Operating Systems » Windows XP

Windows XP: Pros and cons of not upgrading

Windows XP users, your favorite operating system is a decade old, and if you're still using it, you're not cool anymore, at least according to Microsoft. That's the software giant's recent take on its aging OS, which is still more popular than Vista or Windows 7 worldwide. Microsoft is hoping the final cadre of users hanging on to XP will start to dump it and move to the more modern Windows 7.

By Ian Paul | 27 October, 2011 04:41

Tags: Microsoft, operating systems, software, windows xp

FAQ: How to upgrade XP to Windows 7

If Microsoft wants Windows 7 to succeed, to do better than limp like Vista, it has to convince the majority of users to ditch their comfortable-as-an-old-shoe -- older than an old shoe, actually -- OS.

By Gregg Keizer | 14 July, 2009 08:36

Tags: Microsoft, Windows 7, windows xp

Which operating system is best for SSDs?

Solid-state disk (SSD) drive architecture can play a big role in how fast a computer boots up and performs. But how big a role the SSDs play -- and how much faster an operating system is -- depends as much on the operating system as on the drive. Although none of the mainstream operating systems now in use have been optimized to work better with SSDs, some do natively work more efficiently than others, according to storage experts.

By Lucas Mearian | 12 December, 2008 07:59

Tags: SSD, windows 2000

If Windows is a dead end, what's next?

The writing is on the wall. Despite a major push to sell the much-maligned Windows Vista, customers aren't buying. Nearly two years after Vista's release, Windows XP remains the standard desktop OS in business, and Microsoft has extended its availability three times (currently to August 2009) due to customer demand. Microsoft itself forecasts just 2 percent growth in Vista sales in early 2009, after lackluster sales in 2008. And that's after forcing customers to buy Vista to get XP "downgrades."

By Galen Gruman | 05 November, 2008 09:02

Tags: Windows Vista, windows xp

Microsoft Word turns 25

If you've been using Microsoft Word for the past quarter of a century, it can seem like Word has always been the top dog of the word-processing world--and for years, it's been incorporated into Microsoft's Office suite. Today, Microsoft's domination is so complete that, from the public's point of view, there is almost no "word-processor market." (Does anyone remember Lotus Manuscript?)

By Benj Edwards | 27 October, 2008 08:14

Tags: microsoft word

Worst Windows flaws of the past decade

June 25, 1998, and June 30, 2008, marked two important milestones in Microsoft's evolution of the Windows OS -- the passing of the torch from Windows 95 to Windows 98, and the less seemly transition from XP to Vista.

By Andrew Brandt | 07 October, 2008 09:36

Tags: windows 2000, windows 98, Windows Vista, windows xp

Nine wickedly helpful Web sites for Windows administrators

Windows Web sites worth a look

By Ron Barrett | 30 September, 2008 08:52

Tags: Microsoft Windows

Get Leopard and Windows to play nice

One of the major selling points for Macs and Mac OS X Leopard these days is their ability to work well in a largely Windows world. Apple offers two ways to accomplish this task: Leopard's ability to share files and printers with Windows machines, and the ability of Intel-based Macs to run Windows using either Boot Camp (which is included free as part of Leopard) or third-party virtualization tools.

By Ryan Faas | 11 September, 2008 09:42

Tags: leopard, Windows

Free Windows XP tuneup: Put new life into an old workhorse

Microsoft may have given up on Windows XP, but that doesn't mean you have to.

A requiem for Windows XP

Despite an outpouring of demand -- including more than 210,000 people who signed InfoWorld's "Save XP" petition, Microsoft held firm and Monday discontinued sales of XP in most cases. So, we bid adieu to Windows XP.

For Bill Gates, antitrust fight a personal crucible

Ten years ago, Bill Gates was the new John D. Rockefeller. And from the US government's perspective at the start of its antitrust trial against Microsoft in 1998, Gates was every bit as powerful as the legendary oil baron was -- if not more so. The desktop operating system was seen as important to the new, tech-focused economy as oil had been to the industrial economy of the early 20th century.

Bill Gates' big mouth

As Bill prepares to hand over the reins of Microsoft at the end of the month, here are some of his more notable comments, assembled from the Microsoft press site and the IDG News Service which, every day for almost two decades, has covered the man who revolutionised IT.

Microsoft's future No. 3: The 'streaming' scenario

For investors, the 2011-2015 era was pure hell when it came to Microsoft. Windows 7 and Office 2010 followed Windows Vista and Office 2007 as duds, gaining minimal adoption, mainly as preinstalled software on new computers. For several years, Microsoft had been working in its server group on desktop and application streaming technologies meant to help datacenters better manage far-flung users. By 2011, it became clear that Microsoft should provide its OS and core apps over the cloud to everyone, not just give that capability to enterprise datacenters, as application streams.

Bill Gates in pictures: A retrospective

From kid geek to the world's next great philanthropist?

FAQ: XP deathwatch, T minus 5 weeks

Even though it has had its own problems of late, Windows XP remains the most-used version of Windows. The newest data from Web metrics vendor Net Applications Inc., for example, pegs XP as driving 73% of the personal computers that went online last month, five times the nearest competitor, Microsoft Corp.'s own Windows Vista.

FAQ: Windows XP SP3 ships -- finally

Microsoft Monday finally slapped a "Done" sticker on Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) and pushed it out the door. The designation of SP3 as RTM, for "release to manufacturing," wasn't much of a surprise, given how the company's schedule leaked last week.

Windows XP vs Vista: What you need to know

Will Windows XP still be properly supported by Microsoft and, as a primary development target, by third parties? Is there something XP die-hards have missed, some hidden gotcha that's going to trip them up 12, 18, or 24 months from now?

FAQ: Reprieve or RIP for Windows XP?

As anticipated, Microsoft last Thursday granted a partial pardon to its long-running Windows XP operating system, which had been slated for a forced retirement from new sales starting this year.