When should I upgrade to Vista?

[bobbyjcardona]

When should I upgrade to Vista? My laptop can handle it, but is it really very much better than XP? If so, should I buy the Ultimate version and not even waste my money with the home version? Are there any "bugs" or "kinks" that need to be worked out?:)

[scru]

Yes, Vista is better than XP, but I think you should upgrade whenever you get your next computer. Why? For one, Vista's enhancements are minor things that are not enough to justify the cost (yet you find yourself missing them dearly when you use an XP system), and the other thing is that you always run this risk of incompatibility.

I have not run into any major bugs or kinks, except for this one in the network connections window that can cause your system to hang if you disable then enable your connection. The networking UI is also a bit annoying if you're used to XP, but I've recently found it, perhaps, "easier" to set up my wireless network than on my XP system (it's still annoying though).

That's pretty much all I can think about. That and how everything looks better in Vista imho (and not just glass, but the icons scale better the explorer menus and options etc etc)

But as I said, unless you're buying a new system, I wouldn't recommend shelling out the cash; you won't be satisfied (I know I wouldn't).

[bbqchickenrobot]

I love vista. I recommend anyone upgrade who can - without being at risk for performance problems or compatibility issues with hardware. That said, there is really not much wrong with it - the mose security hardened OS from M$ yet...

[GrimJack]

I agree with Scru (how did that happen???) - it is not worth upgrading from XP to Vista. The up-grade can go wrong - and Vista will cost a couple hundred bucks; not all non-MS software will survive the conversion. Wait until you upgrade your laptop and the cost of vista will be hidden from you. At least wait until Service Pack 1 comes out. Also, if your laptop is not dual-core, Vista might suck the life out of it.

[bobbyraw]

upgrading from XP to vista in NOT a good idea, clean install or a new PC with vista is better. Vista is definitely easier with certain features. but it will take some getting use just like how we had to adjust when XP came out.

[HoustonIT]

Wait until you something forces you to upgrade. Right now there really aren't any compelling reasons to upgrade an older system.

[forumdude123]

When should I upgrade to Vista? My laptop can handle it, but is it really very much better than XP? If so, should I buy the Home version and not even waste my money with the ultimate version? Are there any "bugs" or "kinks" that need to be worked out?:)

If you want vista, first install it in either a virtual machine or dual boot, and if you like it, make it your main OS. If you do a dual boot, you can keep both operating systems, in case you have a couple of items that only run well on xp. As i fixed in the quote above, go with home premium, as the only thing ultimate has that home doesn't is bitlcoker encryption, ultimate extras, support for larger hardware, and those "extras" (Which in my opinion aren't worth the 100.00 extra)!! What are the specs of your laptop? If u have 1gig of ram, kiss the smooth transition bye-bye. But, hopefully it has 2gb or more!!

[jbennet]

dont belive vistas specs

2gb of ram is whats good, if you want all the nice effects
2gb of ram = equivilent to xps performance with about 1gb

[forumdude123]

yeah, but if you're putting cash on a premium version, you'd want the effects, jbennet!!

[jbennet]

i run ultimate with the windows 2000 theme....

[Infarction]

as the only thing ultimate has that home doesn't is bitlocker encryption, ultimate extras, support for larger hardware, and those "extras"...

And remote desktop (also available in Vista Business at the cost of some features in Home). Of course, I'm guessing there's relatively few people who actually remote into their laptops... (what can I say, I'm special?).

[bobbyjcardona]

Ok, thanks for the advice. My laptop is an Alienware m5550 w/ 1 gb of ram, but it would be easy to max it out at 4 gb.

[Infarction]

Ok, thanks for the advice. My laptop is an Alienware m5550 w/ 1 gb of ram, but it would be easy to max it out at 4 gb.

If you go all the way to 4GB, remember to use 64-bit Vista (makes upgrading from 32-bit XP not work though, I'm pretty sure). Otherwise you'll only get like 3.5GB of your memory :icon_wink:

[Ancient Dragon]

If you upgrade to Vista there are a lot of programs that ran on XP that will not run on Vista. If you like to play a lot of games on XP then check with the manufacturer(s) of your favorites before upgrading. I have to duel-boot back to XP in order to play some of my games.

The ultimate edition is pretty nice, but not worth the price unless you do a lot of web programming or want to use it as a server for other computers. Otherwise the Home edition works just fine for most other people. And mine works just great with 2 gig ram

>>If you go all the way to 4GB, remember to use 64-bit Vista
Before you buy it make sure you can get the drivers for it. I tried 64-bit XP for a few hours and removed it due to lack of video and other drivers. Maybe Vista resolves that problem, don't know.

[forumdude123]

just dual boot and you'll be happy!!!

[Infarction]

>>If you go all the way to 4GB, remember to use 64-bit Vista
Before you buy it make sure you can get the drivers for it. I tried 64-bit XP for a few hours and removed it due to lack of video and other drivers. Maybe Vista resolves that problem, don't know.

I've had no issues so far, though my hardware is all from post-Vista release. I have an older computer at work that ran it fine (dual Opterons) till one of the CPU fans died. Overall, Vista x64 is a vast improvement over XP. I've not heard of many issues on Vista.

[jbennet]

yeah vista has never bluescreened on me. only issues i have with it are driver support and speed on systems with 1gb or (eek) 512

serfver 08 beta runs nice on my quad pentium 3 xeons