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Katsunami · 07-19-2013, 08:24 AM

The funny thing I always hear is: "But Windows XP was done. I don't need anything else."

Until they start working with Windows 7 (or worked with Vista, on a computer that actually was capable of running it, instead of trying it on a P4 from 2002). Then it becomes very hard to return to Windows XP.

Windows 2000, and later XP (since Service Pack 2) have served me well, but nowadays, I just *refuse* to help people install Win2K or XP on a new computer, if they don't have a *very* good reason to want that. And "No, I hate every piece of software released after 2001" is not a good reason.

Try *installing* XP. On some systems with simple mainboards and quite some notebooks, it's not even possible, because there are no XP SATA-drivers anymore, and the BIOS doesn't have a setting to disable SATA/AHCI-mode. A notebook designed for Windows 7 may not have XP drivers available for many hardware components.

If the only reason is that one needs to run an old piece of business software or something, my recommendation is to use Windows 7 Professional, and then install its WinXP mode. It provides a Windows XP virtual machine, integrated into Windows 7, capable of running basically everything except 3D games.

===

After Windows XP runs out of support, after 13 years, we'll see an increase in PC sales, as companies will finally *have* to replace many old systems. They'll actually need to replace new systems. Some companies buy *new* systems (in 2012-2013....) that have trouble keeping up with my more than 5 year old computer (which, by the way, was upgraded in place, from Vista x64 to Win7 x64, and it still runs. First, and only installation).

Oh, the quad i5 CPU's are okayish, but if there's only 2GB RAM, and a 5400 RPM HDD, even when running XP, it just feels slow. My old computer boasting 8GB of RAM and an SSD, combined with Win7's much better and less conservative caching algorithms will still pound it into dust.

Maybe my old system is not as fast for brute calculation, but the memory, SSD, and Windows 7 x64 make it much faster to work with all around, compared to many low-end systems being sold today. (No SSD, 4GB or less memory, god forbid... 32-bit Win7.)

Basically, I don't actually need or replace this old bugger until I start running out of calculation capacity regularly.

07-19-2013, 08:24 AM	#397
Katsunami Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,111 Karma: 34000001 Join Date: Mar 2008 Device: KPW1, KA1	The funny thing I always hear is: "But Windows XP was done. I don't need anything else." Until they start working with Windows 7 (or worked with Vista, on a computer that actually was capable of running it, instead of trying it on a P4 from 2002). Then it becomes very hard to return to Windows XP. Windows 2000, and later XP (since Service Pack 2) have served me well, but nowadays, I just refuse to help people install Win2K or XP on a new computer, if they don't have a very good reason to want that. And "No, I hate every piece of software released after 2001" is not a good reason. Try installing XP. On some systems with simple mainboards and quite some notebooks, it's not even possible, because there are no XP SATA-drivers anymore, and the BIOS doesn't have a setting to disable SATA/AHCI-mode. A notebook designed for Windows 7 may not have XP drivers available for many hardware components. If the only reason is that one needs to run an old piece of business software or something, my recommendation is to use Windows 7 Professional, and then install its WinXP mode. It provides a Windows XP virtual machine, integrated into Windows 7, capable of running basically everything except 3D games. === After Windows XP runs out of support, after 13 years, we'll see an increase in PC sales, as companies will finally have to replace many old systems. They'll actually need to replace new systems. Some companies buy new systems (in 2012-2013....) that have trouble keeping up with my more than 5 year old computer (which, by the way, was upgraded in place, from Vista x64 to Win7 x64, and it still runs. First, and only installation). Oh, the quad i5 CPU's are okayish, but if there's only 2GB RAM, and a 5400 RPM HDD, even when running XP, it just feels slow. My old computer boasting 8GB of RAM and an SSD, combined with Win7's much better and less conservative caching algorithms will still pound it into dust. Maybe my old system is not as fast for brute calculation, but the memory, SSD, and Windows 7 x64 make it much faster to work with all around, compared to many low-end systems being sold today. (No SSD, 4GB or less memory, god forbid... 32-bit Win7.) Basically, I don't actually need or replace this old bugger until I start running out of calculation capacity regularly. Last edited by Katsunami; 07-19-2013 at 09:20 AM.