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Ah, to be 25 again; but that’s another story! Several past presidents of Blue
Chips attended the 25th anniversary meeting. Present were Dean Lang, Stuart
Gygi, James Alexander, Bob Angell, John Jalosynski , and Don Kaufer.
However, isn’t it wonderful that Microsoft chose to launch Windows Vista so close to our anniversary? I just know they did it to honor us (grin!) Too bad that all of us did not receive a free copy of Vista as a birthday present! How could Microsoft be so negligent?
Seriously, I have read several reviews of Vista, and I am a bit perturbed about one “feature” in this program. I understand that you must have Windows XP installed on your computer in order to use the upgrade offering instead of a new install package. If you want to install the upgrade on a new hard drive you must first install Windows XP. There is no provision to insert the Windows XP disk into the CD drive to check for ownership when installing Vista.
I presume this was done to prevent illegal copies from being installed, and I understand their concern, but it is, to say the least, most inconvenient! It only makes it more difficult for pirates to install it. Those intent on getting an illegal copy will only install a pirated XP copy first before loading the new Vista.
HOWEVER, in reading some recent articles, they indicate that Vista installation is smooth and much easier than XP’s was. One writer states that “With an in-place upgrade from XP to Vista you may be lucky and have everything work perfectly - or you may join the ranks of the disappointed.” - - - What to do?????
My advice; before you upgrade I suggest you run the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor which is a free download from Microsoft. It will check your system and tell you what you need to change before you “venture forth.” You can get this download by clicking Start - Windows Update, then click on Windows Family or you can go directly to Microsoft.com and go through a couple of windows.
There are 5 versions of Vista (which makes it somewhat complicated):
Which one to use depends on what you need. One reviewer suggests that if you are using XP Pro, you should purchase the Home Premium edition.
I may be a bit heretical here, but I suggest you not upgrade until you must. I understand some games are having difficulty running under Vista and who knows what other programs will have problems? I have one program that would not run after an automatic installation of an upgrade to my existing Windows XP!
Also, Vista will require more “horsepower” from everything, so you may have to replace a lot of internal items -- that costs money!
I believe your best approach is to either buy a new machine with Vista installed or wait a couple of months to see what happens. Perhaps prices will come down and/or Vista Version 2 will appear.
Unfortunately, sometime in the future you will be forced to upgrade in order to take advantage of newer programs and/or peripherals.
Because of all this news, I recently looked into buying a Mac. However, a comparable Mac would cost about $1,500 and the monitor I would want would cost about $1,500 also -- and that does not include the new programs I would have to purchase. I do not mean to contradict myself, but several programs I possess have a Mac installation on the same CD as the Windows installation. Also, I understand you can upgrade some programs for a reduced price. So, some money could be saved but, in my opinion, not enough.
If I ever win a Las Vegas JackPot or a long lost relative leaves me a fortune, I will buy a Mac, but I don’t anticipate this stroke of good fortune occurring to me in the near or distant future.