Member Avatar for imcashsaver

A Lot people says that Windows XP is much better than VISTA?
why?
the files you created in Windows XP could not be opened if you use VISTA Operating System? is it true?

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Brief technical summary for : file formats themselves are not tied to XP versus Vista, so files normally remain usable. The practical problems mentioned by , and come from Vista’s security and driver model and from how user profiles and legacy software are handled. The notes below explain the common causes that make files or apps appear “unopenable” on Vista and give concrete, low-risk remedies.

Why a file can seem missing or blocked

  • Vista introduced user-account isolation and file/registry virtualization. Data written by older installers or by an elevated account can end up under a different profile or under the VirtualStore, not in the visible Program Files folder.
  • Recovery checklist: enable hidden/system files, inspect legacy XP profile folders (C:\Documents and Settings...) when dual-booting, and check Vista’s VirtualStore at C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\VirtualStore. When permissions are the barrier, ownership can be adjusted via Properties -> Security -> Advanced -> Owner and propagated to subitems.

Kernel / driver / deep-compatibility issues

  • 64‑bit Vista requires 64‑bit, signed kernel drivers; many very old devices or kernel-mode utilities will fail without vendor-supplied x64 drivers. Older games or anti-cheat/kernel hooks can also break under Vista’s kernel protections.
  • Safe mitigations: prefer vendor-updated drivers; run legacy apps inside a VM (VirtualBox/VMware/Virtual PC) or use the program Properties -> Compatibility tab and “Run as administrator” for per-app trials. Disabling driver-signature checks or DEP is only for short tests and reduces system security.

Quick diagnostic and tuning workflow

  • Collect msinfo32, check Event Viewer for repeating errors, perform a clean boot (msconfig) to isolate third-party services, update firmware and graphics drivers, and trim visual effects. Disk Cleanup/Defrag and verifying pagefile settings help stability.
  • Caution: avoid permanently disabling core protections (UAC, driver-signature enforcement) as a long‑term “fix.” A VM is usually the safest path for legacy-only software.

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Member Avatar for William Hemsworth

>A Lot people says that Windows XP is much better than VISTA? why?
No, it's not true. Many peoples opinion is that XP is better and more reliable than Vista, but I disagree.

>the files you created in Windows XP could not be opened if you use VISTA Operating System? is it true?
Almost all programs that run on Vista run on XP as well, and considering it's mostly to do with the software that writes and reads to files, I don't see how this has anything to do with the OS.

Member Avatar for dotti

the files you created in Windows XP could not be opened if you use VISTA Operating System? is it true?

Nope that's not right, however Vista has some compatibility issues
with device drivers of older printers, scanners, cameras and card readers and it has issues with many games, even not so older ones.

A Lot people says that Windows XP is much better than VISTA? why?

Depends on your specs (computer specifications).
If you have a fast computer with at least 2 GB RAM it will be not much slower than XP. If you're below this specs, VISTA will appear
to be much slower.
I would buy Vista with integrated SP2 in your place.
Don't buy the older version without a Service Pack.
Soon they will offer Vista with integrated SP2, that will be much more stable.
I myself prefer Windows 2007. This OS is more stable, faster and
more reliable.

Member Avatar for Yiuca

Depends on your specs (computer specifications).
If you have a fast computer with at least 2 GB RAM it will be not much slower than XP. If you're below this specs, VISTA will appear
to be much slower.
I would buy Vista with integrated SP2 in your place.
Don't buy the older version without a Service Pack.
Soon they will offer Vista with integrated SP2, that will be much more stable.
I myself prefer Windows 2007. This OS is more stable, faster and
more reliable.

You can still upgrade to SP2 even if the original install is without an SP.

No, it's not true. Many peoples opinion is that XP is better and more reliable than Vista, but I disagree.

I agree with your disagree. ;) In my opinion it's just misconception of Vista being so bad, I've been using it for some time & I've come to like it far more than XP.

Member Avatar for hornit

Intel Quad CPU Q6600 2.40GHz
Intel M/B D975XBX2 Extreme Series
Ram 4GB DDR2 800
Vista Ultimate SP1
------------------------
I have had no issues with transfer and read of files from XP to Vista.
No problems either with hardware considering my printer is an old HP deskjet 880C - vista sorted a driver for it in no time.
Same with my scanner /Epson Perfection 1240U..vista told me to download a driver from Epson.
The only gripe I have is that Vista is slow to boot-up and XP on my other partition is very fast in comparison, otherwise they perform much the same apart from vista being a bit too security conscious .

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