When Microsoft introduced Windows XP it took them over three years to get it mostly bug free. So, the short answer is NO. I would wait until at least a year and several upgrades before considering it. Microsoft has extended retail sales of XP for five more months until June 2008. The new end-of-availability pushed back to June 30, 2010. Shows what the market is demanding.Sales of Vista have been lackluster, so maybe the buying public is making a statement? Only time will tell. Price. Very expensive. $399 new, or $299 for the upgrade to Windows Ultimate? The cheapest version, Basic ($199 full, $100 upgrade), isn’t worth the trouble. The extra hardware needed is even more daunting. You need to check first which version you intend on upgrading to? You might need 2GB RAM, a very, very fast CPU and even an integrated graphics chip with it’s own onboard RAM (not found in many laptops). Not much new. It looks pretty, but do you care about photo tagging and 3-D window flipping? Not me! It’s annoying. Most Vista users have turned off User Account Control, which nags you with an “Are you sure?” prompt every time you try to do anything beyond run the calculator. Many, many missing drivers. Who wants their scanner or printer to stop working? Lots of software won’t run on Vista, so one of your important applications might not run. It’s confusing. Everything that XP could do, Vista can do… only it’s buried under a different menu and it has a new name. Sigh! It’s doesn’t work that well. There are many bugs and flaws with the design of Vista and it needs a Service Pack. So, you should wait for one or maybe two. On the other side I expect over time Microsoft with its vast resources will fix the problems and you will get to the good stuff.

AERO: Transparent windows, tasteful animation, elegant design.

2. SEARCH: Fast, smart, and you can create virtual search folders to revisit your searches with a single click.

3. NETWORK MAP: Finally, Microsoft gets networking right; it’s a great way to get an overview of your network and its devices.

4. WIRELESS NETWORKING: Connecting to multiple wireless networks and hotspots is a simple affair.

5. SECURITY: You get a firewall with outbound filtering, a better browser, and a lot under the hood offering better protection.

Maybe in 2008 or 2009 Vista will be something worth considering. If you have decided to upgrade it is not simple a matter analizing your computing habits and then figuring out which of the seven versions of Vista meets your needs. Windows 9X, ME and 2000 cannot be upgraded without performing a clean installation. Various versions of XP can be only upgraded to various versions of Vista per the following article: http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,2082982,00.asp

You should also note that Micrsoft has set up the Vista Upgrade to install only if your hard drive already has Windows XP or Windows 2000 already loaded. According to Microsoft, only the full retail license of Windows Vista can be transferred to new devices. OEM versions are ostensibly tied to motherboards, and upgrade versions are now technically tied to previous installations.

People get hung upon what laptop is best, as the vendors push their features, but users should consider what they want to use the laptop for rather than trying to figure out which is the best one. If you want to do word processing, browse the web and send e-mail and only use the laptops an hour or so every few days then that is quite different from a power user on the road that needs a long lasting battery and the latest and greatest with the fastest CPU and a huge display.

If you only send e-mails and browse the web and the laptop is always plugged in, then you can buy a refurbished laptops for $300. You can find one by typing “used laptops” or “refurbished laptops” into www.google.com and checking out the first few vendors that show up. If you want a new laptop and are cost conscious type cheap laptops in www.google.com and check out the first few vendors that come up. If you stick with HP, Dell, Acer, IBM, or Toshiba, who are the top five manufacturers of laptops, in order of who makes the most, then you can”t go wrong.

It is expected in 2007 that over 125 million laptop swill be manufacutered. Each company makes millions of laptops each year and they are all billion dollar companies with organizations in place to design, sell and support their products. Dell does the most marketing, so is the best known to consumers, but if you were to ask my techs, who have been servicing laptops for many years they are not the best made. IBM and Toshiba are the best made with HP next and are very well know and respected in the corporate world. However, this is relative as most parts are made by third parties and the laptops are often built by third parties.