Microsoft Windows Vista Vs Windows Xp

Discussion in 'Windows XP / Older OS' started by RACERPRO, May 4, 2008.

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Microsoft Windows Vista Vs Windows Xp, What do you Use

  1. I Use Microsoft Windows Vista 32 or 64

    45.7%
  2. I Use Microsoft Windows XP 32 or 64

    54.3%
  1. westmassguy

    westmassguy MDL Junior Member

    May 7, 2007
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    I have three machines in my house. All were running XP. In January of 2007, I "upgraded" all of them to Vista. At first, I was very impressed, like getting a new car, all shinny and new. Most of my programs ran fine on Vista, and those that didn't required running as administrator with elevated privileges, which isn't a problem. About 8 months ago, I was bored one Sunday, and decided to restore a backup image of my old XP install. Wow, the difference was like night and day. I had become so accustomed to Vistas' quirks; I had forgotten how fast XP was. My biggest area of complaint is Vistas' GUI, not the core OS itself. I work with many small video files, all types from avi, wmv, mpg, rm etc. Explorer in Vista is the culprit I believe. Mousing over many different file in Vista is painful. Explorer is trying to do so much in the background, figuring out what type of file it is, that it stutters constantly. XP was never like this. I can mouse over and select hundreds of different files in Xp without so much as a hiccup.
    I've tried switching to the simpler "Classic" theme in Vista, even switching off all the eye candy, but the problem remains. I've tried disabling Explorer tips, and File Attributes, again the problem remains.
    I have the GUI thoroughly tweaked in both operating systems, from "mouse hover time”, to "show menu delay", so their reaction time should be the same.
    Two of my machines still run Vista, and the people that use them love Vista, but they’re not power users.
    XP is simply faster for me, and the things I do most.
     
  2. RACERPRO

    RACERPRO MDL Senior Member

    Feb 13, 2008
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    9 Critical Errors in Installation of XP SP3 RTM

    Users looking to Service Pack 3 for Windows XP, and the perfect reason to avoid Windows Vista SP1, might need to reconsider their plans.

    The reason is rather simple, despite the fact that it has spent over two months more time in development compared to Vista SP1, while containing only a minor, standard evolution in comparison to SP2, XP SP3 has come to the table with a flood of issues, a wide variety of them impacting the deployment process. There are no less than nine officially documented scenarios in which end users will find it unable to install Windows XP SP3, and even more error messages associated with the problems.

    1. The XP SP3 RTM Infinite Reboot Loop

    Jesper Johansson was among the first to signal this problem after installing XP SP3 on an AMD-based computer, an operation which lead to: "incessant reboots. The computer booted, apologized for not being able to boot properly, asked if I wanted to boot into safe mode, defaulted to normal boot, rebooted, and so on and so on. At this point, I want to clarify that the endless rebooting is not at all related to SP3 per se. The problem is that with some configurations, SP3 causes the computer to crash during boot, and Windows XP, by default, is set up to automatically reboot when it crashes."

    This is by no means an isolated case. In fact, end users have been crowding to the support forum for Windows XP SP3 signaling the very same problem, as well as variations from this issue. In response, Microsoft published Knowledge Base article 888372 detailing the issue. Essentially users are presented by a "Stop 0x0000007E" error message, having performed and upgrade to XP SP3 from SP2 on what Microsoft referred to as a non-Intel-processor-based computer.

    "After you upgrade a computer that uses a processor other than an Intel processor to Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) or Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3), you may receive the following error message after you restart the computer: 'A problem has been detected and Windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer...Technical information: *** STOP: 0x0000007E (0xC0000005, 0xFC5CCAF3, 0xFC90F8C0, 0xFC90F5C0) SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED'," reads Microsoft's description of the problem.

    2. 8007F0F4 – STATUS_PREREQUISITE_FAILED

    There are no less than six errors for failed Windows XP SP3 installations which produce the with the "8007F0F4 – STATUS_PREREQUISITE_FAILED" log. The six errors have just as many causes, starting with the installation process failing to continue on computers running on battery power. In this case, Microsoft explained that in order to prevent and "update failure because of battery power exhaustion during the installation process," it generated the following error: "this Service Pack requires the machine to be on AC Power before setup starts."

