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After that date, if you're running Windows XP you have to upgrade to SP3, otherwise you won't get any security updates or fixes for the operating system.

Not really an issue for many businesses as their systems are only connected to an intranet, not the internet. The main server may actually be connected to the internet, but in most cases there will be hardware protection in place between the terminals and the server (not to mention software protections on what the terminal is allowed to do). And any server will definitely be using hardware protection between itself and the internet.

As somebody who has spent a great deal of time in and out of the hospital and medical offices and labs in the past two months getting various testing and procedures done, I can tell you I saw no systems running Vista or 7. Everything was 2000 or XP and I do not see this changing any time soon. It is not like for home users where you can simply replace the systems or throw 7 on them. Taking the computers out of the equation, you are talking about hundreds of millions of dollars required to develop and buy new software designed to run properly on Windows 7. You are also talking about hundreds of millions of dollars (even billions) required to buy new medical equipment (scopes, ultrasounds, xrays, MRIs, diagnostic testing, chemical testing, etc.) that are designed to work under Windows 7 not to mention the specialty software each piece of equipment requires that has to be rewritten to work with the medical device. Most of these devices also have specially built computers designed for the particular purpose they are being used for. It is not like you can magically solve all of these issues by just installing Windows 7 on everything. The medical field is not your average business (although it is a huge moneymaker), but the medical field is just one of many specialty fields where Windows 7 is an extremely costly upgrade.

Of course, Microsoft is already sending up the signal flares that Windows XP is considered a deprecated platform. The new version of Windows Live (Mail, Messenger, etc.) isn't being released for the platform

You do realize you are actually making an argument for sticking with XP

As to businesses still using XP, people overlook two key points:

1. Many companies lease their equipment. They have to wait until the current lease expires to upgrade their systems when the new lease is signed. Most often the leases are three or five years. They can't magically upgrade systems when a new OS comes out.

2. Windows 7 (contrary to claims) is not a legitimate replacement for much of the corporate world who just needs word processing, spreadsheets or various database apps. Windows 7 requires a SM3 capable gaming rig to run the "alternative lifestyle inspired" GUI. Gaming rigs are not something the corporate world generally buys to use as terminals. In most of these cases an Atom based nettop would suffice for their terminal needs. Most companies lease low end systems to use as their terminals.

For the business sector, it would be interesting if Microsoft kept XP available for businesses. Then when it is time to sign a new lease, we could see if companies choose XP or 7. However, that would give us honest statistics. The real truth is MS gives most companies no choice. When the company signs a new lease for computers, they will come with Windows 7 on them as that is all MS makes available to system builders. It is not like companies are actually choosing to upgrade to Windows 7. MS gives them no choice in the matter.

150 million Windows 7 licenses have been sold. Beats out the others in sales.

Keep in mind that with Windows sales are often forced and you have no choice. If you buy a new computer, it comes with some version of Windows 7 already installed. It is not like 150 million people actually went out and bought only Windows 7.

Kuron wrote: ...When the company signs a new lease for computers, they will come with Windows 7 on them as that is all MS makes available to system builders. It is not like companies are actually choosing to upgrade to Windows 7. MS gives them no choice in the matter.

They may come licenced with Win7, but most companies will continue to replace a Win7 pre-install with their WXP standard build...

Only home users and very small businesses are using Win7 in appreciable numbers.

The problem (for MS) is that Win7 needs investment in new HW and no company is going to do that (at least) until their desktops have run a 4 or 5 year cycle of depreciation. Even then, they may choose to sweat the asset for another year or so -or- more likely, simply run the desktop until it dies.

naw wrote:They may come licenced with Win7, but most companies will continue to replace a Win7 pre-install with their WXP standard build...

I know the company I work for does this. The company buys Dell laptops to issue to employees. The first thing they do is replace whatever is on the hard disk with the company's standard XP Pro install with the standard set of applications.

The only machines not running XP Pro are servers which are either running linux or some server edition of Windows (probably 2003) and machines in the test labs.

GWarner wrote:

naw wrote:They may come licenced with Win7, but most companies will continue to replace a Win7 pre-install with their WXP standard build...

I know the company I work for does this. The company buys Dell laptops to issue to employees. The first thing they do is replace whatever is on the hard disk with the company's standard XP Pro install with the standard set of applications.

