# Vista for Christmas (operating system) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 27, 2007, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vista-for-christmas-operating-system/427946 "2007-11-27T19:22:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![joechip236](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/43a26b/32.png) [@joechip236](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joechip236)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vista-for-christmas-operating-system/427946/21 "2007-11-28T18:23:05Z")
[QUOTE=Sierra Indigo] I would not suggest upgrading to Vista if you have XP and are happy with it. I would suggest that if you’re buying a new box and it comes with Vista standard, it’s a perfectly serviceable system to have installed as part of the package. This may be different over there but at the time I was buying my new PC (only about three months ago) it actually cost more to get them to install XP rather than Vista. That’s how I ended up with it, and as I said it’s been pretty much fine since then. [/QUOTE] That’s a good point and I wonder why nobody else in this discussion has made that distinction. The time and expense of removing pre-installed Vista from a new computer and replacing it with XP are definitely non-trivial. ---
**Author:** ![brendon\_small](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brendon_small/32/17101_2.png) [@brendon\_small](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brendon_small)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vista-for-christmas-operating-system/427946/22 "2007-11-28T18:40:22Z")
I would avoid it if possible. I had it on my laptop for the first few months I owned it. It was clunky, slow, and took up enough space for 3 PCs (or at least it seemed that way). Now I run Ubuntu, and after the first few initial problems (which turned out to be blessings in disguise) I would never go back. Brendon Small ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vista-for-christmas-operating-system/427946/23 "2007-11-28T20:14:31Z")
[QUOTE=Lakai] The only thing I can think of anyone wanting Vista for over XP is that it has DirectX 10. [/QUOTE] You can just download DirextX 10 for XP. That’s no reason to upgrade the entire OS. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vista-for-christmas-operating-system/427946/24 "2007-11-28T20:29:23Z")
[QUOTE=engineer\_comp\_geek] You can just download DirextX 10 for XP. That’s no reason to upgrade the entire OS. [/QUOTE] I know of one project trying to port directx10 to XP but it requires over a gig of downloads worth of sdk’s and libraries, also last I checked, it still didn’t work. Has there been further developments? ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vista-for-christmas-operating-system/427946/25 "2007-11-28T21:49:06Z")
[QUOTE=joechip236] The time and expense of removing pre-installed Vista from a new computer and replacing it with XP are definitely non-trivial. [/QUOTE] But it’s irrelevant. Pretty much all the major made-to-order PC makers (Dell, Gateway, etc.) have been forced by buyer pressure to offer your machine with XP pre-installed instead of Vista. You just have to specify that when ordering the machine. And I know of a buyer at a big-box computer store who got the same deal on a high-end machine on their sales floor. He wanted it with XP instead of Vista pre-installed; the store techs installed XP on a machine for him (no charge). I guess in-store sales had been slow so far in the holidays, and the salesperson wanted that commission. ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2007, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vista-for-christmas-operating-system/427946/26 "2007-11-28T22:37:50Z")
My laptop came with Vista Home Premium and I had no problems with it. I’ve also now installed Vista Business, after Linux wrecked my partitions, with again, no problems. > [@](#): > > Vista doesn’t seem to have anything better than XP except for the aero interface and DirectX 10. There’s loads of small improvements. One I’ve noticed is the fact that Wireless is connected by the time I see the desktop, whereas in XP it would take up to a minute to find the Wireless network, get a network address, then connect. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vista-for-christmas-operating-system/427946/27 "2007-11-29T02:52:52Z")
I have Vista on a new Dell laptop. I like it a bunch. It’s slick and shiny and it seems perfectly fine. I wouldn’t fear it, I’ve got nothing but good things to say about it. ---
**Author:** ![Lakai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de0a6/32.png) [@Lakai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lakai)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vista-for-christmas-operating-system/427946/28 "2007-11-29T03:49:47Z")
[QUOTE=engineer\_comp\_geek] You can just download DirextX 10 for XP. That’s no reason to upgrade the entire OS. [/QUOTE] No you can’t. [link](http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/pcs/directx-9-vs-directx-10-worth-upgrading-to-vista-for-243099.php) [link](http://letskilldave.com/archive/2006/10/17/DirectX-10-for-Windows-XP_3F00_--Repeat-after-me_3A00_-No.-No.-No_2E00_.aspx) ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vista-for-christmas-operating-system/427946/29 "2007-11-29T04:35:12Z")
[QUOTE=joechip236] The time and expense of removing pre-installed Vista from a new computer and replacing it with XP are definitely non-trivial. [/QUOTE] Really? (No snarkery intended.) You can’t just format the HD and install from CD? That’s what I did when my laptop came with XP Home, I wiped it and threw Win2K on with no issues. (Okay, I suppose formatting and replacing with a new OS you have to buy yourself is non-trivial. Still, better than the alternative IMO.) I’m happy with XP, and when technology advances enough that I have to drop it, I’m switching to a Linux distro. Hopefully by then it’ll have stronger game support. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vista-for-christmas-operating-system/427946.md?page=1)