Expert: Bobbert - 8/17/2008

Question
Dear Bob; We're thinking of buying a newer computer. We presently have Windows XP Professional, we've heard some real horror stories about the Windows Vista system. Where and what system should we buy? We use the computer for our daughter's schooling, answering emails and looking up the odd thing or two, so it wouldn't get overworked or anything like that. What would you recommend for average, everyday use?
Thanks.

Answer
Well, there isn't a huge issue with Windows Vista, its more a combination of people being unwilling to adapt to something new (it isn't the same as XP, therefore a lot of people view it as new and scary), and there are some applications which will not work, or will not work the same as they did with XP (older applications). For your uses, unless we're talking about a proprietary home-schooling program (and from my experience with such software, its quite poorly written), Vista should pose no issues for you, and will probably be a welcomed upgrade in terms of security and flexibility (as long as you avoid the 64-bit version of Vista).

As far as what kind of system works for you, most desktops in the $600-$800 range should provide more than enough processing power for what you've described, and you probably won't even need to buy any software after the initial purchase (unless you want something like Microsoft Word, but there are free and legal alternatives such as OpenOffice (www.openoffice.org) which offer full compatability, but none of the expense of Microsoft Office (OpenOffice is designed in part by Sun Microsystems, if you're worried about it being poorly concieved)).

I'd look at Dell, Hewlett-Packard, or Gateway, basically go for whichever company is offering the best promotional package and overall system (for example Dell will sometimes offer a free LCD with a given system, this is usually an excellent deal as you get a ~$200-$300 monitor for free), if you've got any questions about configurations, I'd be happy to help.

If you're looking at a laptop, the same logic still applies, although the price will increase from the $600-$800 range, to something more like $750-$1100.

A third option is to go with Apple, as OS X will also serve you well, and be capable of doing everything you've described as well as Windows systems. Apple will cost somewhat more, depending on what you end up buying, so look to spend between $800 and $1600 (I'd look at the iMac, although the Mac Mini may be suitable if video gaming or large storage isn't really a need). Apple hardware is also Windows compatable, so you could install Windows XP or Windows Vista on the system as well, and both OS X and Windows, if that suits you.

-bob