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Should I remove Vista and install XP?

  • 23-10-2010 07:18PM
    #1
    gebbel
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,356 ✭✭✭


    I purchased a used laptop on Adverts and received it today. Very happy with the machine, but the vendor had stated in the ad that it has Windows 7.
    It actually has Vista. Now I'm not an expert, but I have heard that Vista can be problematic. Is this true?

    I have an XP disc and could install it....would you if you were me?

    The machine is a Dell Latitude D630, Intel Core Duo CPU, T7250 @ 2.00GHz, 3582MB of RAM and a 32 bit OS........if any of those specs would have an influence on the choice between the 2.

    My usage does not extend beyond internet browsing, iTunes, Photo management, downloads etc.

    Many thanks for any advice.


«1

Comments

  • #2
    woolymammoth
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,772 ✭✭✭woolymammoth


    With Vista, what you hear and what you experience are usually two completely different things.

    Many people, myself included, have had disagreements with Vista. But you hear of a lot of people who have never had a single problem with it. I don't like it. But since your usage doesn't extend past browsing, etc., and if you don't find any bother with it, I'd say keep it. If you have problems, then revert to XP. Personal choice at the end of the day.


  • #3
    whynotdo
    Closed Accounts Posts: 206 ✭✭whynotdo


    Just to add that XP Service pack 1&2 are no longer supported by Microsoft update,only SP3 which i installed on a desktop with only 512MB of ram is.
    Your amount of ram far exceeds that,but SP3 slowed the desktop down to a crawl,so now XP with SP3 only gets updates,1&2 do not.

    I am using Vista on Laptop and i do not like it at all.

    I was using the free test version of W7 and loved it,but i would not pay the price for retail W7,rather i will wait until the Laptop finally gives up the ghost and buy one with 7 preinstalled.

    Then again many people have illegal copies of windows in which case the validation tool refuses updates anyway!:)


  • #4
    Capt'n Midnight
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 94,863 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    make you have installed all the vista updates, the first service pack sped up a lot of stuff, also there was a guide on the stickies with tweaking tips to speed up vista


  • #5
    bonkeyfonkey
    Closed Accounts Posts: 23 ✭bonkeyfonkey


    No keep vista on it. You computer can run it. The reason people had problems with vista originally was because their machines couldn't handle it! But your computer can more than run it.


  • #6
    JonathanAnon
    Closed Accounts Posts: 23,718 ✭✭✭✭JonathanAnon


    gebbel wrote: »
    I purchased a used laptop on Adverts and received it today. Very happy with the machine, but the vendor had stated in the ad that it has Windows 7. It actually has Vista.

    Have you addressed this issue with the seller??


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  • #7
    TheUsual
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,288 ✭✭✭TheUsual


    Vista is fine once you get it up to date with updates from Windows .... check the 'Control Panel' and then the 'Security' settings when you are connected to the internet and click 'check for updates'.

    Once it is up to date it is fine and I have been using it for over 2 years now with no problems.

    As said, your laptop is fast enough for it so don't worry about XP being faster.


  • #8
    JonathanAnon
    Closed Accounts Posts: 23,718 ✭✭✭✭JonathanAnon


    sorry I mean to give an opinion as well..

    My problems with Vista were... i) it was a completely unnecessary upgrade forced on the industry (when XP was actually better) and ii) there were issues with AV, Sage and other software when it was introduced... It should never have been released to market because it did not give enough benefits to the average user to be consider a viable upgrade..

    However, I do agree with the above... most of the teething problems with Vista are sorted at this stage, so with patches it's stable enough... If you dont have any problems with it, then dont go looking for problems...

    I have a golden rule.. NEVER change something that is working well... unless absolutely necessary...


  • #9
    PogMoThoin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,874 ✭✭✭✭PogMoThoin


    Xp is dead, its time to move along. A fully patched Vista is as good as Windows 7, in fact all Microsoft did was repackage Vista, make a few superficial changes and tout it as a completely new OS. If the dog doesn't eat his dinner, it goes back in the tin and gets served again tomorrow. Hardware has now caught up, laptops and pc's ship with multi-core cpu's and 4GB's of ram.

    Lots of hardware and software makers used Vista as an excuse to kill support for older hardware and software. Many devices, printers, soundcards, graphics cards etc were deemed unsuitable for Vista as the makers refused to create official drivers for them. Many software makers refused to upgrade their software to run on it, creating new paid for versions instead.


