Aged Windows XP Costs 5x More to Manage Than Windows 7

[M1GU31]

you know one way you can get people off xp? Stop supporting XP and make all the new software only work with vista,win 7 and win 8 that's how you get people to buy updated machines with win 7 and make the upgrade really cheap if you own a previous legit Microsoft OS. Sure many will be pissed off but will have to upgrade. If they want newer software then upgrade.Seems harsh I know but this would start making people realize that they need to move on.

You can probably force home users this way, but companies will just switch OS as a response for this, Linux can get that market, and the worst part is that they will be confused the first, but once getting the batch, they will probably never return to Windows, loosing an important part of the market, and for many years, because they will even be able to maintain old hardware because that OS works on it without issues...

Forcing is not a solution, this only result on rebellion, better enforce market strategies to alow money to run as it was in older years. The problem here is budget for many people, you cannot just force them.

But again, is just my point of view...

Yes I can see a few doing this but due to how much harder linux is to maintain and the lack of vendors who support this OS and most software being made by small time coders that distribute this software free which isn't as great as the software on windows. I don't see many going to linux just due to the fact of how much more complicated and lack of software it has. Linux is great for maintaining severs and such though but a lot more complicated to keep it up and fix then having one on windows.I see most just upgrading or staying on the OS until it's completely not supported at all.

 

[lafnsu]

Some just simply can't afford to upgrade the software. I have a new build coming with Win 7 only and I'll stop using a dual on the laptop...however I'll keep xp on it so I can run the old software I can't afford to upgrade, like photoshop, that I use quite often if not daily. I also know that the software upgrades are harder on the government agencies in the past couple of years. Every build seems to have it's hangers-on, but I think one should look at the economy as well. A new computer is cheap but the software isn't, even when upgrading. I've purchased several thousand dollars to upgrade my have-to softwares to be 7 compatable, so it's highly unlikely I'll jump to 8 quickly now.

 

[OvenMaster]

Some just simply can't afford to upgrade the software. I have a new build coming with Win 7 only and I'll stop using a dual on the laptop...however I'll keep xp on it so I can run the old software I can't afford to upgrade, like photoshop, that I use quite often if not daily. I also know that the software upgrades are harder on the government agencies in the past couple of years. Every build seems to have it's hangers-on, but I think one should look at the economy as well. A new computer is cheap but the software isn't, even when upgrading. I've purchased several thousand dollars to upgrade my have-to softwares to be 7 compatable, so it's highly unlikely I'll jump to 8 quickly now.

Exactly. I dual-boot Win 7 Pro and XP Home SP3. I've got some software that works on XP - specifically, Magix Notation, Nero Suite 6 and ZD Soft Screen Recorder - that refuse to work with Win7. Those and a few other apps cost me a fair bit, and if they still work on XP, then I keep XP.

Strange how the expensive programs refuse to work with 7, yet the cheap (Paint Shop Pro 5 from 1999) and free (Best Of Windows Entertainment game pack from 1995) programs work just fine, though.

 

[Brds7t7]

Some just simply can't afford to upgrade the software. I have a new build coming with Win 7 only and I'll stop using a dual on the laptop...however I'll keep xp on it so I can run the old software I can't afford to upgrade, like photoshop, that I use quite often if not daily. I also know that the software upgrades are harder on the government agencies in the past couple of years. Every build seems to have it's hangers-on, but I think one should look at the economy as well. A new computer is cheap but the software isn't, even when upgrading. I've purchased several thousand dollars to upgrade my have-to softwares to be 7 compatable, so it's highly unlikely I'll jump to 8 quickly now.

Exactly. I dual-boot Win 7 Pro and XP Home SP3. I've got some software that works on XP - specifically, Magix Notation, Nero Suite 6 and ZD Soft Screen Recorder - that refuse to work with Win7. Those and a few other apps cost me a fair bit, and if they still work on XP, then I keep XP.

Strange how the expensive programs refuse to work with 7, yet the cheap (Paint Shop Pro 5 from 1999) and free (Best Of Windows Entertainment game pack from 1995) programs work just fine, though.

Knowing how some companies work nowadays, I wouldn't be surprised if some of them do it on purpose just so you'll buy the new versions from them!

 

[Stratos]

A lot of Gov't unclassified systems are still on the XP platform because they run so well on machines that're over 7 years old. However the move to Windows 7 has been taking effect lately.

 

[MagusMagnus]

Oh really? Windows XP was the best operating system Microsoft ever produced. I still have a system from 2004 running that and as hard as it may be for some to believe, I *NEVER* had it give me any problems - no errors, not even a BSOD. And it still works just as great today as it did from the start (or, until 2014 - can't say the same for the hardware itself as it is so aged and slowing down quite a lot, but the OS is still going strong with the same unmarred level of performance as the first day). I only wish I could report the same level of excellence for Windows Vista and 7 on our other systems. I can't go longer than a month on those without encountering some issue or another, frequent errors and BSOD's - in the case of Vista, that system went over six months of flat out refusing to even download and install updates for crying out loud, returning error codes that didn't even exist in database searches! All new things for me to deal with and I'm getting quite fed up with it to be completely honest.

