You would be much better getting that disc, taking a hammer and smashing it into pieces. In other words, no. If you're running XP, just stick with it. What exactly do you use your computer for? Perhaps you should look at Linux as a viable option too.
Vista gets alot of undeserved hate. I'm running on Vista (Windows 98 theme with graphical enhancements switched off) and this OS runs about as well as XP did on my last computer. There are a couple of dick moves encoded into the general interface (constant prompts asking for your "permission") but in terms of performance and stability the OS is stable and decent. However if you're running on a low-end machine then Vista will give you a performance hit so take that into account when making your choice. The Vista hate is one of those "popular" opinions to which people adhere without forming their own; an opinion that does not accurately mirror reality. Vista (with the required updates) is a decent OS that has worked well for me for over 24 months now. Let us know how it goes.
The main problem with Windows Vista is that it is a memory hog. It uses more memory than it should sometimes (sometimes making stuff like Photoshop pretty hard to work with). Vista isn't bad, but it's not exactly great neither. If you can afford Windows 7, I say go for it. How many gigs do you currently have on your computer?
Less than 2 gigs. I'm only working with 200 gigs here. Have had to for years. I don't even have the space to pirate 7 if I wanted to.
Ouch. I definitely wouldn't get Vista then. I had 2 Gigabytes of memory on my computer when using Vista, and it wasn't all that great. I bought another 2 Gigs, and it helped...but not that much. Definitely stick with XP or upgrade to 7.
As someone who doesn't like XP because of its datedness, never tried Vista, and really likes Windows 7 a lot, it sounds like your best bet is to stick to XP. Unless you plan on upgrading your PC, it seems like a bad idea to make the switch to Vista. I certainly wouldn't if I was in your situation. You can see the system requirements here for Vista.
On the topic of Vista hate: the problems is that it's a memory hog (Windows 7 actually has lower requirements) and that early on its life the drivers sucked (now that isn't an issue, but the memory hogging is still annoying). Also bear into mind that Windows 7 has native support for touch screens =P So yeah, Windows 7 is definitely better than Vista.
Stick with what you have. Vista is sort of a sorry excuse for a successor to Windows XP. Get Window 7, however possible.
Just stick with XP, as with what everyone else is saying. I actually recommend saving up for Windows 7 64-bit when you do get more RAM, it's well worth the purchase.
If you're on something that's been using XP, it can be advised to not update if your computer is of a weaker variety - you can't really guarantee that it'll run worth a flip. If you ever get something new, get Vista or 7. I say either one because Vista is not this horrible abomination of mankind that people make it out to be and Windows 7 takes a bit of getting used to (and its User Account Control prompts take five thousand hours to work) - both are great.
Do you have anything that doesn't work on XP? Do you plan on getting anything that doesn't work on XP?
What the hell, guys? Vista started off quite bad, yeah, but telling him to stick with a ten-year old OS over Vista is insane. How many of you actually ran it for any length of time? Vista was my main OS for about 2 and a half years, and it's a vast improvement over XP. Once the Service Packs started hitting, I really enjoyed using it. Actually, there's not much difference between Vista and 7, and I've read a lot of people theorize that the updates that Windows 7 brought would've just been another Vista service pack had it not gotten such a bad rep. For all of you whining about what a memory hog Vista is, take a look at number five, here. The whole article is a really good one: http://www.tweakguides.com/VA_5.html I actually ran Vista on my laptop for a long time, and it only had a gig of RAM at the time. Never gave me any trouble.
I used Vista for three years. Even after getting a RAM upgrade from 2 gigabytes to 4 gigabytes did nothing to sate RAM issues. The day that I upgraded to 7 around March 2010 would be best summed up as the best day my Computer ever had. I am certain it is within my authority to say that Windows XP or Windows 7 64-bit are significantly more reliable operating systems to hinge your bets on.
Telling him to use a five years old OS isn't much better either. There's no point in getting Vista when 7 is better in pretty much everything.