What is bad about this is it counts as a Windows 7 sale for MS. What I was alluding to before, but didn't express so well is how many of those 150 million sales of Windows 7 are actually in use? In use copies of 7 (acquired through legal means) and sold copies of 7 are two entirely different things.

Kuron wrote:In use copies of 7 (acquired through legal means) and sold copies of 7 are two entirely different things.

Very true, just look at Vista and how many people bought systems with Vista on it and the first thing they do is format the drive and install XP. I know a bunch of people that did this.

My dad recently bought a laptop with Vista on it. We tried to install XP but the installer wouldn't run on it, it kept crashing in some driver. We concluded that the laptop's hardware was new enough that XP could not run on it without additional drivers so we instead upgraded it to Windows 7. Either way he did not like and did not want to keep Vista.

GWarner wrote:My dad recently bought a laptop with Vista on it. We tried to install XP but the installer wouldn't run on it, it kept crashing in some driver. We concluded that the laptop's hardware was new enough that XP could not run on it without additional drivers so we instead upgraded it to Windows 7. Either way he did not like and did not want to keep Vista.

Possibly a SATA issue? If so, there is usually a BIOS setting that will let you set it so SATA will be seen as IDE/EIDE or ATAPI. I know I have to do this on my two newest systems.

Not this laptop, you could go into BIOS but you couldn't change anything. And you're right, it probably was an SATA issue.

My dad says in hindsight had he known, he wouldn't have bought that particular laptop model.

I don't remember the exact model but do recall it was an HP done in a silver color with blue accents. One thing about it that struck me was that the keyboard had a separate numeric keypad. The downside was the keyboard was also silver with black lettering, nearly impossible to see except in bright areas.

GWarner wrote:Not this laptop, you could go into BIOS but you couldn't change anything. And you're right, it probably was an SATA issue.

My dad says in hindsight had he known, he wouldn't have bought that particular laptop model.

I don't remember the exact model but do recall it was an HP done in a silver color with blue accents. One thing about it that struck me was that the keyboard had a separate numeric keypad. The downside was the keyboard was also silver with black lettering, nearly impossible to see except in bright areas.

You have to slipstream the correct SATA drivers in the XP install CD, this is normal for almost all new hardware.
Nlite is a nice tool to do this easy. http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/OS- ... Lite.shtml

Berikco wrote:You have to slipstream the correct SATA drivers in the XP install CD, this is normal for almost all new hardware.
Nlite is a nice tool to do this easy. http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/OS- ... Lite.shtml

Nlite is very useful, I used it to squeeze XP pro onto an EEEPC with no CD drive. Managed to install via USB stick without much effort.

Berikco wrote:You have to slipstream the correct SATA drivers in the XP install CD, this is normal for almost all new hardware.

I might have gone that route if I had had time to tinker, but I only had two days to format and install Windows, then install all the programs he wanted, and then restore his data.

Interesting...

Microsoft says 74 percent of work PCs still use Windows XP, extends downgrade rights until 2020

That makes sense. XP is the last OS from Microsoft that focuses on the corporate side. Vista & Win7 is mode of an eye candy thing the appeals to the home user & I think many IT departments in a way misses that pure business approach from NT.

My larger clients are today sticking with XP due to strict IT-policy, while one smaller has a mixture since they leave the OS up to their users (I like the last approach).

GWarner wrote:Interesting...

Microsoft says 74 percent of work PCs still use Windows XP, extends downgrade rights until 2020

They really had no choice. Also, if the leaks of Windows 8 info are accurate, companies are going to be even more inclined to stick with XP.

Vistas main problem was sabotage from that Russian SPY that worked for Microsloppy!!!

It all makes sense now!!!

DOS Rulez!!!!

Kuron wrote:They really had no choice. Also, if the leaks of Windows 8 info are accurate, companies are going to be even more inclined to stick with XP.

Not just businesses, I have Windows 7 Home Premium courtesy of the MSDN account the company I work for maintains for my use, but I have no current plans to switch from XP Home. XP just plain works, so why abandon it?

I imagine that eventually I'll be forced to switch due to lack of drivers for XP for newer hardware. But as long as my current system keeps working I'll keep using it and XP and put off switching for as long as I can.