    3. XP SP3: "Access is denied" or "Service Pack installation did not complete"

    The third and final service pack for Windows XP will also fail to deploy if the installation process comes across registry keys that it cannot modify. In such cases, the error messaged presented to the end user reveal that there has been a Service Pack 3 setup error and that "Access is denied" or that "Service Pack installation did not complete." There are various ways to resolve this issue, and they are all described in detail in KB949377.

    "You may receive these error messages if permissions for one or more registry keys are restricted in a way that prevents the update of those registry keys," Microsoft informed. "Some programs change the system access control lists (SACL) in the Registry so that administrator accounts cannot alter them. The service pack installer runs under the user (admin) account and not under the SYSTEM account. Failure to update a registry key causes the Setup program to fail."

    4. You do not have enough free disk space on %SystemDrive% to archive the uninstall files

    This is without a doubt the most easily solvable problem relates to the installation of XP SP3 RTM. The error message "Service Pack 3 Setup Error - You do not have enough free disk space on %SystemDrive% to archive the uninstall files," is of course related to a scenario where there is insufficient disk space available for the archiving of the uninstall files. XP SP3 will not go ahead with the deployment because without the uninstall files end users will not be able to remove the service pack. KB949375 deals with this specific issue.

    5. "You do not have enough free disk space on %SystemDrive% to install Service Pack 3"

    KB949385 is closely connected with KB949375, in the sense that they both can be fixed in the same manner, namely by freeing up the needed disk space. "Service Pack 3 Setup Error - You do not have enough free disk space on %SystemDrive% to install Service Pack 3," is designed to alert the end user that XP will not deploy due to the lack of space on the installation drive.

    6. Intel processor-based Apple computers can also run "Out of Disk Space" it's not only PCs that are affected by insufficient disk space problems, but also Apple Mac machines. According to Microsoft, Mac Pro, Mac Mini, MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and iMac computers with Intel processors running XP SP2 may spit of the "Out of Disk Space" error message when the user will attempt to install Service Pack 3. "This problem occurs because a critical registry key (BootDir) is missing. This registry key is not created when Windows XP SP2 is installed by using Boot Camp on the Apple computers," the Redmond company informed via KB950716. "Apple has released an update to Boot Camp [version 2.1]. This update addresses issues and improves compatibility with Windows XP and with Windows Vista when these products are running on an Apple computer that uses Boot Camp.

    7. Setup has detected that another update is in progress

    The "Setup has detected that another update is in progress. Please complete that installation or removal and try again" error message will be generated if Service Pack 3 for XP is installed concomitantly with Automatic Updates running the Update.exe file. "The Update.exe file runs the Windows XP SP3 installation. The Update.exe file does not let multiple instances of itself to run at the same time on the same computer. Most of the security updates and service packs that are released by Microsoft run the Update.exe file," the company explained in KB949381.

    8. "Service Pack 3 installation did not complete" and "An internal error occurred"

    "Service Pack 3 installation did not complete" is just a part of the error message produced by unsuccessful installations of Windows XP. Clicking OK will inform the end user that "an internal error occurred." This issue is also connected with a faulty registry. "The errors can occur because of files that are not trusted or because of corrupted registry keys. You can verify the cause by searching for related entries in the Svcpack.log file," Microsoft explained in KB949384.

    9. Windows Update Failed Installations

    Microsoft continuously advices end users to turn to Windows Update as the preferred way to upgrade to Windows XP Service Pack 3. The WU infrastructure is designed to serve specific Windows operating systems with the exact updates tailored to them, rather than with generic downloads. But this is not a guarantee that the introduction of XP SP3 will go smooth always. Case in point: failed installations that generate the following error code in the logs: 0x80246007.

    "This issue may occur if one of the following conditions is true: the Windows – SoftwareDistribution - Download folder was deleted after the Windows XP SP3 download operation was completed. System files were changed after Windows XP SP3 was downloaded but before the service pack was installed," Microsoft explained in KB949386.

    source: news.softpedia.com
     
  3. RACERPRO

    RACERPRO MDL Senior Member

    Feb 13, 2008
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    30 Days: TO THE END OF WINDOWS XP OEM

    On June 30, Microsoft is scheduled to pull the OEM distribution plug on Windows XP. In 30 days. That's all before the older operating system largely disappears from new PCs.

    The "largely" qualifier is because downgrade rights will still be available to some customers, and system builders can ship PCs with XP through January 2009.

