I just upgraded to Vista Ultimate a few weeks ago. On the pro side, Vista loads and shuts down faster then XP Pro. It seems to work better with most of my applications. It definitely works better with Office 2007, which was slow with XP. I have not had any operational problems. I did have a problem with the Firewall of Microsoft's Live OneCare, but found the solution in a Web search. The only cons of Vista was a lack of support for my five year old lexmark printer. Lexmark has informed me that they will not provide Vista drivers for a "legacy" printer. No more Lexmark printers for me!!!!! I just purchased a Canon printer on eBay. Vista is supported and the Canon has better features and cheaper ink. I work in the computer field and will have to deal with Vista, so I had some incentitive to upgrade. So far, I've had many more problems with XP Service Pack 2.

HI! We are in central-Cal, south of SF Bay. I am an owner, not a pro. We just switched our windows 4+ years ago. To share some thoughts, it really depends on precisely what you meant by "UPGRADE". I hope the following is helpful and forgive the long-winded post if you know all that already. If upgrade means comfort and efficiency over architectural concerns, then that leaves longevity. How long do they last? If the plan is to move, you can save by using vinyl now and sell before they must be replaced. If you plan to stay for over 20 years, it may be worth spending more on better longer lasting windows such as fiberglass or aluminum-clad or wood windows. Preferably do it once and never look back. If upgrade means maintaining and increasing home value, then the windows and doors must be visibly distinctive so that it enhances not just the exterior architecture but also the interior feel. It is questionable if vinyl will be a good choice in this case. Vinyl normally requires lighter colors because of its thermal characteristics. Dark colors may shorten its life span. You will have to research designs of vinyl to see if they can match your home's architectural cues and interior layout. Wood, clad and fiberglass can provide more flexibility in terms of colors and refined details. Wood can also be stained (interior) to add a sense of warmth to the house. So defining what "upgrade" means to you will help identify which path to take. Good luck!

The Marvins are normally cheaper than the 400s around here. The 400 is a solidly built window in my opinion. Depending on what you are needing, there are options beyond just those you mentioned and perhaps they might be worth looking into.

OK, confused alittle. On Win7, the "recovery drive" is labeled "System Reserved" and is the first partition -- no drive letter. Originally it was a mere 100 MB -- later increased to 200 MB by me. Sounds like Win10 does something a bit different, and its recovery drive is FAR larger. On my Win7, the system reserved drive currently has a mere 32 MB of data in it, out of 200 MB (84% free). Wondering if this will cause issues when I later upgrade to Win10.