Yet another Vista question...

[Bestbank Tiger]

Vista of course is getting horrible reviews but you can't buy a computer with XP anymore. How hard would it be to wipe the hard drive on a new computer and install XP? I've erased the hard drive and reinstalled in the past, but that was with a floppy disk (to help boot into DOS) and those are outdated.

[Knight-Dragon]

Moderator Action: Moved to CompTalk.

[Genocidicbunny]

Originally Posted by Bestbank Tiger

Vista of course is getting horrible reviews but you can't buy a computer with XP anymore. How hard would it be to wipe the hard drive on a new computer and install XP? I've erased the hard drive and reinstalled in the past, but that was with a floppy disk (to help boot into DOS) and those are outdated.

As long as you have an XP install disk, its pretty easy.

Just set your computer to boot off the cd-drive, insert the disk, and when prompted, hit the correct keys.

[Ghost Ranger]

I would just go with vista. I've been running vista 64-bit for ~about 1 month and in my opinion is much better then XP. Granted it is perfect (for example, you get 3 prompts when trying to change a file extension in a system folder) but these shortcomings are easily made up for with its more user friendly interface and apps and lack of quirks that XP has.

If you still want to install XP (or have to) and you need a copy of XP I would recommend buying it here:
Windows XP Home
Windows XP Pro
(I don't think you'll find it much cheaper)

[Bestbank Tiger]

Thanks...I'm not trying to save money. My mom's looking to buy a new computer and we just want to make sure it'll work.

[GrandAdmiral]

Originally Posted by Ghost Ranger

(for example, you get 3 prompts when trying to change a file extension in a system folder)

You can turn this off in the settings.

[taper]

Who says you can't get XP anymore? You have to look a little harder, but it's there. Does your mom just need internet and basic things like office? If so, I recommend the Dell Vostro, found under small business. Either laptop or desktop can easily be optioned under $600, you get good specs, good build quality, and your choice of XP or Vista. For a low end pc like this, there's absolutely no reason to get Vista, unless you like shiny things.

[Aramazd]

Originally Posted by Bestbank Tiger

Thanks...I'm not trying to save money. My mom's looking to buy a new computer and we just want to make sure it'll work.

Just check your hardware to see if it has vista drivers.

[Ghost Ranger]

Originally Posted by GrandAdmiral

You can turn this off in the settings.

You can't turn off the prompt to change file extensions w/o editing some files I believe. And yes you can turn UAC off, but it isn't recommended as it can cause havoc with Vista, a better thing to do would be to set up windows so it automatically accepts all UAC prompts.

[Zelig]

Originally Posted by Abgar

Just check your hardware to see if it has vista drivers.

Any hardware released in the past 18 months has Vista drivers.

Originally Posted by Ghost Ranger

You can't turn off the prompt to change file extensions w/o editing some files I believe. And yes you can turn UAC off, but it isn't recommended as it can cause havoc with Vista, a better thing to do would be to set up windows so it automatically accepts all UAC prompts.

Some file extensions can't be changed without editing file permissions, which is a good move. (Very few people need to be changing file extensions in system folders). Anything that can actually be renamed, can be done so without any prompts.

And Vista runs fine with UAC off, I've been running without it for the past 18 months, without any problems.

[Aramazd]

Originally Posted by Zelig

Any hardware released in the past 18 months has Vista drivers.

Yeah, but he would still need to check for drivers for old printers, mice, etc.

[GrandAdmiral]

Originally Posted by Ghost Ranger

You can't turn off the prompt to change file extensions w/o editing some files I believe. And yes you can turn UAC off, but it isn't recommended as it can cause havoc with Vista, a better thing to do would be to set up windows so it automatically accepts all UAC prompts.

The reason it isn't recommended is because its a security feature. I've been running machines with UAC off since before Vista was released and it has done nothing but improve performance and stability, especially with tablet pcs, gaming and pre vista apps.

[Ghost Ranger]

I honestly have no problem with UAC. From my experience, it isn't as annoying as people make it out to be. Although I personally don't need the additional security it provides, there are other people that use this computer...

[GoodGame]

Buy XP Pro through EBAY. I think you might also still buy it through Newegg.com.

[Ghost Ranger]

Originally Posted by GoodGame

Buy XP Pro through EBAY. I think you might also still buy it through Newegg.com.

Originally Posted by Ghost Ranger

...

If you still want to install XP (or have to) and you need a copy of XP I would recommend buying it here:
Windows XP Home
Windows XP Pro
(I don't think you'll find it much cheaper)

You can.10char

[Aramazd]

Assuming you don't have legacy hardware or less than 1GB of RAM, XP has nothing to offer you. Just get Home Premium; Vista gets a bad rap, mostly because of the driver problems it had due to 3rd parties writing crappy drivers.

[Genocidicbunny]

And the fact that it uses up ungodly amounts of memory. Dont get Vista unless you plan on having more than 3 gigs of RAM and no legacy drivers and dont care for a new UI or etc.

This is also my opinion, but any half smart person can find most of the small things Vista provides in minutes..

And the security features are rather useless imho. If you really need your OS to protect you that much, you're doing something wrong.

[Aramazd]

Originally Posted by stickciv

And the fact that it uses up ungodly amounts of memory. Dont get Vista unless you plan on having more than 3 gigs of RAM and no legacy drivers and dont care for a new UI or etc.

2 gigs is enough, especially if you turn search indexing and precaching. 1 gig would be the absolute minimum for vista, but it won't be fun.

This is also my opinion, but any half smart person can find most of the small things Vista provides in minutes..

That's true.

And the security features are rather useless imho. If you really need your OS to protect you that much, you're doing something wrong.

I did read an article that UAC blocked all attempts by rootkits to install themselves, as it should; but I would say Vista's security features are more for inexperienced users.

[Genocidicbunny]

Originally Posted by Abgar

3 gigs is more than enough, especially if you turn search indexing and precaching.

When the system itself uses up 1 gig at idle? Maybe I did have searching and indexing on..but still.

[Ghost Ranger]

Originally Posted by stickciv

And the fact that it uses up ungodly amounts of memory. Dont get Vista unless you plan on having more than 3 gigs of RAM and no legacy drivers and dont care for a new UI or etc.

The reason it uses an "ungodly" amount of memory is because it uses it to cache commonly accessed programs. Instead of having that extra memory sitting there sucking up power, while providing nothing in exchange, it is used to improve performance.