1. Updating will be a huge pain

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!

2. Software investment

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?

3. Most of what you use your computer for doesn’t need an upgrade

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.

4. It’s expensive

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?

5. You can wait for SP1

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?

6. Microsoft will keep supporting XP for a while

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.

7. You’ll buy a new computer eventually

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!

The Mini 110 comes in two main iterations – the Linux powered version which comes with 16GB of flash storage, and the XP powered version with a 160GB HDD. Both have the latest Atom N280 1.66GHz processor, 1GB RAM and a 10.1-inch screen. However, the XP version will set you back $699 compared to the $499 for the Linux version.

The HD video card that we heard about with the US release seems to be an optional extra, as is a 6-cell battery and cases to match the three different available colours.

I love the fact that we’re starting to get 10-inch netbooks for under $500, but I do wish the Linux version had more than 16GB of storage. You’ll probably want to upgrade that as quickly as possible, I’d imagine.

[HP]

[Giz@Computex]

A good deal of their article is aimed at overclockers—which isn’t so surprising given the audience. But there are some notable gems inside. For instance, does anyone know what “PFN_LIST_CORRUPT” might mean? The explanation is ironically shorter than that handy error code. Faulty RAM.

If you’re a Windows user, the link offers good read, and probably a decent bookmark, too. And if you feel like seeing one of the biggest BSODs of all time, you can check that out here. [MaximumPC and image]

We talked about XP Mode—which runs programs that work in XP but not in Vista—in our Windows 7 RC1’s hands-on. Now Microsoft is coming up with details about what hardware and licenses this will need.

• A CPU that has true chip-level virtualisation from Intel or AMD.
• 2GB of RAM minimum.
• While XP Mode will be a free download for buyers of Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Enterprise, and Windows 7 Ultimate, you will need a licensed copy of Windows XP Service Pack 3.

All seems very straightforward except the virtualisation part. According to Microsoft’s Scott Woodgate, “Some PCs have [chip-level virtualisation] and some don’t. It’s not as clear as it should be relative to which PCs have support and which don’t.” Hopefully, they will release a tester program along with Windows 7. [cnet]

The patent, held by Uniloc, an Australia-based security software company, creates unique identities for individual users, presumably thus preventing piracy (though let’s be honest, Windows XP is not a tough nut to crack at this point). Uniloc filed the suit way back in 2003, when it was probably more of an immediate issue, but it’s been held up in court for six years. A Microsoft spokesman protested the decision, proclaiming the big MS’s innocence, and said that Microsoft will attempt to have the verdict overturned.

The court’s decision of nearly $US400 million would make the case one of the largest patent dispute settlements of all time. [Reuters]

Windows XP will outlive Vista at this rate: Originally slated to die on May 30, it’s reported that HP at least will be allowed to ship computers with XP on them until April 30, 2010.

There are a few catches though: Microsoft is still (supposedly) ending mainstream support on April 14, and it’s gonna cost you to downgrade (not as much as Lenovo charges, presumably).

It’s possible that HP isn’t the only one who’s getting the extended rights to ship XP. But I have the feeling that maybe this, along with HP’s computers being featured as the choice hardware in Microsoft’s successful “Macs are expensive” ads are Microsoft’s way of paying HP back for screwing it over in the “Vista Capable” debacle.

Oh, XP, when you do finally go, we will miss you. [AppleInsider via PC World]

Niwradsoft Seven Remix XP is a free download that transforms the entire look of your OS to be all-around 7-like. You get boot screens, logon screens, screensaver, system theme, and loads of hacked resource files.

Want to add Win 7 functionality to your XP box as well? Lifehacker can show you how to add Aero Shake, Aero Snap and Aero Peek utilities as well. Who needs to upgrade? [NiwradSoft via Lifehacker]

Overall, the guide’s pretty similar to what I do every couple of years with a new Windows install to keep performance snappy. A biggie is to start with fresh hard drives—read/write speed is faster than whatever you bought two years ago, and the closer to full a drive, the worst it performs, so a bigger drives helps. I’d also check out a 10,000RPM or faster drive, if you’re got cash to burn, though they were pretty cheap earlier this year.

For prep, there are a few steps that I should start following myself: Collect all of your application licence keys (they recommend Magic Jelly Bean 2.0 to do the dirty work), deactivate and deauthorise apps, back up data from apps like iTunes, get your drivers together (especially video card and motherboard).

Then you just install Windows on your new hard drive (make sure you install to the right one), and once you’re up and running you can copy files over from the old one. The other major pro tip is to buy a second new drive once you’re all setup, and use that as a disk image and file back location, using a program like Acronis True Image. Overall, a solid, detailed guide you should check out if you’re doing a new Windows installation, ’cause there’s probably some tip you didn’t know. BTW, here’s Lifehacker’s guide to building a new computer to slap it on. [Maximum PC]

The interesting bit is that, using the testing workloads they came up with, they were able to find that Vista and 7 were almost exactly the same, barring some tweaks, and very different from XP under the hood. Our analogy would be that Windows XP is an orange, and Vista and 7 are a banana and a ripe banana, respectively.

Another point Infoworld brought up is that both Vista and 7 are actually more optimised for multicore performance than XP, naturally.

Taken to its logical conclusion — and disregarding for the moment external factors, like bus speeds, I/O contention, and memory latency — Vista would ultimately overtake XP when the core count reaches between 32 and 64.

And in Windows 7, they suggest that it will overtake Windows XP at around 16 or 24 cores. So although it may be slower now, in a few years, when you have 16 or 24 cores, you’re going to be thankful for Microsoft for their work. But until then, Ballmer can expect lots of angry fist shaking. [Infoworld via Slashdot]