Which OS for T61

I am buying a laptop for my son who is starting college this fall. I was wondering what OS should I get with it. We are both used to XP but I am not sure how long this OS will be supported and I want this system to be good for the next four years. Please help.

Also is there a configuation that will give me/him the best value for the money?

Again, thanks for your help,

 

we all have to move on to vista some time or another =(

 

Your right we do have to move on to Vista...but I am kicking and screaming... Anyway where I work they will not update to Vista. They are waiting for the next Windows OS, whatever that is? I guess my thinking was if my work is not switching then why should I?

 

I think you should go with whatever you think would be best. I know that isn't much help, but I think that if you are not used to Vista and decide to go with it that you will find it easier to switch than you expected. I know I did...

 

Vista is great IMO much easier to use than XP more user friendly.

 

So is your system's OS XP? My daughters desktop has Vista on it and as much as I mess with it I just cannot get used to it. She seems to have no issues with it but I am convinced it is not that great of an OS. Anyway I was just looking for some personal experiences pros and cons with Vista. Thanks.

 

Well I had a desktop with Vista and one with XP and until I just stuck to Vista for about 2 weeks I was having problems getting used to it I kept thinking XP while I was on Vista maybe you are having a similar experience.

 

I ordered my T61 with Vista Business one year ago. During that time its novelty wore off, but it's headaches (slow speed, confusing interface, somewhat frequent crashes, and daily annoyances) never did. This weekend I downgraded to XP. Wow, it's so much nicer. (Downgrading was a major pain.)

I do not think everyone will be moving to Vista, now that Microsoft is looking beyond it.

If I had to do it all over again, I would get a Mac and make it dual boot XP. That's what I did for my kid in college.

 

1. which OS
- advice: buy notebook with Vista, give it a try and if you dont like it, downgrade it to XP ( in this case, remember it has to be Vista Business or Ultimate - Home edition cant be downgraded). Clear advantage is, that in future you can anytime switch back W. Vista
- go with 64 bit OS (and 4GB RAM) (64 bit Vista or XP)
- let your son decide, as he's one who's gonna use it (as you say yourself, your daughter is comfortable with Vista, you prefer XP ...
- have you heard of the free OS Linux? - might give it try in dual boot ...

2. configuration
- depends which type of notebook you would like to buy?
- important is:
1. resolution of ntb. display
2. vga type (ati, nvidia, intel?), integrated/stand alone vga?
3. memory
- anyway, generally go with the 4GB memory, since its so cheap these days ...
- advice: RAM from big brands like HP, IBM(lenovo), Dell etc. is something like 4 times more expensive than "normal" brands like Kingston, Corsair, etc ....it means (at least what i did when bought my ntb.) go and buy notebook with as small memory as you can (usually 1GB), then go and buy 2x2GB RAM memory kit (memory modules for notebooks!), throw away the 1GB module from ntb and put inside the 2x2 kit ... you save whole bunch of money

 

No actually I am running Vista Ultimate. I think I may have become a little too wordy there. >.< lol For me Vista is a pretty nice OS and I don't see any reason to use XP over it since it runs fine for me and I've had no issues with it...

 

That is what I am planning on doing when my desktop dies. I will be getting a MAC and making it a dual boot. Their laptops are expensive though. Maybe when I am ready to buy one the prices will drop.

 

If you want to buy a MAC the time may be now.

http://www.studentbuyingguide.com/2008/05/apple-student-discount-2008/

In terms of what operating system, I think the best thing to do would be to find out what OS the school recommends. There should be something about it on the school website.

In terms of vista or XP I would say to go with vista. It looks nicer than XP, It crashes less than XP and there are no longer all the driver issues. The only negative for me is that it takes a while to boot up. If you buy any halfway decent computer on the market today it should be more than capable of handing vista.

 

Totally wrong. Just moved to Ubuntu Linux and I will NEVER go back to any Microsoft OS.
Ubuntu is a pleasure ... useful, stable, no virus, and fun!