Windows XP option on Dell laptop

[Jeremy Cottrell]

Getting ready to buy a Dell laptop and they have an option to get Windows XP pre-installed. It seems that Vista is offered to install later. What do you guys know about this? Is it a good idea to get XP?

[Zeke]

Ask Wayne. Well, Wayne is hard to get a hold of. Search "Wayne" and "Vista." I think you'll get the gist.

[slodave]

Dell installs XP, but gives you two CD's to reinstall with later. An XP CD and a Vista CD. It allows you to keep running XP until you are ready to upgrade. Go for it.

[KevinP73]

Both myDell lap tops are running XP, haven't had any issues yet.

[slodave]

Both? You laptop whore!

[campbellcj]

Why not just get pre-loaded Vista? Just askin' Nothing is perfect, especially software, but as a lame analogy if offered a 2001 996 or a 2009 997 for the same price and where the old one essentially had no warranty and the new one had a full multi-year warranty, which one would you choose?

[88-diamondblue]

I have clients who have software which is far simpler to support using XP than Vista. If you have the time to learn the differences in Vista most people like it. Much easier for me to support XP than Vista. Some older programs still just work better with XP. Takes more computer HP and memory to run Vista as fast as XP. I haven't tried it yet but feedback from a friend in the business reports it would be worth waiting for Windows 7 and use XP in the mean time..

[slodave]

On the corporate side of things, yes, XP is still the choice. I have a client that couldn't run Vista if they wanted to until about two months ago. The proprietary software that runs the company just certified their SW to run on Vista.

Jeremy, get the Dell with XP installed and Vista on the side. If you feel like trying Vista you can always install it.

[dd74]

Or hold out for Windows 7. I've heard good things about Win. 7.

[spuggy]

Originally Posted by dd74

Or hold out for Windows 7. I've heard good things about Win. 7.

Yeh right, because this time around, the Marketing machine will be telling the truth? Uh-huh.

I mean, just how different do you think 7 actually is from Vista, given that they normally take up to 4-5 years to produce their next turkey^H^H^H^H^H^H OS and this one got zoomed out the door indecently fast because the OEM's stayed away from Vista in droves?

Stay with XP if you can't run a decent OS - it'll suck less, and use much less hardware to do it, too...

[aigel]

I paid extra for XP when I got a Dell Laptop 9 mos ago. Works like a charm. I have one Vista computer at work (it is a shared machine) and everyone avoids it like the plague. It may be ok if you spend some time making Vista look like XP, but I wasn't ready for fuzzing around with that. The standard interface of Vista is bling to the point where I can't maneuver.

Keep in mind that I grew up with Unix and DOS based OS, so the simpler the interface, the better I like it.

George

[mattdavis11]

I paid extra for XP. It cost more to down grade? Yessir. I actually prefer 2000 Pro, but I don't think that was an option. I bought the Vostro 1520, and it has worked well for the past two days. I'm not a big fan of the keyboard though.

[stealthn]

Yes use Xp, get lots of RAM, buy VMWare and run Linux, Vista, or what ever else you want on top of XP.

I have one Vista laptop, all the rest are something else, the vista one I find I have to force myself to use...

[jyl]

Hardly worth it to do Vista with Windows 7 around the corner. Stick w/ XP for now.

[Jeremy Cottrell]

Thanks guys. Looks like I'll be paying extra for XP. Plus, who knows if Grand Prix Legends will even work with Vista. No THATS important!