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Why are so many still using XP? Because users want stability and performance. I'm guessing that if there was a more mainstream version of XP that was 64 bit, even fewer would have made the leap to a newer OS. I am considering buying more copies of Windows 7 before 8 is released, just so that I have them.

Smart people with laptops and desktops, or who plan to buy them in the near future are stocking up with Windows-7; as Windows-8 is so totally inappropriate for them. At least Windows-7 will be support for many years to come.

My desktop uses XP and laptop uses WIN7. If I had an extra copy of XP, so would the laptop.

I don't know of any WIN 7 feature that means that much to me. I love XP's stability.

diver0129, on 06 June 2012 - 04:32 PM, said:

What problems have you had with Windows 7? When I built this i5 system 2.5 years ago (switching from a Pentium 4 machine running XP), I switched to Windows 7 64-bit, and I've been happy with it every since, no problems whatsoever.

MrFusion, on 06 June 2012 - 07:22 PM, said:

You can grab XP off eBay pretty cheaply.
http://www.ebay.com/..._nkw=windows-xp
Example:
Microsoft Windows XP Professional w/ SP3 Pro COA Product Key Sealed DVD Case $69 or bid lower

I bought legacy Mac OSes (and a couple of Macs, plus Virtual PC w/WinXP Pro) on eBay
Never been ripped off there.

This post has been edited by artzy65: 06 June 2012 - 08:33 PM

MrFusion, on 06 June 2012 - 07:22 PM, said:

I used XP for ten years before moving to Windows 7 last year...
I am using it on the same 10 year old hardware and its smooth as ever...Win 7 hands down is the best OS today, hope Win 8 can better it.
Early user tests indicate its well on its way to do so.

This post has been edited by VigneshNatraj: 07 June 2012 - 12:57 AM

once you're online, the operating system is meaningless. huge memory, rocket ship processors all for almost no advantage. all you need now and will need is a broadband connection, mouse, keyboard monitor. the rest of it is a model t ford.

TsarNikky, on 06 June 2012 - 06:22 PM, said:

Me too! And encouraging my customers to do likewise!

VigneshNatraj, on 07 June 2012 - 12:56 AM, said:

This propaganda brought to you by M$.

"[Windows 8] appears to be pretty much the same Windows under the hood."

Welcome back from the jungles, where I assume you have been hiding for the last year. No, they aren't. Even M$ admits that.

Propaganda. I'm sticking with Win XP and 7 for the next 5 years, AT LEAST.

tonyatn, on 07 June 2012 - 04:22 AM, said:

I am still running MS DOS 6.x on our EPSON 8086 desktop computer. It's more stable than Windows XP. ;-)

MrFusion, on 06 June 2012 - 07:22 PM, said:

Really? For me XP was nothing but a annoying and buggy PoS that had me seriously considering moving to Ubuntu except for gaming. Installing Win 7 And using it stopped me dead in my tracks. It's the first OS by MSFT that I swear by not at. For getting real work done across multiple applications, Win 7's interface is head and shoulders beyond XP. The more I use it the more I appreciate it.

I spent 20 years hating microsoft... now I think they are on the verge of taking over my home completely. Ballmer's a pig, but you know what? I don't care anymore

VigneshNatraj, on 07 June 2012 - 12:56 AM, said:

Maybe with SP1 it will better it. I'm sure the new UI will be full of clunky bugs.

Another reason so many XP users haven't made the switch is the price of 7. My county still uses XP for over 2000 computers in their network. For them, another problem going to 7, was many non-Mickeysoft programs used for accounting and work tracking and inventory management were compatible with XP only; thus, they don't work on 7 without expensive conversion programs for each one. In a state where almost all government entities are still working their way out of enormous deficits, spending that kind of money to replace something that works does not set well with the folks elected to fix the financial problems caused by the recession.
I anticipate many of the big XP license holders will begin to think upgrade. When they do there are other issues needed to be included in the overall decisions.
I'll use my county as an example. It is the size of CT & RI combined. There are 16 locations in the county seat city. There are facilities in 12 other cities and towns where county computers are used by the service centers, highway yards, schools, courts and branch libraries; also, at each of the 6 Mountain top communications towers in remote areas not near any town.
Basically, the problem is that conversions are time consuming thus expensive. Given manpower levels to accomplish this task, in my county, it would probably be measured in months, not days.
An example is, one place where there is a court and library. Converting their combined 7 computers would consume about ten hours. That translates into at least three days for two people. Travel to the site is almost three hours, thus, only two and a half hours for actual work. Motels? Nearest one is 50 miles away. The added work time would be enough to add one more computer/day. The radio sites are an all day adventure. One is located on Dangerous Road - named for obvious reasons. An ATV to go up that sucker.
In the rural states there are loads of areas like the one I live in. And some governments are in a lot worse shape than we are.
The administrators, looking to save as much as possible, believe, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

ronin7752, on 07 June 2012 - 04:05 AM, said:

The above vacuity brought to you by the empty headed.

dfschmid, on 07 June 2012 - 09:21 AM, said:

Don't break it.

My county had the Treasurers accounting and Assesors Property Tax files in DB2 for thirty years. Then one Monday morning nothing worked right as the AS400 they were on had shut down and lost touch with the servers. The techs found out that the AS400 had setitself to auto-default to shut down if not used for a certain number of hours. And, because a module failed at that shutdown, it could not retrieve all the network links and permissions. There was no source for a replacement item to fix it. And, it had to be a specific device as nothing else would work in that computer.

They got a whole new system with XP and new programs that worked in XP.
Because of a skilled tech, there was a backup of all the data on the AS400. That administrator had set a conversion file that saved the data in Excel. He had auto backup files right up to the night the 400 shut itself down for that fateful long weekend.

PeterBice, on 07 June 2012 - 02:13 AM, said:

You must live in a very narrow world, or don't need to do much with the net and computer systems, most people that do any real work and have beefy systems need them to do what they do. And don't get me on Streaming everything from the Net and using the Cloud, myself I'm not going there. My Data stays with me, no matter what it is, not on some cloud server. Besides i like antiques and so doe's the Mrs, that's why she still has me around.