# Win XP: Why should I buy it? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 28, 2001, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-why-should-i-buy-it/90168 "2001-10-28T22:23:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2001, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-why-should-i-buy-it/90168/21 "2001-10-29T22:55:07Z")
I did buy it but I ran the compatibility checker to see what programs, hardware, etc are okay with it. Looks like it don’t like much of what I have on two computers, so I just gonna wait until drivers come out for that stuff. Me is fine for now. I noticed that when I went from w98 to Me that the computer starts really really fast now. Are there any Ram or HD size improvements in XP? Like it would allow you to use more ram than before? ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2001, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-why-should-i-buy-it/90168/22 "2001-10-29T23:43:08Z")
This is, of course, a matter of opinion. So I’ll move the thread to IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![SterlingNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@SterlingNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SterlingNorth)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2001, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-why-should-i-buy-it/90168/23 "2001-10-30T02:00:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sofa King \* > The conventional wisdom among my geek friends is that it is a good idea to wait around until at least Service Pack 2 before trying to tangle with a new Microsoft OS. > > Windows XP is an incredibly complex piece of software which must attempt to be backwards-compatible with both poorly written software and poorly documented and near-obsolete hardware. > > **A perfect example is going to be the thousands and thousands of system owners who have 3DFX Voodoo-series video cards which work perfectly well, except for the fact that 3DFX is defunct** and therefore is not producing any new device drivers for the cards. That would include me. I’m not going to upgrade to WinXp because I’m not convinced that it is worth my $100+ dollars. I’m doing just fine with Windows98 SE, and my money would be well spent on other upgrades. I just upped the amount of memory today from 64M to 256M, and later I’m getting a larger hard drive. That and I’ll wait to get 4 other people together and we’ll pool our money together to get a “Activation-Free” version of XP. ---
**Author:** ![Monster104](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Monster104](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monster104)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2001, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-why-should-i-buy-it/90168/24 "2001-10-30T08:36:31Z")
ECG, the main link I disagree with is the first one, which is really just an article about what people have written in the ZDnet network. If you read those opinions, the majority of the people bashing XP haven’t even used it (And, it was during the earlier betas. Stability and compatibility is much better now). Other than that, you might want to pay a little more attention to those articles you cited. They all pretty much say right out that XP is a good system and indeed delivers, but that you should wait for a while, and not at all if you don’t need to. Which is what the consensus seems to be. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2001, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-why-should-i-buy-it/90168/25 "2001-10-30T17:07:36Z")
[This](http://www.infoworld.com/articles/op/xml/01/10/08/011008oplivingston.xml) article says don’t upgrade, with some big considerations for why not to. Quotes from the above link: 1). Microsoft made Passport a requirement to use Windows Messenger and other features. 2). The Passport agreement permits Microsoft and its partners to send you an unlimited number of commercial e-mail messages. 3). The same agreement says that Microsoft can change the contract’s terms at any time, merely by editing a Web page. 4). Weak Java. 5). No plug-ins. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2001, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-why-should-i-buy-it/90168/26 "2001-10-30T20:10:03Z")
Because Bill Gates needs a new addition on his mansion. Because there are still seven or eight industries Microsoft hasn’t conquered yet. Because Madonna’s singing in the commercial. Because Microsoft got rid of all the bugs in Windows _this_ time. No, honest! 😉 And finally… because **you have no choice.** [sub](Well, you could go Linux or get a Mac and go OS X, but I’m _trying_ to prevent this from turning into Yet Another OS War… but you could)[/sub] –R.J. [Monopoly XP T-shirts!](http://www.digiserve.com/eescape/shirts/StoreComputers.phtml) ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2001, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-why-should-i-buy-it/90168/27 "2001-10-31T15:20:36Z")
MSFT went up a little this week soon after XP came out but its dropping again, guess people didn’t think it was so hot anyway. You can still get some cool free stuff from Staples if you buy XP. Just the Sony 12x deal is worth the 99 bucks. ---
**Author:** ![NutMagnet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ea5d25/32.png) [@NutMagnet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NutMagnet)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-why-should-i-buy-it/90168/28 "2001-11-02T14:04:51Z")
> [@](#): > > * * * > > ## Originally posted by NutMagnet Can’t we all just boycott XP and hope it goes away? I can’t stand this registration crap and having to contact Microsoft if I change “too much” hardware. > > Surely to God we can avoid an OS Holy War, at my request, just for me to ask my little question? > > To answer some of the speculation, I’m having basically no stability problems at all with Win 98. Guess I need not upgrade. > > * * * Sorry Rickjay. I wasn’t trying to start an OS war. I am long-time PC user and didn’t realize what a can of worms my post could cause. I do however, think this is the worst infliction by a software developer I have ever seen. I resent the price and the “contact Microsoft” requirement. I too use Win98 and will do so until it becomes impractical. After some initial anguish on one machine (mostly SCSI problems and Dell) my systems are very stable. Additionally, my laptop still runs Win95 and it is extremely stable. I’ve never had to reinstall Win95 or 98, and I’ve upgraded 95 from MS’s website and 98 from an upgrade disk. I wish they had concentrated on either improvements to 98 or Win2000 instead of releasing XP. What I should have said is that I’m hoping that public unacceptance and outcry will pressure MS to rethink this strategy. ---
