All my computers (5 including the one at work) have XP Pro and Office 2000 to Office 2003 on them. I have both Vista and Office 2007 in my desk drawer and that is where they will stay until they get some bug fixes out on the market. Way too many problems considering how much they have been marketed.

The problem with most new systems, you don't get a choice of operating software. Vista is what nearly all companies are installing. Some might install XP / XP pro, or Linus, but not many. You may be able to get a seller to install XP Pro, instead of Vista, but you would have to buy from a company such as Dell or Gateway or a specialty computer builder, to get that option. Most big box computer stores won't give you the option.

You could also get a new computer with out any operating system installed, and then install one of your own choice. Some companies will do that as well. Check out systems at Tigerdirect.com, I believe they have systems without operating systems installed or will give you a choice of systems. I like Red's idea, but have never tried it myself. Just make sure you got all of the restore disks. Some companies load the restore software on to a partition on the harddrive. Great place to have it in a disk crash.

As others have stated, my advice is to stay away from both Vista and Office 2007, until the bugs are killed. Besides from what I have seen Vista will likely be repaced with another system in the very near future.