You do realise that you can’t just pop in the disc and install the OS, right? Coming from XP, you’re going to need to backup all of your data, format your hard drive, install a clean version of Windows 7, and then start from scratch, reinstalling all of your old programs — and that’s assuming Old Faithful even meets the system requirements. Sounds delightful!
How many programs do you have installed? You’re going to have to reinstall all of them. Do you have all of your install discs handy? And I hope you haven’t lost any CD Keys! Do you still have all of your downloaded installer executables? Feel like finding them or redownloading them? Because that’s what you’re going to have to do. And as far as new programs go, you do realise that almost all new software is still compatible with XP, right?
What do you do on your computer? Surf the internet, maybe use some office programs? I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume that Windows XP has been handling such duties just fine for you. So why upgrade? For shiny new aesthetics? For a fancier taskbar? For juggling 22 devices? You don’t need that.
Do you have $US120+ to burn? Because that’s how much upgrading will cost you unless you use the $50 student discount. Why not put that money in savings or use it to pay off a credit-card bill, like a grown up?
Every OS has bugs when it’s first released, and even if 7 isn’t the shitshow that Vista was, it’ll surely need some patching up once the masses get their hands on it. You won’t get any bonus points for being an early-adopter. Why not play it safe and, if you do decide to upgrade, hold out for Service Pack 1?
Tons of people (including you) still use XP, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Because of that, Microsoft has no choice but to continue supporting it, releasing security patches and the like. You don’t need to upgrade in order to get such benefits.
You won’t have your current computer forever, especially if you bought it long enough ago to come pre-loaded with XP. Since installing a new OS is one of the most risky and frustrating things you can do with your computer, you might as well just hold out until you buy a new one. It’ll have Windows 7 pre-installed on a clean drive, allowing you to start from scratch.
If you’re running Vista, however, you should by all means upgrade. What are you, crazy? Upgrade!
simon
October 23, 2009 at 11:52 AM
is this article a hate campaign agaist windows by a mac user or not…? it doesnt seem to suggest objectivity with lines of “even if 7 isn’t the shitshow that Vista was”. win7 is the vista sp2, its the go.
it even runs awesome on my netbook celly 900mhz. sure, the price is a bit of a premium here in aus… thanks market competition (not). get an oem copy, 130 aud for home premium (full version) if u buy a hdd to shove into your old outdated pc.
Report Permalinksimon
October 23, 2009 at 11:53 AM
too add to that… why is it that the media are driving this into the ground like they did with vista when this OS is actually good. and why is it they keep comparing it to macOS in terms of recapturing lost market share… wtf. its giving a misrepresentation of a great OS and likely causing bad market reaction again.
Report PermalinkMatt
October 23, 2009 at 12:15 PM
I kind of have no choice, my XP installation is kaput and the CD is hidden somewhere in storage. I’m on the Win 7 RC which is running great, so while I’d be happy to stay with XP, if I don’t have 7 before March next year I won’t be able to use my PC…so I’ll be upgrading to 7!
Report PermalinkSeth
October 23, 2009 at 12:42 PM
Big list of rubbish.
1. What’s wrong with a fresh start? Maybe you don’t need all of those old programs, maybe you’ve got a virus or two. Use the install / backup time to decide if you really need it or not.
2. Again, do you need all your old stuff? Anything bought online would probably have sent an email out containing a License Key. Anything physical should be in a draw or CD rack somewhere.
3. Valid point, but some people might ‘need’ to upgrade.
4. Valid point
5. Sure you can wait, but why? I’ve been using it as my main OS since the RC, on an EEE-PC. Stable as a brick.
6. Supporting it… It’ll be the last thing they look at.
7. How is installing an OS risky? Or frustrating?
DVD in, click yes. Format all drives to how you like it (or press continue if you don’t know what is going on), watch the progress bar, enter user name, password and regional settings (Unless you don’t know where you live), sign in.
Holy cocks You’ve installed an OS. Risky and frustrating.
How come Giz is becoming Anti-Microsoft? All I see is iShit this and iShit that. Oh look I made a dock out of bread for my iShit. Top 10 apps for the iShit.
There is other tech out there apart from the iShit. Maybe we could hear about that too?
Report PermalinkGordon
October 23, 2009 at 1:18 PM
totally agree with Seth.
Report PermalinkDarkWolfhound
October 23, 2009 at 7:02 PM
I don’t totally agree with Seth. I love my iPhone. I’m using Win7 RC and (amazingly) liking it.
