Microsoft has urged its Windows XP users to upgrade as soon as possible, reminding them that support for the operating system will officially end in less than two years.
Windows XP and Office 2003 are currently in Microsoft’s extended support phase, which is due to stop on 8 April, 2014.
“If you haven’t yet already, we do hope that you take this end of support countdown as an opportunity to migrate your PCs to Windows 7 and Office 2010 so that your business and employees are more productive and secure.”
Windows XP, now more than ten years old, still commands a sizable share of the market (47 percent in March 2012 according to NetMarketShare) due in part to users’ unwillingness to part with a familiar OS. Microsoft’s blunder with Vista, which alongside Office 2007 will stop receiving mainstream support from Tuesday, may have also dissuaded people from a transition to Windows 7.
Vista’s support lifecycle will completely end in 2017, though Microsoft will have a much easier time convincing people to switch OS when that time comes.
Chernyak’s post emphasises a rapid transition to Windows 7, suggesting that holding back until Windows 8 is released is not necessarily the best idea for businesses:
“We don’t recommend waiting. Not only is it important for companies to complete deployment before support runs out, but they should also be aware that by upgrading to Windows 7 and Office 2010 today they can gain substantial results today while laying the foundation for future versions of these products.”
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I generally think windows xp was the best they made, vista, 7 and the upcoming 8 are/look terrible to be truthful
Totally agree with Martin regarding XP being the best OS that Windows have made. It's reliable & most Companies changed to use it, so why oh why keep bumping out a new tweeked OS just for the hell of it!!
My XP pro hasn't had to be reinstalled for over 5 years now, even after upgrades to my machine it still runs quite well and has been my favourite Windows to date.
I agree with the previous comments, XP has, for many years, been the best business PC OS that Microsoft have done. However, technology has moved on and business must do the same. Now I have got used to Windows 7, I wouldn't want to go back to XP.
Another boost for Windows XP from this user. I've trialled the Windows 7 from beta days and have been migrated to Windows 7 at work.
While there's a couple of nice features I'd like to see backported to XP (no chance of that, I know) like Win+Cursor Left / Cursor Right to tile windows, there's a whole host of annoyances that annoy the hell out of me for Win7:
[1] No 'up' button in Windows Explorer. Note that the weird pathing section of the address bar doesn't always work as expected, particularly when navigating large directory trees.
[2] No Classic start menu. I'll leave it as an exercise for the reader to work out why this is present in server 2008 but *not* in Win 7.
[3] Inconsistent z-order rendering that occasionally causes modal dialogs to be lost. This happens even in Office 2010 products and has been known since Win7 beta.
[4] Using Run-As to launch a command prompt under an administrative account does not pick up an admin token (this makes me utterly rage). Since my support role often includes taking control of a user's session it makes performing admin tasks considerably more awkward.
[5]Favo(u)rites from Windows Explorer are no longer favo(u)rites in Internet Explorer. I used to be able to use Win+E Alt+A G to hit google. Is there even a shortcut to launch the browser in Win7?
and many many more.
I'll be sticking to XP and its more advanced cousins, XP64 and Server 2003 as long as I can at home. Seriously, I'll forgo the games and go full-time Linux rather than willingly use the utter stagnant failure that is Windows 7.
why on earth do you want to get rid of XP, it's the best thing you ever had, windows 7 is a dictatorial disaster and I have gotten rid of it, I know others have done the same, one should be in control of their programme not the other way around
How arrogant microsoft are. "Everybody loves XP, so let's get rid of it and force them to learn how to use something else". I personally love vista. I have no problems with it whatsoever and I am actively refusing to switch to windows 7, which I feel is the worst designed system I have ever come across. I was working on a friend's computer the other day which had windows 7. It was horrible, completely user un-friendly. It took me half an hour to change all the settings back to how they 'should' look ie xp style; and for some of that I had to use a hack, like for the quick launch bar, which I use ALL the time so naturally Microsoft decided not to include in windows 7!
I'm just a computer 'thick-o' and still can't manage my photos on Windows 7. On XP and Vista I can rearrange my pics in individual folders,just by clicking and dropping, but on Windows 7 they jump back to their original place. so annoying!"
I regularly use both XP and 7 and much prefer XP. I suspect I will migrate to Linux when support for XP ends.
M$ are no longer making money out of XP, so it has to go. No matter how good an OS is was, M$ have to produce a new OS and Office every couple of years to keep their share value high. Producing a quality long lasting product is at the bottom of their agenda.
the obvious thing to do is keep an XP computer and all it's programmes, but don't go on line when the support stops. use another computer with the dreadful windows 7 until it's replaced with a more dreadful improvement and use the off-line XP for most of the work, including its dos capabilty....
Oh man look at all the negative comments!
Yes Windows XP was a good OS, but things change. Windows 7 is actually a very good operating system and capable of doing a lot more than XP.
- Sounds to me like you guys just don't like change!
Also, while Microsoft is obviously in this for the money (like every other company out there), it's not just them who are changing things for the sake of it.
As technology progresses ALL software and hardware companies are moving forward. If Microsoft just stopped making Operating Systems after XP - modern software wouldn't run properly.
- Even with continuous support and updates you would all see XP being overtaken by other Operating Systems on different platforms - and then you guys would be complaining that Microsoft isn't doing enough to keep up!
Touchscreen technology is becoming the future of computing and Windows 7 and 8 have been designed with Touchscreen computing in mind.
Yes, it's not a standard practice for home computing just yet - but it's getting there and when it does arrive Windows XP will be next to useless for all the touch-enabled programs.
You have two years to enjoy XP. As one commenter suggested - just keep with it and use it offline when the support stops.
But you are going to have to either upgrade to a modern version of Windows or jump to another platform eventually.