With only 1000 days left of extended support, don’t you think it’s time to retire Windows XP?

follow apple's lead and sell the new one for $30

Apple makes new OSes and sells them for $30?

Recently I acquired an HP Compaq DC5000 tower that was running XP. I decided to throw in an extra half gig of RAM (just to meet 7's system requirements) and a TV tuner that was just laying around and turn it into a Media Center PC with Windows 7. The thing works surprisingly well on 1GB of RAM and a 2.8GHz Pentium 4. I would say Windows 7 probably added a few more years on to this mid-XP era machine.

@european hacker. You pay for more than OS X. If you were to consider the migration cost and application cost associated with Mac OS X Lion, you wouldn't bother. You can't run your legacy applications on the new OS X LIon. For instance, you can't run Quicken 2007 on Lion because the Rosetta translation software has been removed. OS X Users will have to stick with Snow Leopard or consider running Windows 7 in a VM and run Quicken for Windows on it to access their Quicken files. So, the hidden cost are there when it comes to OS X. Microsoft supports consumer releases of Windows for 5 years, business versions for 10 years. Apple obsolete an old version with each new release. By this time next year you won't be getting any more updates for Snow Leopard.

1000 days is almost 3 years. 3 years is a long time. I will upgrade all my PCs from XP 32-bit and XP x64 to the version of Windows that comes out in 2015 following Windows 8 and that too out of compulsion and because XP won't receive any security updates. I am familiar with Windows 7 and Vista and always have W7 on one PC to keep a check on things and I don't like many many things about it. Especially the taskbar, Start menu, Windows Explorer, and the servicing model. It also has several audio limitations like no hardware acceleration, no simultaneous output to devices and no compatibility with my MIDI synths.

I'd take my laptop to all of the sporting events that I attend and play in and have it available at all times.

I bought a Mac last year after reading everywhere on how good it is over Windows, and because I really like my iPod touch and iPad which gave me the false expectation that everything Apple must be super. It's not. The hardware is nice indeed for its design and finish but the OS is no way better than Windows XP. I'm running Vmware Fusion even now just to be able to use Windows XP on it.

Then I finally upgraded to Windows 7 this year and have been horrified by how much it has changed to be more "intelligent" and to learn from the worst parts of Mac OS (check out the explorer and finder)!

The windows ROI calculator appears to be broken. It appears to think that I can upgrade 16 computers with Win 7 Pro for 900 euros when buying OEM as part of a gradual hardware refresh.

Dell charge €1100 just to step from Home Premium to Pro. Don't suppose Mr Rose would care to tell us the actual price we pay relative to an OS-less computer.

As for €27000 savings on 16 computers in 3 years of which ~€5600 a year is IT management and helpdesk related to the windows OS? And that will disappear with an immediate upgrade?

Putting aside the horrible vista laptop that failed it's retail win 7 ultimate upgrade (it did pass the readyness test), the XP desktops are quiet and untroublesome. What are Microsoft going to do to the OS that causes the total IT workload to double?

@adacosta

swings and roundabouts. Our office has to throw out a €3000 multifunction office printer bought in 2008 if an upgrade from XP to 7 is required. And running legacy editions of software like Monarch in XP mode confuse the heck out of even moderately advanced users.

The other posters have a point. Why does the retail upgrade cost have to be so high for individuals and small businesses that buy PCs one or two at a time relative to OEM / enterprise volume pricing? Even in high income countries the €200 quid cost of a legal non-oem retail / upgrade version is hard to justify.

It's the same with server CALs. I was shopping for 5 SBS 2011 std cals, that I could downgrade to 2003. For every one usable CAL item that I could find there are 30 OEM, as though suggesting that there is no demand for the retail due to it's silly premium charge.

I'd go so far as to say it's actually difficult to buy Microsoft software in a form that you want without a glossary of terms such as ROK, OEM etc. Any chance that when we collect 5 windows 7 Pro / office / server license keys we could register to convert to an Open Volume license?

First of all I am glad that XP is going. There are simple things like having a standardized way to setup a projector and having a decent way to manage (and debug) your sound devices really useful in my practical stuff and something that I really miss when having to deal with XP computers.

But I have been reading some of these comments and seemingly many people tend to sadly disagree, keeping this OS alive much longer than I would have ever wanted. As a developer I have come accross APIs that don't exist on XP (can be as dramatic as Direct2D) and I find it odd that IT administrators don't enjoy the better deployment and management capabilities of the newer OS. Nevermind the fact that it would be my guess that it's easier to explain how to accomplish tasks to other users. (Talking about developing I've also noticed that killing threads is safer in NT 6 because locks are released properly while XP did a piss job, be kind to the devs and kill the OS!)

