Travel Technology - Why Buy Any Computer Now with W7 Coming Soon?

The title says it all. Why would anyone want to buy a Vista laptop or desktop now with Windows 7 about two months away? I know that the OEMs will allow free upgrades to W7, but unless one had an urgent need to replace a crashed machine, wouldn't it make far more sense to wait until October for a Windows 7 machine?

And similarly, on the subject of netbooks, buying an XP operating system puts you two OSs behind W7. Again, unless you have some urgency, wouldn't it be better to wait for the W7 netbooks?

XP works fine for me. Vista has always been full of bugs. Nobody knows if W7 will be any reliable. Waiting to see whether and when W7 works is a waste of time IMHO.

Because you then go three months without a machine or, as in the case of my daughter, limping along on a windows 98 machine that is incapable of doing what's needed, when the option is to get a modern, fast Vista-based machine that will require me to throw in a DVD and do the W7 update in a few months.

Yes, there's the risk that a Vista>W7 machine won't fare as well as a native W7 machine, or the upgrade process will be flawed. But the other option means she spends 2 months in school barely being able to use a computer.

If you're buying a new machine just to have one then yes, waiting makes sense.

Currently, if you purchase a Dell with Vista Home Premium or higher, it comes with a free upgrade voucher for Windows 7.

Unless your current machine is dead, or nearly dead, or you need the pc for an office, you don't buy it now. Sure you can upgrade to 7, but what's the point of wasting all that time and having something possibly go wrong and needing to delete everything with a fresh install. If you can wait 9 weeks for a new pc there's really no reason not to. Oct. 22 is just around the corner. And from everything I've read 7 is way better than Vista, so it's probably worth the wait.

Regarding Netbooks, XP is excellent for them, so being one two or ten generations behind means nothing.

REgarding W7 I totally agree and was in the market for a new machine recently, its not urgent and I want to see & out, and with an update before I buy a new one.

I've been running W7 (release candidate) on my my home desktop for over a month. Zero crashes, which is more than I can say for XP (I'm running a dual boot setup). Some driver issues at the beginning, but the vendors are working on it, and I've got all my hardware running at full tilt now. I will have no problems recommending W7 once it's released.

The world may have changed a lot, but generally it's not wise to jump on a new MS OS bandwagon before the SP1 is out...

XP works fine for me. Vista has always been full of bugs.

That's a highly subjective opinion. I've been on Vista since day 1 (actually while it was still in beta) and my experience has been great. It pained me anytime I had to use an XP machine for any reason.

Nobody knows if W7 will be any reliable

That is not a true statement. There have been literally millions of Windows 7 beta testers, myself included, that can vouch that Windows 7 has been highly reliable. I upgraded all of my machines to Windows 7 back in January and I've had a fantastic experience on it for the past 8 months or so.

The world may have changed a lot, but generally it's not wise to jump on a new MS OS bandwagon before the SP1 is out...

But this is just Vista SP2. ;)

The old SP1 thing makes for great stories but it is much less relevant today.

I've never understood the obsession with OS.... for the vast majority of users, the OS provides the backbone to run a browser, Office Suite, Photo and Video Libraries and little else.

It really doesn't matter if it's XP, Vista, OS10, Linux or W7. What does matter is that it needs to be stadle and you peripherals are fully supported, which usually means waiting until it's been around for a while.

For me, it's the same for OS's as it for planes.... never fly anything that still has paint on the pedals.

I've never understood the obsession with OS.... for the vast majority of users, the OS provides the backbone to run a browser, Office Suite, Photo and Video Libraries and little else.

Yes and no. The OS dictates how apps are developed and what you see in the UI. Even the same app running on XP, Vista or W7 will look different. It also affects which applications you can choose to run. Want to use iPhoto? Good luck getting that running on Vista. So it does matter in some regards.

i think most people would either buy a netbook, a mac or wait and see not just for windows 7 but google's OS.

I've been running W7 (release candidate) on my my home desktop for over a month. Zero crashes, which is more than I can say for XP (I'm running a dual boot setup). Some driver issues at the beginning, but the vendors are working on it, and I've got all my hardware running at full tilt now. I will have no problems recommending W7 once it's released.

I have read in a magazine that I have to make a completely new OS computer installation when I install W7. Is this true? ... or can I install W7 on top of the "old" OS.... I have Vista SP2 now.

I've never understood the obsession with OS.... for the vast majority of users, the OS provides the backbone to run a browser, Office Suite, Photo and Video Libraries and little else.



