Should be a word of caution to anyone contemplating upgrading to Vista. Check, check, check, to make sure that all your software, games, are Vista compatible and, if you have a laptop/notebook, make sure that drivers for your model are available for Vista before upgrading. I belong to a few computer help forums and you wojld be suprised at the number of people who do upgrades but dont check. The next thing you know, they are posting all their woes of not being able to find this driver or that and this or that wont work. Research is the key.

Not sinister, but like TI is an example of a "big boy" given up on a market. Almost as bad as AT&T and consumer communications... all that's left is the rather successful iPOD (think that is what is called in wireless communications - and with a touch screen I believe). AT&T is a shadow of itself, he-l it was once a bigger employer than Walmart : ( My comment that may have started this was my shopping for a new Laptop (not a notebook this time, considering a 17.3" screen - non touch) and checking on Dell and HP to see if they were still in that business. Seems both have recognized, perhaps soon enough to survive, that personal computers with a mouse and keypad are going into history. I connected this with some lament that I can't now quantify, that Microsoft sales of Windows 8, indeed computer OS, is way down. This lead me to comment that we may all live (even an old guy like me) to see the end of MS, if not that then a much smaller and less profitable company. Given Gates and others at the top of MS are working hard to give their money away before the $#&% government gobbles it up with inheritance tax. Those folks know that will result in all their hard work and creativity being wasted by people who specialize in that game. Would I sell my MS stock if I had some? Yes, but as all that I hold is in mutual funds I don't have any control, I just hope the fund managers have a brain.

well because it takes time to go through and remove all that junk that no one wants anyway and yes often times stuff does get left behind. If they wanted to offer that junk they could include it on a disc so you can install it if you want it but pretty much all of it is just a trail version anyway so you end up having to either buy it or remove it. I use pc decrapifier on the computers I set up to get rid of that stuff. Yes you are right you can go through the time and effort to google each one and see what it is and if you might want it then take the time to fully remove it which means installing a good removal tool. And why? you never wanted it to begin with. The pc manufacturers are making money off us anyway with our purchase but they want to make even more by putting a ton of garbage on there too. That was one of the reasons I really like the new vizio computers they don't do that. Many people get a new pc and immediately wipe the entire hard drive and do a clean reinstall of just the Operating system to be fully rid of the extra junk.

Hate it. Had to get it last March after XP computer toasted itself. Just this past weekend I received an e-mail from HP asking if I wanted to extend the warranty - with the ability to call a tech for assistance. I took it. I called them a lot during the early days since Best Buy sold me a printer and a flash drive for factory back-up that were compatible only with Windows 7 and the key card for Word 2013 - and I hate it - could only be used once and of course it didn't work the first time. Best Buy was useless and there is no way I should have had to pay the Geek Squad to hook up a basic printer - I didn't, I called the printer manufacturer and HP. HP had already sent me a warning re making sure my computer could handle Win 8.1 - I decided to just not even try it. The tech I spoke with when I bought the extended warranty suggested I not do it. Our Internet provider does not support Win 8 or Internet 10 so that is another problem. And if your problem is anything other than the Internet connection failing they transfer you to a "specialist" and charge you. Cdns. already pay a lot for basic services. Then there is the e-mail issue. My husband's office is going to stick with Win 7 and Word 2010. I can't pay to switch back to Win 7 because I never had it. But the difference between Win 7 and Win 8 is great - same with Word 2010 and Word 2013. All I use the computer for is Word, Internet and e-mail. I don't shop or belong to Facebook etc. I use a keyboard - and HP added a few keys so I am making mistakes that I never did before despite typing 120 wpm! I helped a friend book an air ticket using her tablet - I don't want a tablet - I need a real mouse. The future is looking grim computer wise. Then there is the cell phone issue. I don't have one - did for 2 years. I don't text. I would just like to have a plain cell phone that functions only as a phone. I have the phone that I used for the 2 years but it won't accommodate a pay as you go card. I don't understand how people can watch TV on a tiny little screen while driving yet need a 60 inch screen at home. I guess I am just too old!