Trying to do taxes with Turbotax

[TWTrep]

I am trying to do my taxes and the 2016 version of Turbotax is not supported by my Vista operating system.  Can I upgrade to Vista SP2 or above or can I get a better operating system since Vista seems to be being discontinued.  What operating system would be best for my computer and how do I obtain it?

thanks,

TT

[TheOldMan · Accepted solution]

Assuming that you do not want to go to Windows 10, then Windows 7 should be a good fit.  Most Vista computers can run Windows 7 without a problem.  You might need to look for a reputable vendor because most are trying to sell Windows 10.  Microcenter still shows Windows 7 for sale.  Just be careful to buy from someone well known for being reputable

[mdklassen]

> I am trying to do my taxes and the 2016 version of Turbotax is not supported by my Vista operating system. 

Microsoft will not be supporting Windows Vista after April 11, 2017 -- next week!

> Can I upgrade to Vista SP2 or above

There is no "above" Service Pack for Vista.

Windows Update on your computer probably has already downloaded/installed Vista SP2.

> or can I get a better operating system since Vista seems to be being discontinued. 

Yes, after April 11, you will need to do "something".

> What operating system would be best for my computer and how do I obtain it?

Given that Vista was released in April 2007, I'm guessing that the disk-drive in your computer probably is close to TEN years old -- at least SEVEN years old (Windows 7 was released 7 years ago, in 2010).

The manufacturer's warranty on the disk-drive was no more than 2 years.

Would you drive your automobile on ten-year-old tires, or would you replace the tires?

Instead, find a computer-store that leases computers to businesses, usually for 3 or 4 years.

At the end of the lease, those computers are returned to the computer-store, "refurbished", and sold at a discount to "budget-conscious" buyers.

So, you might be able to find a 4-year-old computer, running Windows 7, that probably has DOUBLE the RAM of your current computer, DOUBLE the capacity of disk-drive, and DOUBLE the CPU speed.  A nice upgrade!

Approximate price? 

Probably around $160 -- anything the computer-store can get for selling "pre-owned" computers is a bonus for them.

A legitimate copy of Windows 7, if you can find it, probably is over $100.

Since Windows 7 will not be supported after January 2020, divide $160 by the 32 months between now and that date, and you will be paying $5 per month.

You probably can pull the disk-drive from your current computer, and mount it as a "slave" disk-drive in the replacement computer, to get access to all your personal files.

Also, your current monitor, keyboard, and mouse should work with the replacement computer.

Some printers & scanners & web-cameras are not supported by Windows 7.

Another source for low-priced computers is "refurbished" computers.

These are computers that were sold in a retail store, broke, were sent back to the manufacturer, and were repaired.

See: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/searchpage.jsp?st=refurbished+desktop+computers

Example: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-refurbished-desktop-intel-core-2-duo-4gb-memory-160gb-hard-drive-silv...

for: $99 US --- HP - Refurbished Desktop -  Model: DC7800 SFF-0098  SKU: 5506833
•Refurbished
•Windows 10 Home 64-bit
•Technical details: Intel® Core 2 Duo processor; 4GB memory; 160GB hard drive
•Special features: keyboard and mouse included

[If you tried to separately purchase Windows 10, keyboard, mouse, RAM, you would pay more than $99 !!!]

Bottom-line: it's time to "responsibly recycle" your Vista-based system (keep the RAM, disk-drive, and DVD-writer).

[TWTrep]

TurboTax says Vista with SP2 will be enough resources. Where do I get this Service Pack 2?

[TheOldMan]

If all you wish to do is load Vista SP2, here is a download source.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=16468

[mdklassen]

> Vista with SP2 will be enough. Where do I get this Service Pack 2? 

To repeat, Windows Update under Windows Vista probably has already installed it on your computer.

See:  https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/13858/windows-vista-service-pack-2-install

for information on how to determine if it has already been installed, and for details on how to download it, if necessary.

If necessary, do the download _before_ the "sunset" date for Vista, just in case Microsoft purges all Vista-related information from their web-site after that date (this coming Tuesday!)