Ive read that 64 bit versions of Vista run very well if you have 8 gigs of RAM. I wonder if the problem with Vista is that it really needs to run as a 64 bit system with a lot of Ram to work well.

Ive read several people say they duel boot Windows XP and Windows Vista. Why boot two different versions of Windows. If your willing to go through the bother of duel booting, why not use Linux. I duel boot between XP and Ubuntu. I do like XP better because there are more applications and games that run on XP but Ubuntu has some advantages you do not get in Windows. The latest version of Ubuntu came out this week and you can download it free. It comes with Firefox, Open Office and a dozen or more applications already installed.

Many people have an old computer that no longer boots up due to software issues. Most of those would run linux like a brand new machine. I think people who are not advanced users should think twice before installing linux on their only computer because if you run into problems it could be a pain in the butt. Anybody who is advanced enough to set up a Windows duel boot can as easily run Windows/Linux and get the best of both worlds.

Hi Random. I am one of those people who have Dual Boot Systems. I have both Windows XP and Windows Vista installed on my main computer. The specifications are listed within my signature. Now, I did try Linux and, at the time, I wasn't too impressed. I am fortunate enough to have an insane amount of storage space so I will, eventually, install Linux (Ubuntu) as a third Operating System.

Why you ask? Well, there are several reasons. The main reason is professional. I have clients who use all three systems and I need to be as proficient as possible within each of them. Second, my own personal use. I am like a sponge. I love knowledge and the more information I can acquire the better. Finally, sheer pride. Just the fact that I can say, " I have three Operating Systems installed on my computer." is a cool thing to say, don't you think?

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This is my personal Dream PC: http://forums.pcworld.com/blogs/mphenterprises/2007/12/21/my-gift-to-myself

Hi Evil. Yes, I am definitely a proponent of Virtual Machines. I originally used VMWare when testing Ubuntu. Since I still have my original version of VMWare, I will initially install Ubuntu back under that and, maybe later if I feel like it, might switch to a fully Tri-Boot System with Ubuntu under its own partition. I have a total of 3TB (Terabytes) of hard drive space so I am good in that area for a long time.

If I can bring this full circle, the main point that both EvilDave and I have made is this: the informed consumer can make any choice he or she chooses. Whether he or she wants to buy a system with Vista, upgrade to Vista, downgrade from Vista, or create a multiple boot system with different Operating Systems, the choice is solely on the consumer.

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This is my personal Dream PC: http://forums.pcworld.com/blogs/mphenterprises/2007/12/21/my-gift-to-myself

Yeah, the under-supported and undocumented 'proprietary' wireless drivers are a problem in Linux.

To solve the wireless issue, you can boot the live CD, then open a shell and type 'lspci'. That'll tell you what the wireless device is. Then you can use that as a search term for google.

In my case that's: 0c:00.0 Network controller: Broadcom Corporation BCM4328 802.11a/b/g/n (rev 03)

So take that model number and type it into a search engine along with 'Ubuntu', and usually you'll find a few articles that address it. Sometimes adding 'HOWTO' to a search narrows it down, but often doesn't turn up any results. If you find hundreds of articles complaining of the problem, usually someone has solved it and posted how.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Ubuntu+BCM432

And after a certain amount of groping, comes up with an article like this...
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=297092

Under 7.10, it had to be a specific version of ndiswrapper that needed to be downloaded and built, and Dell's version of the Windows driver to make it work.

There were also sound problems in 7.10, and under 7.04, the bluetooth wasn't recognized, either.

When I installed the 64 bit 8.04 version, there were no sound issues and the ndiswrapper that was installed worked just fine with the Dell driver. There were some fresh new sound driver issues in the 32 bit version though. Anyways, under both versions I was able to install the 'Windows Wireless Drivers' tool, then tell it to use the .bcmwl5.inf file, and it worked immediately.

So on the plus side, it gets easier every time, but it would've been MUCH easier if I had been more selective about the PC hardware I bought in the first place. Better research into Linux hardware support compatibility ahead of time would've avoided all of the issues completely. Of course, what I actually did was buy a Windows machine, got Vista, and decided not to run Windows anymore. For a long, long time I'd been developing for Linux under virtual machines. When faced with Vista, and the breakage of ALL of the native Microsoft development tools I had paid lots of money for, Linux seemed a lot more easy and familiar.

Anyways, a virtual machine is the easiest way to 'try' Linux and even run old OS versions for support. It's really easy to keep VMs around dating back to the 90's, whereas those older OSs usually don't work well with the new native hardware. For instance, it's interesting to boot Win98 and have a live wireless connection working for it. To Win98 it looks like a wired connection.

Ubuntu 8.04 will even install into a file on a Windows partition with Wubi, and you can use Windows Add/Remove to uninstall it if it still doesn't work the way you like.