Question time – Tips – Technology – theage.com.au

Q: I have a one-year-old computer running XP that should be capable of running Vista. Should I upgrade?
A: Don’t even consider this option unless you have some special reasons. For most users the operating system is not important. What is more important to most users are the applications they use such as word-processing, mail, financial records, anti-virus and similar software, possibly games – as well as being able to access all your existing hardware. When you upgrade your operating system these applications do not change but in some cases may not run with Vista. Also there will be some new learning required.

Consider what you will gain and what you may lose. If your version of XP is reasonably stable then staying with XP is no loss and saves money. When you buy a new computer, you should buy one that has Vista installed. Even then you may have some problems. My copy of MYOB (Accounting v 13) runs only on Windows 98, ME or XP. MYOB sales could not help and a phone call to tech support will cost a minimum of $25. Also some older hardware such as scanners may not work.