    The next 30 days are crucial for anyone still wanting to easily obtain Windows XP on new PCs. But why wait? Why not try Vista, and only Vista, for the next 30 days?

    There are some people fixated on the idea that Windows XP will get a reprieve, that Microsoft will extend widespread availability beyond June 30. Microsoft executives would be absolute, unequivocal ninkenpoops to keep Windows XP in the mainstream PC marketplace.

    Last week, I crunched some numbers to give some perspective on the sorry state of Windows Vista distribution. Last week, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer gave a new number of Vista licenses shipped: 150 million. That sounds like a whole lot before looking at worldwide PC shipments, at least 331 million, from Jan. 1, 2007 to March 31, 2008 based on some extrapolation of published Gartner data. Gartner includes x86 server shipments, but I removed all 11 million servers shipped during the time period. I came up with this estimate: Vista shipped on 37 percent of PCs worldwide since its Jan. 30, 2007.

    But the estimate is unquestionably high, cutting slack to a company besieged by Vista perception problems. A more accurate accounting: Vista probably shipped on no more than one-third of PCs since general availability. Linux and Mac OS account for some of shipments; other PCs had no operating system or pirated Windows. Given Microsoft's PC marketshare is at least 93 percent, there is only one conclusion: The majority of PCs are shipping with Windows XP, and that doesn't account for Vista licenses downgraded to the older operating system. Microsoft has to get Windows XP out of the OEM market as quick as it can.

    So, I would be shocked if Microsoft granted an extension, and my recommendation is for Microsoft to get XP out of the OEM channel as soon as humanly possible. Windows XP is an option Microsoft needs to do away with.

    There's no reason to wait 30 days for XP to go away. My challenge: Try Vista for 30 days, right now. I've done several 30-day stints (longer, really) with only Vista. No XP, no Mac OS X. Thirty days with Vista is no longer super painful, particularly if Service Pack 1 is installed.

    source: microsoft-watch.com
     
  4. bla

    bla MDL Member

    Mar 10, 2008
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    oops

    I voted vista by mistake. Used vista for a while then when back to xp. Vista is tooo slooow compared with xp even with 4gigs of ram. can somebody correct the mistake??.:eek:
     
  5. RACERPRO

    RACERPRO MDL Senior Member

    Feb 13, 2008
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    Wait for Windows 7 or not?

    With Windows 7 poised to begin private testing any time now and to ship by late 2009, a number of business users are wondering whether they should simply skip Windows Vista all together and wait for 7 instead.

    Microsoft, not surprisingly, is advising customers against taking a pass on Vista. As part of a new white paper aimed at influencing business users who are evaluating when and whether to move to Windows Vista, Microsoft is advocating enterprise users should migrate to Vista sooner rather than later.

    The white paper — “The Business Value of Windows Vista: Five Reasons to Deploy Now” — doesn’t include a lot of new data; instead, it revisits the business features Microsoft built into Vista and highlights some of the new deployment tools and case-study examples of companies who have migrated to Vista. But it does offer Microsoft’s official guidance on Windows 7 deployments. From the paper:

    “There is no need to wait for Windows 7. It is a goal of the Windows 7 release to minimize application compatibility for customers who have deployed Windows Vista since there was considerable kernel and device level innovation in Windows Vista. The Windows 7 release is expected to have only minor changes in these areas. Customers who are still using Windows XP when Windows 7 releases will have a similar application compatibility experience moving to Windows 7 as exists moving to Windows Vista from Windows XP.”

    Lee Nicholls, Director of Global Solutions with Getronics — a Microsoft integration partner that sells heavily into the financial services and manufacturing industries — agreed with Microsoft’s compatibility warning.

    “There could be even less compatibility between XP and Windows 7,” based on what Microsoft ends up providing in terms of new migration and deployment tools, Nicholls said.

    The jump between Windows XP and Windows 7 could be a big one, while the one from Vista to Windows 7 should be fairly minor, Nicholls said. And given that “Windows 7 is going to be a superset of Windows Vista, it’s not really something worth waiting for,” Nicholls added.

    source: blogs.zdnet.com
     
  6. RACERPRO

    RACERPRO MDL Senior Member

    Feb 13, 2008
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    FAQ: XP Deathwatch, T-Minus 4 Weeks

    The march toward Windows XP's retail and OEM June 30 retirement party continues. Four weeks from today is Microsoft Corp.'s deadline for mainstream computer makers to stop selling new PCs with the old OS, and the date the Redmond Wash.-based developer will stop shipping boxed copies to retailers.

