Windows XP gets another lifeline

Bowing to continued demand, Microsoft has again extended the life of Windows XP.

Three months after Microsoft stopped selling new copies of Windows XP, the software remains a top seller on Amazon.com.

(Credit: Amazon.com)

Although the largest PC makers can't sell XP anymore (except for ultra-low-cost machines), they can sell Vista Ultimate and Vista Business machines with XP discs in the box, or even Vista machines that are "factory downgraded" to Windows XP.

That option was supposed to go away early next year, as Microsoft was going to stop supplying Windows XP media after January 31. However, the company now says it will offer the discs through July 31, giving the option a six-month extension. (Update: PC makers will also be able to sell the factory downgraded machines online as well.)

In a statement provided to CNET News, Microsoft tried to put the best face on the move.

"As more customers make the move to Windows Vista, we want to make sure that they are making that transition with confidence and that it is as smooth as possible," Microsoft said. "Providing downgrade media for a few more months is part of that commitment, as is the Windows Vista Small Business Assurance program, which provides one-on-one, customized support for our small-business customers."

CEO Steve Ballmer said on Thursday in France that 180 million copies of Vista have been sold, but he noted that businesses continue to move at their own pace. When asked about whether companies should move to Vista or wait for Windows 7, even Ballmer said it depends on the business.

"So, my point isn't to encourage you to do it immediately; of course, we'd love you to do it immediately," Ballmer said. "My real advice is to do it in the natural rhythm of your PC upgrade cycle...Most of you will not upgrade the software on existing hardware. Some will. Most of you will actually choose to buy new machines when you move forward, and so we should work with you in that context."

The less major computer makers, known as system builders in Microsoft parlance, are still able to sell XP machines without having to do the Vista downgrade thing. That option is set to end Jan. 31 and Microsoft says that date isn't being extended.

Microsoft stopped selling Windows XP on June 30, though it continues to be available as retail supplies last. It has been a top seller on Amazon for some time, and several versions of XP are still among the retailer's top 25 best-selling software titles.

The six-month extension for XP discs was noted earlier by The Register, a tech news site.

[paul.saulnier]

It's about time people move onto Vista. I bought a brand new HP laptop with Vista x64 preinstalled, and it runs wonderfully. I don't miss XP at all.

[Get_Bent]

Well, I'm glad that Vista works in your own little world. However, Vista still has unresolved issues, not the least of which is the performance hit that it puts on many machines which run XP just fine. Not everyone is willing or able to buy a new machine or pile upgrades on their existing one just for the sake of running Microsoft's latest creation. Forcing your customers to upgrade is a sure way to **** them off and encourage them to look to other vendors for their operating system and applications.

[sythara]

Imagine if you bought a car and few years later the company told you that you had to buy a new one because dealerships and other shops wouldnt maintain it anymore or make parts for it. How would that make you feel?

[gdmaclew]

And I've got Windows XP SP3 on a 2 year old machine and it works wonderfully.
I don't miss Vista at all.

[Renegade Knight]

Vista has a great interface and works well on factory installs. Fresh installs or even reformating a factory computer to get rid of the crapware have been a thorn with Vista. I like Vista. I don't like it's issues. There is always at least one.

[catch23]

sythara,
We are talking about MS here, not Apple. XP has had a good run, and been supported longer then any non-MS OS.
Whats more, it is still supported, and no one is saying you need to buy anything. They just aren't selling any more.
Please spread your FUD elsewhere.

[azcomicgeek]

No one is 'forcing' anyone to upgrade your underpowered old machines. Vista x64 makes perfect sense on a new machine with at least 2 gig memory. If you are happy living in the past and your old clunker does what you need it to do then stop whining and complaining about an OS you haven't used and don't plan to use.
Waiting for Windows 7 makes no sense as it will be based on the same codebase as Vista.

[Lerianis]

Get_Bent, stop posting BS. The fact is that there is NO performance hit that it puts on ANY machines that have a dual-core processor and at least 2GB's of RAM, and a reasonable video card (ATI X300 or better).
In fact, I tested two machines with the same exact specifications: one with Vista, one with XP. Guess what? The Vista machine ran many of the applications I was testing FASTER than the XP machine, without any tweaks. When I tweaked both systems, the Vista machine still left the XP one in the dust in most applications, including games.