**Author:** ![thinksnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thinksnow/32/2849_2.png) [@thinksnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thinksnow)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-why-should-i-buy-it/90168/29 "2001-11-02T18:52:09Z")
I’ve got Win2000, SerPak 1 on my laptop (850Mhz w/ 256 RAM)and it’s been solid as a rock for the past year. Is this a viable option for people, or is that a stupid question? ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2001, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-why-should-i-buy-it/90168/30 "2001-11-03T15:44:46Z")
w2000 is for the business. People need XP because it has drivers for home stuff. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-why-should-i-buy-it/90168/31 "2001-11-04T01:55:00Z")
> [@](#): > > I resent the price and the “contact Microsoft” requirement. And they resent the thousands upon thousands of people who are illegally using their products. You know of a better way to stop casual piracy? ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-why-should-i-buy-it/90168/32 "2001-11-04T02:29:12Z")
Ah, it was only cause DOS was the most pirated software in the world that windows is so successful. I saw that. Plus, as for Gates, watch some video, the Pirates of Silicon valley., I think that’s what it’s called. Anyway, you can call it in instead of using the net. Protects your privacy. ---
**Author:** ![to\_catch\_a\_painted\_pony](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b77776/32.png) [@to\_catch\_a\_painted\_pony](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/to_catch_a_painted_pony)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-why-should-i-buy-it/90168/33 "2001-11-04T03:29:33Z")
The only “reason” is to edit home videos, which you can do now with cheap shareware. They just wanted to squeeze the Mac crowd from any feelings of superiority. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-why-should-i-buy-it/90168/34 "2001-11-04T15:22:10Z")
Nope, you can edit flicks with Me. I have it. Plus, cameras, etc, all come with software to do that in a much better way. ---
**Author:** ![Poloin99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Poloin99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poloin99)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-why-should-i-buy-it/90168/35 "2001-11-04T15:29:12Z")
I have WinXP. Had ME before. XP does seem more stable and it looks cool. The bad side(s) is that Norton Anti Virus does not work. My burning software does not work. Almost none of my old software works. Also I did A clean install and (format C) now have no word processor. In addition to that to go to Walmart to get AOL. I would recommend XP for the advanced user being as you will experience unique problems while dealing with XP. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-why-should-i-buy-it/90168/36 "2001-11-04T16:05:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Poloin99 \* > \*\*I have WinXP. Had ME before. XP does seem more stable and it looks cool. > The bad side(s) is that Norton Anti Virus does not work. My burning software does not work. Almost none of my old software works. > \*\* Norton Anti Virus 2002 works fine with XP. There is currently a Windows XP update on the MS website for Adaptec/Roxio burner software that lets XP work with it. ---
**Author:** ![Poloin99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Poloin99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poloin99)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-why-should-i-buy-it/90168/37 "2001-11-04T17:50:24Z")
Astro, great information… What version of Adaptec does it allow to work with XP. ---
**Author:** ![Poloin99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Poloin99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poloin99)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-why-should-i-buy-it/90168/38 "2001-11-04T18:00:37Z")
I can not find it. (Adaptec patch) Can you help? ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-why-should-i-buy-it/90168/39 "2001-11-04T23:40:44Z")
I don’t believe anyone should buy it. ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2001, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-why-should-i-buy-it/90168/40 "2001-11-05T00:18:51Z")
Technically, my PC could run it. But damned if I’m going to install XP. I hear the installation process is grueling, and I’m SURE I’d mess something up there. Who needs the grief? Especially when my PC is running just fine as-is? My PC is on the old side anyway (450 MHz), it’s running Win98 well enough. I hope to get a “used” PC next year with XP preinstalled, and find out about the Wonders of XP then. I am not keen on installing radically new OSs on any of my old computers anyway. I was contemplating installing OS X on my old iMac, but thinking about it made me break into a sweat (probably an unreasonable fear, but still…). So, I have sold my old iMac, bought a new iMac with OS X pre-installed! Much better! So that’s what I intend to do when I buy my next PC. “Upgrade” to XP automatically when I get the new machine. Works for me. Or, in other words, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-why-should-i-buy-it/90168.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-why-should-i-buy-it/90168.md?page=3)