    Mark it as T minus four weeks and counting.

    We follow up on last week's inaugural FAQ with more questions and answers, including clarifications on inventory and news of one online retailer dropping XP's price by more than 10%. Must retailers stop selling XP after midnight of June 30?

    No, says Microsoft. Although it's calling June 30 the retail and OEM availability end-date, the demarcation between selling and not-selling won't be razor sharp, the company said last week.

    "The exact cut-off day for selling Windows XP is determined by OEMs and retailers, who can keep selling standalone versions as well as PCs with Windows XP preloaded by OEMs distributed prior to June 30, 2008, as long as their supplies last [emphasis in original]," a Microsoft spokeswoman said last week in an e-mail.

    In other words, unless a retailer has pared its XP inventory to the bone, expect to see copies still selling into July, perhaps longer. Likewise for already-built machines that have XP installed, since dealers won't be required to yank them off shelves on July 1, but can clear their inventories at their own pace. If system builders can continue to sell PCs pre-loaded with XP until Jan. 31, 2009, does that mean I'll be able to buy the OEM edition of Windows XP at retail or online until then?

    No. And we can see the confused look on your face from here.

    The retail version of XP Home or XP Professional dubbed "OEM" is also often called the "system builder" edition, in that it uses the same EULA (end user licensing agreement) as the OEM licenses that large computer makers and smaller shops install on the PCs they build and sell.

    Retail OEM versions of Windows XP are considerably cheaper than either upgrade or full license versions of the same version; Windows XP Home in OEM costs just US$79.99 on Newegg.com, for example, while the upgrade version runs $99.99 and the full license is priced at $191.49.

    OEM versions are cheaper because they don't include free tech support from Microsoft, and legally you're not allowed to transfer the OS from one PC to another, say from an old, creaky piece of junk to something more up-to-date.

    But even though "system builders" -- companies or individuals who have registered as a Microsoft Partner and then acquire Windows licenses through one of Microsoft's authorized distributors -- can get their hands on XP through Jan. 31, 2009, you won't be able to get the exact same license via retail once sellers exhaust their supplies after June 30.

    "The June 30, 2008 deadline applies to OEMs and retailers for all versions of Windows XP," a Microsoft spokeswoman confirmed last week when asked for clarification.

    Clear? Yeah, we thought so, too.

    source: pcworld.com
     
  7. RACERPRO

    RACERPRO MDL Senior Member

    Feb 13, 2008
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    Do not wait for Windows 7: realize the benefts of Vista now

    Some customers are considering whether to deploy Windows Vista or whether to skip in anticipation of Windows 7.

    The discussion is often phrased as one of balancing costs and timing of releases. By not deploying Windows Vista, it means missing out on the proven benefts such as better security, productivity, search, mobility, manageability, and infrastructure optimization. Windows Vista works with more applications and devices than ever before and can be signifcantly less expensive to support than Windows XP SP3.

    There is no need to wait for Windows 7. It is a goal of the Windows 7 release to minimize application compatibility for customers who have deployed Windows Vista since there was considerable kernel and device level innovation in Windows Vista. The Windows 7 release is expected to have only minor changes in these areas. Customers who are still using Windows XP when Windows 7 releases will have a similar application compatibility experience moving to Windows 7 as exists moving to Windows Vista from Windows XP.

    Historically, mainstream deployment occurs not when Microsoft releases a product but 18 months later. While the mainstream deployment cycle is beginning for Windows Vista now, it isn’t expected to begin for Windows 7 until at least mid-2011

    source: neowin.net
     
  8. RACERPRO

    RACERPRO MDL Senior Member

    Feb 13, 2008
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    Downgrade from Windows Vista SP1 to XP SP3

    The introduction of Service Pack 1 for Windows Vista and of Service Pack 3 for Windows XP, along with the June 30 retail and OEM availability cut-off date for XP, have generated a consistent a mount of confusion over the future of the two Windows clients.

    Especially over Vista's predecessor in terms of its retirement from the retail and OEM channels, but also in regard to support and downgrade rights. As far as support is concerned, XP SP3 will live to see 2014 (read more about it here). And when it comes down to Vista SP1 to XP SP3 downgrades, nothing has changed from Vista RTM and XP SP2.

