Even in the summer?

Second the tablet option.
My 90 yo Mom got a tablet last year and couldn't be happier. Gave away her computer to a local student.
No problems with the tablet. It just works. She can email, Instagram, Facebook, G+, etc.
I know the question specified "wants to stay with Vista and MS Office" but people who ask questions like that never get a good answer.
Sticking with Vista and MS Office is the worst thing anyone could do.

In the pursuit of profits, organizations quickly learn that it is best to have government on your side. This includes bailouts, regulatory capture, contracts, etc. We are well on our way to this in the US. Some would label it Fascism.

One would think that "energy needs will keep growing fast enough to keep all providers happy" but there is the greed factor where the established industries don't want any competition any time for any thing. They want the entire market to themselves. They will work to crush and destroy any competition (real or perceived). This is capitalism. I want it all to myself. Screw everyone else (and the environment while we're at it).

Customer ordered one thing, company sent another thing and is now threatening them with legal action and fines... sounds scummy to me.
The company should just admit they made a mistake and politely request a return... however, if the customer doesn't want to return it, they don't have to. Company made a mistake and is now acting scummy. Company made a mistake and it will cost them... consequences.
People are always saying the consumers need to be responsible and suffer consequences... this should apply to companies also.

In the US, you are allowed to keep anything you are sent as an "unsolicited gift".
Don't know about the UK.
(The reason for this is that before the law, companies would send people stuff they didn't order and then demand payment... often many times more than the stuff was worth... just another scummy business practice.)

Here here!
I'm still on IE 6... waiting for them to get the bugs worked out of this newfangled Internet before I upgrade.

You have computers which take 15 minutes to boot up?
Every laptop I have owned for the past 10 years goes to sleep at night and takes about 10 seconds to wake up in the morning.
I think you're doing something wrong.

It's best to just stay away from Windows programs.
If you think you need Windows programs or you work in a company that thinks it needs Windows programs, I feel sorry for you for working among the clueless zombies. Nobody needs Windows.

I have spent time in a "big company" office environment... what a joke.

It's widely known that they use x86 and Linux with a suite of supporting software known as the Google platform:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_platform