[RandomPscho]

From what I've seen, any pre-built PC would cost more then $699 to even meet the minimums for Vista, and why would you spend $699 to meet the minimum for an OS when you can spend $699 and get recommended for XP?

The computer I bought about 2.5 years ago was able to run vista with a full aero and it only had 512MB RAM and integrated graphics. It can be run on cheap hardware, it just makes it look like **** because of the integrated graphics that all low-end computers come with, so most manufacturers won't put it on. It can be run though.
EDIT: I mean Hgome Prmeium in the above, Basic runs on Dell's 350$ computers.

And I wouldnt go as far as to say Vista is "a user friendly OS", seeing as you have to approve or deny almost every action/process...

For one you can simply turn it off. All those requests are from poor software, not because of Vista. Most of the request are for registry edits/ startup edits etc., which are unneeded and cause a lot of the problem on XP. Sure it is annoying but it will force software vendors to create more self-contained software and prevent a lot of problems. I see the UAC as a benefit over the little annoying-ness in the beginning.