[BC] Windows Vista

[RichardBJohnson at comcast.net]

Windows Vista v Windows XP
There was some discussion about this earlier. While trying
to set up my company's office I purchased a new PC from Wall
Mart because they were cheap and made by Dell. It was a Dell
Expiron (like it had already expired???). Anyway, it worked,
but I couldn't install my work tools like compilers and editors
–the stuff I need. Even Microsoft Office claimed incompatibilities
but it let me install "Word." 

Because I need to do WORK on that box, and I didn’t want to bring
a working XP machine from home, I decided to install XP to replace
Vista. That was a bad idea. It "installed," but there was no network
driver so I couldn't go out on the Internet and get the other drivers
I needed --like the one for the sound card, the one for the screen
card, the one for high-speed USB ports, and etc. Basically I could
run in 800x600 screen mode. I couldn't even use a USB keyboard although
a USB mouse worked.

So, I just got through searching the Internet for XP drivers for the
hardware in that box. It seems that Dell made certain that only Vista
could be installed because they used hardware for which there were no
XP drivers!  Cute ‘eh?

I spent the rest of the day reinstalling Vista. Maybe I can swap with
somebody who just does Internet, a new Vista only Box, for an older XP
with its installation disk. I put a notice on the building bulletin board.
There are several companies in the same building as my new office so
there might be somebody who will make the trade. I should have gotten
an XP machine from Ebay. I'll learn.

Cheers,
Richard B. Johnson
Work: http://www.Route495Software.com/
Book: http://www.AbominableFirebug.com/