[Get_Bent]

Lerianis, you're full of crap. You want proof of Vista's performance hit? Don't take _my_ word for it: Google on "windows xp vista performance" and see what you find. Here's a sample:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/xp-vs-vista,1531-4.html
Tests were run using an Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800 CPU, 2GB RAM, and ATI Radeon X1900XTX GPU

http://news.cnet.com/Windows-XP-outshines-Vista-in-benchmarking-test/2100-1016_3-6220201.html

http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/amd_nvidia_windows_vista_driver_performance_update/

http://www.crn.com/software/198702242

Vista was slower than XP in almost every test; service packs (SP3 for XP and SP1 for Vista) made little if any difference. Vista especially drags *ss in the graphics tests. Vista has more baggage running in the background, and is much more memory-hungry than XP, and this slows it down. Maybe you better verify your "facts" before spouting your opinions in public.

[Tommyr2006]

Vista sucks, that is why so many people are raising a stink. Microsoft sees that and was smart enough (go figure!) to see it. XP is better than Vista. OS Warp is better than Vista for Pete's sakes....

[Fil0403]

@ Get_Bent: Well, I'm glad that XP runs just fine in your own antiquated world. However, anything developed by human beings has unresolved issues, of which (regarding software) the performance hit that it puts on old machines which run old software just fine is not one of them (it's something called "evolution", which you seem to have never heard about and show to not have enough intelligence to even understand it). Not everyone is willing or able to stick to the past using old software in old hardware and accept Vista FUD just for the sake of not running Microsoft's latest creation, which just happens to be (IMO) the most advanced OS today. Forcing your customers to upgrade (Apple) is a sure way to **** them off and encourage them to look to other vendors for their operating system and applications (Microsoft), yes; expecting companies to infinitely support old products that were released 5+ years ago is a sure way to show your ignorance regarding business and new versions of these products (ignorants like you - i.e. Vista bashers); giving your customers an option to upgrade to a better product while conitnuously extending the support for your old product - resulting in almost 10 years of full support for an OS, something practically unheard of in this industry - (Microsoft) is a sure way to win the part of them that 1) is unbiased, 2) is intelligent enough to not take FUD for granted, and 3) actually knows something about it, and encourage them to keep looking for new versions of their operating system and applications.

@ sythara: It would make me feel bad, and that's one of the many reasons why I'm using a PC with Microsoft Windows Vista Business x64 and not a Mac.

@ gdmaclew: And I've got Microsoft Windows Vista Business x86 on a 5+ year old machine and it works wonderfully. And by the way: in case you haven't noticed (or in case you are simply too stupid to understand it), you can't miss something you've never tried.

@ Renegade Knight: I agree that Vista has a great interface and works well on factory installs. Fresh installs or even reformatting a factory computer to get rid of the crapware (or simply to get the most advanced OS there is today, IMO) have been a dream with Vista in my experience (probably 10+ times already, on different computers). I like Vista too. I don't like its (few) issues either. There is always at least one, yes, in anything made by human beings.

@ Get_Bent: Get_Bent, you're the one full of crap. You want proof of Vista's performance superiority? Don't take _unbiased media's_ word for it: try it _yourself_ on _current_ machines and see what _you_ find. Vista is faster than XP in almost every test. Service Pack 1 for Vista makes the difference even greater. Graphics is not an exception either. Here's a sample (on an old machine; if it would be new, the difference would much probably be much greeater): I have a 5+ year old Toshiba Satellite A60-122 notebook (P4 3.06 GHz, 256 MB + 1 GB RAM, ATI Mobility Radeon 7000 IGP 64 MB shared memory); I've run both Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition x86 SP2 and Microsoft Windows Vista Business x86 SP1 on it; it runs faster with Vista than with XP. Just like practically every new piece of software compared to the previous one, Vista does have more baggage running in the background ("baggage" that actually helps to make it faster [e.g. ReadyBoost, Superfect, etc.] and more secure [e.g. PatchGuard in x64, Protected Mode in Internet Explorer, User Account control, etc.]), and it uses memory much more efficiently than XP (if you'd know anything about memory, you'd know that RAM is supposed to be used 100%, unused memory is a waste and actually a bad for performance). Maybe you better verify your "facts" before spouting your opinions in public.

