I am strongly considering buying this Lenovo IdeaPad (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4163700&CatId=2509) through TigerDirect. I have been toying with the idea for about the last week. Each day I visit the site 2 or 3 times to begin the purchase, and each time I cancel.
The thing that keeps holding me back is Windows Vista. I know that a lot of folks in this forum are quite happy with the OS, but I'm not one of them. I don't like it and I prefer to avoid it. I'm not even sure that I care for Windows 7 so much, simply because it looks and feels a lot like Vista.
Yes, I have looked at other laptops, including Lenovo, that offer Windows XP. But I keep coming right back to this IdeaPad.
I might bite the bullet and make the purchase anyway.
Scuzzy; or maybe not. What would Ace do?
If you can afford it then you can always purchase another XP licence and install that on the Lenovo instead of Vista. Not sure what effect that would have on the support etc. though.
Personally, I think you would get to like (or at least tolerate) Vista if you used it more. It helped me that I bought a HP laptop with pre-installed Vista so I had to use it - that is why I like it now.
I use XP on my work laptop and it seems so dated to me now.
Buff
Scuzzy,
Before you buy this notebook, you should spend some time reading the notebook review forum below.
There are instructions for replacing Vista with XP and LOTS of other very good bits of information.
I bought a Lenovo from their outlet and replaced Vista. It was a long process because of the unique set of drivers but it was worth the effort.
Outlet: http://stores.channeladvisor.com/lenovooutlet
http://forum.notebookreview.com/forumdisplay.php?=2
Bill
Edit: Turns out my memory slipped. My notebook came with XP Pro but I wiped the drive to eliminate the Lenovo Bloat.
You may wish to refresh your recollection with this poast:
http://www.poasters.com/index.php?topic=14945.0
I think the Ideapad was introduced to capture the lower end of the market. If you can up the budget just a bit, I would look at the R or T series first.
B-
Buffalo:
I have considered that I just need to use Vista on a regular basis. Normally three days is about the best that I can do, and then I'm ready to take the computer out back and shoot it. Whenever I work on a Vista computer, I cannot wait to return it to the owner. But I figure that if I'm forced to use it daily, then I may eventually come to accept it.
But I also consider that if I'm going to leave XP behind, then maybe I'm better off waiting for Windows 7 to come off of the assembly line. I have been playing around with the beta, but only for an hour or two at a time.
Bill:
Thanks for the links. I had completely forgotten about the Lenovo Outlet. Since there's no hurry, I'll take my time looking at the options.
I have decided to switch my last XP holdout to Vista 64. I thought about waiting for Windows 7, but in April SP2 will be released for Vista. This will make Vista a more mature operating system with two service packs. I waited a couple of years before making the switch for this PC and will probably wait a couple of years before going to Windows 7 on it. My other computer has been Vista 64 for a couple of years, mainly so I could see the 4 GB of RAM in it. I grew to like Vista and think it wise to use it instead of a newly released Windows 7.
Mark H
I say go for what you like.
Although XP is getting dated, if that's what you like, go for it. I still use it, not as much as Vista. I do have some programs that I run occasionally that work better on XP. Too bad you can't just buy a system without an OS and just install one of your choice.
That said, I like Vista and have since the beta version. My main complaint with Vista is the UAC and try as I might I just end up turning it off. I know it makes the OS somewhat less secure, but "Oh well." I'm hooked on the whole media center thing, great entertainment, especially for an HTPC. (More on that soon.)
So far with the new W-7, I see no big reason to make the switch over right away. In my opinion this should be a service pack release and not a whole new OS, there's just not that much difference there. But if I was to buy a new pre-built system that came with an installed OS I would opt for the newer W-7.
I will second that opinion. I waited for years (and years) to drop W98SE, mainly because I was comfortable with it. Switching to XP came with a new build. I like it's stability and ease of use. I tend not to be an 'early adopter' with OSs.
Bill
The ThinkPad SL300 series (http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/web/LenovoPortal/en_US/special-offers.workflow:find-config?category-id=653343E0DE54435882FABC3CE1BC569A&filter=Screen%20Size_1) is looking pretty good. Although I was initially looking for a 14" model, I would probably get much better use from a 13". Portability is very important, but I don't want something that is too small.
I was hoping to stay at less than $600, but I will consider the overall value of whatever I ultimately purchase. I may simply keep an eye out on the refurbished models until I find something that I like.
Thanks for the ideas.
You might want to look at this one, right now.
http://stores.channeladvisor.com/LenovoOutlet/Items/ca2738rf1?&caSKU=ca2738rf1&caTitle=ThinkPad%20SL300%20Refurbished%20with%20Free%20Bag
Bill,
I wasn't ignoring you... I was just too busy to follow up on this.
After reviewing the various options that Lenovo offers, I will patiently wait for the right ThinkPad SL300 to come along. I will consider several things, to include a 1280x800 screen vs. a 1440x900 screen (I would prefer the latter); wireless G vs. N; integrated graphics vs. discreet, battery size, etc. Other factors will also be considered.
I also don't want to go into debt, so I probably need to raise another $200 or so to get the laptop that I really want. This way I won't have to go through costly upgrades later.
Thanks for the help. Once I make a decision I'll come back here and let you know of my decision. I expect it will be a few weeks or more.
BTW: I did visit my local BestBuy and saw a great looking HP 13" laptop (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9027714&type=product&id=1218010176167) for $1,000, which has a great back lit keyboard. But I figured I'd regret in the end and decided to hold out for the Lenovo SL300 instead.