In my experience, there are quite a few programs, older ones especially, that don't work at all or don't work well with Vista. One of those is a CAD program integral to another of my business ventures. Since there are no plans for a Vista-compatible upgrade for it, I'm keeping XP around for as long as I can. But I do feel your pain. I still have bruises from beating my head against the wall trying to get those programs to work!

I have heard and read about HP's new 'corporate strategy' that emphasizes customer service as a way to differentiate them from the competition. Although I too have had a few encounters that were less than helpful, on the whole, my experience has been very positive in the last 6 months or so. I even managed to find someone to help sync up my daughter's iPAQ on a Sunday evening!