I agree. For the vast majority of people, the difference in XP/Vista/Win7 is all look and feel. Sure there are couple of apps that are OS specific, but in the minority. The OS doesn't control how the website you are browsing looks or change how well you write your Word doc or Excel spreadsheet.

I have read in a magazine that I have to make a completely new OS computer installation when I install W7. Is this true? ... or can I install W7 on top of the "old" OS.... I have Vista SP2 now.

You can do an in-place upgrade from Vista to Windows 7. Going from XP to Windows 7 will require a clean install.

Currently, if you purchase a Dell with Vista Home Premium or higher, it comes with a free upgrade voucher for Windows 7.

Lenovo is doing the same thing for W7.

A few years ago I was supposed to get a Vista upgrade certificate, but never received it. No loss there!

I just purchased a new computer from Lenovo, with XP pre-installed (downgrade rights from Vista), and it comes with a DVD to install Vista if I want to. Also comes with Windows 7 certificate.

So, if I decide Windows 7 is for me, I can switch and skip Vista all together.

I don't really understand the point of the thread, or the OPs question, since most new computers will come with the option to upgrade to W7 free later. (Unless you really hate Vista, but then if that's the case, you should be skeptical about jumping onto the W7 bandwagon before it has even been released.)

If you are already running XP no need to get Win7. Just wait till SP1.

Funny, our office network of hundreds of users is still running Windows 2000. Not my choice, but it is what it is.

Information Week says 42% of companies out there are going to migrate only because Microsoft will drop support for XP, and only 18% because of new features. One third of the companies have no current plans to deploy 7.

I'm not saying there is anything good or bad about Windows 7, just that the need to have the latest and greatest operating system is not something the vast majority of people have. Many want what they are familiar with, and when Vista came out many people wanted XP not because of issues with Vista, which were not well known yet, but because they did not want to be a Microsoft Beta Tester, did not want something new, etc.

Indeed, the problems with Vista out of the box is enough of a reason not to want a new operating system when it comes out, but instead to get something you know works and a coupon to get that for free later so you can switch to it.

Personally I would buy with a current operating system and a free upgrade to 7, I am not in any rush to go to something I may regret.

I'm sure I'm not the first in FT-land, but I downloaded Windows 7 Ultimate from MSDN, and I'm installing it on my netbook. Let's see how this goes...

Windows 7 is nice, I like the aero peek, it is enough new, with enough 'old' that all my keyboard shortcuts are working, and it is fast.

The Release Candidate version my fingerprint scanner worked great, the final version the drivers fail, but that is the only issue I have encountered, and something I can live without a few weeks.

As long as you get XP or vista and have an upgrade cert, you will be able to do an inplace upgrade to win7, I see no issue in buying now.

BTW, posting from win7 now on my tablet PC.

You can do an in-place upgrade from Vista to Windows 7. Going from XP to Windows 7 will require a clean install.

True. But if you are willing to take the extra 30 minutes I have found much more reliable results with a clean installation (i.e. backup, reformat HD, clean install of new OS).


If you are already running XP no need to get Win7. Just wait till SP1.

Well yes I guess there's no 'need' to do it. But as a user who never upgraded from XP to Vista, I can tell you that the improvement I've experienced since upgrading to W7 has been fantastic. (except the media center interface for TV, which seems to be more clumsy than before).

I just purchased a new computer from Lenovo, with XP pre-installed (downgrade rights from Vista), and it comes with a DVD to install Vista if I want to. Also comes with Windows 7 certificate.

So, if I decide Windows 7 is for me, I can switch and skip Vista all together.

I don't really understand the point of the thread, or the OPs question, since most new computers will come with the option to upgrade to W7 free later. (Unless you really hate Vista, but then if that's the case, you should be skeptical about jumping onto the W7 bandwagon before it has even been released.)

So here's the point of this thread... I hope you really needed that new computer NOW, because when you eventually decide that you want to upgrade to W7, you will need to do a clean install from an XP operating system. That is usually a major pain in buttock region. And if you decide to stay with XP, then you will be two operating systems behind... may not matter right now, but in 2 or 3 years it sure might matter with software upgrades etc.

The point of this thread is that if you had waited a bit more than two months, you would have a W7 machine that will presumably be current for
the next 3-4 years.

The other issue raised is whether it matters if you buy a Vista machine now and get the free upgrade. First, there is the matter of the upgrade process and how easy and seamless it is. (I don't have any idea!) And second, will there be an advantage to getting a machine designed with W7 from the ground up.

