Posted on 07/12/2010 7:58:50 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Tomorrow is D-day for Windows XP SP2 users. Granted, Windows XP SP2 will still work, but tomorrow is the last Patch Tuesday for the venerable OS which means it will become more unstable and less secure as time goes on. Simply applying SP3 will suffice to continue running a supported platform, but here are five reasons to consider switching off of Windows XP entirely.
1. Hardware Support. Windows XP is archaic, and it is designed to run on outdated hardware. As new technologies are introduced, it is unlikely that Windows XP will be compatible or able to take advantage of them. Windows 7 provides support for multitouch displays, and also has greatly improved memory and power management features.
2. Improved Drivers Installation. Windows 7 has a superior system for automatically detecting and installing drivers. Windows XP sort of has this capability, but more often than not the search for drivers yields nothing and requests that you insert a driver disc from the vendor. Install a new piece of hardware in Windows 7, and most of the time it will automatically be added along with the correct driver without any additional user interaction.
3.Security. Windows XP lacks many of the crucial security controls that have been introduced in Windows Vista and Windows 7. Looking at the vulnerabilities that have been discovered since the launch of Windows 7, the Windows 7 operating system is frequently unaffected, or when it is affected by the same flaw as Windows XP, the result of an exploit is minor while the Windows XP system will be completely owned by the attacker.
(Excerpt) Read more at pcworld.com ...
The other 2 reasons sited are :
4. Performance. One of the complaints against each new generation of Windows is that it seems to get slower and more bloated with each iteration.
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5. XP Mode Virtualization. This is the Windows 7 trump card. With Windows XP Mode virtualization, Windows 7 runs a full Windows XP SP3 system in a virtual PC. It enables you to continue using hardware and software that are not compatible with Windows 7 from within the Windows 7 operating system. And, XP Mode virtualization is fast—somehow much faster than other Microsoft virtual PCs I have created. The caveat for this feature, though, is that it is only available on Windows 7 Professional, Ultimate, and Enterprise.
CLICK ABOVE LINK FOR MORE EXPLANATIONS.
XP Pro is still better.
No it isn’t.
Tony Bradley aka Steve Ballmer
So long as they’re not doing away with Windows 3.1, I’m alright.
There’s only one OS worth switching to. And that’s Ubuntu 10.04. (Let the flame wars begin)
The first two reasons are dumb. If you have an old PC running XP then you don’t need improved HW detection or driver support because your system is already supporting all of the HW you have.
I would be curious though to know what W7 does on the older HW though.
Also, I may be mistaken, but I don’t think you can do a direct upgrade of XP with W7 which would complicate things on an upgrade.
Better to wait till it is time to replace your HW and then get W7.
Thanks. I’ll wait 2 years till the wonder of the new enhanced bugs have played out.
After switching to windows 7 about 4 to 5 months ago, I never even want to look at XP again. Windows 7 is great!
Having multiple Windows 7 installations and XP Pro installations, I'm going to have to go with Windows 7 is much better.
Since I was so outspoken about Vista (spit)I think it shows I was a skeptic, and am not an MS groupie. It appears they finally got it right.
If XP is still handling all your computer chores then keep it. It there comes a time when XP will no longer accomplish what you need done - that is the proper time to upgrade. Looks like PC world is playing the role of Microsoft PR dept to keep the advertising coming in.
I’ve been testing Windows7 at work and I must say that I like it as well. I’m still a Linux geek through and through.
every time, I end up going back to XP. It's just too stable and fast.
sooner or later they will win though. When manufacturers stop developing drivers for XP, I'll switch. Until then, MS can keep pushing, I don't care. I'll start running ubuntu before I pay 300 bucks for an OS.
I just wish when M$ decides not to support an older version of their OS, the would release a copy that requires no keys to install. Since they aren’t going to support it anyway....
Windows 7 is nice. I was pleasantly surprised at how better than Vista it is. But it still does nothing for me that XP doesn’t and even though Win 7 is on my system I’ll continue to primarily use the faster and locked down XP until it’s no longer supported. I expect millions of businesses will do the same.
All I need the OS to do is to run the file system, network, and launch programs in a stable fashion. XP does that just fine and most of the “features” I’ve seen on newer versions of Windows are just unnecessary crap.
If it weren’t for the huge pile of Windows-based freeware I’ve accumulated I would dump it in a heartbeat and go to Linux. Everything else - including what I do in Office - can be done with open source equivalents.
Excellent observation!
I’m still relatively illiterate in computers. No idea what it means that xp will become increasingly unstable. I mostly use xp. However, if it gets too unstable, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with my 98 in the next room.
In fact, the 98 doesn’t even have virus protection, nor has it had any crashes, spyware, slowdowns, or other kinks in at least five years; and not many before that.
