Windows XP is dead, long live Windows XP!

Microsoft stopped the sales of Windows XP, 30 June 2008, but that does not mean it's impossible to get hold of a copy of the operating system. Personally, I am certainly not fond of Microsoft's new OS: Windows Vista. Ok, there are some new features and the interface looks quite attractive, transparent window frames and all. Even if security has been allocated an update, I am most disturbed at all warning messages popping up. Anyway, I like Windows XP. The operating sustem works on everything from lazy old computers to new modern game machines. Do you buy a printer or a USB device of any kind, you can count on XP. Even legacy applications, or older versions of new applications will work without problem if you are using Windows XP. In Vista, it is sometimes difficult to plug in a printer or install a program, even if compatibility getting better and better with time, of course. There are a variety of reasons to stick with Microsoft's old system Windows XP Home Edition or Windows XP Professional Edition.

For those who really want to, there are a number of opportunities to put your hands on a brand fresh copy of XP also in the future. The first reason is that some computer stores, mostly smaller companies that build their computers themselves, will continue to be allowed to sell computers with Windows XP as an pre-installed operating system, at least until the end of January 2009. Until the end of January 2009 Dell and Hawlett-Packard will also offer a so-called downgrading of Windows Vista Business and Windows Vista Ultimate on some computer models. That means in simple terms, that you can buy a Dell or HP computer, and then downgrade the computer's OS for a good old-fashioned Windows XP. Another reason that you will manage to get a copy of Windows XP is that Microsoft's ceased sales does not mean that the operating system is not available in computer stores' stock. The XP will therefore continue to be sold until the computer stores are out of stock. Some firms even have bought extra copies of XP to be able to offer customers the rare operating system. Some enterprising people will no doubt also try to sell Windows XP orginal CDs through sites like eBay and Amazon. One have to be aware, otherwise it's likely to be fooled by fraudsters who steal your money or send pirated software instead of genuine ones. Just pirated versions of XP perhaps will be the most common form of distribution of Windows XP as time goes on. The operating system will surely be avalible through various illegal Peer2Peer filesharing networks. One should of course be clear that these are illegal copies, and that Microsoft does not give any guarantees that the operating system is secure and free from any malware. This does not mean that an illegal version must be bad. On the contrary, there are examples of pirated versions of XP, which will do just as good as the original, if not better. One example is TinyXP, which contains a large package of updated drivers and Service Pack 3 (SP3), which normally takes almost as long to download and install as the operating system itself. In TinyXP, the SP3 comes with the installation, which is not the case with a year old orginal copy of XP. Read more about TinyXP at APC Mag. A lot of computer customers will run into XP when they buy a new mini computer. Microsoft's new Windows Vista operating system is simply too heavy and costly to operate on a less powerful computer and Microsoft doesn't want to risk losing market share so, Microsoft will continue to sell XP as an pre-installed OS on minicomputers like ASUS Eee PC, Intel Classmates PC and so on. For those who are thinking of buying Windows XP, and for those who are already using the operating system, it might be good to know that Microsoft will support the system with updates until the end of 2009 and also provide necessary updates until as long as 2014.