7 reasons to stick with Windows XP

Last week a reader challenged me to come up with 7 valid (-ish!) reasons for users to stick with Windows XP rather than upgrading to Windows 7.

Here you go!

1. Stick with what you know Every new OS comes with a learning curve. Sometimes that curve is gentle, sometimes it's steep. By sticking with what you already know, you're bypassing the whole learning curve thing altogether!
2. Certainty Installing a new OS is a leap into the unknown as far as hardware and software compatibility goes. If you do your research you can reduce on these unknowns, but you can never truly eliminate them. Even with the best research and testing, it's possible that something in your hardware and software ecosystem won't take kindly to the upgrade.
3. Cost While many people like to cling on to the belief that upgrading operating systems will save them money, in the real world this is rarely the case. Not only will the OS upgrade itself set you back a fair few dollars per system, but you then need to factor in other expenses (basically, replacements for anything that ends up not working because of the upgrade).
4. XP is still supported by Microsoft Microsoft will continue to offer what it calls extended support for Windows XP (running the latest Service Pack) up until April 2014. This means that you will still be able to get security updates for the operating system for years to come.
5. Developers still support XP Software developers still support XP, which means you can still find and get updates for software you run on your XP system. Remember, the OS is just a platform for other software.
6. Upgrade components to stay secure! Rather than upgrading your entire operating system in the hope that you'll be more secure, upgrade old and obsolete software you have installed on your OS instead. Secunia PSI is a great piece of kit for ferreting out vulnerable software that's buried on your systems.
7. Do you really need to upgrade? Think about it. What are you really missing by not upgrading? Again, while the sales literature for Windows 7 looks good, you need to think about how those new features will translate into value for money on the ground.

See, that was easy!

Just to be clear, I could come up with 7 reasons to stick with Vista or upgrade to Windows7 too ... :)