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May 2, 2008 at 7:24 am #2147792
XP around for a while or forced to Vista?
Lockedby tech_lady · about 15 years, 11 months ago
Here’s the deal… I am an IT admin for a network of around 50 XP Pro machines. I am confident and comfortable with XP assistance and it functions well. With MS’s proposed non-support of XP, I began to look for other options. Vista will only run on about 6 of our machines, so to upgrade will be a major budget item for the non-profit I work for. PLUS – I know Zippo about Vista. From everything I read, the IT world is strongly resisting Vista due to instability, hog of resources, and the learning curve.
What does everyone think? Will XP be around a while with support, or do I need to be putting in requests for budget items for something else? Will I be forced to go to Vista anytime in the near future?
I need to be planning for the future of our network, but I’m at a loss as to recommendations to make and which way to go. Please voice your opinions!
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May 2, 2008 at 8:35 am #2567602
Up in the air…
by wesley.chin · about 15 years, 11 months ago
In reply to XP around for a while or forced to Vista?
Well, I have heard June 30 around as a date for XP cutoff. But some OEM, like Dell and others, are using a loophole to have XP around for a bit longer, even pass the Jan. 31,2009 date MS has set up. However, XP will be available for low cost laptops beyond the June 30 date. Will you be forced? Eventually, as was the case with Windows 3.1, Win95, and to some extent Win2000.
The instability is there, and eventually it will be flushed out.
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May 2, 2008 at 11:12 am #2567484
Support Versus Sales
by thechas · about 15 years, 11 months ago
In reply to XP around for a while or forced to Vista?
While it is true that MS is in the process of shutting down the sales of new systems with Windows XP, they are far from dropping support for XP.
Depending on how you read the different product life cycle documents, there will still be support for XP until at least 2010 and perhaps past 2012.
Where you are going to run into issues is not with your existing machines, but with what OS to run with new systems.
My advice would be to stock up on XP licenses. And, to make sure any new system is specified such that XP drivers are available for all of the hardware.
In theory, you can downgrade your Vista license to an XP license. But, you still need XP media to install it from.
You might also look at computer replacement plans for the next 2 to 4 years and consider a volume license for XP on all of them.
Keep in mind that Microsoft is still issuing critical update patches for Windows 2000.
We have a long way to go before Microsoft stops support for XP.
Chas
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May 6, 2008 at 2:03 pm #2460108
Thanks for the input
by tech_lady · about 15 years, 11 months ago
In reply to Support Versus Sales
I WAS getting sales and support mixed together. After talking to others, including a local consultant, I think we’ve decided to keep our XP machines as they are for now since support will still be available for some time, but as we add new workstations to the network we’ll get them equipped with Vista and plenty of memory. In the meantime, I’m gonna have to get a Vista machine to learn it myself so I can give support. Thanks again.
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June 2, 2008 at 10:18 am #2570231
Learning Vista
by charliespencer · about 15 years, 10 months ago
In reply to Thanks for the input
Check MS’ web site. At one point they had a free Vista virtual machine you could run after loading their free VirtualPC utility on your XP system.
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June 2, 2008 at 8:17 am #2570322
RE: XP or Vista.
by ptero.4 · about 15 years, 10 months ago
In reply to XP around for a while or forced to Vista?
Tech_Lady. You can also opt for upgrading all your computers to linux. That way you’ll have a free (both price and freedom) system that will have free updates to both major and minor update points forever and will work fine on all your systems both the ones you already have and the ones you may buy. Also you avoid the compulsory hardware upgrades (only buy what YOUR APPS need and only buy new boxes when your old ones break down beyond all feasible repair or when you expand bussiness or add more personel). And the best is that you’ll only learn it once (syntax, GUI and tools in windoze change radically on each new version, while under linux they stay relativelly similar across versions and distributions).
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June 2, 2008 at 10:30 am #2570222
For a while
by oz_media · about 15 years, 10 months ago
In reply to XP around for a while or forced to Vista?
Just as Win2K was and Win98 before that, both extended.
As for what you have read, most of that also comes from n00bs who learned XP and think it’s the solution to all the word’s problems. However, do a search here, back for XP posts four+ years ago, and you wills ee the exact same comments about upgrading from Win2K to XP.
