windows 7 compared to XP Pro

It really is an excellent OS, go for it. XP is dead.

My main reason for switching to from xp to windows 7 is that microsoft has never included SATA drivers in their xp installation disks, nor can you install 3rd party SATA drivers from a CD or DVD during a fresh install of XP. That leaves laptop users who don't have a floppy drive or the ability to boot from a network S.O.L. And no version of windows has ever been stable. It seems like whenever microsoft finds something that works they stop doing it, although my opinion has been gradually improving, the more I use windows 7

Industry is going to hold onto XP until their current machinery can't be repaired. XP isn't very demanding, and we all know how you could throw so many things its way and it worked (software and hardware).

Upgrading the hardware to 7 would be very costly. We already tried Vista and 7 (one of the betas) when I was back in college, it wouldn't work. I went to school for electronics engineering. We ran into BSOD after BSOD. Had to revert back to XP. One other thing we discovered was that the software that we used for automation only liked INTEL processors, otherwise you'd get the BSOD for that too.

Another thing we ran into problems, we couldn't use Vista for programming PLC's. Also... our National Instruments PXI equipment (roughly 2 years old now) could only work on XP. To this date, the website still says Microsoft Windows and drivers already installed (on the embedded controller). I know though, you can easily say it's the manufacturers fault and not Microsoft.

Be that as it may, there are some things that 7 just can't do... yet?

[QUOTE=pparks1;446355]

wilfj said:

Several of my family work for large international Co's. They say there are no steps being taken to convert to Windows 7 in the business world.[/quotes]
Businesses are a different animal all together. For many, they weren't willing or able to pay Microsoft for the software assurance programs that entitled them to run future operating systems like Windows 7. When you are dealing with thousands or tens of thousands of desktops...these costs are enormous. It's not like these businesses can just buy a $350 license for Technet and upgrade everybody under that program.

Second, many businesses use older applications or home grown applications which may or may not work well/properly on different versions of the operating systems. So, these businesses have to evaluate whether the gains afforded by the new OS overshadow the cons of changing applications, or pouring money into new development to get the other application running properly. In addition, it's fairly common for large companies to have a large scale long term plan for changing from one of these older/home grown apps to something else down the road...and since plans are already underway for an eventual change they aren't willing to put the money or time into making a change to the current application to ensure it works better on Windows {insert_version_here}.

Third, many businesses don't want to have to retrain their staff to utilize the new operating system. In a business with hundreds or perhaps thousands of employees...even a small simple change could severely impact a group of people, an entire department or the business as a whole. So, the costs associated with this necessary training may very much outweigh the associated gains from the new OS.

Fourth, many businesses have very complex systems for security, VPN access, group policy and loads of documentation which are tooled specifically for Windows XP and their current method of doing business. You have to take into account the time, effort and work necessary to rework all of these things before you can simply just upgrade the operating system because it's now the latest and greatest offering.

And finally, the cost associated with the downtime of upgrading the computers can be very significant and hard for the average joe to comprehend. Since businesses often rely on a few key applications, the downtime and cost associated with upgrading the physical computer, and getting the software to perform...are far more costly than some of the OS provided benefits that most employees simply will never truly benefit from.

Very well explained for sure !

After reading the replies I have done some more picking and pocking into W7 and found several applications I was not even aware they were there.
I installed RC 7100 3 months ago, and how quick we forget... W7 found all my hardware, including a 8 year old hp laser printer. The installation was simple and fast about 20 minutes .

i have the boxed upgrade and will load it after March 1st and Xp will just be retired.

Thanks for your comments and everyone out there that want to still hold on to XP, the features in W7 makes it a must to have. Say good night... good night !

I dunno.. I have xp loaded on my business laptop, and it is a drag to have to use it. If I did not need to it to access my company vpn and the myriad resources I need use daily, I would not use it. I am far more efficient on my 7 machine, but then again, I am not the avg user. Who knows when the company will choose to upgrade to 7. Probably in about 3 years if that. So, in the mean time, I am still using xp, but begrudgingly.. Are there a lot of to die for features in 7 that make it a must have OS? No, not in my opinion. Yes, there are nice new possibilities out the shoot, but as many have stated, you can for the most part procure those same possibilities in xp with a little 3rd party free-ware assistance. Still, it is a very solid, responsive OS (more so than xp from my perspective) that looks pretty, and does offer quicker ways of getting common tasks done.. and yes, it is easier on the eyes, so it satisfies that part of my consumer self that is drawn to dazzle..

Libraries have grown on me, and are now a big part of how I structure my 4 terabytes of data spanning multiple drives and computers.. Search in 7 compared to xp, is a clear advantage.. once you start using it, you find yourself searching for everything rather than spending the time clicking your way into directories.. I love the fact that I can view/edit an mp3 tag simply by highlighting an mp3 file in explorer.. handy.. and yes, aero snap/crackle/pop is a big part of how I work in 7, and dearly missed as I work on my XP laptop.

The difference is really pronounced, because I use both OS's nearly every day, and am stuck doing all my crucial stuff on the XP laptop, simply because it is the only one that will connect to company resources.. The feeling is like, getting out of a nice brand new car, and into a 10 year old one. Yes, both cars can get me where I am going at the end of the day, but I have a clear preference..

I think what it boils down to is that some ppl need to buy the new sports car, some ppl will run the old pickup truck till it falls apart.

Me, I want the sports car