Computer question

[Zsaberslash]

Right I've ordered my new laptop so it won't be long until I get it
The one thing that's bothering me though is the OS. It comes prepackaged with Windows Vista SP1 but with the option to upgrade to Windows 7. I'm currently lenient on 7 but I wanted to get everyone's opinion first.

[VileMKII]

Honestly I would just take it to geek squad and have them instal Windows XP. From what I've been told it still domanates the OS field.

[viruszero]

Well, from what I understand this is the breakdown of Windows 7... It looks like vista, but it acts more like XP.

I have had the opportunity to try the Windows 7 release candidate (7100 was the version number I believe) for myself and I wasn't exactly thrilled with it.

One of the major issues for me was that it still looked like vista. (And I rather despise the vista theme.) The sidebar in 7 has been removed for the most part. (But if you liked it you can re-enable it by right clicking on the desktop and going to preferences menu and selecting the gadgets you want to enable.)
It carries the same theme, such as the top of every window (Where the minimize, maximize, close buttons sit).
The program list still acts like vistas (with the scroll thing.) But I have heard you can change it.

The response time was fairly quick... but I should note that I really had no comparison for that computer's response time as I'd only used it when it had 7 put on it... Not before when it had vista. (Most sites chronicaling 7's performance tend to say it is quicker than XP and vista though.)

I have heard mixed things about the compatibility mode of 7... some have said that it is better than vista, but others have said that it isn't as good. When I tried it, I hadn't gotten the opportunity to try some older programs on it so I don't know how well the compatibility mode actually works. (Though if you plan to run alot of older programs you may well want to check this out before you decide to get 7.)

One thing to be aware of if you decide to go ahead and upgrade from vista to 7... Back up your stuff. As I was there for the 7 installation/upgrade process and even though it was supposed to leave all the files untouched (in a folder called c:\windows.old) it actually erased or made the old ones utterly unusable.

Though a sort-of new change in 7 is that when you have multiple windows open (say msn and a conversation in it.) They both get grouped in the same slot on the taskbar. (Even if there is room open to spread it out.) To select the conversation you have to click the taskbar item and then click on the window you want to open. So it can get a bit frustrating if you're switching windows around alot.
But beyond this and a few minor tweaks, it really isn't all that different from vista... So if you're looking for something new or a reason to upgrade then you may as well just ignore 7.

Overall if you like vista then you will love 7. If you hate vista then you probably won't like 7, as it really is just vista waith a few tweaks. If you're more of a fan of XP, then you still might like it... but you'll need a fair bit of time to adjust. (Though if you really like XP then you'll probably dislike it and end up hunting the net for a way to make it look like XP again. Or in worst case scenario, scouring for drivers to see if you can actually install XP on it.)

So if your not sure and haven't used vista yet... I'd say give that a shot and see if you like it, as it will help you decide whether or not upgrading is a good idea.