alexander041608
Merits of Vista and XP depend on your needs
Print this story
E-mail this story
Save to del.icio.us
Share on newsvine
Share on Digg
Minnesota business by the numbers
See Minnesota's top earning companies, CEOs and non-profits
Related Content
More from Steve Alexander
Q When purchasing a laptop, what operating system would be best to install? If I switch from Windows XP to Vista, I'm afraid some of my present XP files won't be Vista-compatible. But if I buy an XP laptop, will XP be phased out in the near future?
LORI CHASE, MINNEAPOLIS
A There are arguments for XP and Vista. XP is reliable but reaching the end of its life. Vista still has some technical problems (being dealt with through software updates), but it will be around for at least two or three years.
You'll be able to buy a laptop with XP only until June 30 unless Microsoft heeds a grass-roots campaign by some Windows users to keep XP alive.
Why the fuss about keeping XP available? Vista hasn't been universally welcomed because of its technical differences from XP. Vista requires a more powerful computer, can be slow at some tasks, has annoying pop-up security warnings and is still incompatible with some XP-compatible programs. However, compatibility is less of an issue these days. (For Vista compatibility information, see www.startribune.com/a4271 and also consult your software provider's website.)
Adding to the go-slow attitude toward Vista is Microsoft's disclosure that it will introduce its next version of Windows, code-named Windows 7, by 2010. Some market watchers speculate that Windows 7 will be more modular, so that not every PC would need to run the whole operating system. That might go a long way toward satisfying those who complain that Vista requires too much PC horsepower.
What should you do? If you use the same PC applications all the time, buy XP (someone will continue to provide XP technical assistance even if Microsoft doesn't). But if you want to take advantage of newer and increasingly more complex software, buy Vista.
Q I have tried to obtain the Spybot Search & Destroy 1.5.2 program that you recommend, but when I go to your Web link, www.startribune.com/a4205, I keep being prompted to pay $37 for NoAdware version 5.0. What's going on?
PAUL BOETTCHER, WILMINGTON, N.C.
A If you're getting a pop-up ad from a competing product when you try to download Spybot, it might be caused by spyware on your PC -- the very thing Spybot goes after. Or you might have clicked on one of the top "sponsored" links on the Web page and gotten the NoAdware download by mistake. Go to the link again, scroll down to the search results and find Spybot -- Search & Destroy highlighted in yellow. Or try the original link, www.download.com, and search for Spybot by its full name.
Steve Alexander covers technology for the Star Tribune. E-mail your technology questions to tech@startribune.com or write Tech Q&A, 425 Portland Av. S., Minneapolis, MN 55488-0002. Please include a full name, city and phone number.
- US to take stake in banks, first since Depression
- Layoffs coming at Petters companies
- Petters' cronies plead guilty in fraud scheme
- Petters will remain in jail while awaiting trial
- European markets plunge again; Nikkei plummets
- Lancelot investment fund sues and is sued over Petters case
- Petters' colleague to enter guilty plea
Blog: Patent Pending
Bad markets= No IPOs
More bad financial news: there were no venture capital-backed IPOs in the second quarter, the worst quarterly performance since 1978, according to a recent report by PricewaterhouseCoopers. “There is little indication that the market will recover anytime before the second quarter in 2009,” said Tracy Lefteroff, global managing partner of the Venture Capital and Private Equity [...]
Comment on this story | Read all 0 comments | Hide reader comments