Which OS?

[Finless]

I'm just about to order/buy my new PC and I'm not sure which OS to get; Win XP Pro (Pro because I want to connect new to old PC) or should I go for the new OS, whatever it's called.

Surely if I'm using 3rd party virus/intrusion protection software/anti spam etc I should be safe enough ..............

I just wan't, for once in my life, to have the latest uptodate stuff ............. even if only for a few weeks until the next development occurs.

In order to get 'a bargain' it'll probably have to be Win XP ...... ?

Any suggestions? I know the usual recommendation is not to go for the new OS until the/most of/ the major bugs have been resolved but ............

HELP? Suffering major indecision here.

[witchieblackcat]

Personally I would go for XP and make sure that you're up to date with all the patched and service packs etc
I'd wait for Vista (6 months or more probably) which has some serious hardware requirements and is untried.

[Harlequin]

For anything related to networking always use Windows XP Pro. However, if you want to go down the Open Source route there's always Linux.

Vista's only just been released and as yet there isn't a service pack available so personnaly I wouldn't touch it with the proverbial barge pole, but as always... the choice is yours...!

[GCParris]

If you've a decent spec PC get it with XP now and then you can easily upgrade to Vista shortly. I've been running Vista Ultimate Edition for about a month now and just updated to the release version and I must say I am impressed, even if I am just going on looks and performance.

If you can afford it go for as much memory as you can, 2Gb will do you for a while.

Gareth.

[chrisch]

Are you going to bin that old Win98 thing at last????

Chris

[Lazlo]

I assume this is for a home PC? In which case WinXP (std) should be ok. You can transfer files but it's slightly more of a faff than using Pro. If you're using it for work - maybe connecting to your company network I'd use Pro (but then presumably you'd be getting the upgrade for free ).

The really quick way to transfer files is to physically move the old hard drive into the new PC and just copy them off

I'm on a wait-and-see with Vista. The security issues worry me (as a software developer). The general rule is to wait for the first major service pack before adoption.

[Finless]

The PC, whilst for my home use, may well need to be linked to my work network, if you work for yourself you never really stop working .........

I will prob keep my W98 PC, it isn't worth anything and it will have 2 hard drives and may be used as a photo store etc.

Ref Linux ....... I'm not sure I can be bothered learning a new OS ........ although 'not in the game now' I did PC support for a previous company so I have acquired a reasonable base of knowledge.

I'm quite tempted by the description of VISTA ..... I'm quite impressed by superficial glitz ...... girls in shiny dresses .... mmmmmmmm.

I really don't now what I want but I am compiling a list slowly and I just about refraining from making an impulse buy and doing a bit of research first. ONLY JUST!

[NeilP]

Originally Posted by Finless

I'm just about to order/buy my new PC and I'm not sure which OS to get; Win XP Pro (Pro because I want to connect new to old PC) or should I go for the new OS, whatever it's called.

Surely if I'm using 3rd party virus/intrusion protection software/anti spam etc I should be safe enough ..............

I just wan't, for once in my life, to have the latest uptodate stuff ............. even if only for a few weeks until the next development occurs.

In order to get 'a bargain' it'll probably have to be Win XP ...... ?

Any suggestions? I know the usual recommendation is not to go for the new OS until the/most of/ the major bugs have been resolved but ............

HELP? Suffering major indecision here.

I have just ordered a Laptop that comes with XP MCE, but you get a free upgrade to Vista in December - I say free, but it will cost me £7.50 for postage of the discs from Microsoft.

Most places are doing this offer now, I'm planning on using XP until the 1st service pack comes out the upgrade to Vista.

Still, Vista for free - can't be a bad thing.

[Dibbler]

A little light reading

Vista's EULA product activation worries | The Register

whilst most of it is presumeably media scaremongering, the reality is, it is presented in black and white & you agree to it...

Every stage of the OS evolution I see just gets more & more bloated. (When I was a lad...) I bought a 286 machine with 2MB of RAM & 20MB Hard Disk and it was the dogs nuts tekkie mates were in awe and well they should be for the cost of them there ram chips Windows came on i think 3 1.44 MB floppies and whilst yes it was a bit ugly how pretty do you need your Word processor to be!
Saying that I wouldnt be without my current games machine ...

[Finless]

I think I'll go for XP Pro with a built in Vista upgrade option - if I can get it.