Also, keep in mind:
That nice computer that you just bough that came with Vista, probably isnt compatible with XP...
I just don't see how this can be true...
This is not true a computer that has Vista pre-installed is definitely compatible with XP.
No always.
Your Chipset, audio, video, and other hardware may not have drivers for Windows XP, and XP may not have the correct generic drivers.
After setting up my sister's new laptop that has Vista on it for printing and file sharing over our LAN, lets just say I am not happy. I may be new to the system and so I don't know it well like I do XP, but it sure was hard to find settings. Some things like the run option on the start menu are off by default while others like the ridiculous security are on. The security is enough to make anyone crazy. It literally asks for confirmation on everything you do. It runs extremely slow on a computer that was Vista ready. More like ready to upgrade and spend more money just to use a new system that is still far from being error free. I know I won't be getting the Vista upgrade for the HP desktop we got back in February for sure. XP is good enough for me and is much more compatible with my software.
Windows Vista was designed to be for anyone. (But obviously not for you...)
Its user interface, and options layout was meant to make it so that a regular user can figure it out on their own.
I have to admit, I was never able to make Vista access my Epson printer on our makeshift network, but then again, I dont really print all that often... (Its the Windows XP computer that is denying access, so maybe someday I will get it)
As for the security, you can disable it.
(Its no worse than SUDO in Linux...)
My only regret is that I did not do a complete reformat when I got the computer. Dell loaded a whole log of junk on it, but it was not hard to remove, and hey, now I have Jepordy on my computer