Mac, Vista, XP: Difficult Decisions for a College Laptop

Reader Renda Edmunds writes: I wrote you a few days ago about my daughter's computer for UT-Southwestern Med School and you recommended we get a Mac. It turns out we can't really select Apple because it will only run about 85% of the software they use. They do not recommend any specific brand of PC but the on-site repair service from Dell suggests Dell may be the easy answer. I have a quote from Dell on a laptop that runs Vista. But UT does not support Vista, so XP is required. Dell told me they could not put the next-generation Wireless N into a computer with XP. Also the same for Sound Blaster. Would that be true for other brands as well?

Renda is facing some hard choices in what ought to be a relatively simple search for a laptop for her daughter. A Mac won't run all the software she needs, the school doesn't support Vista, and the latest laptops won't run XP properly. It's a catch-22 in triplicate.

What to do? Fortunately, some solutions readily present themselves. In fact, you can amicably get out of this situation with any one of the above three options. Here's how:

• Get the Mac - Why? You can Windows apps on a Mac now, either by nabbing the free Boot Camp software from Apple, or by purchasing Parallels software instead. Boot Camp lets you boot a Mac into a Windows system. Parallels lets you run Windows apps without rebooting; Windows and Mac apps can be side by side. I don't know the details of the application needs here, but either one will probably serve you well.
  
  
• Get the Vista computer - The school won't support the PC? Big deal. As a matter of fact, I went to UT myself and never once took my computer to tech support. If however you mean the school requires apps that won't run on Vista (which I doubt), then this won't work, but that's unlikely. Chances are the school will be supporting Vista in 6 to 12 months anyway, as so many incoming students will be using it.
  
  
• Get the XP machine - 802.11n won't matter much for your daughter, as 802.11g is far more prevalent and is plenty fast for anything she's likely to need to run. The Soundblaster is a bit thornier, as without a driver it may keep the laptop from outputting any audio at all. You may be able to hunt around for XP drivers for this hardware, but it may never materialize: New hardware, especially on laptops, is likely to be developed only for Vista going forward. Still, you should be able to use all the equipment on the computer you pay for!
  

Does Dell offer a lower-end sound option on XP machines? You probably won't notice any difference in audio quality. That said, a better option is probably simply to shop around for a different machine that does have all the driver support you need under XP. And yes, this issue will impact all vendors. A final option would be to purchase a slightly older machine running XP, if you can find one. If you really want a Dell, check out a refurbished unit.

Alas, I fear your decision is still a tough one. If I had my druthers and price is no object, I'd recommend the Mac. She'll be happier with it in the long run and Parallels works great.