To Vista or not to Vista: Is it time to switch?

Take a trip to the local computer store or big box retailer and you are unlikely to find computers that run Windows XP anymore. Instead of XP Home or XP Professional, you'll find four different flavors of Microsoft's new Vista operating system fo PCs: Home Basic, Home Premium, Business and Ultimate.

Is it time to take the plunge and upgrade? If your organization has a small Windows network like ours, don't expect to add a Vista machine without a glitch or two. When we tried to network a new Vista laptop, for example, we discovered some device drivers are incompatible. It took a call to an IT expert to get the new laptop to talk to our network printer, for example.

Eventually, XP will no longer be supported and you'll need to make the switch, but the hardware your nonprofit has today might not be powerful enough to run Vista. Before considering an upgrade, read this article from Nonprofit Times, "Hey Geek Guy! What do I need to run Vista? And, do I have to run it?"

Are there options? Yes, new Windows XP machines are still available online, if not in the stores. For example, Dell offers a line of affordable small business PCs and laptops it calls "Vostro," which are still available with XP operating systems. They come custom built and without annoying "trial ware" product offers.