Saturday, December 5, 2009

PC Solutions Area

PC Solutions Area


Windows XP Software: Is There a Reason to Stop Using It?

Posted: 04 Dec 2009 09:25 PM PST

The Windows XP software released eight years ago was a great advancement for Microsoft and continues to satisfy users today. Although the release of Windows 7 is supposed to replace XP, support will continue to be provided for the next five years, until 2014. This support will include updates as well as security patches.

There are two basic versions of XP, one for business use and one for home which does not have the same features readily available. However, the home version does include those same features inactivated.

Many people are trying to decide if it is time to leave XP behind and make the switch to Windows 7. For most, the answer is probably no, unless you are also upgrading your computer. Newer PCs will likely be made with Windows 7 and all its capabilities in mind.

A big deterrent to switching is the task of installing a brand new operating system. Everything on your hard drive will need to be backed off, the drive then will need to be reformatted and then, finally, you can install the new system software. That is, if your computer has the capability to run it.

Once the new operating system is installed comes the fun of trying to reinstall the programs that you use. Even if you can find all the disks you need to do so, it is still a daunting task. If your applications were all running just fine with XP, you would do well to remember that most new applications will continue to run with XP.

The best reason to stick with your XP system, though, is that new systems always come with problems that need to be worked out. It is always better to wait until later releases that have worked out the bugs before changing operating systems.

XP has been the main Windows operating system for more than eight years for a reason. It is a great piece of software. Since Microsoft will continue supporting it for five years, you have time to make the switch. Within that time, you may well purchase a new computer with the latest Windows 7 installed.

Windows XP is the most widely used computer operating system in the world for a reason. For most people, there is no reason to make a switch until you really have to do so.

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