    "You will still be able to get Windows XP Professional installed on computers after June 30th. This is more important for sysadmins who have a large current installation of Windows XP-based systems and have not yet migrated to Windows Vista. If you're a consumer, consider getting a new computer with Windows Vista installed: with Business and Ultimate, you have downgrade rights to XP Pro," revealed the Chief of Staff of the Windows Core Operating System Division at Microsoft.

    Downgrade rights permit end users to access two versions of the Windows operating system, in this context either Vista or XP, with the same license. Namely, a single OEM license permits customers to install XP, and subsequently remove it and deploy Vista on the same machine. Microsoft is essentially interested in offering clients the ability to buy Windows Vista, but continue to run Windows XP until they are capable of moving to the latest Windows operating system.

    Essentially, OEM versions of Vista Business and Ultimate versions with a downgrade license allow users to install and run XP Professional, XP Professional x64 Edition, and XP Tablet PC Edition. This is also valid for the Service Pack 1 variants of Vista, respectively for XP SP3.

    "End users who downgrade may reinstall the original software when they are ready to migrate. For example, an end user who downgrades to Windows XP Professional may later return to Windows Vista Business software provided that the end user deletes the Windows XP Professional software from the PC," the COSD lead added.

    source: news.softpedia.com
     
  9. sebipo

    sebipo MDL Novice

    Jun 4, 2008
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    vista vs xp

    When it comes to performs issues xp is better than vista
     
  10. RACERPRO

    RACERPRO MDL Senior Member

    Feb 13, 2008
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    Vista SP1 and XP SP3 Have Failed to Break the Market's Windows Fatigue

    Statistics for the operating system market come in different flavors and from a variety of sources but they all have one thing in common: indicating that Windows is losing ground to Mac OS X and Linux.

    As far as Microsoft is concerned, it reached the apex of the operating system market with the launch of Service Pack 2 for Windows XP back in 2004. Since then, it has been all down hill for the Redmond giant. Sure, the slope is by no means steep enough for a hard Windows fall, just sufficiently inclined through the erosion produced by Mac OS X and Linux that the ground is slipping from under Microsoft's proprietary platform, slowly but surely...

    While Windows is not at risk from a landslide, it has been on a descendant trajectory for the past years, with consumers suffering from Windows fatigue, and increasingly looking for alternatives. Recent releases such as Windows Vista in 2007, and Vista Service Pack 1 as well as Windows XP Service Pack 3 have done little to impact the general trend. As of May 2008 Windows is credited with 91.13% of the operating system market according to Net Applications, with 91.11% by W3Counter and with 95.94% by OneState (but only as of April 2008).

    In January 2007, when Windows Vista hit the shelves, Net Applications revealed a share of 93.33% for Windows, approximately two percent higher than in January 2008. Back in July 2007, OneStat gave Windows a share of 96.97%, also larger than the 95.94% from a couple of months ago. W3Counter seem to be on par with Net Applications indicating that Windows was at 93.6% of the market in May 2007, and as low as 91.11% in the past month.


    Windows Saturation
    The release of Service Pack 1 for Windows Vista and of Service Pack 3 for Windows XP has done little to help break what appears to be a generalized and accentuating case of Windows fatigue. Net Applications stated that SP3 for XP failed to impact the operating system's continuous market share lost for over a year. Even with SP3 available as of May 6, 2008, XP continued to lose audience and is down from 73.07% in April to 72.12% the past month. Vista continues to climb in statistics, but SP1 didn't deliver the kick needed to accelerate growth to the levels where focus will no longer shift to XP SP3, Windows 7 or rival products. Vista only climbed from 14.02% in March to 15.26% in May.


    Windows Vista, the Default Growth
    Windows Vista climbed up in the space occupied by Windows XP to claim the second most used operating system on the market since mid-2007. Since the January 2007 launch, Vista's growth has somewhat stabilized at around 10 million units per month. At the end of March 2008, Microsoft revealed that it had sold over 140 million Vista licenses worldwide. As of May, Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer claimed that Vista had passed the 150 million mark.

