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    Vista Basic OK for business?

    Discussion in 'Windows OS and Software' started by obsolete, May 9, 2009.

  1. obsolete

    obsolete Notebook Evangelist

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    I'm looking to purchase 2 additional laptops for work. It will be used for word processing and must access the LAN. I've found some dirt cheap ones from Dell, but am concerned that they come with Vista Basic. For my needs, is Basic OK?
     
    obsolete, May 9, 2009
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  2. Luke1708

    Luke1708 Notebook Virtuoso NBR Reviewer

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    Yes, vista basic will do the trick.
     
    Luke1708, May 9, 2009
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  3. Evolution

    Evolution Vox Sola

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    When you say these notebooks "must access the LAN" are you speaking about a workgroup or domain? If it is a workgroup then you will be fine however if you are talking about a network domain then vista basic will not be able to connect to it as it lacks the ability to connect to a domain. For that you will need to get either vista business or ultimate.
     
    Evolution, May 9, 2009
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  4. DetlevCM

    DetlevCM Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    Another point... "dirt cheap and Vista Basic" sounds like trouble to me :(

    I suspect they will be low end laptops that - no matter how good Vista is nowadays - would run better with XP... :(
     
    DetlevCM, May 9, 2009
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  5. swarmer

    swarmer beep beep

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    Except for netbooks, almost anything sold nowadays has plenty of horsepower for Vista... especially if you don't need Aero, as Vista Basic doesn't have that anyway. The specs which were a big deal at Vista's launch are really cheap now. If it has at least 2 gb of RAM, you should be ok. And if the OP's other systems are Vista-based, then I wouldn't complicate things by adding XP to the mix now.

    Anyway, see Evolution's response... both Home editions are unable to log on to a Windows domain (corporate-type network), which may or may not be a problem for your situation.
     
    swarmer, May 9, 2009
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  6. Convoluted

    Convoluted Notebook Evangelist

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    I'd go with Home Premium if you can, Aero is definitely worth it for me. Vista without Aero is just plain ugly. And chances are if the laptop comes with Basic, the laptop isn't all that great anyways.
     
    Convoluted, May 9, 2009
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  7. swarmer

    swarmer beep beep

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    The default theme in Basic is kinda ugly. But... change the theme from Basic to Standard and then it's like Aero but without the transparency. Or... change the theme to Classic and it looks like "classic" Windows from the 9x/NT era.

    The OP seems to be looking for cheap and capable of basic office tasks... not something all that great.

    I really don't understand why everyone likes to bash Vista Basic... it has everything XP Home had, but is more secure and robust, and has more stuff available out of the box (search, sidebar, defender, etc.).
     
    swarmer, May 9, 2009
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  8. obsolete

    obsolete Notebook Evangelist

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    Thanks for all the input. Actually, the system seems quite robust for the basic needs we're looking for. C2D T6400, 2GB RAM, 160GB HDD. Looks like a go. :)
     
    obsolete, May 9, 2009
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