The choice to move from XP to Windows 7 is one that some people are still hesitant about. You know XP. You like XP. Why mess with a good thing? Here are five good reasons why.
Support from Microsoft
On April 14, 2009, Microsoft ended mainstream support for Windows XP. What that means is that you can’t get free support for any problems related to Windows XP now; you’ll be pulling out the credit card to get help from now on. The only fixes Microsoft provided for free were security patches and as of August 2014, all support for Windows XP ended. You can no longer get security patches for XP, and your computer will be open to any and all newly discovered threats. If there are other problems with XP, you won’t get fixes for those either. In Microsoft’s defense, it supported XP much longer than most software companies provide support for their products. However, no company can support an aging product forever, so XP’s time has passed.
User Account Control
Yes, it’s true that many people hated User Account Control (UAC) when it was introduced in Windows Vista. In its first form, it was hideous, assaulting users with endless pop-up warnings. However, it improved with subsequent service pack releases. In Windows 7, it’s better than ever and more configurable. You can tune it to give you as few or as many warnings as you want. Besides, no matter how much UAC was hated, it closed one of XP’s biggest security holes—the ability for anyone with access to the computer to act as the all-powerful administrator and do whatever they wanted. Now that huge security risk has been eliminated, assuming you don’t turn it off.
More Applications
Most programs are written for Windows 7 or higher. This will continue to be the case for years to come. If you want that new 3-D shooter game or amazing utility, it won’t work on XP. Upgrading gives you access to all the cool stuff your neighbor has that you don’t.
64-Bit Computing
The reasons are a bit technical, but the upshot is that 64-bit is the future, even though Microsoft continues to produce 32-bit operating systems. While there were 64-bit versions of XP in the past, they aren’t for sale anymore and are not for typical consumer use anyway. The newer 64-bit computers are faster and more powerful than their 32-bit brethren, and software is starting to appear that takes advantage of 64-bit power. While 32-bit gear and programs aren’t going the way of the dodo in the immediate future, the sooner you make the move to 64-bit, the happier you’ll be.
Windows XP Mode
Through Windows XP Mode, you can use XP and still get the benefits of Windows 7. If you have the right version of Windows 7 (Professional or Ultimate), and the right kind of processor, you can have the best of both worlds—Windows 7 and Windows XP. Windows XP Mode is one of the coolest things about Windows 7. Without diving into the geeky details, it allows you to run Windows XP in a virtual environment; the old XP programs think they’re on an XP computer, and work as normal. You don’t have to give up the things you love about Windows XP to get the many benefits of Windows 7.