As for arguments about waiting for W7 service packs etc., sure there will be tweaks and downloads going forward. But I would have no hesitation to getting a W& machine early on.

In fact, I desperately want to replace a perfectly functional but slow desktop running XP in a summer cottage (less than 1 GB RAM, 160GB HD, small and slow video card), but rather than buy one over the last couple of months, I will wait till the new OS comes out.

If you need a new computer I would buy it now if for no reason than the W7 help line at Microsoft will totally unreachable for the first month or two after the release of W7. At least you will be able to compute with your XP or Vista.

MisterNice

True. But if you are willing to take the extra 30 minutes I have found much more reliable results with a clean installation (i.e. backup, reformat HD, clean install of new OS).

I *always* recommend a clean OS install over an upgrade, but the OP asked whether an in-place upgrade from Vista is possible. The answer is, yes it is.

BTW a clean install is much more of a time investment than an extra 30 minutes. You need to backup / restore all of your data, install all of your apps, tweak everything the way you had it before, etc.

I've always found 64-bit Vista to be more stable than 64-bit XP and, after two service packs, I'm finding 32-bit Vista to be more stable than 32-bit XP.

It was a rough start, admittedly.

Sometimes you just NEED a new computer right now, primarily if your main machine is dead or simply unusable. Aside form thsoe emergency situations, though, the vats majority of buyers are probably better off waiting for the release of W7-SP1.

I would wait a little bit until upgrading to W7, I find (and I have used many of windows OS's) that its best to let them work out the bugs first.

Actually, the real answer to the question of why you would buy a computer now is...because you're buying a Mac!^

I would wait a little bit until upgrading to W7, I find (and I have used many of windows OS's) that its best to let them work out the bugs first.

Actually the real argument for waiting is to let 3rd party hardware and software companies, particularly hardware, catch up and update their drivers for the new OS. What's interesting is that back when Windows 7 was still in beta, it already had *considerably* more 3rd party hardware support than Windows Vista did when it RTM'd. 3rd parties have jumped on the Windows 7 bandwagon in full force, which is just one of the reasons why I'm so optimistic about Windows 7.

For the record, I'm not saying that you should wait. I'm recommending to all of my friends and family that they upgrade as soon as they can, especially those that are still on Windows XP.

Have been running W7 since beta and now RTM -- is stable as a rock with great support...just remember to turn on multicore support during bootup; why Microsoft decided to have it off by default is beyond me...

Have been running W7 since beta and now RTM -- is stable as a rock with great support...just remember to turn on multicore support during bootup; why Microsoft decided to have it off by default is beyond me...

When you say bootup, do you mean installation, or do you have to do this manually every time you turn the pc on?

Have been running W7 since beta and now RTM -- is stable as a rock with great support...just remember to turn on multicore support during bootup; why Microsoft decided to have it off by default is beyond me...

Perhaps it's to make life easier for the millions of people with terrible experiences over the past couple of years with Vista v1 on their celeron single core laptops - who will also like to break away from their Vista past. :p

I am using windows 7 RTM on an AMD turion x2, it had dual core support enabled by default....

I am using windows 7 RTM on an AMD turion x2, it had dual core support enabled by default....I'm using a Core i7, and I didn't have to do anything special either.

Not sure what that previous post was talking about.

I personally would never buy a computer with any version of Windows on it, and as such, the timing of the purchase depends only on my computer needs and the affordability of the computer itself.

Whenever a new version of my preferred Linux distribution is released and it contains any functionality I can't get on the version I am on, I download it and upgrade.

I personally would never buy a computer with any version of Windows on it, and as such, the timing of the purchase depends only on my computer needs and the affordability of the computer itself.

Whenever a new version of my preferred Linux distribution is released and it contains any functionality I can't get on the version I am on, I download it and upgrade.

^

Under msconfig goto boot, advanced options, click on number of processors then 2 or 4 should should be available. I would be surprised if your machine had this on more than 1 by default. I have this on my desktop and laptop, and neither have had this on more than 1 by default. To be clear this is only for the start up. Dual core, quad core, etc. support is built into the OS -- this is just for the boot.

Windows 7 is nice, I like the aero peek, it is enough new, with enough 'old' that all my keyboard shortcuts are working, and it is fast.

The Release Candidate version my fingerprint scanner worked great, the final version the drivers fail, but that is the only issue I have encountered, and something I can live without a few weeks.

As long as you get XP or vista and have an upgrade cert, you will be able to do an inplace upgrade to win7, I see no issue in buying now.

