Netbook - XP or Win 7?

[spreadsheetsdirect]

Which operating system is best on a netbook? Is Windows 7 good enough to run on 1gb or is XP the better option? Linux isn't really an option as it's for my mum and it's going to be hard enough to explain how to use Windows.

cheers,

 

[fisicx]

XP!
It's stable and does what it says on the box. Win7 isn't really going to give you any more functionality on a netbook than you already have with XP.

 

[Steve202]

Although I'm a massive fan of Windows 7 and will always recommend it where possible, I still think you need at least 2gb of memory to run it comfortably, so I would go for XP in this instance.

XP!
It's stable and does what it says on the box. Win7 isn't really going to give you any more functionality on a netbook than you already have with XP.

This also.

 

[los_design]

If it's a native install then go for either. (Whichever is installed at the factory)

If it's a 'downgradable' option then stick with W7.

JMTC

 

[spreadsheetsdirect]

Does Windows 7 lets you turn off some of the fancy stuff to make it run faster like in Vista?

 

[SneakSMS]

Most affordable netbooks aren't going to run W7 that well. XP runs a treat (got a pretty decent netbook with XP and running W7 on desktop), and as mentioned you're not going to lose out.

Also pretty confident that XP will be easier to use than W7 it it's for your mum

 

[wedesignyourweb]

Win 7 definitely

 

[Andrei]

Stick with Windows Xp if battery life is important to you.

 

[spreadsheetsdirect]

Thought win 7 was supposed to help battery life?

 

[Andrei]

The guys at laptopmag did a test about battery life on a netbook with Win 7 vs Win Xp. I can't post the link yet because I have only 5 posts, but you can google it.

Cheers.

 

[leemason]

Linux......

 

[Steve202]

Seriously go with XP. You are not going to be able to run Windows 7 on a netbook comfortably.

The guys at laptopmag did a test about battery life on a netbook with Win 7 vs Win Xp. I can't post the link yet because I have only 5 posts, but you can google it.

This the test your on about:
http://blog.laptopmag.com/stick-with-xp-windows-7-battery-life-worse-on-netbooks

 

[hostedweb]

I agree with the Win XP supporters, Windows 7 wont run very well on a netbook and isn't a netbook just for surfing the net? Don't need anything special for that!

 

[Optegris]

Linux......

Yawn

Anyway, moving on...

Yep agree with the above posters, although Win 7 is the mutts nuts and will run great on a good spec machine, XP would be the better choice for a netbook.

 

[Page]

Your mum?

Are you sure a netbook is what she wants/needs.

They are pants to work at. But great to put into a small bag and carry around for out and about working with long battery life. Is this what you need for mum because if not then think again.

I have both and i hate using the netbook as do others at work. We bought it as an extra for ... well read above.

 

[leemason]

Yawn

Anyway, moving on...

Yep agree with the above posters, although Win 7 is the mutts nuts and will run great on a good spec machine, XP would be the better choice for a netbook.

Not so open then...

 

[DotNetWebs]

Not so open then...

OP did say "Linux isn't really an option"

Regards

Dotty

 

[Optegris]

Not so open then...

Yep you must be right, hence the reason we offer Windows, Linux and ColdFusion hosting plans plus I run a Linux server here in the office

It just gets very boring that whenever someone asks for recommendations of a Windows OS, some fan boys pop up and recommend Nix or a Mac.

Normally the same ones that don't bother reading original posts properly...

 

[leemason]

The OP asked "Which operating system is best on a netbook?" and then made the assumption that Windows was the only option - which is understandable. My answer was too brief but that does not mean that Linux is not a valid alternative.

I use Linux almost exclusively on my, oldish, IBM Thinkpad. I run Windows in a VM but only when I need to on a customer site. Linux is a serious desktop alternative to Windows - many new Windows 7 features first appeared on Linux.

The problem with Windows XP, and I have seen it happen time and time again, is that it's great when you first install it, but over time (because of the way that the Windows registry is structured) gets slower and slower until it ends up almost unusable and eventually has to be re-installed (yes you can buy register cleaners but why should you be forced to?). This is especially true if you install a lot of additional software.

Windows 7 is really a non-starter for a netbook as it is too resource hungry.

 

[Optegris]

A shame you couldn't have posted that explanation the first time round really...

 

[spreadsheetsdirect]

The OP asked "Which operating system is best on a netbook?" and then made the assumption that Windows was the only option - which is understandable. My answer was too brief but that does not mean that Linux is not a valid alternative.

I didn't make any assumption. I said Linux wasn't really an option mainly because, having Ubuntu installed on a couple of desktops, I know it'll be a bit too complex for my mum to understand.

 

[leemason]

A shame you couldn't have posted that explanation the first time round really...

Fair enough...

 

[leemason]

I didn't make any assumption. I said Linux wasn't really an option mainly because, having Ubuntu installed on a couple of desktops, I know it'll be a bit too complex for my mum to understand.

I think that is one problem with Linux. There are so many distro's out there that it's difficult to know which one to use. I personally like Mandriva because I think it's one of the more friendly versions for the average user who doesn't want to mess around installing all sorts of packages to get things working. There are some really simple to use version of Linux out there but I can understand the comfort factor of opting for Windows.