What is Vista's problem?

Tell them that your tech friends HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY (you can throw in a couple more highlys) recommend they upgrade to Windows 7, an update you can find at the nearest office store.

Vista had some serious shortcomings, and Windows 7 fixed a lot of them. It could be argued that Vista was a beta version of Windows 7, as much from Vista was carried over into Windows 7, and at the same time much was removed. It's always best to have the current version of a product.

Don't forget the HIGHLYs.

Well honestly, XP wasn't that stable when it first came out. After a while, it got patched and fixed. Now, XP is neither too heavy nor too light for an operating system, though the UI will feel outdated, it is still a good OS to use. Now in my opinion, Vista's main flaw was that it is too heavy. Microsoft loaded a bunch of crap that was either not needed, or really really REALLY too heavy. Microsoft 'so called' listened to their users and the feedback they were getting from their users and made Windows 7. When Windows 7 came out, I admit, I was one of the first to grab it and bootcamp it since I don't use PCs and prefer Macs. I used it for quite some time and was quite impressed by how fast it responded. After a while of using it and loading it with programs and files, responsiveness? GONE.

I've had issues with XP when it came out, it was fixed and now a stable OS. Vista was too heavy, but it never really gave me any problems. Windows 7 gave me 5 BSODs in the course of 3 months. Now, I know that Apple geeks out there will be biased assholes and say "MAC IS DA BEST!!". In my opinion, though I love the sleek design, stunning UI, smooth system, and overall a stable system. I have to say, the apps available for the Mac isn't as bombing as the Windows library of programs. BUT, everything is there on a Mac. Everything you need is there, though there are necessities that just can't be helped. Which is why I have Windows installed on my computer. Though I agree with Duodave, he has made his point clear and Se7en is a much better system to work on. Vista is just too heavy and I can't bare with it. UPGRADE TO WINDOWS 7.

I don't think Vista is a bad platform. Compared to Win7 it is weak but it's not bad. Like with any OS there are updates and patches that fix alot of the problems that people experience. If these updates are not applied, people will continue to experience problems and of course blame it on the OS they are using. I have several machines still running Vista and they do great. Of course I keep them updated so that helps.

Well, this question is technically over- as you've stated your friend has purchased 7 already- but I'll add a few thoughts...

The first is that, like you, many people had/have Vista & are perfectly happy with it- and I'm one of them. It came, preinstalled, on my Toshiba laptop nearly four years ago- and it's worked flawlessly ever since. I do PC repairs/upgrades/lessons & have run across many folks exactly the same. I believe that the issue with Vista related to specific OEM's & hardware. My advice has always been to upgrade a) if your Vista install had issues, b) you could afford it, c) it was worthwhile given the age of the computer. Otherwise, many times it may not be the best choice- over buying new- as computers have evolved, improved, and dropped price so much in the past 3-4 years.

Cheers!

Well apart from the fact that it is Windows, I didn't like Vista because of its appearance. It reminded me of a kids toy. It looked almost cartoonish.

have they ever ran windows update? the only issues that i came accross with windows vista 64bit was when it first came out, after all the updates it's pretty solid.