Thanks, Rick. Yes I had already done that, so in fact I am not asking about whether or not I *CAN* upgrade (i.e. hardware compatibility, system resources etc are all fine and I know that I can run Vista with a few software upgrades that may be necessary in some peripherally used programs. My question was really more to the point of *SHOULD* I upgrade. I am not unhappy with XP. What will Vista allow me to do better/faster/more securely etc (other than looking spiffier)? I would rather have impartial real-life user opinions on the real benefits (if any) of moving to Vista, rather than Microsoft's marketing reasons for encouraging me to do so. Michael Richard Glazier <[log in to unmask]> wrote: Make sure any hardware you have will work with Vista. That is the biggest reason to wait... MS has some tools to check your system over. (My Video sucks, and I was a little shy on RAM...) Rick Glazier CC:mwosnick From: "Michael A. Wosnick" > I have traditionally been an early adopter when a new version of Windows > comes out, but not this time. I want to get past the hype and marketing and > learn if there are some really salient reasons why an upgrade may benefit an > above-average and reasonably computer savvy user. Or should I still sit on > the sidelines and be happy with XP MC. Visit our website regularly for FAQs, articles, how-to's, tech tips and much more http://freepctech.com