BTW, posting from win7 now on my tablet PC.

I agree^

I have the beta on one workstation, the release candidate on my asus netbook and the rtm on one additional workstation with zero crashes although as a software tester, I have an arsenal of tools to throw at those workstations...I feel win 7 will be the new xp once word of mouth gets out.....if you look at reviews for it now..you'll see that the pre-release versions are extremely stable.....

Here's a good current article on in-place upgrades to Windows 7. In short, an in-place upgrade may or may not be an option, depending on what you have before and what version you are upgrading to.
http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=5221

http://i.zdnet.com/blogs/windows_7_upgrade_chart_med.png

While in-place upgrades are riskier and potentially less stable, not having to re-install software is, IMO, a big benefit. I plan to give it a try...

Under msconfig goto boot, advanced options, click on number of processors then 2 or 4 should should be available. I would be surprised if your machine had this on more than 1 by default. I have this on my desktop and laptop, and neither have had this on more than 1 by default. To be clear this is only for the start up. Dual core, quad core, etc. support is built into the OS -- this is just for the boot.


http://www.withinwindows.com/2008/08/09/tweaking-myth-increase-boot-performance-for-multi-core-users-with-msconfig/

Summary: There's no reason for a typical user to do this.

Currently running Windows 7 RTM 64 Bit on my MacBook under Bootcamp.

Works great, and seems a lot quicker than XP Pro that I was previously using.

Cheers,
Rick

While in-place upgrades are riskier and potentially less stable, not having to re-install software is, IMO, a big benefit.

True, but. I found that my systems were maximally stable when I reinstalled the OS periodically (every two years or so). The registry was cleaned out, and I could eliminate all those applications I'd install and never again. Sure, you'd have to reinstall the core set of applications again, but at least I'd stay atop all the latest versions I might otherwise miss.

A lot of work, but it was how I kept my 95/2K/XP/Vista machines consistently stable.

True, but. I found that my systems were maximally stable when I reinstalled the OS periodically (every two years or so). The registry was cleaned out, and I could eliminate all those applications I'd install and never again. Sure, you'd have to reinstall the core set of applications again, but at least I'd stay atop all the latest versions I might otherwise miss.

A lot of work, but it was how I kept my 95/2K/XP/Vista machines consistently stable.

That's why disk-image software were invented. Install your OS+core apps and make an image. Afterwards when (not if) windows borkes you just take this image and in 5-10 mins you are good as new.

While in-place upgrades are riskier and potentially less stable, not having to re-install software is, IMO, a big benefit. I plan to give it a try...

One reason I like to do clean installs is because you'd be surprised just how many programs you don't need to re-install simply because you don't use them anymore.

Random update: Windows 7 Ultimate and Office 2007 Ultimate are working perfectly fine on my netbook. Zero issues so far.

I might start looking at W7 in about 2012 or 2023 if it seems to be on a better curve than Vista. One reason to buy now, other than no interest in a W7 machine for a few years, is that I might be forced to try W7 when it comes out otherwise. If I buy now, I know I can get an OS that works (XP). Thats assuming that I dont get a Mac of course, which is a pretty big assumption.

Many Reasons here are just a few:

1) Good price on a machine you want or need
2) Windows 7 Free upgrade
3) Windows 7 free upgrade even for XP downgrade packages
4) Machine needed for business
5) Not going to RUN W7 or Vista or XP

I do not let future technology trends dictate what I need to do. I just purchased a Thinkpad with XP downgrade. Yes, I have a free W7 upgrade which I will take advantage of sometime (maybe).
Feel free to expand the list.

I might start looking at W7 in about 2012 or 2023Gee, you're not really much of a gadget freak if you don't have an urgent need to have the newest thing.

:p

Gee, you're not really much of a gadget freak if you don't have an urgent need to have the newest thing.

:p

It isnt a gadget. ;)

Did I mention that I love my Livescribe pen, although I havent installed the software on my Asus eee 1005HA yet. ;)

Many Reasons here are just a few:

1) Good price on a machine you want or need
2) Windows 7 Free upgrade
3) Windows 7 free upgrade even for XP downgrade packages
4) Machine needed for business
5) Not going to RUN W7 or Vista or XP

I do not let future technology trends dictate what I need to do. I just purchased a Thinkpad with XP downgrade. Yes, I have a free W7 upgrade which I will take advantage of sometime (maybe).
Feel free to expand the list.

