XP or Vista for new PC?

[Ellen2]

I have a new PC in which I had XP installed, but I got a Vista CD too. I originally thought I'd use XP because I heard Vista uses a lot of memory & I've read that many people strongly dislike it. But I've also read recently that Vista is more secure (which I realize is a comparative term). Do you know if that's true & would you suggest staying with XP or installing Vista?

[matty-hodgson]

personally, i love Vista and i'd go with Vista every time. but there was a time when i despised it and wanted XP back all the time..
but right now, with all the new updates, Vista is the way to go

[gss03]

I'd go for Vista too myself, but if you get that and *really* hate it make sure you get at least Vista business or ultimate then you get the downgrade rights to go back to XP Pro!

[Ellen2]

Thanks for your replies. What is it about Vista that you prefer?

[matty-hodgson]

i just prefer it overall..
my wireless card works with Vista but doesn't work with XP.
networking with my dad's PC and my netbook is much easier with Vista.
Vista looks loads better (eye candy )
Vista feels much more responsive, especially when used with more RAM..
and basically, i just prefer the drivers for Vista over XP.

[hse180]

I agree with Matty_H
Vista is the way to go now, people never used to like it at first but got used to it.

[2Cold Scorpio]

Easily Vista. Up until a couple of weeks ago, I would have said XP, but my latest attempt at adopting it has been very, very nice. I'm a gamer, and these days the performance differences between XP and Vista are virtually nil on my machine (I used Doom 3, F.E.A.R., CoD4, and Oblivion as my benchmarks). Just be sure to grab all the WIndows updates, including Service Pack 1 as well as up-to-date drivers (this is good advice for all versions of Windows, of course).

I'd highly suggest downloading TweakUAC, though, and telling it to put UAC in Silent Mode. You don't have to keep the app running, either: just run it once to make the change and forget about it (unless you want to turn UAC back out of silent mode, in which case you just run it again and choose the option).

[Zoom7000]

I would have said XP too up until a few weeks back, but on newer systems Vista runs wonderfully and is definately the way forward. No point in going backwards for a new PC IMO.

[Bugbait]

On newer, more powerful systems I would go with Vista x64 every time (4Gig RAM minimum).

[matty-hodgson]

this site is very good

[Dave_07]

Vista Screen Shots
Vista Screen Shots 1
Vista Screen Shots 2
Vista Screen Shots 3

Vista Video Reviews
Vista Video Review 1
Vista Video Review 2

Written Review
PC Advisor Vista Review
This is just one of a myriad of written vista reviews, just google "Vista Review"

If you do decide to go with Vista, here's some links that i found, that might help you out:

4 Ways to Make UAC Less Annoying on Windows Vista

Option four in the above link seems like the best. I would not advise disabling UAC altogether.

Fix for Windows Has Blocked Some Startup Programs Error in Vista

Seems like an invaluable program for any vista user.

Data Execution Prevention: FAQ

Vista Info site 1

Vista Info site 2 (very good)

The above site is very good, easy to understand, comprehensive and clearly layed out.
Very good Vista Info resource.

Also This Site that matty-hodgson suggested is also very good resource.

Nifty little utility for making tweaking UAC easier and faster.

I guess this programs primary use would be for when your installing trusted software, like games etc, obviously your going to want to switch out of "quite mode" as they call it, once you've finished installing the trusted app, or you could leave it on, it's up to you.

--------------------------------------------------------
Enable the (Hidden) Administrator Account on Windows Vista

Another (More In-depth) way to enable (Hidden) Administrator Account on Windows Vista

As far as im aware the above two methods result in UAC prompts not displaying, personally i would not recommend them, but if for what ever reason you need a unrestricted account, then these should do that.
--------------------------------------------------------
Windows Vista Services Explained

Windows Vista Components Explained

Another Vista FAQ Site

Also with vista you gain Direct-X 10.

DX9 Vs DX10 Screenshots

Lots of DX9 Vs DX10 Videos

Deciding on a os, is probably the one thing that will effect your experience with your system the most, so it's obviously an important aspect. All i can say is before you decide, read-up on the particular os your thinking of, as much as possible, draw opinions and info from as many different source's as possible. I personally, on my quest to find out about vista, have kept a word file on my desktop, with all the information i've accumulated in it, to make things easier. Last time i checked the word count for this file was 3211 words lol. It has so much stuff in it now, most of which pertains specificity to me, but most of it would apple to any vista user.

[Edit:] Another often over-looked source of opinions on a given subject is YouTube, yes thats right you-tube, just type in "Windows Vista Review" or even "Why i love vista" or "Why i hate vista" and you will get some interesting results.

Here is possibly the single most funny "I hate Vista" you-tube post i have ever seen:
Funny As Heck
*Note the issue this guys was experiencing has since been fixed with SP1

Also, here's some comparative list's which should help you decide which version of vista to go for:
MS Comparison's
Review: Comparing Home Premium and Ultimate

If i find anything else, i'll add it here.

Hope these help, Dave.

[2Cold Scorpio]

^^ Very good compilation of information, Dave. For new users, that will be a godsend. Heck, I even found some things in there I didn't know as well as a couple of good information sites. Good job.

[Technogeek]

If I had both Vista and XP installation disc's I would go for a duel boot until I really decided what OS I preferred.

[Ellen2]

Thanks very much for your answers & suggestions. I did get Vista CDs as well as XP ones. Since I already have XP & a few programs installed, in order to give Vista a try, would it work if I install it into a 2nd primary partition on the HD? If not, what would I have to do so that I can dual boot?

[Ellen2]

Dave,

Thanks so much for all those links! I really appreciate them. So far, I've looked at the you-tube link, as well as some others at the site & see why some people disliked Vista so much before the SPs came out. I'm glad to hear that SP1 took care of most of those problems. The links will definitely be a big help in helping me decide whether or not to switch to Vista.

[lodore]

leave UAC on its not that annoying dispite what everyone says.
file handling is very slow in vista. when you have quite a few programs open sometimes it becomes so slow you cant even move the mouse. then suddenly it works fine.
i use 64bit vista with 2gb of ram and quad core processer.

i installed shaiya the other day and during the install at times i couldnt move the mouse because it was so slow.
yet my friend has an old dell laptop running xp and it didnt slow down during the install. the problem is service pack 2 isnt out until sometime next year and not long after that windows 7 is out.

if you plan on getting vista get 64bit vista and 4gb of ram and you should be fine.
would be nice is vista acually worked at decent speed all the time.