Instead of MS focusing on making these things look pretty (which in all honesty, sure is a bonus and nice but I'd rather have an operating system that looks like junk but runs damn near flawless), they really need to spend more time focusing under the engine as it were, with the actual programming. Whatever made XP run so well they need to emulate that with these new OS's of theirs, sorely.

 

[jimbo45]

Oh really? Windows XP was the best operating system Microsoft ever produced. I still have a system from 2004 running that and as hard as it may be for some to believe, I *NEVER* had it give me any problems - no errors, not even a BSOD. And it still works just as great today as it did from the start (or, until 2014 - can't say the same for the hardware itself as it is so aged and slowing down quite a lot, but the OS is still going strong with the same unmarred level of performance as the first day). I only wish I could report the same level of excellence for Windows Vista and 7 on our other systems. I can't go longer than a month on those without encountering some issue or another, frequent errors and BSOD's - in the case of Vista, that system went over six months of flat out refusing to even download and install updates for crying out loud, returning error codes that didn't even exist in database searches! All new things for me to deal with and I'm getting quite fed up with it to be completely honest.

Instead of MS focusing on making these things look pretty (which in all honesty, sure is a bonus and nice but I'd rather have an operating system that looks like junk but runs damn near flawless), they really need to spend more time focusing under the engine as it were, with the actual programming. Whatever made XP run so well they need to emulate that with these new OS's of theirs, sorely.

Hi there
am still using Windows 2003 Server (actually BETTER than XP although same sort of idea). This is now running on a Virtual machine and won't go away any time soon -- long after 2014 I expect (If I'm still around then).

I think however you'll find W8 quite OK -- even though it's still "Technically in Beta" the W8 Consumer preview version seems quite resistant to BSOD's or whatever. I haven't yet had it crash on at least 7 different (different hardware) systems I've tested it on.

I haven't been using W7 for a while as I'm testing W8 but on my W7 Work laptop W7 has also been fine.

Remember also that a lot of applications --especially large multi-media and statistical type applications need much more RAM than they did in the early days of XP. XP has a memory limit of 4GB which is why MS HAD to re-design the OS.

Running further with XP wasn't an option for MS.

No conspiracy theory here -- the whole OS needed to be re-written. There was a fledgling 64 bit version of XP -- you can still get it I think as a Technet subscriber download -- but MS decided there were too many problems trying to "update" the old OS and decided to start again from Scratch.

OK Vista was a bit of a bummer --that mainly because it was released too early for the hardware available at the time -- but a lot of code in W7 / W8 is based on VISTA.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[MagusMagnus]

Cool Jimbo, might have to give Windows 8 a couple years after it's release until I can afford to get myself a copy. I won't be able to afford it straight-off, that's for sure. I might even just go back to XP on all systems (that is if you can even still get it somehow) but keep my Windows 7 on a dual-boot configuration for other crap that just wouldn't work on XP. Or heck, at this point I am even considering Linux Ubutnu. Anything goes for me at this point, so long as it would mean actually having a functional computer that isn't going to keep crashing at every turn on me. Gave these new OS's a hell of a long benefit of the doubt but they're just not cutting it for me. I'd like to spend most of my time doing other things than clean installs and running a host of utilities diagnosing the damn things, you know? LOL

 

[jimbo45]

Cool Jimbo, might have to give Windows 8 a couple years after it's release until I can afford to get myself a copy. I won't be able to afford it straight-off, that's for sure. I might even just go back to XP on all systems (that is if you can even still get it somehow) but keep my Windows 7 on a dual-boot configuration for other crap that just wouldn't work on XP. Or heck, at this point I am even considering Linux Ubutnu. Anything goes for me at this point, so long as it would mean actually having a functional computer that isn't going to keep crashing at every turn on me. Gave these new OS's a hell of a long benefit of the doubt but they're just not cutting it for me. I'd like to spend most of my time doing other things than clean installs and running a host of utilities diagnosing the damn things, you know? LOL

@Magnus
Hi there
It' s FREE for download (W8 CP) and use until mid January 2014 so you've still got 8 months with a FREE new OS.

A newer version is scheduled for next week but the current W8 CP is fine IMO.
runs really fast too -- although can't say if it would run on really old hardware -- it might but I suspect the problem might be video drivers. Old IDE disks would be OK but the chipset software might be lacking !!.

cheers
jimbo

 

[Katanyavich]

My XP box costs nothing to manage.

It's an Acer AS10 Pentium 4 desk-top machine, with a 2.8 Ghz
Intel CPU.

It runs 1GB of RAM, and has a 256MB GeForce FX5700
and a SoundBlaster Live! soundcard.

Its main HDD (a 320GB WD) has two partitions, C runs the
OS and contains my older games. D has movies/music etc.

It is connected to my 26" LCD television, and is used (obviously)
mainly for gaming and as an entertainment center.

But it also contains four OTHER HDDS, and depending on which
one I plug in, I can run MS-DOS 6.22/WfW 3.11, or Vista
Ultimate, Windows ME, Windows 8 CP. Or I can plug two in, and
dual-boot via the BIOS

There's another drive (not fitted ATM) running Ubuntu.

And it also takes care of most of my printing needs.

It only goes online infrequently, and then only to get updates.

She's a VERY versatile old machine.........