@ Tommyr2006: Vista rocks, that is why it already sold around 160 million copies all over the world. Ignorants like you are not smart enough (go figure!) to understand its superiority compared to XP. Your statement that XP is supposedly better than Vista just shows how little (read nothing) you know about it and IT in general. A 10 year old is smarter than you people for God's sakes...

[ppgreat]

A $300 million ad campaign. An extension of the downgrade option. Constant talk floating around about Windows 7.

How dumb does MS think we are?

[Seaspray0]

They are listening to their customers and submitting to their demands. Some people want XP; fine, they have it. Some people want vista; fine, they have it. They'll even let you build your own hardware platform and run it on that. Does your OS maker do that?

[Dalkorian]

Um, "Mojave" proves they think you're dumber than dirt. That's why M$ owns your computer when you put fista on it and you don't. WGA, which was foisted upon unsuspecting users in ex-pee as a security update when in fact it was nothing more than spyware with a remote kill switch that was still in beta, is now ingrained into fista instead of being an added module in ex-pee. If they don't like what they see running on your machine, you WILL be locked out of it. Completely and totally. Watch all the M$ apologist trolls try to argue that one - it's happened at least once already when WGA bugged out and locked up thousands of legally purchased copies of ex-pee (I was one, it turned me into a true M$ hater).

I've been enjoying their new commercials. A guy in a turban claiming he's a PC - my mind went wild with that one despite my attempts at control ... "I'm a PC and I'm a terrorist!" - LOL. My favorite though is the tatoo artist claiming "I'm a PC and I make people bleed." ROFLMAO!

[HlLLARY CLITON]

Makes no sense to downgrade to Vista, wait for Windows 7

[k2dave]

If you need a new computer now for whatever reason and can't use Vista then there is a reason for the downgrade. Not all computers will make it till Win 7 is out, and even fewer till Win 7 service pack 1 is made available and takes care of most of the bugs.

[ckurowic]

Yes because Windows 7 will be "smarter, faster, with better access to the internet" just like every other release of windBLOWZ has claimed since version 3!!!

[cohaver]

Windows Vista Need to Work on IMAPiI Platform To Reduce it power calibration Errors to Disk back UP and Copy . Hardware and media Requirements

[Magallanes]

Windows vista runs fine in a expensive machine but windows xp runs awesome in the same expensive machine. So, what is the deal with vista?.

Do you have 2 gigas of ram?, the vista is fine with you. Do you have 2 gigas of ram and want to play crysis or any memory intensive software?, then vista is not for you.

[Lerianis]

Wrong. Vista runs Crysis just fine with only 2Gigs of Ram.... if you are smart and upgrade to 64-bit Vista, or even 64-bit XP if you are running regular 32-bit XP.

[Imalittleteapot]

Yeah be smart and run V64 with only 2 gigs of ram even though V64 serves no purpose whatsoever if you have less than 4 gig. It's true though. 32 bit Vista really sucks.

[viper396]

With the constant drop in hardware prices the complaining about the need to upgrade hardware to run Vista is just obsurd. It's almost a silly contradiction to want to upgrade your OS to the latest and greatest without upgrading your hardware in the process. Hardware performance has consistently gone up, prices have consistently gone down. People claiming that you need a high end expensive machine to run Vista are just lying because the bar on whatever the "high end" was is constantly dropping in price. What was considered the "high end" needed to run Vista last year can now be bought for under $500 now. These people making these negative claims are doing nothing more then jumping on the same tired and old anti-Microsoft bashwagon.

[[e-mail]]

Oh, fine.
I'll just upgrade our 18 XP computers to Vista machines and start all over again with goofy security settings and the frustrating re-setup of network security hoohah. Maybe I'll hire an overpriced IT guy to maintain the whole cryptic MS mess... or hire a hit and ruin "consultant".......
No thanks. XP Pro works fine.
Exxon made 10% profit and Microsoft made 25% profit.
Yeah - I'm on that tired old bandwagon, too.

If it was my own new laptop, I'd not have any problem using Vista - but - commercial users shouldn't be forced by a monopoly (MS is essentially a monopoly) to spend many thousands to "upgrade".

I'm sure that my accounting system won't run any better on Vista

BK

[Lerianis]

factory2, there is no goofy security settings and re-setup of network security. In fact, I had to do NO re-setup with my Vista computers at all. Just plugin, turn on the wireless, put in the WPA password, and GO!

