Recommend me a new laptop - would XP be better?

[Charlotte]

My laptop's giving me the right hump.  Bloody thing's got a perfectly good spec for XP, but it keeps on b0rking to the BSOD and won't play ball at all.  Given how cheap new lappys are these days, my patience would appear to have a value and I think it might be easier just to buy a new one and have done with it.

Now, I tend to use my eeePC for browsing, email and stuff on the move and I'm really happy with it.  Xubuntu and Open Office is proving to be quite reliable and ideal for 99% of my needs.  Problem is, I really need a Windows machine to run Citrix to get into work from home and now that I've bought a GPS, I'm going to need to run the software on an M$ box.  Plus, I want to watch and burn DVDs.

But I can't bring myself to by one of the plethora of cheap laptops that I see at ebuyer.com, which all seem to ship with Vista.  I've read enough about Vista to know that it's broken by design and I don't want it.  XP was well good enough for my needs.  Even Morgan Computers don't seem to do an XP machine any more!

I don't want to buy a laptop with Vista pre-installed and then have to dick about downgrading it to XP - I just want to open the box and for it to work.

What do you advise?

[Otto]

Get a Mac   you know it makes sense

[Charlotte]

 

I knew someone would say that!  Actually, were it not for the fact that I need a Windows machine to run work software and the GPS stuff, I probably would.

[gonzo]

Why not just format it then start afresh?

[mrcharly-YHT]

I dunno - several of the programmers here have bought laptops with Vista pre-installed. They are happy with them. These are C and Python programmers. A fairly fussy bunch.


They got big widescreen desktop replacement types. Do you want me to ask them what they are?

[epa611]

Don't some of the Dells now come with XP?

Worth having a look at their website...

[Charlotte]

Why not just format it then start afresh?

You think I've not tried that with the old one?

Several times?

Liz has lost patience with me swearing at the bloody thing...

I don't want to have to acquire a copy of XP and arse about with drivers and such.  I just want to switch it on and use it.  I'm fed up.

[Gattopardo]

Xp no longer being sold from the begining of the month.

[Otto]

You can run windows on a mac

Apple - Mac OS X Leopard - Features - Boot Camp

and it probably runs better !

[Charlotte]

Xp no longer being sold from the begining of the month.

If this is true, all is lost 

[gonzo]

What's the problem with formatting?

[border-rider]

Don't some of the Dells now come with XP?

Worth having a look at their website...

They do

You just have to watch that in some cases you pay the same for a machine with a lower spec than the Vista version

I got a Dell with Vista last year with the express purpose of Ubuntu-ing it, but i do use it with Vista as dual boot for odd bits that need it.  It seems fine - given that XP support will be withering away - lack of drivers for new hardware - it might be worth considering Vista

[border-rider]

Xp no longer being sold from the begining of the month.

If this is true, all is lost 

It's true.  I'm not sure quite which month, and there'll be old stock, and they will still ship it in some markets (and for the eeePC. so all is not quite lost.

[pcolbeck]

According to MS Vista has only 18 months to go before it is replaced.

[Gattopardo]

Xp no longer being sold from the begining of the month.

If this is true, all is lost 

You have an xp licence, just reinstall on new machine.

[mrcharly-YHT]

Ok, recommendation from here is to spend £400 on either a toshiba or an HP. If you buy via HP website, there is often a £50 back voucher.

3 laptops bought recently, all highly regarded, no problems with Vista.

Tosh were crap for a while, they seem to have sorted out their build problems.

[Charlotte]

Something like this, but with XP is what I want...

[токамак]

Charlotte, 93 laptops here, all pre-installed with XP Pro.

[edit] and if it were me I'd stick to Intel Core 2 Duo processors.

[border-rider]

Try here

HP Laptops -  Cheap Laptop Computers | ITC Sales UK Store - Partner with Dell & HP

[Vernon]

Round this way, I used to use Novatech but haven't tried them for a while (mostly Mac at home now).
They do a range of lappys with a choice of OS, including XP.

[Valiant]

Get a Mac with Parralels or Bootcamp.

[cometworm]

I knew someone would say that!  Actually, were it not for the fact that I need a Windows machine to run work software and the GPS stuff, I probably would.

I bought a Mac, then bought an XP copy on eBay (comes with a piece of "non-peripheral hardware" to comply with MS licensing) and installed it with BootCamp (which comes with the Mac). So I have a Mac for regular use, but can boot into Windows when I need to use my HRM software or for other, yet-undiscovered uses.

[fred the great]

OT sorry!

Wot is "non-peripheral hardware" to comply with MS licensing?

I thought all copies were not acceptable.

On topic now If all the HP notebooks have keyboards made in China like a Compaq which I own I wouldn't buy one again .

This year have bought another Toshiba with a super keyboard simply because the Compaq one is rubbish.

Myself, I have XP & Ubuntu on a dual boot and almost ready to uninstall XP

[toekneep]

I am sure Mircrosoft dropped all the non peripheral hardware licence stuff a while ago.

I have been running Vista for sixteen months on this laptop (Dell Latitude D510) and although it still presents the odd irritation, and I would still choose XP if I could, I have to admit that it has got a lot better as patches have been released and I rarely think about the issue these days.

[Charlotte]

The thing is, I really don't want to spend more than three or four hundred quid onna laptop.  If I had a spare grand hanging about, maybe I'd buy a Mac - I have nothing against them other than the price.

What I think I need is a nice, robust, business-style HP or Thinkpad or something.  Maybe a really good remaindered or refurbished one.