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• Vista and XP seem to have some sibling rivalry issues going where the old upgrade route is used. Essentially the best bet when installing Vista, as many have now told us, is to install clean rather than upgrade. In the long run it can save a lot of headache. "Ever since Windows 3.1 (and upgrade to 95) I have learned not to perform an upgrade install. Yes, in theory you can do it. The fact is, Windows registries are so huge (and probably corrupt by the time you upgrade), the upgrade process never leaves you with a tidy well running system. Applications that don't work under the new OS are kept in your installed list and they can cause havok if autostarted. My advice is to backup your home directory/personal files, wipe the disc and do a fresh install. But, it's not only Windows. I use openSUSE as my work desktop, and similarly found than an upgrade left a new system in a poor state. Not only that, the Linux upgrade also took much longer than a clean upgrade due to merging files. I have done clean Vista install on a Dell Latituide C840 and on a vanilla nForce-4 AMD 64 X2 based system. Both installed in less time than your upgrade!" Vista hates you It's the only conclusion we can really come to... This is personal. Vista just plain hates you. Even the "free upgrade" process is painful, as so many have said: "The express upgrade process is unnecessarily difficult. My experience: I bought all my parts for a new system from a local chain. I paid $150.00 for XP Business OEM including FREE express upgrade to vista professional. Return to the store for a "coupon"; 40 min round trip 30+ min in said store while they figure out how to provide the coupon (upgrade redemption form); actually a photo copy with reference numbers. Complete the online process which as you stated is very involved. it then prompted me for a payment method; so much for free. provide my credit card and select regular not express shipping. it then authorized my card for $31.51CDN. Wow, Microsoft pays a lot for shipping. Now the page switches to the steps that must be completed to have my copy shipped. Toward the bottom it states the specific instructions if you have an upgrade redemption form. This involves mailing the form and your receipt, no fax or e-mail option to the address on the form. The form has no address! Call the 1-800 number. Automated message states that it closed at 5:00 pm mountain time. Nice hours leading up to Vista's launch. I called the next day and got the address and have mailed the required info. Now I wait 4-6 weeks. Hopefully if I ever receive my "free" upgrade I don't have your install problems. I have never been a Microsoft basher but this whole process is a mine field designed to cheat you out of your upgrade. Never have I provided my credit card to a company, have it authorized and then have me jump through more hoops before they will ship the product." In conclusion We've received literally hundreds of emails on this topic, and thanks again to everyone who took the time to share their experiences of Windows Vista with us. As Small Net Builder editor Tim Higgins put it, Microsoft has set the expectation bar very high, perhaps too high; and cold, hard reality is catching up with us all. Windows Vista isn't perfect by any stretch, and whatever the issues anyone had with Windows XP until about a week ago can probably be forgiven until around Service Pack 2 for Windows Vista. It is worth noting that perhaps every 1 in 20 emails we got was a case of "I have no problems with Windows Vista." The problems are severe, but not everyone is having them with Vista. The reality remains however that buying into Windows Vista now is, to an extent, like buying into a beta testing program. We wonder, how long will consumers be willing to accept this scenario?

• The CyberPower system came in a stylish Coolermaster Stacker 830 case, which would look fine in an office, home or LAN party setting. The case has plenty of places for additional cooling, as it can support four fans on the side in sizes up to 140 mm. The system was powered by a PC Power & Cooling Turbo Cool 850-W power supply. Unlike CyberPower machines we saw in the past, the cabling was a little less than what we desired.It was wrapped and moved out of the way of the motherboard, but it was bunched up next to the 3.5" and 5.25" bays. The installed 120 mm fan at the front of the case was almost pushing air into a wall of cables. While this was not a detriment to performance in our tests, "cooler is better", and for the long run, the cables should have been organized better. The motherboard was the Asus A8N32-SLI. It had an AMD Athlon 64 FX-60 processor with 2 GB of Corsair TWINX2048-4400PRO. The CPU was cooled with a retail AMD cooler with four heatpipes. The system can support up to three hard drives. The video cards were secured with an SLI adapter depressor to ensure that the SLI adaptor and the video card wouldn't come loose and reek havoc with the system. We are very appreciative of this added touch, since we are looking at nearly $1,000 alonefor the graphics cards in this system. The Cyberpower system included the Creative Inspire P7800 7.1 surround sound speaker system and a Logitech mouse and keyboard. In addition to the USB and Firewire ports on the front of the case below the temperature control were floppy drive, memory stick, SD, compact flash and microdrive media slots. A DVD-ROM and dual-layer DVD burner rounded out the system as a total media solution. Several cables and adapters make sure the output on the video cards meets the needs of the new owner. CyberPower includes a restore disk just in case your system needs a good clearing when Microsoft Windows decides to go schizophrenic or if there is a catastrophic failure. A copy of the motherboard manual - and to make sure customers can utilize their DVD drives - a copy of WinDVD Suite that come in the retail motherboard box. A CD with the special drivers for the all-in-one memory card reader is also provided. Cyberpower has deals and rebates for the coupon clippers out there. Free game download coupons, and separate mail-in rebates for certain parts can be found on this system. This system currently retails for around $4,500 (July 2006) and that price could come down as new processors are arriving on the scene. This system is certainly the less expensive of the two.

• Accessories Cyberpower includes the Creative Inspire P7800 7.1 surround sound speaker system. However, there is no option on their Website to remove the selection of speakers from your order. Additionally, we received a Microsoft Wireless Keyboard and Wireless Optical IntelliMouse Explorer 2.0A. The mouse is an upgraded option from the basic Microsoft wireless mouse. Warranty Cyberpower offers two different types of warranties: onsite or their standard warranty. Cyberpower offers longer warranty periods for those who do not purchase the onsite service. Their standard warranty is a three-year limited warranty plus lifetime technical support. Upgraded warranties are available from one to three years of onsite service. Additionally, Cyberpower offers cross-shipping with a credit card in the event of hardware failure. In addition, Cyberpower's warranty includes a 30-day money back guarantee. However, from 30-45 days after you purchase the computer, you could return it minus a 15% restocking fee. Price Like ABS, Cyberpower has deals and coupons for the deal digger. Free game download coupons, and separate mail-in rebates for certain parts can be found on this system. One minor problem we encountered was that we could not choose the brand of 7800GTX cards we wanted for our system via their Website. We then learned that Cyberpower only ships whatever brand video cards they have available at the time you order. You have no options, nor can you specify a brand of choice. Hope for lady luck. At a price of $3,564.00 (Sept 3 2005), this system is certainly one of the least expensive systems we have tested while still keeping pace with systems in a price range that is a step above.