  • #10
    cantthinkof1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 45 ✭cantthinkof1


    PogMoThoin wrote: »
    Xp is dead, its time to move along. A fully patched Vista is as good as Windows 7, in fact all Microsoft did was repackage Vista, make a few superficial changes and tout it as a completely new OS. If the dog doesn't eat his dinner, it goes back in the tin and gets served again tomorrow. Hardware has now caught up, laptops and pc's ship with multi-core cpu's and 4GB's of ram.

    Lots of hardware and software makers used Vista as an excuse to kill support for older hardware and software. Many devices, printers, soundcards, graphics cards etc were deemed unsuitable for Vista as the makers refused to create official drivers for them. Many software makers refused to upgrade their software to run on it, creating new paid for versions instead.

    I agree with that....

    XP is on its way out. Vista fully patched on a machine of your spec will be fine.
    Also check that there is hardware support for XP on your laptop. If the laptop was built during the Vista time there may not be drivers available for nic/wifi/audio etc. I had that experience with a Sony Viao laptop.


  • #11
    Kristopherus
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,906 ✭✭✭✭Kristopherus


    Just to Hi-jack the thread:)

    A family member has passed on a HP EasyNote lappy to me from the UK. Bought in PC World in Liverpool at end of 2007/early 2008. It has Windows Vista Home Basic, Service Pack 2, on it. Lappy specs are:Intel Celeron M, 1.47GHz,512mb RAM. 40gb HDD.32-bit OS. It is woefully slow. Takes 15-20 mins to open up when turned on & logged in.. Any prog on it also takes 10-12 mins to open. What is causing this behaviour? Funnily enough when it is up & running for about 30 mins, IE8 will open up pretty quickly and the internet is the fastest thing on it. Any help greatly appreciated.


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  • #12
    argosy2006
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 4,210 ✭✭✭argosy2006


    Kristopherus wrote: »
    Just to Hi-jack the thread:)

    A family member has passed on a HP EasyNote lappy to me from the UK. Bought in PC World in Liverpool at end of 2007/early 2008. It has Windows Vista Home Basic, Service Pack 2, on it. Lappy specs are:Intel Celeron M, 1.47GHz,512mb RAM. 40gb HDD.32-bit OS. It is woefully slow. Takes 15-20 mins to open up when turned on & logged in.. Any prog on it also takes 10-12 mins to open. What is causing this behaviour? Funnily enough when it is up & running for about 30 mins, IE8 will open up pretty quickly and the internet is the fastest thing on it. Any help greatly appreciated.


    my sister had one like that, so dam slow lol, she put xp on it, and it was 100 times better!!!!!


  • #13
    Kristopherus
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,906 ✭✭✭✭Kristopherus


    argosy2006 wrote: »
    my sister had one like that, so dam slow lol, she put xp on it, and it was 100 times better!!!!!

    Thanks for that, Argosy. Was thinking the same myself, but having read the posts above, was wondering if I was on the right path:o


  • #14
    PogMoThoin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,874 ✭✭✭✭PogMoThoin


    Kristopherus wrote: »
    Just to Hi-jack the thread:)

    A family member has passed on a HP EasyNote lappy to me from the UK. Bought in PC World in Liverpool at end of 2007/early 2008. It has Windows Vista Home Basic, Service Pack 2, on it. Lappy specs are:Intel Celeron M, 1.47GHz,512mb RAM. 40gb HDD.32-bit OS. It is woefully slow. Takes 15-20 mins to open up when turned on & logged in.. Any prog on it also takes 10-12 mins to open. What is causing this behaviour? Funnily enough when it is up & running for about 30 mins, IE8 will open up pretty quickly and the internet is the fastest thing on it. Any help greatly appreciated.

    As I said, a single core Celeron with half gig of ram is well below the real minimum specs for Vista. Whenever I see a Vista Basic pc I cringe, this means it isn't really fit for Vista at all. All operating systems need a minimum of 1Gb these days, even Xp with service pack 3 needs 1Gb. Adding more ram and it will get better with Vista with the latest updates, but there's no getting round the fact that its got an utterly crap single core Celeron which will struggle with any OS, even Xp.


