new laptop and windows vista

[snookhams]

We are looking for a new pc ours has almost given up now, we want a laptop as we travel around alot with DS, and are thinking of a netbook - and wondered if any disers had any recommendations, we would like one which can take DVD's (i know that the Toshibas do) but DH is dead set against Windows Vista - he has heard bad things, but if anyone has experience of it and any opinions this would help us to make a decision before this pc dies on us!!!!

 

[Claire L]

To be honest any new item these day will have Vista, be it laptop, netbook or desk top. Our desk top that DH built is great with Vista and it has improved a fair bit since it first came out. It took a little time to adjust to the new system but now it is so easy. As for netbook the Toshiba should be good.

Claire

 

[wickesy]

To be honest any new item these day will have Vista, be it laptop, netbook or desk top.
Claire

The netbook Dad bought me before Christmas came with Windows XP and I think a lot of manufacturers are offering 'downgrades' to XP.

Having said that I have been using Vista since before it was released and have never had any problems with it. I think especially on a new PC/laptop/netbook there would be less problems than if it were installed as an upgrade on an old PC.

 

[paulh]

would say no problem with vista,only problem would be the toshiba which have some problems with batterys
Paulh

 

[Cyrano]

Once I got past some of the communication difficulties with other hardware Vista was fine. I should add that this wasn't Microsoft but Sony who refused to provide updated USB drivers.

Just got a laptop for the family from Santa and was advised that it would be easier if it was also Vista. So far have not had any problems

 

[Disney Princess Elli]

yeah a lot of my friends got vista on their new laptops that they got for xmas and apparantly it isn't as good as xp..

but pretty much all new laptops now have vista but some still have xp.

 

[PoppyAnna]

To be honest any new item these day will have Vista, be it laptop, netbook or desk top. Our desk top that DH built is great with Vista and it has improved a fair bit since it first came out. It took a little time to adjust to the new system but now it is so easy. As for netbook the Toshiba should be good.

Claire

Generally, netbooks will not use Vista as their operating system (OS), Vista is a very greedy operating system and not suitable for all netbooks. The two main OS' you'll find on netbooks are Microsoft XP (as it's "leaner" than Vista) or a Linux based OS called "Ubuntu". XP is a great OS IMHO
There is a difference between the capabilites of a laptop and a netbook. A laptop is more future proof, having said that with the price of IT hardware going down at the rate it has been for the last decade, it's not always a good idea to splash out for the long term.
Your DH is correct to be a bit suspicious of Vista, I run it on a very powerful laptop that has not data on it, a very fast processor, 4gb of ram and high end graphics cards, and I still find it bloated and unstable - but you have to move with the times.
A new version of Windows is already out in Beta format, and it's supposed to be good (and I'm no Microsoft fan), a lot trimmer than Vista, but don't wait for it - I just mention it to illustrate how fast IT moves on.
Good luck with your choice.

 

[Laurafoster]

It all depends on what you plan on using it for. Email and Internet usage or more work related?

I purchase alot of Toshiba Laptops for my company and the U400 is probably the best all rounder. Its pretty lightweight but still sturdy. Although many laptops come with Vista alot will also offer an XP downgrade CD which is easy to follow. The one thing i will mention is that in my experience Toshiba Technical Support/Customer Service are not the most helpful people ive come across!

The other options is a MAC. We have a lot of these at my place too and although the operating system is different you can get a lot more for your money.

 

[natalielongstaff]

ive just seen this toshiba on hotukdeals, it comes with xp

http://www.dabs.com/productview.asp...nKey=0&tduid=96be7d6ae35e2d3d03640ca9bf7acf4f

 

[snookhams]

Thanks for replies - I made sum enquiries from the ICT peeps at work about Vista, the main complaint is about speed but they did tell me that from next year microsoft will not be offering any support for XP, so I think I might be able to persuade DH to go with Vista.

 

[fatdave42]

I use 6 desktops, 3 laptops and 1 netbook. Only one of the desktops has got Vista on it, the rest have XP. You can still get XP until May 30, 2009. But having said that, Microsoft has extended this 3 times so far, so who can say.

If it was me, I would get XP, but that is many because I am use to it and do not need what Vista gives me as a benefit.

I hope that this helps in some small way.