MS Announces: Windows XP will be sticking around for ten more years [UPDATED]

Interesting, Microsoft, interesting. Now, about your refusal to make IE9 for XPs....

Glad my company is putting Windows 7 on ALL new machines already.

This is a stupid decision on Microsoft's part. Now Hardware vendors and software vendors will not feel the need to upgrade their products therefore slowing progress in the IT environment.

Wow thats dumb. I can't see how this would do anything but cost microsoft money and slow the enterprise industry all together. I wonder if their stock will take a hit.

This is pretty lame, but I'm already starting to see the RAM limitations of 32bit XP causing work places to upgrade. I think as even the most basic workstations start coming with 4gb of memory or more, we'll see XP start to decline sharply. (This might take a few years of course. ;))

Noooooooooooooo.

My XP machine spontaneously restarts all the time. I've been hoping MS would force-feed us all Win7, but they're probably spooked by the DOJ. Thanks a pantload, feds.

I hate that Playskool interface too. Luckily there's still the "Windows Classic" theme. Yes, it's gray and boring but it gets out of my face so I can focus on what I'm doing (as long as I'm not crashing) instead of this kiddie toy look

Patched my uxtheme.dll on day one and been happily using it ever since. 3 gb of RAM is starting to hurt though, luckily I'm getting a new one in a couple of days :)

Works for me. Every time I have to use Win7 I can't figure out how to get to anything. My job requires that I spend time in Win7, but it takes me twice as long to get anything done, just by virtue of the GUI's bizarre impenetrability. I know I'd get used to it eventually, but I'd get used to a Mac eventually too, and I want nothing to do with that either. WinXP is more than stable enough for my needs.

My XP doesn't look like that. I'd forgotten that it ever did and it didn't take me "countless hours" to change it. It's quite beautiful now.

What I really don't understand is why all the hate directed at XP. If I don't want to use Windows 7, what's the big deal?

Win7 is very pretty. As yet, most of my applications won't run on it unless I resort to using virtual mode (no thanks). Why should I have to pay big (extra) bucks just to work in a virtual environment and have to put up with a boatload of bloat (on my little home system) that I don't want. I don't use my task bar and the last thing I want is some huge space hog blocking off my view of whatever project I'm working on. I could go on and on but I'm getting off the point.

I don't need to understand why folks are so hot to run out and purchase Windows 7 (the most widely advertised OS ever) or why they so love it. I am glad they are so happy with it. But - Why must they get so almighty nasty about XP. They act like a bunch of little 13-yr-old girls.

I just dont have words to describe how stupid this is from MS, windows 8 will be 64 bit only and be released in 2012, what are they gonna do? provide downgrade rights to win8 users, MS just went RETARD.

i have windows xp and windows 7, my gaming machine still uses windows xp cause its quicker and way more stable, i dont understand all this hate for windows xp, you are talking like you are a microsoft rep, ohh wait those are saying its ok to hang onto windows xp, weird...., sure windows xp is old and not that glistening, but well i've always disabled windows xp themes and use just the plain mode and after some tweaking windows xp is a powerhouse of stability and performance, even compared with windows 7 where a lot of the systems you dont really need CANT be disabled...

also with all of this (vista, 7...), my laptops are all running linux with wine and windows xp virtualized for a couple of games and programs, cause linux gives me better performance for my hardware, ohhh right i should use windows 7 virtualized... please... gimme a break, windows 7 is WAY better than vista, but its still a bit of a long way to beat windows xp performance/customization, especially if you know what you are doing.

@erez zukerman

I know this blog system is, often, more about opinions than facts, but if your gripe with XP is about the interface, Emerge Desktop is a much better shell replacement ( and still improving, not a dead project ) than LiteStep.
Check out their 32 or 64-bit version for Windows 2000 and newer. Last update, June 30, 2010.

I do not work for nor with them. I simply use what's best for me, including XP. :-))

Surf's up, dudes and dudettes.

Microsoft wouldn't have this problem if they'd let people *upgrade* to Win7. I'd be using 7 on all my machines right now (5 licenses in MS's pocket), except that I'll be damned if I'm going to install from scratch and then have to sit there reinstalling every app, every game, etc. My time is not valueless.

I don't think you are comprehending just what Microsoft is allowing. This is for new machines purchased with Windows 7 as well as the downgrade license to XP pro. We did the same thing with Vista on a Dell, paying extra to downgrade to XP Pro. The caveat is that THE COMPUTER MANUFACTURERS HAVE TO OFFER THE DOWNGRADE! If they choose to make the offer, then they also have to provide XP drivers for the hardware, which they will probably have no incentive to do, as the development costs will be all theirs. This is just a case of Microsoft offering a product that the hardware manufacturers will have to support. I doubt if there will be many at all who choose to do so.

I find it hard to believe that Microsoft would make a decision like this that is certainly not in their best financial interest just out of the goodness of their heart. Obviously there are a lot of people, a huge number of people, not just stuffy big corporate types, that are still demanding Windows XP and are perfectly happy with its stable operating environment and not having to replace hardware, applications and quite possibly their entire computer. Personally I would upgrade from Windows XP if I felt there was a better PC product to upgrade to, but I'm not convinced there is so I feel no need to make a change. Most average, non-geek types are tired of disposable computing, replacing all their stuff every time a new OS comes out, having to learn a whole new interface -- they just want to be able to get on their email and surf the web without undue expense and complication.

This makes sense. With Vista, they had to push hard to sun down XP because the were very few other drivers pushing people toward it -- and that cuts into the revenue stream. Windows 7 has been far more successful. People aren't really demanding XP on new machines now, they just want to be able to keep it around for older hardware. Windows 7 is good enough that people are ok with it, so no need to forcibly sundown XP.

I don't know about the rest , but like fiendsan said, why this hate for XP ? it's the world most selled OS and the most stable (talking about M$ products). I have both XP and 7 and i go thru 7 only once a week. XP still uses far less resources and my system runs extreamly well after some tweaks. Why should i put my pc thru stress with 7 when i don't need it (mostly, when i do need it i just select it from my boot menu)

Sure, it's old and does't have eyecandy, but i preffer performance instead of eyecandy anytime !

And don't be worry, 7 is growing quickly and by 2013-2014 i think about 70% of all pc's with microsoft OS will be with 7