Features like the super bar and start menu probably started out in Microsoft Research (would at least be my inspired guess) and therefore, even if it may not fit in with your habits people should try them out. Most people have 5 or so tasks/apps they constantly have open. Why don't you pin them to the superbar? Also even a kid who can only 2 finger type is probably faster than the person waiting for those painful Windows XP start menus if he simply wants to open an application like word (if you have 2 hands on the board and can touch type this goes really fast, if you just have never been able to touch type you could try learning a completely different keyboard layout like dvorak, that forces you to touch type). So again these things have been researched, try to get used to them, they don't bite :-)

Licensing / costs: I can't say Windows is cheap, I can't say I wish it wasn't cheaper. But if your company just can't foot the bills maybe you can phone up Microsoft see if something can be sorted out. If anything it is that service you are paying for. I don't know if Microsoft individually assesses such situations and wether they bend their rules but I do hope that they do. If they don't I would love it if someone could contact me to tell me this is not the case.

Lastly security. A big thing to remember is that security updates != security. The windows OS is designed to incorporate sandboxing in a variety of different ways. There is UAC and then apps like Internet Explorer that internally run low privileged processes to avoid security issues, making a multitude of exploits necessary. I'm sure there have been countless other changes to the kernel to make stuff more secure, remember NT 6 (Vista, the "bad OS"), such as the threading issue mentioned above. From what my memory gather I remember Microsoft stated that much of the kernel was rewritten. It has a reason, just like why there are probably far fewer infections on NT 6+ than NT 5.

P.S.: Someone mentioned a printer that has to be thrown out... honestly?!? Thats a Microsoft issue?!? Which junk company can't support a 3 year old printer. Shame them, not Microsoft. Vista was 2007, one year before your printer was bought, maybe it was then that you should have looked to finde atleast a Vista compatible one, because Windows 7 is fairly compatible with Vista and the chances of a company writing a Vista driver that was not compatible or ported to Windows 7 is unlikely!

'Cause Win 8 will be out before XP expires.  I'll upgrade to 8 directly with a fresh install, hey, maybe even Win 9, 3 years from now.

Apple's Lion doesn't just cost 30 bucks, it can also be (legally) installed on an unlimited number of owned systems... and no I'm not a Mac user, I just heard that during the last Apple 2011 keynote. Concerning XP, MS should have dropped support ages ago already.

And in araound 1.270 days support for Windows 7 Starter, Home Premium and Ultimate will end (see e.g. support.microsoft.com/lifecycle for your reference). There's no Extended Support phase for these consumer versions of Windows 7. I know, MS doesn't really care about consumers and very much prefers enterprises. Though it would be "nice" to mention that in the article - which is not really about anything but marketing.

Just out of fun I put together a pc with the same specs as the starter Mac pro. Even though I used quality components and partially better ones to I managed to come up 1245 euros with windows ultimate full version. The comparable mac costed 2400 euros. that leaves around 1150 euros. Windows 7 ultimate costs 260 euros.

That is 1..2..3..4 Windows upgrades and some beer money. If  you used system builder versions you would get 7 Windows versions.

Oh and XP came out in 2001. That is 10 years ago, aka a loooong time.

I'd buy another Copy of Windows 7 for my Computer if, yes if there would be decent Drivers for my Soundblaster Audigy Soundcard (and some other Devices).. Drivers for Windows 7 are not as good like for XP and there are lots of Features lacking. I don't want to throw this Card away, it stil has a great sound and works Perfectly and it wasn't cheap at all! Guess that XP will stay on this Machine even after 2014 :( And no i don't have the money to buy a new PC, so don't suggest me that..

Hello!

I just wanted to say that I will never upgrade my XP until there will be hardwares that support it. The GUI of Win7 is terrible. Most of the new features are eihter terrible or useless. If you return to the GUI of XP in Win8 and you remove every new feature except the rearrangeable taskbar buttons I might give a second thought to try it out. And let the users select what to install! I do NOT need neither IE nor WMP or MovieMaker or any these added software that are NOT required in order to run the OS. Turning off the so-called features is not removing or uninstalling the programs. When you uninstall something the files are deleted from the disk. So, once again: what do we want in windows 8?

