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Dell to drop preinstalled Windows XP option this month
The Dell post offers several suggestions for those who may still not be ready for the change, from Virtual XP mode in Windows 7 to utilizing Dell's Custom Factory Install (CFI). But just because XP preinstalls can't be purchased, it doesn't mean you're stuck migrating to Windows 7.
You can, of course, install using your own media -- or Dell could even provide an XP rollback image on DVD. That's still fairly common with OEMs, and in the past couple of months, I've used such discs from Acer, Lenovo, and Toshiba on laptops that shipped with Windows 7 Professional.
XP still has far too many fans for the world's #2 PC OEM to drop the OS completely.
[via PC Magazine]
Comments
10
Subscribe to commentsr3loadedSep 8th 2010 8:31AM
Seriously, there are people who *still* aren't ready for Windows 7 and prefer XP? Let it die already.
2late2dieSep 8th 2010 10:14AM
I gotta agree. I'm using XP at work, but have been using Win7 at home since the beta, and while XP is still very much usable, if you have the choice there's absolutely no reason to not go with Windows 7 - it's more polished, more stable, more user friendly, it's just all around a better OS.
It's funny how Vista turned into almost a Windows ME like debacle. :)
Martin-TSep 8th 2010 11:32AM
XP is stable, reliable and cost effective. I only use XP on my older hardware but, I understand why businesses are reluctant to move on.
r3loadedSep 8th 2010 2:24PM
@Martin-T I run Windows 7 on an old Dell desktop that dates from early 2003 (ok, I upgraded the RAM to 1GB). Works great, and that's pretty ancient hardware. Someone using a computer older than that really needs a new computer. And businesses have had 3+ years and two releases of Windows to move on.
WitchySep 11th 2010 12:19AM
Right...My company needs XP for business. If Dell will not sell this then we will buy from another manufacturer. We a have a 5 million machine that will never interface with 7 and applications as well that require XP. We can deal with working on updates for the applications but, there is no way we will let a 5 million piece of machinery become a dead doormat for an OS upgrade.
Eric HSep 8th 2010 9:06AM
I am currently running windows 95, it does what I need it to do why upgrade.
FritzSep 8th 2010 9:19AM
With the way the world is at the moment, i was sure there was enough reasons to upgrade to 7. since it accomodates a plethora of "built for comfort" features to actually being a true upgrade (lets just leave Vista out of the picture). Now if they can just not have Vista as an option the world will be spinning again.
DavidSep 8th 2010 7:40PM
You guys don't work in IT, do you? Some businesses simply can't upgrade to Windows 7 without using a bunch of kludgey work-arounds (*cough* Windows XP Mode *cough*) because of existing software that they depend on. For instance, many organizations still run web-based apps that require IE6 (why do you think THAT hasn't died yet, because we love it?), and without an IE6 compatibility mode in IE8, we're stuck until the funding comes through to upgrade that whole system. Hell, at my company we're locked into Java 1.4.2_xx because of prerequisites, and that's older than WinXP.
There's also the monetary cost of upgrading everyone to Windows 7, as only PCs bought after it was released have upgrade rights without an Enterprise Agreement with Microsoft. That's cost prohibitive in its own right.
I understand why Microsoft stopped supporting WinXP SP2 last month, and don't blame them a bit. This however is just a power play to force companies to upgrade and generate more revenue via upgrade licenses. They know that it's unrealistic to run both side-by-side in a managed environment without doubling the support load, and so by making this move they're forcing our hands.
I love Windows 7, and have been using it since January 2009, but in my last two jobs I worked at companies where we were essentially locked out of using anything newer than XP for cost reasons.
WitchySep 11th 2010 12:26AM
Right we have machinery that will "NEVER" be compatible with Windows 7. As a consequence all our staff have XP on their computers. Sure I could write a driver myself but, I would have to go Linux to do that instead of Windows 7 since MS have locked down the driver model. For us it is XP or a Linux solution in the future.
DrakkenfyreSep 8th 2010 7:51PM
They still charge an assload for Windows XP.
Windows 7? Sure, included in the price. Oh, you want Windows XP instead? That will be $120.