The xp is almost as good.
>> And that’s Ubuntu 10.04. (Let the flame wars begin)
Ubuntu is for weenies. The only OS worth running is a fully customized OS you have built yourself from Linux source. Of course, making it happen doesn’t leave you with any time to install any actual applications or get any work done, but who cares. Be a man and step up to the plate.
XP is a great operating system.
Or a Mac...
Lol. I must say touche good sir.
>> However, if it gets too unstable, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with my 98 in the next room.
I hear you! Why would ANYONE down rev 91 versions from Windows 98 to Windows 7? That’s insane!
I like Windows XP and Windows 7, both.
My experience in the past has been that it’s best to avoid upgrading computers with new operating systems. Instead, every once in a while I get a new computer with faster hardware and the new system pre-installed. So, I’m still running XP on my older laptop and Windows 7 x64 on the new one.
I like Win7. And while I hesitated to get x64, it’s working well so far, and I remember the transition from 16 to 32. No use sticking with an older system when things keep moving on. Although I did like Windows for Workgroups 3.11, as I vaguely recall.
WinXP?
Haven’t you upgraded to OS X yet?
I could open mebeam.com with Vista, but can’t with WIN7. Any ideas?
I agree, W7 looks like a winner.
I made the switch to.. OS X.
I figured 25 years with MS was enough.
Still have a Vista partition on my laptop, but the laptop runs Linux as the primary OS, and I only ever used Vista to run iTunes for the iDevices. No need for that any more.
Why don’t people just buy a new computer — all new hardware — with the new system installed, and just copy their old files to the new computer? I’ve seen people fuss over compatibility and don’t understand them at all.
When I get a notion to try Windows 7 I’ll just buy a notebook.
On second thought, I’m not toting a notebook around with me...until it’s small enough to fit in a gun! :)
You can purchase a pack that installs Windows 7 over your XP OS. It cost about 80$ less then what you would spend on Windows 7 if you did not already have a legit copy of XP. 7 also saves all of your old XP data, all applications that were installed, and it can run them. You can’t put it on single core rigs though, and I wouldn’t put it on an older system whose memory is too slow.
The HW driver finder is also very convienient. It actually works, unlike XP. Whatever device you plug in, 7 just auto downloads and then installs the correct driver, no fuss, no discs.
Have you fired up Powershell on that W7 box yet?
Personally, I feel Mint 8.04 is the best Linux distro out there. I see a version 9 has been released and will upgrade to it soon.
No ideas. I’m not familiar with that website, and I didn’t use Vista. I avoided that one as long as I could, but eventually gave in to Windows 7.
I like the way you think, NT. :)
And while I agree with you on XP, if it weren't for the lack of Internet support, NT patch 5 was the most absolutely rock stable operating system Microscam ever produced. I still miss it (like when I try to kill off a misbehaving program).
Yep, I’ve written a few scripts with it. PS is pretty straightforward. I guess that’s what MS is pushing now because it’s built in with server 2008 as well.
Ignore these Microsoft Hating geeks. If you are happy with your current Windows keep it.
Windows 3.11 is still available for download for MSDN and Microsoft Technet subscribers.
...that and DOS 6.22
Kindle reader was $400 , now $180. They call the act of chasing technology a “bleeding” edge for a reason.
I was thinking about going back to DOS 2.2
OK- S&F trying to understand this. Sp2 will no longer be supported, but SP3 will. How do I find out if I have sp2, or sp 3? And how do upgrade to sp3 if I don’t ? The article says it’s an easy upgrade, but it doesn’t say how to do it.
Thanks !!
I can't tell if that's Obama's Kenyan name, or if it's what the baseball manager tells the next batter after the previous one successfully sacrificed.
In spite of being free it still has a tiny market share. There must be a reason for that.
Yes, I think you are correct. You could upgrade to Vista, though, and then to W7.
For a little while perhaps, but MANY of those XP machines are going to become effectively obsolete in a few more years. Clearly, when upgrading machines, you'll want to select a OS that is fully supported. IOW, while the "death" of XP may be a bit premature today, it still is eventually unavoidable, just like 3.1.
FTR, I have 7 installed on all of our home machines, our family business machines, as well as the 28 machines at a not-for-profit I help to run. I don't have a single complaint. The transition was effortless.
I’ll wait for Windows 8
That's what I'm doing. I'm *hoping* to buy a new PC (Core i7, ASUS MB), and plan to run 7. I've already checked with the companies that produce the software I use the most to make sure they'll run on 7, and got back affirmative replies, so I should be good.
Now when Diablo III comes out I should be good to go! Old Blue Bessie here will croak if I even attempt to install a program that big.
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