  • #15
    Fysh
    Moderators, Arts Moderators, Regional Abroad Moderators Posts: 11,161 Mod ✭✭✭✭Fysh


    Kristopherus wrote: »
    Just to Hi-jack the thread:)

    A family member has passed on a HP EasyNote lappy to me from the UK. Bought in PC World in Liverpool at end of 2007/early 2008. It has Windows Vista Home Basic, Service Pack 2, on it. Lappy specs are:Intel Celeron M, 1.47GHz,512mb RAM. 40gb HDD.32-bit OS. It is woefully slow. Takes 15-20 mins to open up when turned on & logged in.. Any prog on it also takes 10-12 mins to open. What is causing this behaviour? Funnily enough when it is up & running for about 30 mins, IE8 will open up pretty quickly and the internet is the fastest thing on it. Any help greatly appreciated.

    In terms of RAM and CPU, the machine you've got isn't really up to scratch for Vista. You could try mukki's tips for squeezing better performance out of Vista, but tbh I reckon you'd be better off with XP.

    I'd also suggest bumping the RAM to at least 1GB, preferably 2GB. With either OS that'll give you an improvement.


  • #16
    Capt'n Midnight
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 94,863 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    Fysh wrote: »
    In terms of RAM and CPU, the machine you've got isn't really up to scratch for Vista. You could try mukki's tips for squeezing better performance out of Vista, but tbh I reckon you'd be better off with XP.

    I'd also suggest bumping the RAM to at least 1GB, preferably 2GB. With either OS that'll give you an improvement.
    Thing to remember of course is that Visa Home doesn't have downgrade rights to XP so you would have to buy a non-oem , XP license that isn't in use on another PC (and not the upgrade license either) or a Vista Business or some such that has down grade rights to XP


    RAM is cheaper


    Also do a check for malware


  • #17
    woolymammoth
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,772 ✭✭✭woolymammoth


    PogMoThoin wrote: »
    Xp is dead, its time to move along.
    I'd have to disagree, if only partially. XP is almost dead. As said here already, it's on the way out. That's not the same as dead. Even MS acknowledge this with XP mode in Win7. FFS, we still see NT & win2k systems about, XP will be here for a few years yet in some shape or form.
    A fully patched Vista is as good as Windows 7
    maybe, but not in my experience.
    in fact all Microsoft did was repackage Vista, make a few superficial changes and tout it as a completely new OS. If the dog doesn't eat his dinner, it goes back in the tin and gets served again tomorrow
    technically true, but there were underlying changes, weren't there? Having used both, I can say that 7 beta (with its own problems) was better in many ways than patched vista.
    Hardware has now caught up, laptops and pc's ship with multi-core cpu's and 4GB's of ram.
    hardware didn't 'catch up'. It's continued on along the same path it always has. What software has done has make it necessary to purchase more advanced hardware. Fancy interfaces require fancy graphics cards, etc..
    Lots of hardware and software makers used Vista as an excuse to kill support for older hardware and software. Many devices, printers, soundcards, graphics cards etc were deemed unsuitable for Vista as the makers refused to create official drivers for them. Many software makers refused to upgrade their software to run on it, creating new paid for versions instead.
    which proves my last point, and we agree! sorry PogMoThoin, not having a dig at you personally, you just made some points i could argue against :p

    I do agree it's time to move on from XP. I think windows 7 is the platform to move to. I believe (on no evidence what so ever) the next version of Windows will be a non-beneficial moneylooser feature tester for the eventual release of a 'version 9' in about 2015/2016, at which time people will be ready to invest in an upgrade from Windows 7.

    Sorry OP, we have kind of hijacked your thread. It's worth noting that your laptop is more than capable of running Windows 7. But the license isn't too cheap, and for what you want, Vista is perfect (unless you have problems like i said already) which there's a good chance you won't have.

