wilkes

I can get XP for you. Give me a call 973-0300 Express Computer Clinic.

PC Source in North Wilkesboro sells computers with your choice of XP or Vista

the majority of my computer parts came from tiger direct. surround sound speakers, hard drives, external fans, woofer, 22 in flat panel monitor, wireless keyboard and mouse , dvd/cd player and burners,and i have not had any problems whatsoever. this computer was built from ground zero at a cost of less than 1400 dollars and works like a charm. i have windows xp and a good anti virus scanner. one secret to keeping your computer running smoothly is to keep it clean, i defrag on a regular basis, clean my cookies and delete old files as well.

Yes, K, once you activate it online, he won't have to worry about it anymore.

assured, Thank you. My dad has never had internet, I think from what he has said he is afraid to try it since he's told me he's afraid of messing something up. He is 78 years old and considered legally blind. He can take computers apart and put them back together and they still work but the internet I think scares him. I've tried to get him to go ahead, get internet access and let me help him see it isn't something that easy to damage. I think he would enjoy it. He has asked me to take his computer and try to activate his Vista online, so I am going to try to do that. Will it stop his from shutting down after 30 days if I do that? I've had to learn every form of Windows from 98 on up since each time he has gotten a new computer it is running something different ,( I prefer XP myself,) but Vista I have tried to avoid like the plague because a friend of mine told me the same thing you just did.

@KMeridian: it sounds like Activation has not been completed on your dad's computer. When you first un-box the computer, you need to activate your copy of Vista online. This tells Microsoft that your copy of Vista is legitimate. If you do not enter the activation code (which should be included with the documentation that came with the computer), then you have 30 days to continue using Vista until it locks down, forcing a call to Microsoft. This one of 5,000 reasons why Vista is garbage and why many people (and corporations) continue to use Windows XP.

Just go through the documentation that came with the computer and one of the booklets will contain a shiny Certificate of Authenticity. The activation code will be found there.

I had a question about the newer computers with Vista. My dad purchased one, at Walmart , and every 30 days it quits working and he has to call and have the thing reactivated with a number. Does anyone know what the deal is with this?? I've been fighting having to learn Vista for this very reason.

Go to tigerdiect.com new (refurb) XP pro laptops are avalible or buy a vista and format it and install you copy of XP

If you didn't mind having a previously used laptop, you could try the Dell Outlet. Most are Certified Refurb, and have the same limited warranty a new system would have.

For home office/small business, which will have the Latitude -
http://www.dell.com/content...

For home, which has the Inspiron and XPS -
http://www.dell.com/content...

Just filter your results for XP and you should find a few in each of those outlets.

http://www.pcworld.com/arti...

Try this!

If you're not gaming, check out ubuntu. Linux has come a long way, it's more secure than windows, and you have complete control over your operating system. Couple that with programs like openoffice.org that read and write microsoft office formats, and compatibility is really no longer a reason not to switch.

If you truly need office, there are options like crossover office that run windows programs on linux.

Unless you are a hardcore gamer, Linux is really the best option for someone who wants a secure, stable, computer for personal use.

I got one w/ Windows XP w/ the ability to upgrade to Vista. All of the programs that I use will not transfer to Vista ... so it wasn't an option.

Ide say get with the new wave and go vista . . . I havent had any problems with it at all. If you are the least bit computer literate you will have no problem learning vista in no time.

Thanks Satan. I'm looking for sites online. I want to get a good computer.

lotsa laptops with XP
http://www.tigerdirect.com/... you could also buy one with Vista and if you dont like it buy a copy of XP for $125.00 not the cheapest option but it is an option

Thanks. My main concern is that my progams will not run on Vista. Some of these programs have been discontinued; so, there is no update for Vista.

Thanks for the info. I know very little about Vista. I tried to use a laptop w/ Vista and I could not get programs to load. I think I'll be better off sticking w/ XP for my needs. HP no longer offers XP when building a computer online on their site. I think I may have found one that has XP and is new. It took forever to find it though.

Again, thank you so much for the info. It answered a lot of my questions.

Another thing you want to keep in mind about vista is not to get a low end hardware machine. If the hardware is not that powerful your computer will run slow, vista takes up alot of hard drive space and is very memory, CPU intensive. Takes alot of the hardware resources to run vista, so the more powerful the machine the better.

The primary differences as far as most people are concerned are related to appearance. They changed what many options/settings are labeled, so it can be somewhat disorienting until you get used to where simple options like "File Edit View etc." are.

Since Vista is more mature now, a lot of the early compatibility/stability issues have been resolved, so you don't really have a lot to worry about on that front. If you enjoy video games, Vista does support DX10, which is good if you have a DX10 video card, but useless otherwise.

Vista has a lot of compatibility problems with programs not written or upgraded for Vista, which can be annoying if you have a lot of software that you use a lot, but that isn't recent (again, if you play video games, this can be a problem).

Usability is also tiered with the version of Vista that you purchase (Home/Premium/Ultimate/etc.) - many common functions are locked in the lower tier versions, or are greatly simplified. It's entirely possible that you don't use many of these functions (ie, network shares management), and XP did the same thing, so that is unlikely to be a deciding factor.

Vista also has a lot of security and DRM "features" that can be annoying, but aren't supposed to impeded usability. For instance, whenever you try to do anything vaguely related to system administration, it will pop up a little window asking you to continue. All you have to do is press the Continue button, but it can be very, very annoying.

Overall, most of the functions that make it "hard to use" are because it's different from XP/2000, and so people that have used XP for the past six years can be kind of lost initially. Many of these changes are for the sake of the low-knowledge-level user - basically, making it harder to accidentally mess things up. Basically, they tried to take a cue from the Mac.

I would say that Vista is very similar to Mac OS X when compared to Windows XP, as far as difficulty of use and transition goes.

If you don't need DX10 support for your video card for gaming, I would personally recommend sticking with XP. Some of the PC manufacturers still offer it, although you have to specifically ask, and it frequently isn't an option on their websites. You could try to find a local tech or shop to custom build your PC as well.

OK, my laptop died. I have to get a new one. Most everyone sells Vista now. Can anyone tell me the differences? I really like XP and don't know if I would want to upgrade to Vista if it is as hard to use as everyone else says it it.

I wish I could find me a good used laptop w/ XP.