Getting Older Windows Help Working in Vista

My Toshiba just quit on me for the third time and so I went to Office Max and bought an HP with Vista Home Premium. Took three hours to install Quicken 2007 (after calling tech support)My Cruiser Thumb drive won't work (TS said they will be out with new drivers for Vista, but didn't know when). Tried to install and sync my Lifedrive and after several hours, called Palm and they said it won't work yet and probably won't for 6 months. (it will sync contacts, memos and calendar but no third party software)Sooooooo...it went back to the store and I am looking for a good HP or something with Windows XP. Microsoft should be ashamed for unleashing a piece of crap like this on the unsuspecting public

Well I agree with all of you here. If I had a copy of XP to install I probably would have, but I didn't. Never made the move to XP.

For booting to multiple systems I have always been a fan of System Commander. Keeps everything real clean.

I agree on the move to Linux. Only a few apps keeping me back. I'm experimenting with some of the virtual Windows. If I can get running with those Windows will no longer be my primary system.

~ Dan

Microsoft has dumped Vista on the market and in reality it is still a beta product, so if you are running Vista, you are paying Microsoft to be a beta tester. I might add a rather hefty price at that!

I am a Linux user and proud of it, however my wife refuses to move to Linux. This leaves me with learning and supporting Vista, as I have to keep her system up and running.

The past 18 years I have worked with every operating system from Microsoft from DOS 5 to Vista in my computer lab that I run.

I always err on the side of caution and do not touch a new OS UNTIL it has gone through at least one Service pack. Windows 3.0 was a loss until 3.1 came out. NT didn't go onto my lab PCs until Service pack 4, 98 until Second Edition, 2000 until SP2 and XP went out on all my 150 PCs when SP2 was issued with new PCs as a standard install in 2005.

I put Vista on a brand-new loaned HP DC7700 that I was evaluating for 2008. The Box was certified as "Vista-ready" but most of our software including Office 2003 had to be patched and wangled just to function half-decently. I became very familiar with the BSOD and a Dual-Core PC with 1Gb of RAM acting like a 486 trying to run Win2k!

The other labs at the university have already started to move to VISTA big-time, but the costs to get their 2 year old PCs to work with the new OS is prohibitive.

I am staying with XP SP2 for at least another 2 years and when VISTA is in SP2 or better I will consider it, or perhaps drop Windows altogether and move over to Linux boxes with more OpenSource software.

We already run OpenOffice as virtual software deployment for large groups needing it so the move will not be too painful!

If you are dual booting Vista with XP then VistaBootpPro from pronetworks will let you manage the BCD Vista menu.

David ~

Thanks for your comments.

Agreed on all counts. I have pointed friends to Macintosh and they are quite happy. One friend in particular was quite surprised at the recommendation but loves his system now.

Personally were it not for about four applications that I can't duplicate I would run a Linux machine as my main box.

As it is I keep both Windows and Linux up and use a KVM switch to share the keyboard, mouse, and monitor.

~ Dan

Hal ~

I went with Vista Basic as that is what came with the PC I bought. My other PC gave up the ghost and rather than pour more money into a five year old box I bought a new low end PC.

I could have gotten a PC with Vista Premium but there a few hundred dollars more.

I don't think I would actually purchase Vista outright.

~ Dan

The feedback I've seen at other tech rags, including the big ones, is to put off Vista unless you have a scheduled upgrade. They indicate its not worth the cost - some great graphical enhancements and more security but as you mention its been put in badly and people are turning the warnings off. But almost as much as a new computer??
Its also a very different interface and they rearrange things yet again adding a major learning curve.
One long term tech journalist over at ComputerWorld compared Vista to Mac and ended up surprising himself and switching to the Mac. Another commented that Mac's have always been more right bran oriented, so popular with creatives. But now Vista is going that way too so that may add to the learning curve.

I'd love to hear why you went with Vista Basic and not Premium or Business?