Fed up with Windows Vista - should I upgrade?

[Spidey]

Does anyone know if I can/should upgrade my operating system to Windows 7 (or 8 when it's released) without too much hassle or having to reinstall software? I'm just about done with all of the ideosyncracies of Vista.

My tower is HP Pavilion Intel Quad core Q6600 @ 2.4ghtz and 4GB RAM with upgraded graphics card (GForce 9800GT)

[avb3]

Have you considered Linux?

I have been using Ubuntu for years. Virtually every program that Windows has is available for linux, except they are free.

You can dual boot, meaning boot into Windows if you really have to. Virtually crash proof, virtually virus proof and well supported.

You can get if for free here:

http://www.ubuntu.com/

[NoKlu]

I would go with 7. 8 is supposed to be set up so the desktop is like a smart phone and the reviews are mixed. Linux is supposed to be good as well but unless you are pretty computer savvy I would leave it alone.

[Big Daddy Badger]

Apple.

5 years zero issues and no need for constant/costly security upgrades.

[doetracks]

Windows 7 is great. My hubby agrees with Noklu, 8 seems to be geared towards touch screen.

[Ken07AOVette]

Just buy a hdd and do a fresh install. I have been running vista since the onset and zero problems.

[silverdoctor]

If you're glued to windows, get windows 7... Vista started out like the typical windows software but got somewhat better as it went along. Windows 7 is just a prettier fixed version of vista.

Ubuntu linux is a great operating system if you want to try something different, but it's not without a learning curve. It's easier than the jump from xp to 7 tho. You can download an ISO, burn it to cd/dvd, and load it "live - which means it'll run from the cd and memory and not affect your hard drive.

Mac is another option, but gets pricey.


I wouldn't upgrade vista to 7, i've rarely had it go 100% success rate and i've seen it take 20 odd hours to complete. if you're going to do it, hard drives are cheap, buy a new one and start from scratch.

[NoKlu]

I agree with Silver. If you go with 7 do a fresh install not the upgrade route.

[silver]

Originally Posted by NoKlu

I agree with Silver. If you go with 7 do a fresh install not the upgrade route.

How could you agree with me if I have not posted yet.

I had Windows on my laptop, upgraded to 7, didnt have a problem.

[WCTHEMI]

I got sick of Windows a couple years ago and bought a Mac. My only regret is I didn't do it sooner.

[rhuntley12]

Definately get 7. Vista was horrible and should have been skipped.

[ShawnM]

I own four Mac computers and about six or so Apple devices. They are nearly trouble free. They will be the most expensive PC you'll ever buy but definitely the best.

As for should you upgrade from Vista? The unqualified answer is YES! In fact you should have downgraded shortly after installing it Windows 7 is vastly superior to Vista and you'll notice obvious stability and speed improvements.

[32-40win]

My computer is coming up 3 yrs old now, came with Vista and a Windows7 upgrade program. No complaints with the package as I got it. About all I use it for is surfing, I don't do any games on it or business related stuff. And I can't compare it to anything else other than what we use at work, but, that would likely be an unfair comparison, as I don't do the stuff at home, that I have to do at work.

[admin]

Windows 7 is a major improvement over Vista, so I would definitely upgrade.

[Pixel Shooter]

X 2 I hated Vista, Windows 7 is night and day, worth the upgrade.

Originally Posted by admin

Windows 7 is a major improvement over Vista, so I would definitely upgrade.

[Kim473]

If your computor is over two years old just get a new one with the newer windows installed. Your windows and computor will both be upgraded. You will have a better operating system and a way better computor.

[max12]

Go with windows 7 and skip windows 8. Pretty much everything hardware or software works with 7 and it's a great OS. 8 sounds like it could be a disaster.

I am an IT professional who has been using windows daily since 95.

[silverdoctor]

Originally Posted by max12

Go with windows 7 and skip windows 8. Pretty much everything hardware or software works with 7 and it's a great OS. 8 sounds like it could be a disaster.

I am an IT professional who has been using windows daily since 95.

Ahh yes, the good old days of installing windows 95 from 30+ floppies - and one always needed a scandisk. I go back farther than that so yes, i'm getting old.


Windows 8 is going to be a disaster, just like every other release. There are many people that have touted microsoft as being the best of the best, and these people are walking away after trying the release of windows 8.

I'm not a big mac fan due to the simple fact that it doesn't work with the business world and that's the only reason. Microsoft cornered the business market but they are suffering in every other way. They will not learn.

What Jobs did was give people what they didn't know they wanted - that was his genius. When Jobs produced, the world followed. Microsoft is still putting out their vision of what people want, and more and more people are saying stuff it where the sun don't shine.

It's going to be interesting to see what happens to microsoft in the years to come.

[Ken07AOVette]

I guess if you are not a computer guy Vista could be problematic.

[jackrabbit000]

I'd go with Apple over anything from MS.

[insurgus]

Originally Posted by silverdoctor

Ahh yes, the good old days of installing windows 95 from 30+ floppies - and one always needed a scandisk. I go back farther than that so yes, i'm getting old.


Windows 8 is going to be a disaster, just like every other release. There are many people that have touted microsoft as being the best of the best, and these people are walking away after trying the release of windows 8.

I'm not a big mac fan due to the simple fact that it doesn't work with the business world and that's the only reason. Microsoft cornered the business market but they are suffering in every other way. They will not learn.

What Jobs did was give people what they didn't know they wanted - that was his genius. When Jobs produced, the world followed. Microsoft is still putting out their vision of what people want, and more and more people are saying stuff it where the sun don't shine.

It's going to be interesting to see what happens to microsoft in the years to come.

Jobs real genius was giving people something they didn’t like in a package they loved. He created artful masterpieces of technological design and then created a culture around it that praised the look and ignored the functional roadblocks. The PC world was rife with problems, crashes and disasters. All Apple did was repackage that same experience in something pretty.

MAC people who preach about not having problems are typically not power users. It’s kind of like buying an Aston Martin and then driving it round the parking lot. You can surf the internet and check your email on a cell phone, , but when you start crushing video productions or really pushing those machines to their limits, you’ll find out quickly why they’re not all their cracked up to be. Then you’re back integrating with PC servers to do the heavy lifting your mac cant.

That’s their nitch and they’re doing a great job. When you look around to see what people are buying, you can tell in Apples case, the light is on and burning brightly for the masses. Apple is going the way of Sony right now. They’ve created, for the most part, non-upgradable, disposable technology for end users.

Where the PC world shines is that it’s like building a race car from scratch. You weld your own frame, build your engine and get the custom experience you’re after. It’s the reason the PC market has a monopoly on virtualization and core infrastructure world wide.

I am both a MAC and a PC user. In either case, have fun at the genius bar.