    Don't Expect Miracles from Windows 7
    Even though Windows Vista has taken all the heavy hits, acting as a buffer release for Windows 7, the next iteration of Microsoft's proprietary operating system will drop in a market which has started to experience Windows fatigue for a number of years. But unlike Vista, Windows 7 will benefit from the get go from a mature ecosystem of software and hardware products. Microsoft is essentially promising a Windows 7 apple which will fall far tom the Vista tree, while at the same time featuring the same architecture as its predecessor, in terms of the kernel, and the graphics and audio subsystems, security and search functionality, etc.

    source: news.softpedia.com
     
  11. RACERPRO

    RACERPRO MDL Senior Member

    Feb 13, 2008
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    27 Vista SP1 Copies Running Simultaneously on the Same Machine

    Microsoft never contested the fact that Windows Vista's hardware requirements qualified the latest Windows client as resource hungry, but at the same time, the company did point out that, given the right system, the platform would deliver quite a performance.

    And performance is the correct word to describe a little experiment put together by Keith Combs, Microsoft IT Pro Evangelist. Combs managed to get no less than 28 Windows operating systems running simultaneously on the same machine, namely 27 copies of Windows Vista Enterprise Service Pack 1 and one Windows Server 2008.

    "Twenty Seven Windows Vista Enterprise SP1 Virtual Machines executing courtesy of Windows Server 2008 and Hyper-V. All of this is running on a single laptop, Lenovo ThinkPad T61p with 8GB of Kingston memory," Combs explained. "This time I added another hard drive and split the load. I also used a couple of parent disks, and each VM is executing off a differencing virtual disk. The first pic [toward the bottom of this article] is of all the VMs executing. Keep in mind this is a total of 28 operating systems running on a single laptop when you take into account the parent OS, Windows Server 2008. The second pic shows me killing off the VM’s and the freeing up of the memory."

    Initially, Combs had tried the experiment with just 14 operating system copies, 13 Vista Enterprise SP1 (six instances of 64-bit and seven of 32-bit) plus the underlying host platform Windows Server 2008 Enterprise x64 with Hyper-V RC1. All the Vista copies are running in virtual machines in the Windows Server 2008 hypervisor.

    "Pretty cool, eh? I know you think this is crazy and unusable. I did notice while firing them up under this configuration, that I could easily use 10 client virtual machines with the settings and hardware I used for this test. So some interesting scenarios come to mind with the use of Group Policy, Patch Deployment, OS Deployment, etc.," Combs added.

    source: news.softpedia.com
     
  12. RACERPRO

    RACERPRO MDL Senior Member

    Feb 13, 2008
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    Free Windows Vista Ultimate SP1 Test Drive

    Microsoft has started pressing the acceleration pedal of the marketing of Windows Vista, now complete with Service Pack 1.

    At the debut of June, Mike Nash, Corporate Vice President, Windows Product Management, revealed that Vista SP1 was ready for wide business adoption, and the software giant even launched a Vista experience initiative built around the operating system plus its first service pack. Now, Microsoft is taking it one step further and is actually letting end users test drive Windows Vista Ultimate SP1 online.

    "The Windows Vista Ultimate with Service Pack 1 (SP1) test-drive allows you to try (or "test drive") this latest operating system from Microsoft without having to install it on your PC. By simply logging onto our test drive environment using your web browser, you will be able to experience Windows Vista first hand. You can explore the product on your own, or follow along with guided exercises and videos," reads the welcome message on the Vista Ultimate SP1 Test Drive website.

    A project of Microsoft Virtual Labs, the Vista Ultimate SP1 test drive is designed to emphasize four pillars of the platform: security, usability, reliability and versatility. The Redmond company has essentially put at the disposal of users a copy of 32-bit Windows Vista Ultimate SP1, running on an AMD Opteron processor with 2 GB of RAM. The test operating system is available online and can be accessed through the browser. There are no downloads or installation involved in test driving Vista Ultimate SP1.

    But even though it's meant to give users just a taste of what Vista Ultimate SP1 is truly capable of, the online client made available by Microsoft comes with a plethora of components from antivirus, to Application Compatibility Toolkit, the Deployment Toolkit, the Office 2007 System, SQL Server 2005, and even Windows AIK.

    source: news.softpedia.com
     
  13. RACERPRO

    RACERPRO MDL Senior Member

    Feb 13, 2008
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    Welcome to the Vista SP1 Experience

    Windows Vista Experience... Safe, easier, reliable and versatile. Microsoft is welcoming users to the Windows Vista experience, a website focused on Service Pack 1 for the latest version of the Windows client.