Support: MS usually holds onto support for two OS’s. When the release Win7 they will start dropping XP support (2009/2010). Ithink that too many people are holding out for Win7, again like it will solve the world’s problems, and they will also be disappointed when it is released (as with any new OS). You are okay for a while anyway.
As for people against Vista, it’s to be expected, same old same old. “It is bloated, buggy, insecure, slow, requires an upgraded machine” etc. It’s the same thing every time. Generally IT staff are, by nature, more complacent, when something works they are scared to change it.
XP went for the worst OS ever produced to what fanboys now rave about.
Though many here, go back a lot father than me, I’ve seen this over and over again since Win3.11 (95 is garbage, then 98 is garbage, then 2K is garbage, then ME is garbage((okay I’ll vouch for that one))then XP is garbage then Vista).
Vista is a good OS, FAR better than XP was ta the same time after release. XP was a massive security botch, it took 3 SP’s before it finally became a useable system.
Vista is FAR better out of the gate than XP was, is far more secure, most systems don’t have ANY issues at all, and resources are resources, doing more takes more RAM and processing, remember the old 750MB (and smaller)hard drives?.
Learning curve, you have to be kidding? Vista is no different than XP except it has a few added features, like breadcrumb navigation in Explorer, which is easy to use and really speeds up file browsing and copying/parting between folders, its a dream to use!
if yuo are a capable IT support person and are comfortable with Wondows, you will enjoy Vista. Your world may learn slightly to the left or right at first but all in all it is no big deal.
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June 2, 2008 at 11:17 am #2570186
Please send me your copy of Vista, Oz….
by jck · about 15 years, 10 months ago
In reply to For a while
I musta got a bad CD or something. lol
Vista no different? From a functional aspect, yes. From an interface standpoint, no. Even when you put, for instance, Control Panel into “classic view” it is nothing like “classic view” from XP except by name. Most menuing is different, and requires you to relearn how to navigate, configure, and administer a Vista box all over again.
XP was actually fairly secure and useable after SP 1. It was nowhere near the botch that 95 or ME were.
Vista is a huge resource hog, but that is typical for MS products. Microsoft is known to develop for technology that is 12-18 months down the road so that their products will take advantage of the tech as it evolves. Unfortunately, they have focused in improving product view rather than functionality.
And yes, I remember old hard drives…all the way back to Corvus and Data Chief 10MB drives for the Apple II and C-64 respectively lol
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June 2, 2008 at 1:23 pm #2570145
OEM licence
by oz_media · about 15 years, 10 months ago
In reply to Please send me your copy of Vista, Oz….
Came with ne wnotebook, I wouldn’t have given up my Thinkpad with Win2KPro for anything other than complete disaster.
I had one hour to replace a notbook and get some software in it for a presentation. Got a preinstalled copy with an HP (Pavillion Entertainment PC garbage)and it runs like a top. Yes you’ll need processign speed and more RAM, just as when upgrading to XP, no
different.As for teh interface, I don’t know what you mean at all, I find it no different to use than any other version of doze. If anything, I hated the XP interface too, so I always used Classic (being a BIG Win2K fan).
But between the two classic interfaces I haven’t hit some ridiculous learning curve that will require a manual to figure out.
It’s all the same to me I guess, they are all a little different than one another but for the most part they look and feel the same (seen one ya seen em all).I also never had to use XP (only for a few months until I gave them thier PC back), so my jump was from 2K to Vista, with no issues.
There are a few REALLY good features in Vista, the Breadcrumbs navigation is my fav, but other pople jump on other benefits too.
In this case, I don’t think the original poster needs to worry about upgrading YET, but the anti-Vista crowd sure have it wrong with thier ranting about insecurity and Vista being garbage. At this stage in its lifecycle, it is ten times what XP was at the same stage, people just get all pi$$y over nothing and run with it like a bad cold.
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July 30, 2008 at 7:18 am #2919552
You are not alone..
by ssp@techrepublic · about 15 years, 8 months ago
In reply to XP around for a while or forced to Vista?
Don’t worry.. that’s the usual MS tactics to keep money flowing into their account considering the fact that Mr Gates just went past the gates. Don’t worry nobody likes Vista.. xp is far better.
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