Windows XP Thrives, Stumbles in a Vista World
Windows XP continues to thrive in a world where Microsoft would have you use Windows Vista. But Microsoft isn’t making it all that easy.
In January of this year, I first laid my hands on Windows Vista. At Consumer Electronics Show 2007, Microsoft had a very impressive display of systems running Vista and Microsoft Office 2007. Even on the demo machines, the operating system was sluggish. I suppose Microsoft should have borrowed machines with the fast new quad core processors from Intel being displayed scant feet away. On the verge of Q4 2007, most consumer machines in retail seem to be shipping with higher end processors from 2006, so it is no wonder that noone wants to have Vista (before getting to the issue of available drivers). Led by Dell, PC manufacturers are wisely offering XP as an option on system builds - those that offer XP as a choice are clearly thriving.
But Microsoft is not making it easy for us to keep our beloved XP. Now doubt you have been forced to agree to install an update that verifies that you are running a legal copy of Windows XP. However this same process apparently stops you from getting the last 80 or so patches if you use Windows XP’s Repair function to try to resurrect a non-booting computer.
