Microsoft screwed the pooch when they went from XP to 7.
I think it's mostly because they went through Vista. I haven't heard anything real bad about 7.
Still wouldn't get it though.
If I need it cheap I'll go with the Penguin. If I got the dough I'll go with a Mac.
I respectfully and thoroughly disagree.
As Tribune7 said, the problem was Vista, and also the long delay between major releases. Win7 released in 2006 would have been a huge success and every Windows user would be running it by now very happily.
Vista was designed to be the Hardware Vendors' Full-Employment and Sales Boost Act. It flopped because it wasn't nearly good enough to justify the expense of new hardware.
Win7 is Vista-Done-Right, and is a worthy successor to XP.
Besides, what else would you have had them do? XP-SP4? XP was stretched to the limit already. When does it stop?