Would I be nuts to switch from a newer desktop PC to my old iBook G4?

[realmcenter]

I had bought an iBook G4 back in July of 2005 and that ended up being my main machine for about a year. I had to switch back to Windows since so much software that I needed only ran on Windows and it just made more sense. Just this past February I replaced that machine since it was having some serious issues and wasn't worth the time or money to troubleshoot. The machine I have now has an Athlon64 x2 4200+, 1GB RAM, a 320GB hard disk, the standard DVD writer, and I installed a GeForce 7600GT 256MB video card in it. The iBook has a 1.2GHz G4, 1.25GB RAM, a 60GB hard disk, and a combo drive. I have a 160GB external hard disk and a DVD writer to hook up to it.

I was happy with Vista for a bit but lately it's starting to become a real pain. I have reinstalled it a few times in the past few months since it just gets incredibly slow for no real reason (I'm quite experience with computers and know how to keep Windows running properly) and some of the drivers for the hardware in here cause conflicts with certain software. After buying an iPod touch I discovered that QuickTime still causes a blue screen on here and it's due to some sort of conflict between the NVIDIA SATA drivers and QuickTime. I'm getting tired of dealing with problem after problem, and although this is a store-bought system rather than a custom build, it is configured pretty much how I would choose and with a clean install of Vista without the crap HP puts on here.

I have become more and more tempted to just move back to my old iBook since I require so few programs anymore and I can find equivalents on Mac OS for what I need. Just that I have a computer I bought only 9 months ago that is quite superior in computing power. Right now I could not invest much in new computing hardware, maybe a new external drive, but that's about it. I'd be keeping my 19" monitor in use and the iBook would be hooked up pretty much like a desktop.

So, would it be crazy for me to move back to that old iBook for daily use?

 

[jamesi]

with the configuration of the pc you are using, i would just format and install XP. its alot better, i tried vista and its just not worth it. your hardware should be zippy with ol xp

 

[janey]

I think you should just stick with the desktop, but install XP on it.

What happened with the iBook? I assume you just kept it? In which case, why don't you just use both of them?

 

[Sesshi]

Drop in an extra gigabyte - and perhaps pick up a Vista guide.

If it's a homebuilt and is giving you stability problems, maybe it is time to make the move to the iBook. Many people can't build stable computers but blame the results on the OS.

 

[dukeblue91]

Yes use your iBook again if you don't need the PC anymore.
Get yourself a copy of 10.5 and be like having a new system.
Enjoy

 

[sambob]

Seriously, LOSE VISTA and Install a copy of Xp, Vista Is mostly just eye candy and security patches.
You should be able to get a full ver of Xp on the cheap since Vista's been out for awhile.

 

[realmcenter]

Thanks for all the suggestions.

I did give a shot to installing XP on my desktop machine. It was an older copy of XP SP1 and I found a tool called nLite that allowed me to make a new install disc with the SATA drivers I needed. For some reason XP is a little flaky with my wireless network card and it also outright refused to recognize my onboard sound despite trying what I could to install the drivers for it. A few apps also didn't seem to want to launch, namely iTunes which is a bit of a snag. It seems I have to choose my trade-offs with each OS and I don't much like the choices there.

So I am reverting back to the old iBook for a bit so I can spend less time fussing with making a computer work properly and more time just using the thing. The desktop will probably get Vista put back on it and get used for occasional gaming, as well as probably putting Ubuntu on there just for the heck of it. If anything, I had an excuse to finally pick up an external hard drive that can fit all my files onto with much room to spare.