[fdunn3]

That's great but you won't see those disks being offered at retail points of sale.

It's not a matter of whether that hardware is available for it or not. Windows XP Pro is still the largest Enterprise managed OS and enterprises are still struggling with the same level of management and application (in-house) compatibility with Vista Enterprise.

Vista went way too far with UAC and the psuedo Administrators group in Vista. Yes I know you can turn off UAC and you can set it not to prompt you for admin approval. But why should I have to do that?

Also when you are in the Administrator's group you DON'T have full Administrator privileges like the built-in (hidden but revealable) account does. So when you add a domain user to the Admin group they are not a FULL admin.

The only way you can get around this is to run under localsystem but that limits you to local resources and prevents you from get to AD resources.

[goodspeed8701]

o my God you americans are so poor i thought you are rich i never knew you want to use the system that runs windows me and windows 2000 to run xp does not mean it will run the ultimate vista. well even third party software need more processing power and ram to run on your machine so why not use $150 dollars to upgrade ur pc. new mboard and ram is ok. u are a gamer ati or nvidia is worth the upgrade dont blame vista cos u are so poor. here in nigeria pple dont buy system that is built for xp anymore so why u americans and other cant do that. poor poor pple.

a mac can buy 2powerful pc. so if they tell you to upgrade they wont sell a thing thats why you thing mac is better. what about ipod vs zune. u dont have to upgrade for the zune but for ipod u do. even if you want a album art feature you pay money. or u get a new ipod but just a major firmware change.

POOR POOR AMERICANS

[magicmaster]

Microsoft will continue to issue security patch for Windows XP Pro until 2014. By the time the support for WinXP expired, Windows 7 will have been released.

Enjoy while it lasts.

[jerrymacGP]

With all the issues many MS users have reported about the hardware demands of Windows Vista, my family & I continue to be delighted that we own a Mac. We just recently upgraded our 4 1/2 year old eMac to OS X 10.5 "Leopard", and despite the fact that our machine has only a 1.25 GHz Power-PC CPU and 1 GB of RAM, it runs just fine.

All those "I'm a Mac, and I'm a PC" ads are not just clever advertising? they are reality.

[goodspeed8701]

the only clever thing about you is that you n ur family own a mac for yahoo chat only and you cant do any real thing with a mac. you would be a fool to buy new hardware for the mac cos its too expensive mac knows that dats why they dont want to make the mistake by asking you to buy new hardware. even yahoo messenger takes alot of ram and chrome takes it too cos of what the can do know is more what they do before. mac is just based on interface and they can do nothing in terms of performance. mac can play games but ur freaky os cant. i say mac users still need windows when they want real job done. i will spend $120 for a good upgrade. XP sucks at last i have 3gig and intel centrino dou. it runs flawless and i see hp old thinkpad run the mac more than the freaky mac. go to youtube and see for ur self

[AppleSuxLeo]

My XP has been running fine on one GIG for over five years without problems , and with MSFT supporting XP through 2014 that is exactly why I like MSFT. Value and longevity.
Apple throws out the hardware/software every few years and charges over $100 for a mere Service Pack.
Will be getting the Acer ONE "netbook" at Fry`s with XP/1GB RAM/Webcam/120GB HDD/B and G wireless for...drum roll please...$349 ! They are sold out right now. I wonder why ? LOL

[i_made_this]

I think I see Ballmer's logic - he's telling us that it's probably best to wait to purchase Windows Seven so that we can purchase the factory downgrade to Windows Vista so that we can purchase the factory downgrade to Windows XP. Doesn't this make perfect sense to you?

Wouldn't you like to be a fly on the wall at Google's Board meetings? Those people must not be able to stop laughing.

Microsoft is making this too easy.

[Fil0403]

I think I see your logic - you're bashing Microsoft for doing exactly what people like you have been asking for (extending Windows XP's life) because you (like others) simply can't stand the fact that Windows still has 90+% of the market and Google is nothing compared to Microsoft. Doesn't this make perfect sense to you?

Wouldn't you like to be someone who understands something about this undustry? People who do must not be able to stop laughing.

Microsoft is kicking ass.

[Fil0403]

Poor Microsoft: instead of getting money for Windows and rulling the market with it, they'll get money for Windows and continue ruling the market with it.