Move to Windows Vista or stick with XP?

April 16, 2007


I’ve been a Microsoft OS support specialist all the way back to DOS 5.0. I’ve supported almost every version of Windows (with the exception of Windows ME, because that was trash.), including Windows for Workgroups (anyone still remember that?). Over the years, I’ve become the resident geek in my extended circle of family and friends. As you can guess, people ask me a lot of computer questions. These range in topic from “What brand of computer should I purchase?”, to the “Why doesn’t my internet work?”, to the obligatory, “Can you look at my computer for me?” Sometime there is even a hot topic that everyone seems to be asking all at once.

While this blog isn’t going to be overly technical in nature, I want to answer some of those questions from time to time. The hot question right now is simple: Should I move to Windows Vista or stick with XP? Now, there’s a question that would benefit from an honest answer.

That’s a loaded statement. What do you mean by that?

What I mean, if you go into a store that sells Vista, they will probably tell you the answer is yes. If you ask some industry veterans you often get a technical answer that is hard to decipher unless you understand all the terms…which if you did, you probably wouldn’t need to ask. If you ask most Microsoft haters, they will tell you no, switch to Linux, or even the Mac. I guarantee that Microsoft’s position is move to Vista, as well it should be.

But for you, the problem is that there isn’t a default answer. It really depends on a number of factors such as new PC vs upgrade, how much RAM you have, the kind of tasks you perform on your computer, etc. Not to mention, there are now so many versions of Windows Vista that people don’t know one version from another.

In my previous position, I was a Tier 2 Escalation Engineer supporting the consumer releases of Windows Vista. After spending much of the last six months working with both RC2 as well as the RTM versions of Windows Vista, I have to say I’m very impressed. Currently I run Vista Ultimate in a dual boot configuration with XP Pro, on my desktop machine, and on my laptop I use Vista Home Premium. I have a production machine that still has XP on it, which I could switch to Vista if I wanted to; I just haven’t taken the time. Let’s be clear, I like Windows Vista…but having worked nonstop with people’s problems with Vista, I understand where people have been getting into trouble. I also recognize that there are cases where people should not switch…and not because Windows Vista isn’t a good fit for them. They aren’t a good fit for Vista. One such example is people that do music production on a digital music workstation. At this point, a switch to Vista is premature. Digital music production generally requires a seamless flow of information from your PC to any number of additional devices, recorders, mixers, etc. Driver support for Vista just isn’t where it needs to be yet…and that isn’t Microsoft’s fault as much as it is the makers of those devices. They are the ones who make the drivers for their devices, not Microsoft.

For my first Tech Tip, and in the spirit of honesty, I’ve put together my top six reasons both FOR and AGAINST a move to Vista:

Top Six Reasons to Switch to Windows Vista:

1. Most people are not. Due to much of the misinformation swirling around Windows Vista, many people are fearful of Windows Vista. This provides an opportunity for you. The more you know about Windows Vista, the more valuable you are to your boss, prospective clients, and others who eventually are going to have to switch to Vista anyway. By the way, my technical career was built on this principle: having skills people need but don’t have or are afraid to learn themselves.
2. Vista Desktop Search is Excellent. Windows Vista is constantly indexing your files so to make it extremely easy to find files that you need. A quick but powerful search function is only a keystroke away at all times. One click of the Windows Key, or a click on the “pearl”, the new start button and its right there.
3. Vista is WAY more robust than XP. There are some technical things under the hood that make it more secure, more stable, and easier to recover in case of problems. That does not mean it is bulletproof, but hey…what is?
4. Vista works great with digital media. With a consumer explosion of digital cameras and digital music, PCs handle video, music and pictures more than ever before. And with Vista, digital media no longer gets treated like a Word document. Tagging, previews, basic photo editing, are all built right into the OS. My favorite is Vista Ultimate users can have full-motion video as the background of your desktop. Nice.
5. Automatic Version Tracking. Windows has something called volume shadow copy that keeps previous versions of every file you use in case you accidentally need to go back to it. Everyone who has overwritten their final draft with an blank “Document 1″, knows how valuable this is.
6. Windows Vista looks SO much better than XP. This is a big part of the WOW they keep talking about in the commercials. Microsoft has finally put together a desktop that is as cool as it is functional. The new Aero glass feature with its transparencies…so cool. Did I mention full motion video as a desktop background.

Top Six Reasons to NOT Switch to Windows Vista:

1. Your current PC setup works fine for you. While you will have to deal with the XP vs Vista argument soon enough, why stir up trouble. If it ain’t broke… don’t fix it.
2. You plan on upgrading your current system and you don’t have a backup. PLEASE BACK UP YOUR SYSTEM FIRST. I don’t know how to say that strong enough. Most people don’t… but when there is trouble they want to blame Microsoft because they can’t get their data. Your data is your responsibility, not Microsoft’s. Windows is simply a tool to assist you when you use your data. If you are using a hammer, and you forget to use it properly and accidentally hit your own hand… should you sue the hammer manufacturer? Never attempt major system changes without a backup of crucial files. Most of the horror stories you hear about could easily be fixed if a user had a backup of their data.
3. You plan on upgrading an older computer, and you only have 512 megs of RAM. Don’t do it. Wait until you buy a newer computer. This would be true for any of the minimum qualifications as well. If Microsoft says your computer won’t run Vista, don’t try.
4. You plan on upgrading to Vista to solve your current problem with XP. If your system runs really slow when it didn’t used to. If you have Limewire installed. If you regularly visit porn sites and now your computer is really slow. If you get so many pop-ups you can’t do work. If you are experiencing anything like I described, upgrading to Vista will not solve your problems. Your machine needs to be cleaned. You might have a computer virus in addition to all the obvious malware on your machine. Upgrading will only complicate your problems. You need to back up your data, and clean your system completely.
5. You have a mission critical niche product that runs on XP and the company that makes it has gone out of business, or no longer supports it. Now it is true that you can run programs under Vista in XP compatibility mode, so this may not be an issue… but do you want to risk it? Remember we are only talking about mission critical here.
6. Your sister/boss/parent/friend let you install some software on your XP box using their disks, and now you don’t have access to the disks anymore. Since your pirated software isn’t your’s legally, you can’t get another copy of the disks so you are better off waiting because even if you get your bootleg copy of Vista to install, you might lose all your other software since you don’t have the disks any more.
   Now I know this doesn’t apply to everyone, but you know who you are. Nuff said.

So whether you stay with XP, or jump up to Vista you can see there are really good reasons to do either. I, for one, am doing both. That’s the truth.

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Posted in Microsoft, Tech Tips, Windows Vista