We can assume that the prices will still favor the buyers in a few months. And by buying a machine that has W7 already installed, any issues with upgrading by putting W7 over Vista are eliminated. And the XP to W7 upgrade is a complete re-install as I understand it.

If you are already running XP no need to get Win7. Just wait till SP1.

Should I have to upgrade it Win7 from Vista? I am not familiarization anything about Win7 will be releases on Oct. 22, 2009. I will try to buy one brand new Win7 from Bestbuy. I knows the reasonable price is $118.00 for Home premium windows 7. Let me know if I can do it for me or perhaps should I have to wait for Win7 to be releases on Oct. 22, 2009. it won't have any issue problems from Win7.

So here's the point of this thread... I hope you really needed that new computer NOW, because when you eventually decide that you want to upgrade to W7, you will need to do a clean install from an XP operating system. That is usually a major pain in buttock region.

I don't actually need it now, but I will need it in about 5-6 months. I'm not sure how long the option to get XP installed with an option for Windows 7 will be available. In 6 months, you might not be able to find a machine that comes with XP.

Also, I'm planning to dual boot my system with XP and Ubuntu initially. After Win 7 has been out a while, I'll probably upgrade if it continues to be reviewed well.

I personally have no problem backing up and re-installing an OS. Done it plenty of times. I doubt MS is making the Win7 install that much more difficult than any of their past OS versions.

And if you decide to stay with XP, then you will be two operating systems behind... may not matter right now, but in 2 or 3 years it sure might matter with software upgrades etc.

If I decide to stay with XP, it's because Win7 sucks somehow. I'd rather have a working OS that I know and like (even if it's 2 years behind) than some bloated beast. That's the same reason I stayed witn Win98 and skipped WinME and Win2k, and waited for XP. It wasn't ever a problem.

The point of this thread is that if you had waited a bit more than two months, you would have a W7 machine that will presumably be current for
the next 3-4 years.

And I'd be locked into Win7 as probably my only choice. What happens if that new, unproven, OS tanks?

In two months, I have the choice of the "new W7 machine" that you assume will be better, and a proven stable XP installation. I can choose to switch any time I want. Heck, I could even dual boot XP and Win 7 for a while to make sure I like Win7 before I get rid of XP for good.

As for arguments about waiting for W7 service packs etc., sure there will be tweaks and downloads going forward. But I would have no hesitation to getting a W& machine early on.

Given MS's history with certain OS versions, and the public response to them, I am not that willing to "trust" that Win7 is the next coming of Jesus quite yet.

The title says it all. Why would anyone want to buy a Vista laptop or desktop now with Windows 7 about two months away? I know that the OEMs will allow free upgrades to W7, but unless one had an urgent need to replace a crashed machine, wouldn't it make far more sense to wait until October for a Windows 7 machine?

And similarly, on the subject of netbooks, buying an XP operating system puts you two OSs behind W7. Again, unless you have some urgency, wouldn't it be better to wait for the W7 netbooks?

i have about 7 computers all running xp. i have one laptop that has vista and i do not like it. for all that i do and need xp is just fine...

i have about 7 computers all running xp. i have one laptop that has vista and i do not like it. for all that i do and need xp is just fine...

I have three machines in my office and more than a dozen out in the lab (more like two dozen). Plus multiple notebooks. To the best of my knowledge not a single one is running Vista and I have no plans to even consider upgrading to Win7. They are all running XP or XP64 except for one Win2000 Server I think. A number of these are actually virtual machines (VMWare) running XP on Macs. The Win2000 server is likely to be euthanized within a week or two which actually reminds me to move quickly to replace it with an XP64 machine before W7 becomes the default. In fact I have a quote for three new Dells with 16 gb memory each sitting in my inbox, I need to pull the trigger on that now while I know XP64 will be available. Thanks for that reminder! ^

I have three machines in my office and more than a dozen out in the lab (more like two dozen). Plus multiple notebooks. To the best of my knowledge not a single one is running Vista and I have no plans to even consider upgrading to Win7. They are all running XP or XP64 except for one Win2000 Server I think. A number of these are actually virtual machines (VMWare) running XP on Macs. The Win2000 server is likely to be euthanized within a week or two which actually reminds me to move quickly to replace it with an XP64 machine before W7 becomes the default. In fact I have a quote for three new Dells with 16 gb memory each sitting in my inbox, I need to pull the trigger on that now while I know XP64 will be available. Thanks for that reminder! ^

lol. i have 3 machines in my office as well. one of them(that is used very fequently) is about 10 years old and only has 240 mb of ram!!