1. The GUI of WinXP

2. Selectable components when installing the OS (like in win98)

3. DO NOT install anything by default that is not required in order to run the OS.

4. The old "Add new font" panel of WinXP

5. No taskbar button "merging", only rearrangable buttons

6. Remove breadcrambs, libraries, favourites and all other groups from explorer and common dialogs except network places

7. Remove everything else that was introduced as a "new feature" in Win7

+1: Sell it a lot cheaper! (max. $50 or so)

@Fed44, can you point me where you read that killing threads is safer in NT 6 because locks are released properly while XP did a piss job

Hello,

Windows XP was great operating system… in 2001.  But, as noted, it's time to move on to a modern, supported operating system with better diagnostics and security.  I can understand there are people who are unable to afford a new PC right now, but three years lead notice should be enough time to start saving for an entry level PC, or at least for hardware to upgrade their current system.

I was not particularly happy about the loss of the Start Menu, and all of the changes in Windows Vista and Windows 7's user interface, but as I got more exposure to them, my pain lessened.  I can see how it would be problematic for an end-user who is used to a familiar interface, but that's one of the reasons that application visualization exists; to act as a crutch until something more modern can replace something that is no longer supportable.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

@Skynet What the hell? Don't say "What do WE want." Say what do "I" want. Speak for yourself. XP GUI was crap and wasn't even GPU accellerated properly. It could not sync to the vertical blanking period. Everything you suggested was stepping BACKWARDS in tech history. Look you can stay on XP if you want, but if MS did that with windows 8 I would NEVER go back to windows EVER again.

@Skynet

Remove all the new features? Do you prefer pressing a hardware manufacturer specific key combination to hook up a projector? Do you prefer messing around with the Control Panel to choose the right sound device? Do you prefer not being able to individually control application sound levels? Can you open Start->All Programs->Microsoft Office->Word quicker than you can type <win>word<return>?

Do you realize that those components are not just for the application itself? Take internet explorer as an example. It consists of the WinHTTP library and the ActiveX control (this is also a reason why it requires a restart on install). WinHTTP is used for A LOT of applications. The ActiveX control is the quickest way of getting a website to display in a .Net (and probably native apps aswell). The Internet Explorer engine will probably drive the Windows 8 UI. WMP probably is based around APIs that are used in many games and other applications that require media in some way. Movie Maker itself is dead (talk about researching stuff...) and you actually need to install Windows Live Movie Maker if you do want it. Besides stuff like Windows Mail is already gone as a preinstalled application so actually your request is more filled in Windows 7 than XP. Why would you even care about the 5MB that the Internet Explorer UI takes up in any case though, seems rediculous to me (WMP is also 5).

The DWM that came into existance when Vista came out had it's drawbacks (tad slower maybe) but is really a lovely thing that is enjoyable and makes sense (Oh please Microsoft, open up more of these APIs like being able to fetch the actual Window Image!!!). Thumbnail preview makes finding apps trivial and app pinning (I take it that is what you mean with "merging") is more screen economical than the Quick Launch and is something that you obviously have blindly rejected...

Libraries make sense if you have 2 media apps like Zune and WMP that then automatically use the libraries to make sure all your media is in them.

I get the feeling you looked at Windows 7 for two minutes and shouted "THIS ISN'T WINDOWS 98", well guess what, it isn't. Use it for a couple of weeks try out the new features, don't try to configure it to look like a Windows 98 UI. Grouped programs in XP I would also always disable but I find the way stuff is layed out in Windows 7 just perfect and I can't understand people who want to know what the name of their application is at the cost of 32*200 pixels. I also find small icons wrong, but thats just me :).

(BTW: Whats wrong with installing fonts like www.akascope.com/.../add-install-fonts-windows-7 ?)

@ Ottmar Freudenberger, Extended support hasn't been announced yet for those products.

See: "Microsoft will also provide Extended Support for the 5 years following Mainstream support or for 2 years after the second successor product (N+2) is released, whichever is longer. Finally, most Business and Developer products will receive at least 10 years of online self-help support."

support.microsoft.com/.../lifepolicy

@Skynet, so what you're saying is we should all go back to using unstable and unsecure code just to make you happy? I mean who wants to protect their machines from malware, damn that UAC! And to Hell with that Kernel Patch Protection!

We should all ignore and forget using the usability features that have been introduced, such as search (I mean who searches for stuff anyways, when we can spend countless minutes digging needlessly through the Start Menu?), Shake, Snap, Libraries (Why have a neat file structure, when I can files all over my hard drive?)?