    @Kristopherus; my god man, where do i begin!? PC speed is a perception. Think of it as.. wait for it.. a brand new pizza shop, with an awesome kitchen. (i know nothing of pizza shop kitchens!) Then put in untrained staff. They're gonna take forever to use it to it's full potential. Some software just doesn't know how to use what it has to it's full potential. Take the same example, but put a really overweight chief, like really obese, in there. He might know what he's at, but he's gonna ave a hard time doing it very quickly. Some software is bloated with so much unnecessary code it weighs everything down, taking up a lot of resources. Think of another example; put a good chef in a really sh*te kitchen. he'll do a good job, but he'll only do as good as what's available to him (or her!). some software can be really good, but it needs good hardware to run on. I would not be surprised if your inherited laptop had all three symptoms: too much crapware trying to startup when the laptop starts. Vista running on underpowered hardware. and, well, vista running on underpowered hardware! The penultimate being that vista is.. not he best! The latter being that vista isn't the worst (as much as i hate it), it's just the hardware that's letting you down. By installing Windows XP, you're installing software that requires less hardware resources, and as a result will, as you perceive it, run much faster.

    turn off all the fancy graphics for an immediate boost!!! also, ccleaner to eliminate unnecessary startup items. +1 for RAM upgrade.


  • #18
    Jagera
    Closed Accounts Posts: 910 ✭✭✭Jagera


    Just another angle - I had a laptop with Windows Vista, and that was the final straw in the Windows OS for me. I installed Linux Mint, and have never looked back. I have moved to Ubuntu now, but Mint is the best choice for a first time Windows escapee.

    As you state your usage is fairly basic, then it is a very good choice, with all of your options catered for - FREE forever.


  • #19
    bryaner
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,181 ✭✭✭bryaner


    Seriously would you not have a word with the seller and get the right machine of him, with the newest operating system that he advertised.


  • #20
    Kristopherus
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,906 ✭✭✭✭Kristopherus


    bw wrote: »
    Just another angle - I had a laptop with Windows Vista, and that was the final straw in the Windows OS for me. I installed Linux Mint, and have never looked back. I have moved to Ubuntu now, but Mint is the best choice for a first time Windows escapee.

    As you state your usage is fairly basic, then it is a very good choice, with all of your options catered for - FREE forever.

    Will Linux or even Xp uninstall Vista?


  • #21
    Jagera
    Closed Accounts Posts: 910 ✭✭✭Jagera


    Yes. During installation, you can redefine the partitions on the hard drive, and be installing onto newly formatted partitions (thus whatever OS was there will be wiped). This is the case for both XP and Linux. (if that's what you're asking.... ?)

    Linux can be installed onto one partition (2 including SWAP partition), but a bit of Googling will give you the optimal ways to split your disk up.

    But I do agree the OP should give the seller a shout, if he really wants to stick with Windows.


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  • #22
    evolutionqy7
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,277 ✭✭✭evolutionqy7


    ditch both and get windows 7...a license is 150E for 3 pc's :) use one and try sell the other two to some one you know or im sure some one here would be interested :)

    I had vista on my laptop and desktop and after i changed to Win7 and it made the whole thing fast as a lightning. By using XP your missing out on the experience you could get and ease of use.

    Though having said that a well maintained Vista Laptop can do the right job too very well

    My Gf and her sister has the exact same laptops.
    And i put W7 on my gf's and look after the other one on vista. Ok the W7 laptop starts faster and runs a far bit snappier but both run very nicely and smoothly for 2+ year old acer laptops. They dont have great specs either. Just the minimum requirements


  • #23
    gebbel
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,356 ✭✭✭gebbel


    bryaner wrote: »
    Seriously would you not have a word with the seller and get the right machine of him, with the newest operating system that he advertised.

    I was going to, but after 3 days of using Vista I'm happy with it. The main reason I upgraded my laptop was my old one was too slow. I only really surf the net etc. so all I ask is that I can be online asap after switching on, and whatever processes that may be running in the background don't murder the CPU completely. Thankfully I'm not getting any of that now.

    What I have gathered from this thread is that Vista is fine if the machine can handle it, and that is exactly what I am seeing myself.


  • #24
    evolutionqy7
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,277 ✭✭✭evolutionqy7


    Just a word of advice if it does get slow ;)

    Ive been using this for years to maintain the pc and it does wonders :)

    Advance System Care

    Its a one click program basically that cleans up your PC and makes it quick :)

    You can also find start up manager to stop some programs starting up that aren't necessary to speed up start up times ;)


  • #25
    Naikon
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,564 ✭✭✭Naikon


    XP is unsupported. If you really need to remove Vista, I would just go with Linux provided you aren't tied down to some windows only software.


