New PC: XP or Vista?

Needs to run old software

[adb64]

I want to buy a new PC at home as the PC I now have is getting slower and slower (P3, 1 Ghz, W2K Pro) and sometimes resets for whatever reason.
But I have to use some old software that runs in a DOS box (e.g. BC3.1 and some more oldtimers) and I want to keep my Office2003.
Will I encounter compatibility problems on Vista with my (ancient) software? Or would it be best to go for XP Pro in that case?
I don't care about the fancy UI of Vista, I just need a box that will do the jobs I need it for like Photoshop, Office and building my website. What do you all advice?

Thanks in advance,
Arjan

[kaled]

If you buy a computer that supports Win2000 (many still do) you can install that on your new machine - problem solved. I have Win2000, XP and Vista installed on the machine I'm using right now.

There is also Virtual PC (it's free from Microsoft) which allows you to switch instantly from one OS to another so, ultimately, you should be able to run your old software under Vista (or XP) one way or another. (If you get Vista, you should probably get 2GB of memory to be sure Virtual PC runs smoothly.)

Kaled.

[seanpecor]

If you plan on upgrading again in 3 years, my inclination would be to tell you to go with Windows XP. It works and it's well supported. I had hoped Vista would be a leaner and meaner OS but it's notably slower than Windows XP when run on identical hardware. Slower is a real showstopper for me particularly when the only short term benefit seems to be shinier icons.

Sean

[Tastatura]

At this moment choice between XP vs Vista - XP wins hands down (IMO)

[alexx11]

For the moment stick with XP

Vista still has compatibility issues and is very heavy on the system.
However Vista can be made to perform better by disabling User account control, system protection, File indexing and Aero interface.

[adb64]

What a coincidence! Just this very morning I've ordered a new PC, indeed with XP Pro.
Thanks everybody for the input

[Receptional Andy]

Vista was far, far too slow at everyday tasks for me. IMO it would be OK for a home/occasional computer, but having to wait for things that are instant on XP drove me up the wall eventually.

[jtara]

Although I haven't tried them, there are DOS emulators available (do a search) that will run under either Windows or Linux. Dunno if there are any that run on Vista.

DOS doesn't take much to emulate, compared to Windows. And there's a pretty good Windows library (not emulator) for Linux (Wine) that will run Office 2003 on Linux. So, I'd expect DOS to be a snap on any of the three OSs. Dunno why Microsoft didn't put some emulation for DOS programs in Vista.

But, yea, stay away from that Vista hog.

FWIW, I'm running Fedora 8 with Compiz Fusion with all the glitz and none of the sluggishness of Vista. While it needs a modern graphics card, it doesn't need the very, very bleeding-edge latest like Vista. My Nvidia 6800 runs the effects just great.

Dare I suggest Linux instead?

(There's a packaged, commercial version of WINE that runs the Office 2003 suite out of the box. The WINE in the Fedora distribution may require some fiddling to do so. I can't mention the commercial product here, but I'm sure you can find it with a search.)

In any case, one thing I'd make sure right now is that you get a CPU that supports hardware virtualization,, so that you will have the option to run multiple OSs in the future. The latest AMD and Intel products do. AMD has to be AM2 socket - not sure which Intel products.

[adb64]

jtara, thanks for the reply. The new PC I ordered this morning is indeed AMD with AM2 socket. And I have considered Linux, I also use it at work.

But I did install it a few years ago (Debian, I know not the best choice for a beginner) and I think it is still there on the 2nd HD in my current PC but after I forgot the root password for the 3th time I gave up ;)

But I'm thinking of re-installing it on my current PC when I have the new one fully up and running (other, newer distribution. Any suggestions?) and play around with it.
Maybe even install a LAMP config to try to run my own server. Now I'm on a virtual host with some hosting company.

[jtara]

other, newer distribution. Any suggestions?

Since you have some familiarity with Debian, you might want to consider Ubuntu or Kubuntu.

Ubuntu is based on Debian, is intended to be user-friendly and desktop-oriented, and is the fastest-growing Linux distribution right now. (Look at Google trends.)

What I don't like about Ubuntu is that it's Gnome-centric. I'm not sure if you can even install KDE? In any case, it's not an install-time option - that's what Kubuntu is for. Not sure why they splitered it and didn't make the desktop an install-time choice - might be because they wanted to get the distribution on a CD, rather than a DVD.

[Lovejoy]

Buy a Mac, I did after 15 years of PC's and couldn't be happier.

Lovejoy