I have never used Vista and XP Pro was the most stable version of Windows I have had. I went 3 years without a crash. I am already using Windows 7. When I built my new computer, Windows 7 already had the drivers for the motherboard installed and I never needed the motherboard installation disc. Everything I own that worked trouble free on XP has worked trouble free on Windows 7. Windows 7 is FASTER than XP and can run more RAM. My current computer that I use for processing my photos is Intel i7 2.66GHz processor on an Asus motherboard with 12 MB of RAM. The programs are on a Western Digital 10,000RPM hard drive, scratch disc on Western Digital 10,000RPM hard drive and my photos are on 3 Western Digital 7200RPM Black Caviar 1 TB hard drives. To download an 8GB CF card, rename, and enter IPTC info takes 3.5 minutes. I can edit photos just as fast as I can scroll through the photos. Photo Mechanic is much faster. Nikon Capture NX2 is lightning fast. Will I upgrade? I already have.