This is our 15th year in business and during this time we have recommended only a select few manufacturers when it comes to factory-built computers. For most of this time only two vendors made “the cut” on the laptop side: Toshiba and IBM in that order. This changed with Windows XP, as IBM's implementation of their own hideous Wi-Fi profile switching caused incredible headaches and they were summarily removed from our list. This left (and continues to include) only Toshiba when it comes to laptops.

Dell was our only recommended desktop computer manufacturer for several reasons:
Their hardware is solid. Out of all the top vendors of desktop computers, Dell produces a decent product at a competitive price. In spite of their poor showing in terms of customer service (ask anyone who's ever had to deal with them), their components are well-built. Their one shortcoming, rectified around 2004, was the exclusive use of Maxtor hard drives, which have historically had the worst performance and highest failure rate in the industry. Why it took Dell so long to “see the light” and discontinue use of these catastrophically bad drives remains a mystery, but in 2008, you won't find a single Maxtor drive in a new Dell. That problem removed, you've got a decent computer on your hands when you buy a Dell.

With the release of Windows Vista, second (arguably) only to Windows Millennium in being unreliable, squirrelly, unstable and downright unfriendly, Dell, once again, rose to the challenge and continued to provide a select subset of its offerings in tried-and-true Windows XP. Don't be fooled into thinking this was an entirely altruistic move. I think it's safe to say the bean counters at Dell took a hard look at the bottom line after a month of producing only Vista machines and lobbied heavily for a return to XP to stop the bleeding. No matter the reasoning, this policy provided us with the only brand we could, in good faith, recommend to our clients during the Dark Days of Vista. No other major manufacturer had the cajones to release anything but Vista-Infested machines for the last year. Since we have remained a voice of reason in these trying times, continuing to point out the folly of investing in a Vista-equipped computer, Dell was the light at the end of the tunnel.
This came to a screeching halt at the end of June when Dell caved in to Micro$oft's pressure and stopped producing Windows XP machines – hurtling ass over teakettle into the Abyss of Vista – and over to The Dark Side.

1. Toshiba will still provide you with a laptop loaded with Vista, but bundled with the full set of CDs to install Windows XP, so if you're in the market for a new notebook, Toshiba is your saviour. You can't find these in any stores. You must order them online. When it comes to non-portable computing, however, you only have a few choices.
2. Buy a Dell and pay us a bundle to carve out Vista – and replace it with XP.
3. Have us build you a shiny new XP machine (yep, we're still building them).
4. Buy a Mac and learn a new way of doing things.
   

It's as simple as that. The choice (not much of a choice) is yours.

If you can hold out for another year or so, Windows 7 may be a better choice – but I'm not betting on it.

Michael Dell should be ashamed.