    Designed to share "real stories and real successes" with Vista at the core, the website features full case studies focused on what the operating system manages to bring to the table, now that Service Pack 1 was made available.

    "Have you seen the new Windows Vista Experience site? This newly launched site hosts many stories from real small businesses who are benefiting from running Windows Vista on their PC’s. This interactive site also includes the option of submitting your own story - with the possibility that your story (partner or business) may be filmed for future use on the site," revealed Eric Ligman, Microsoft US Senior Manager, Small Business Community Engagement.

    According to the already submitted Windows Vista success stories, businesses of any size will save time and be more productive if they upgrade to the operating system, updated with its latest service pack. There are a total of four cases presented via video testimonies and many others in plain text, but Microsoft seems convinced that users will want to share their own Vista experiences.

    Bear in mind that the Redmond company is not necessarily looking for Vista SP1 success stories, but for experiences in general. So, if you want to give Microsoft a piece of your mind, then by all means do so. However, the site addresses businesses so it's preferable you have the right kind of experience to share with the company and the rest of the world. It is likely that Microsoft will filter any negative feedback and only post success stories in order to market Windows Vista SP1, but this is not to say that your input won't actually reach the company.

    source: news.softpedia.com
     
  14. RACERPRO

    RACERPRO MDL Senior Member

    Feb 13, 2008
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    Top OEMs plan to sell systems with Windows XP right up to June 30 deadline

    Three of the top four PC sellers worldwide plan to sell systems with Windows XP right up to the Microsoft-mandated deadline of June 30.

    Of the four, only Dell plans to call it quits before the last day of this month.

    Microsoft has set June 30 as the final day of Windows XP availability to retailers and major computer makers, although the company recently also said that the date won't mark a sudden disappearance of the old operating system.

    "The exact cut-off day for selling Windows XP is determined by OEMs and retailers, who can keep selling standalone versions as well as PCs with Windows XP preloaded by OEMs distributed prior to June 30, 2008, as long as their supplies last [emphasis in original]," a Microsoft spokeswoman said two weeks ago in an e-mail.

    Hewlett-Packard, Acer, and Lenovo -- ranked nos. one, three and four, respectively, in global PC sales in the first quarter by both Gartner and IDC -- will continue to sell XP-powered machines until June 30, the companies said this week in response to questions from Computerworld . Dell, which is the world's number two OEM, is sticking to June 18 as the last day that customers can order computers with XP pre-installed.

    Here's what the OEMs said about their plans:

    Hewlett-Packard: "We do still offer XP on a select number of our existing consumer notebook, gaming and business products," said a spokesman for HP. "This will continue through the XP end of life date on June 30, 2008."

    Dell: Weeks ago, Dell said that it would stop taking customers' orders for PCs with XP after June 18. Wednesday, an e-mail from Dell's small business group titled "Last Chance" repeated that date. "It's time to decide if you want a Dell system with pre-installed Windows XP or Windows Vista," Dell's marketing e-mail read.

    Acer: "For Acer, it's June 30," said a spokeswoman for the Asian OEM's American operations.

    Lenovo: Although Lenovo spokesman Doug Bell first said his company's last-sale date was June 15, after checking, he confirmed that it is, in fact, the end-of-life June 30.

    Some of these computer makers, however, will continue to sell PCs with factory-installed XP licenses after June 30 by taking advantage of Windows Vista's downgrade rights.

    A clause in Microsoft's guidelines for OEMs lets computer makers install Windows XP Professional -- but not the more common and less expensive Windows XP Home -- on new PCs at a customer's request when those machines are ordered with Windows Vista Business or Windows Vista Ultimate.

    Dell was the first to say it would use the downgrade clause to offer buyers XP Professional pre-installed long after the June 30 deadline. Those PCs will also include Vista installation media so that customers can, if and when they want, upgrade from XP. Dell, however, has not said how long it would offer the downgrade option.

    Not so with HP. "HP has been offering business desktops, notebooks and workstations with the option to downgrade to Windows XP Pro from Vista since August 2007, and will continue to offer this option on its business systems through at least July 30, 2009," said the HP spokesman.

