Man, you are reading my mind!
I have XP Pro on my old clunker and Win7 on my wife's new machine.
I have spent more time cussing when I have to do something with hers that was pure automatic in knowing what to do with XP.
There was really no reason for some of their crap.
Maybe after I become more familiar with Win 7 once I get myself a new machine, I might quit cussing, but XP seems a lot easier, quicker and logical to run around in.
Your instinct is right. XP is easier, quicker, and more logical.
After going from XP to 7, what I've noticed is that Microsoft seems to have gone in the direction of making a lot of functions automatic. Plug a new device into your machine, and before you know it, Windows 7 has installed it without any input from you.
I don't mind nifty stuff like that, but hiding or degrading simple user tools, such as search, is a huge mistake on their part. The OS hasn't been invented than can anticipate your every need, in that regard.