Report PermalinkHowever, if you are using a 6 month old installation of an OS, then the likely hood is you only change OS’s when you change computers, because you use it to download music and check facebook/email/twit(something).
I don’t love M$, I don’t love iApple. I love Competition. Keeps everyone (vaguely) honest.
matty
October 23, 2009 at 1:16 PM
Ha! this is funny. I want to see more comments from the windose supporters, Ra Ra Gooooo Windose!
And then I want to hear from all of them as the roll back to XP because they finally realise they are being burnt by the big M no more!
Then they can all be happy sitting around with their 2001 technology, while all the iShit nerds bask in the glory of innovation.
Gooooo Windose!!!!
Report PermalinkMarty Askew
October 23, 2009 at 1:31 PM
Why would anyone still be running XP anyway?
Report PermalinkAsh Cooper
October 23, 2009 at 1:50 PM
Such a stupid article.
Its just updating an OS? its not open heart surgery. Seriously its a useless update, perhaps people want it because they want it. Its like apple who release 3 revisions of a product every year but think its new. The losers go out and buy it because they want it. Oh an ipod with 20g more, MUST HAVE. Oh my macbook has an SD slot, MUST GET IT. How bout you write an article about why people shouldn’t upgrade their apple products?? Or how bout you write an article listing WHY to upgrade because the RC i used was a smoking OS you apple poke smoking douche bags.
Report PermalinkAsh Cooper
October 23, 2009 at 2:10 PM
think im high. “Seriously its a useless update,” no idea why i typed that. maybe seriously its JUST an update.
Report PermalinkSteve
October 23, 2009 at 2:36 PM
Totally agree with Seth, as someone who uses both apples and pcs they both have their place. What shouldn’t have a place in the world is these crap articles which read like some useless drunken rant by someone who has bought into a marketing campaign.
Report PermalinkSuperEvenSteven
October 23, 2009 at 4:35 PM
Gooooo Windoze…hahahahaha
Hilarious!!! Pure Gold!!!
It looks like Windows 7 will still have a way to go yet before the public’s opinion starts to settle.
WTF is this clunky 7 second snap-n-Go BS? M$ keep making me laugh.
You’re not fooling anyone with that wig on.
Mac/Unix/Linux is where the shet’s at.
Report PermalinkTim
October 23, 2009 at 5:09 PM
I love Point 3. So simple, but spot on.
Report Permalinkpan.sapiens
October 23, 2009 at 6:21 PM
“installing a new OS is one of the most risky …things you can do with your computer”:
Risky? Really? What’s it gonna do, blow up in my face? What possible harm could I do to myself or my computer by installing an O.S.?
“You’ll buy a new computer eventually”:
In which case you’ll have to back up all your data, reinstall all your programs, and actually do pretty much everything you would have to do if you just installed Windows 7 on your current computer. Everything except for putting a disk in your drive, selecting a few options, and waiting for the installer to do it’s thing, which is just SO difficult without a computer science degree (much harder then, say, actually buying a computer and setting it up). -Besides which, I will need a new computer only when there is software which I want to use which my current hardware cannot handle as well as I would like. I frankly don’t see that happening any time soon. Unless you are a serious gamer or a pro video editor, the same almost certainly applies to you. How about an article about the stupidity people of buying new harware, which they don’t need, just to get a new O.S.? Or just becuase their O.S. is broken and needs a re-install?
“and that’s assuming Old Faithful even meets the system requirements”:
The system requirements were lower than vista. They are shipping windows 7 on 1.2ghz single core netbooks, for christs sake. You’d have to have a pretty old computer for your hardware specs to be a problem.
I’m not a great fan of Windows, buy I will never understand why journos etc. get such a kick out of windows bashing, but are so keen to play kissy face with apple. Could it be that journos fit into apple’s “cool”/image-concious/gen-y target demographic, and Windows is not cool enough for them?
Report PermalinkBen
October 24, 2009 at 7:14 AM
That’s your list of reasons? lol… point 2 is part of point 1 for a start and…..actually, meh…you’re a tool.
Report Permalinkanonymous
October 25, 2009 at 9:05 PM
Went back to XP because of this:
Report Permalinkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_features_removed_in_Windows_7
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_features_removed_in_Windows_Vista
Ollie
October 26, 2009 at 10:23 AM
Meh, what a list of useless hate.
Report PermalinkThe human race should have just stayed living in the caves going by your thinking.