Also, who the Hell wants GPU accelerated graphics? I used to love having my windows tear across my screen when I moved them, and then have to wait as my CPU re-rendered the Window. Right? Because that is what your saying. Also, who the Hell needs the Ribbon UI when we can spend all day digging through obscure and undescript drop down menus? Am I right here too?

"I do NOT need neither IE nor WMP or MovieMaker or any these added software that are NOT required in order to run the OS."

- Further proof your out of touch with reality. What harm do these components do to you? If you don't want them, don't use them. But for a consumer oriented OS, they are needed. Joe User isn't able to use a machine that won't work for him. It'll be even more confusing when he has to go out and find something that does.

"So, once again: what do we want in windows 8?"

"We"? Since when do you speak for us?

@Cylon Centurion

There will not be a Extended Support Phase for "consumer" versions of Windows 7 (Starter, Home Premium and Ultimate). See the Lifecycle Policy FAQ (support.microsoft.com/.../lifepolicy):

"Consumer, Hardware, and Multimedia products

Microsoft will offer Mainstream Support for either a minimum of 5 years from the date of a product’s general availability, or for 2 years after the successor product (N+1) is released, whichever is longer. Extended Support is not offered for Consumer, Hardware, and Multimedia products."

Windows XP Home Edtion has been (and still is) the exeception to that rule.

Only Windows 7 Professional and Enterprise will receive additional five years of Extended Support.

When we say "we" we are obviously talking about the ones who refuse to upgrade and not the whole globe.

GPU accelerated GUI ? I refuse to upgrade because Microsoft refuse to add advanced features on Seven like GPU accelerated GUI for classic skin and other requests which you can find all over the Microsoft tech social forums. Why classic skin ? There are many 3d graphics professionals using that skin because of minimalist preference or because it works better with 3d software.

Look on youtube for GPU accelerated compare between Classic skin on XP and Vista or Seven.

I have various indexing programs installed on xp, including one better than the included search in Seven and with more options.

I think one of the biggest problem with Seven are removal of certain features and inclusion of new "features" which require more key press and more mouse clicks and all these just for a more aesthetically pleasing UI.

The title way up there at the top of the page says this is a blog, but it reads more like an advertisement.

Saying one OS is better than another isn't that cut and dried. I have, at mental count, 9 computers in my house, and while 8 of them could run XP, only 4 could run W7 properly. Driver issues, older hardware, etc. A few years ago technology seemed to be moving so fast that if your PC was a year old it was out of date. Nowadays that's less true, since most people's requirements are simple word processing, email etc, which can be performed quite easily with even dusty old hardware.

From my experience of W7, for everyday tasks such as these, it's about on a par with XP. It's certainly prettier. Of course I have no problem with software being retired and replaced with newer, better versions. That's progress. But the line that prompted me to register to comment, though, was this:

"n April 8, 2014, security patches and hotfixes for all versions of Windows XP will no longer be available. So bottom line, PC’s running Windows XP will be vulnerable to security threats. "

Your post is full of implications, but here the direct implication is that before April 8, 2014, XP is _not_ vulnerable to security threats. The secondary implication is that W7 is not vulnerable to security threats.

I find your decision to use language such as this misleading.

yes its about time this platform is laid to rest...where i work they still use it

I'm expecting my free copies of Windows 8 any minute.  I have the dog out hunting for the mail person now.

I,ve been using this Operating system for 8 years now, not to be done out by Microsoft themself's. I respect every decison Microsoft has made, until now. How could they disregard every mega-corporation and even small buisness's by removing security patches on the best operating system that they have created. I say if the people relie on using this operating system, they souldn't be the ones to say "Hey we need more cash so we arn't supporting our security patches that almost every sucssful corporation in the USA relies on." I find that uterly stupid tand his operating system should be here until the people deside when its time to lay it to rest.

Something good to much better? Don't need/want support, and better is a relative term. Perhaps, if senselessly spending money to get something you don't need or want is smart. This PC is 11yo, running XP, and meets ALL my needs. As I'm behind an enterprise-class firewall (not MS's), use noscript & Firefox, and benefit little from MS patches, I see no reason to upgrade. *Especially* to win8, which seems to be Win for morons -> Hint MS: "start" isn't the 1st thing I use when I boot-up, nor is it what I want to see! So many benefits from Win7, and yet, when patches stop, you'll make the same arguments. Technology has become a money-pit.

I heard pretty much the same comments and fears when Microsoft went from DOS to Windows.

Back then it was, "real men type in their commands, sissy's use a mouse".