    Lenovo, meanwhile, said it would continue to offer its downgrade option -- Lenovo doesn't swap out the Vista for XP at the factory floor, but instead sends media that requires the user to re-install Windows XP -- until Jan. 31, 2009.

    source: infoworld.com
     
  15. RACERPRO

    RACERPRO MDL Senior Member

    Feb 13, 2008
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    No Future for Windows XP SP3?

    Make no mistake about it, June 30, 2008 is the beginning of the end for Windows XP, even with Service Pack 3 available for two months now, since May 6.

    Microsoft confirmed that the end of this month will be synonymous with the availability cut-off date through the retail and OEM channels, although there have been customers hoping until the last minute that the company would breathe new life into the predecessor of Windows Vista.

    Microsoft has already postponed once the availability end date initially planned for January 30, 2008, but the company was firm on the fact that that was an exception which would not be repeating itself.

    "In industry speak, this is called "end-of-sales." On June 30, Microsoft will stop distributing Windows XP as a stand-alone product that you can buy shrink-wrapped in the store. We'll also stop sending it to Dell, HP, Lenovo and all the other major PC manufacturers to sell on their PCs. That said, Windows XP isn't going to disappear overnight", revealed Mthree Sweatt, Chief of Staff of the Windows Core Operating System Division (COSD) at Microsoft citing the new The Facts About the Future – Windows XP website.

    Microsoft argued the need to sacrifice Windows XP on the altar of innovation and to continue focusing entirely on Window Vista. The company stressed the fact that it would not be pulling the plug on the operating system, which would continue to benefit from extended support until 2014. Mainstream support will be retired in April 2009, while Extended support will be killed in April 2014.

    "You may still see copies of the software—or computers pre-loaded with it—for months, as stores and PC makers work through their inventory. Also, smaller local PC makers—known in the industry as "system builders"—can continue to sell PCs with Windows XP until January 2009. Finally, Microsoft recently announced that computers with limited hardware capabilities—devices sometimes called Netbooks or ultra-low cost PCs (ULCPC)—can carry Windows XP Home until June 2010", Sweatt added.

    source: news.softpedia.com
     
  16. RomanS

    RomanS MDL Novice

    Apr 15, 2008
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    Well, I use both. Vista gives the feeling of XP + Windowblinds, that's it.
     
  17. RACERPRO

    RACERPRO MDL Senior Member

    Feb 13, 2008
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    Windows XP era ends? Will Vista step up?

    The Windows XP era ends June 30 and soon hardware vendors will be shipping you all Vista all the time (in most cases).

    The save XP effort failed. The whining should cease. And now it’s time for Vista to sink or swim.

    Ina Fried has a good overview of where Windows XP will stand with PC manufacturers. And Matt Asay highlights a report from Evans Data noting that 92 percent of developers are ignoring Vista. Coupling these two items together and you come to one conclusion: Folks are skeptical about Vista, but a lot of that skepticism is because XP is still lingering.

    If you’re a Vista complainer you have two options from here:

    * Move away from Windows completely (users try a new OS and developers jump ship).
    * Or shut up and go with Vista.

    My hunch is most folks will do that latter. I’d love to believe that Microsoft’s Vista miscues would result in a mass exodus, but I doubt that will happen. I also wonder why people live in New Jersey and pay those ridiculous property taxes, but shockingly enough people stay. Based on my Libertarian leanings I’d reckon there would be four people left in Jersey by now.

    But I digress. Once consumers no longer have the XP option they’ll fall in line with Vista. Sure some percentage will go Mac, but if you didn’t jump yet–after a gazillion brilliant Apple ads knocking Vista–you probably won’t. And the developer worries: Developers will fall in line too. Evans Data notes:

    Only eight percent of North American software developers are currently writing applications to run on Microsoft’s Vista operating system, while half are still writing programs for XP, according to Evans Data’s Spring 2008, North American Development Survey. These same developers forecast a fragmented Windows market in 2009 with only 24 percent expecting to target Vista and 29% expecting to continue with XP.

    “Developers have taken a wait and see approach to Vista”, said John Andrews, Evans Data’s President and CEO. “The new operating system has had more than its share of problems and the desire to move from XP on the Windows platform is still lagging - that coupled with interest in alternative operating systems is suppressing development activity and that in turn will further erode Vista’s acceptance.”

    source: blogs.zdnet.com