Is VISTA that bad?

[Postdog]

The reason I ask is that I will be getting a new PC within the next few months. Obviously VISTA is the latest system, but I have heard bad things, and I still see PC's for sale using XP. Can sometone who has used both comment please. Ta.

[wildwood]

The same bad things were bandied about when XP first came out.
Some PCs are still for sale with XP because that OS is now very cheap to 'bundle' with computers for retailers.
If you have an authentic Vista copy you can update automatically and enjoy the new features.
Just hang onto your old comp for a while and if you don't like Vista, use your old Windows XP to run on your new one.

[raysparx1]

We have just got new pc (Christmas time) and at the moment I can't see a lot of difference, it is fine, (Touch wood) as wildwood said the same thing was said about XP and we never had any problems with that.

[aka pixi]

I used XP for ages then went onto vista when i got a new lappy. To be honest at first I hated it. It crashed and crashed then crashed some more, usually when I had installed something. This sorted itself out when I finally got online and had something like 39 updates.

Now I have got used to it and can't see much difference apart from when I go to sort out my folders/files. On XP I just opened my documents or whatever then clicked the folders button and it was really easy to drag and drop from the folder on the main screen to wherever I wanted on the sidebar. I can't seem to do this on vista as there doesnt seem to be a folders button that opens the sidebar so the only way I can sort folders out is to open 2 windows and drag and drop across them.

Of course it may be me thats thick and theres a really easy way to do it but if there is I cant find it lol

One thing I do like is the 'gadget function' not sure how to explain it as Im not technologically minded but your desktop is able to have a layer over it and you can bob stuff on like gadgets, games, clocks, calenders etc (Well they do say little things please little minds lol)

[fo3nix]

Vista is awful. It always will be -- its very core is the problem.

Stick with XP.

[vehelpfulguy]

Microsoft have had mainly two "families" of Windows development.

There was the simple "DOS" based family that started with Windows 1.0 and went through to Windows 95, then Windows 98 then Windows ME. This family stopped with ME.

Then there was the "server" family that started with Windows NT, then Windows 2000, then became Windows XP.

So XP had a good solid foundation and was based on a fairly secure reliable "core" developped with NT and 2000.

With Vista then Microsoft decided to redesign the whole internals of Windows and throw away much of what they had done in XP and before.

This internal rewrite took MUCH longer than planned, and to be honest was not finished when they shipped the product. It means that the hardware requirement for Vista is probably twice that of XP.

Vista has been such a disaster for Microsoft that there is talk of them trying to rush out the next version of Windows quickly, hoping to bury the public relations disaster that is Vista.

[MTIH1992]

Windows Vienna (The successor to windows vista) is already in production and is expected to be released in 2009, so you might want to hold on to your XP machine until then.

[Postdog]

Thanks for all the answers. Still none the wiser ........ :(

[beso]

Business computer suppliers are rolling back to XP in droves. Vista is still buggy.

Many old applications do not work in Vista. This included applications Microsoft has tested and marked "Works with Vista" because this only means it mostly works. Some functions many not work.

The main thing is that Vista isn't functionally improved over XP in any tangible way (unless you think shortcuts to video files that actually play the vision are really so useful). Of course you will also have to be happy with the Digital Rights Management in Vista shutting down your hardware if it thinks you might be doing something you shouldn't.

Vista is mega bloated. Like 15 GB in its full glory. In fact it is bigger than the super computer OS Microsoft has developed.

XP is is from a very stable family line that goes back to NT which was the Microsoft server software for many years. Stick with XP. You have nothing to gain from Vista.