The problem affects many consumers because all the big box stores are only selling Vista loaded machines. It is not uncommon to get your new computer home only to find out printers, scanners, cameras and other accessories will not work. We are also finding that Vista does not always work well in mixed network situations. We have been dealing with this since the January release.

This means that your office network may not be able to work with a Vista operating system. A few clients have bought Windows XP and loaded it on their new Vista computers in order to network with the office computers. They also changed operating systems in order to use the network printers and scanners already in place at their office.

Complicating this further, Vista is a "technology break". This means many older accessories and software simply will not work and the manufactures have no plans to update. This means you will have to buy new accessories. The situation is more critical if you purchased Vista to upgrade an existing machine. You could suddenly find that your video card is not supported. You just spent $200 on Vista and now you have to purchase new hardware.

In fairness to Microsoft and the other manufactures, they have made this information available. If a little time was spent reading about the compatibility issues, many surprises could be avoided. Microsoft makes available on their web site a list called the Hardware Compatibility List or the HCL as we techies call it. Just Google Microsoft Vista HCL.

This list is compiled by Microsoft and only contains hardware that has been approved. A little time spent with this list can save a ton of grief, pain and money. For those of you who don't have time for fun and games, XP is still available. It will be available for at least another year, but you cannot get it at the big box stores. To get XP you will have to seek out your local computer shop (like us). They will have Retail and OEM software and will still be able to build you a new XP machine.

So, bottom line, if you have that itch to go out and get a Vista machine. Be prepared for some of accessories not to work. If you upgrade, be prepared for driver and hardware issues. Most of these problems can be avoided if you first do a little homework and check the HCL. Do this BEFORE you put your money down.