  • #26
    Kristopherus
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,906 ✭✭✭✭Kristopherus


    gebbel wrote: »
    I was going to, but after 3 days of using Vista I'm happy with it. The main reason I upgraded my laptop was my old one was too slow. I only really surf the net etc. so all I ask is that I can be online asap after switching on, and whatever processes that may be running in the background don't murder the CPU completely. Thankfully I'm not getting any of that now.

    What I have gathered from this thread is that Vista is fine if the machine can handle it, and that is exactly what I am seeing myself.

    Gebbel, I'm glad you have been sorted out & apologies for having hijacked your thread. A big THANK YOU to all the posters who helped out. I have got Vista running a bit faster now, 1 min. 15 secs from turn-on to log-in screen & 3mins. 40 secs to full desktop screen,but over the next week-end will trial XP PRO & Linux Mint. Will let all know how it goes.


  • #27
    Capt'n Midnight
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 94,863 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    evolutionqy7 wrote: »
    ditch both and get windows 7...a license is 150E for 3 pc's :) use one and try sell the other two to some one you know or im sure some one here would be interested :)
    Please read the charter especially the bit about software you own,

    to resell to a third party is a violation of the license :mad:


  • #28
    Capt'n Midnight
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 94,863 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    Naikon wrote: »
    XP is unsupported. If you really need to remove Vista, I would just go with Linux provided you aren't tied down to some windows only software.
    But what does not supported mean ?
    It's not like you are going to be able to ring up microsoft if you have a problem even if it was supported. And third parties have released patches for it , and there are any number of security programs you can get you reduce the impact of holes in the OS.

    http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_os.asp
    this survey shows that XP is still on more machines than all other OS's put together , since May 2004 - it will be around for a while yet


    You may also be tied down to some windows hardware like all in one printer/scanners

    Games would be one of the main types of programs that you need windows for , for example


  • #29
    Fysh
    Moderators, Arts Moderators, Regional Abroad Moderators Posts: 11,161 Mod ✭✭✭✭Fysh


    It's well and good to say XP's not supported, but as you can see from Microsoft's Support Lifecycle listing, XP SP3 (in any flavour) is in Extended Support (ie only receiving security fixes/patches) until early April 2014. The consumer versions of Vista go out of support before then :) (see here for details - Vista Home goes out of support sometime in 2012, with Business, Ultimate & Enterprise editions getting extended support until sometime in 2017).


  • #30
    whynotdo
    Closed Accounts Posts: 206 ✭✭whynotdo


    Kristopherus wrote: »
    Will Linux or even Xp uninstall Vista?

    There is a nice little programme called WUBI which is an installer of UBUNTU which gives a taste of the Linux OS without having to partition a drive or overwrite an existing windows OS.
    I have far more enthusism than knowledge about'messing with computers':)

    It causes no problems at all despite all the warnings that are given about multiple OS's and can easily be uninstalled via windows uninstall.I have never managed to get it to work for Internet access wirelessly but fine by ethernet.It includes all the best open source FREEware including open office which is at least as good as Microsoft office and is now fully compatible.Its UI is plain at first but many ways to make it more friendly to the eye.

    Wubi is an officially supported Ubuntu installer for Windows users that can bring you to the Linux world with a single click. Wubi allows you to install and uninstall Ubuntu as any other Windows application, in a simple and safe way. Are you curious about Linux and Ubuntu? Trying them out has never been easier! You keep Windows as it is, Wubi only adds an extra option to boot into Ubuntu. Wubi does not require you to modify the partitions of your PC, or to use a different bootloader, and does not install special drivers. It works just like any other application. Wubi is spyware and malware free, and being open source, anyone can verify that.

    above from download.com. almost 100% guaranteed to be free from Malware:

    http://download.cnet.com/Wubi/3000-2094_4-10701841.html

    but the latest version with the best Ubuntu version for whatever type of Computer is available on WUBI's homepage:

    http://www.ubuntu.com/desktop/get-ubuntu/windows-installer

    more info about Wubi/Ubuntu here :

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wubi_(Ubuntu_installer)

    and sourceforge.net(the home of open source software) also have the latest version with a very simple guide:
    http://wubi.sourceforge.net/


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  • #31
    evolutionqy7
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,277 ✭✭✭evolutionqy7


    whynotdo wrote: »
    open office which is at least as good as Microsoft office
    except for crashing and failing all the time :)

    sorry had to say it :)


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