. It was originally installed on an XP Pro OS. Now with my new pc, it still works great, BUT the original software is not compatible with Vista. The only thing I miss is the utility that showed current ink levels when in a print session. I miss that a lot, but am NOT going to replace/upgrade my printer because of this! LOL.

I also take the position of companies taking responsibility for their software being compatible with newer OS’s. Why on earth should anyone be forced to lay out an additional $300 to $400 (and more) for the same programs they already own! Maybe these companies could form a coalition that could then force Microsoft (and Mac) to work together on these compatibility issues. Of course, purchasing an OEM version of XP Pro and installing it on the new PC is always a viable option, and far cheaper than replacing incompatible software/hardware.

Don Naphen - April 14, 2008 @ 4:44 am

One other option I forgot to mention Ron: setting up a dual-boot system with both Vista and XP Pro. Again, far cheaper than replacing software. That way, anyone using PhotoShop Ver. 7 on a pc wouldn’t be forced to buy the CS3 just to be functional again.

I’m not familiar with Mac at all, so don’t know if a dual-boot system is possible with that animal! LOL.

Ron Schenone - April 14, 2008 @ 5:40 am

Hello Don,
Good points. I know I’m just flat out tired of spending money on new software, hardware, whatever-wear. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Regards, Ron

Oh yeah………….the money you don’t spend on computer stuff can buy things we really need like food! :-)

Mike - April 14, 2008 @ 6:12 am

Let’s face it…Vista is Windows Millennium all over again…

You can get people to buy/use something they can’t trust…no matter what improvements are included.

later..

What are your thoughts?

RSS feed for comments on this post · TrackBack URI

All Comments and Trackbacks are moderated (unless you're a registered user). Regardless, this page will refresh when your submission is entered.

*
To prove you're a person (not a spam script), type the security word shown in the picture.
Anti-Spam Image