The slow road to Windows XP

Cnet ^ | June 14, 2005 | Ina Fried

[Panerai]

Use of Microsoft Windows XP has grown inside corporations, but a new study shows that nearly half of business PCS are still running the older Windows 2000.

The study, released Tuesday by AssetMetrix, underscores a recurring problem for Microsoft: While the company spends billions of dollars developing new versions of Windows and its Office desktop software, many customers are slow to give up older versions of software that's paid for and works just fine.

The AssetMetrix study shows that many companies have moved off of other versions of Windows, including Windows NT 4, Windows 95 and Windows 98.

Windows XP use surged to 38 percent by the first quarter of this year, up from 6.6 percent in the third quarter of 2003. However, the popularity of Windows 2000 has remained high, with the venerable operating system still in use in 48 percent of business PCs during the first quarter of 2005, down just four percentage points from the third quarter of 2003.

[ConservativeMind]

Windows 2000 worked really well.

The only reasons I upgraded to Windows XP was a great discount on the package coupled with the special enhancement for LCD screen viewing (ClearType).

ClearType has been great on the eyes.

However, other bonuses have been nice, including the Microsoft Anti-spyware program and other such incentives only for XP users.

[kingu]

Corps have little choice these days what with the innane compliance programs that the software companies have dreamed up. One IT guy I know spends four days a month just ensuring that there are appropriate licenses in storage, lest the compliance fall out and they get another visit from the software giants.

So most of them have gone to a policy of 'When the computer is replaced, so too is the OS.' When the new shipment of Dells comes in, they're running XP and the license is pasted to the computer - much easier on the compliance requirements.

Microsoft could save itself a huge amount of trouble by simply going to a yearly license program that charges per seat for access to all their products. No more wondering if someone has snuck a copy of Excel onto a machine or not.

[backhoe]

Well, here is my anecdotal evidence, for what it's worth...

Last year, we had lots of DSL problems... culminating in a switch to cable, it was so bad... but during that time I got to talk to BellSouth's tech services a lot.

From the first tier of phone jockeys, all the way up to Supervisor Level and "we're filing a special report," I burned up the phone lines night and day for almost a year. ( the problem was their "infrastructure..." )

One thing I took away from all that aggravation?

They saw fewer problems with Win2000 than with XP in customer installations. A typical comment was "it's more stable and mature."

FYI, and FWIW.

[Iris7]

I would say that Windows 2000 is the rule where large networks are needed. Much easier to maintain. Over 500 seats it is pretty automatic.

Linux will get big once there is good support, I think.

I find XP just horrible. Once you have to deviate from Microsoft's prepared script in XP you are in for it. A POS.

[Ronin]

Windows 2000 is logical, easy to use, and has features that, known only to Gates, seem to be completely missing from XP.

E.g., in the "track changes" function, it used to be possible to "hide" text that you had deleted while highlighting inserted text in a different color. You can still highlight the new text, but the deleted text stays right out there, lined through.

Now, whenever I edit a document, something I do professionally, I have to put up with all the deleted text, lined out, cluttering up the screen and making it a pain in the butt to read while I work.

It stinks!

[stainlessbanner]

I've been to the VP level with BellSouth. I sympathize with you.

[backhoe]

I've been to the VP level with BellSouth. I sympathize with you.

It's kind of bad when you get on a first-name basis, and they recognize your voice on the line...

The basic problem was that they kept running line tests from Atlanta ( 300 miles away ) that looked fine-- but the problem was in the local pedastal and lines... we even lost phone service for up to a week at a time, several times in a row. With a dying Mother-in-Law, that was just not acceptable- I'm not needed much, but when somebody calls, it's usually something important. For a while, I was dragging the bag phone I normally keep in my truck along with me so I wouldn't miss calls- like from BellSouth. When your phone is dead, and the lineman needs to get inside a locked gate, how do they contact you? Catch-22...

Amazingly enough, what finally shook them up, was when I emailed a complaint to the Georgia Public Service Commission- a normally worthless entity that serves a patronage for friends of the Governor.

They actually emailed, called, and wrote me and BellSouth, lit a fire under BS, and got the problem fixed.

But by then I was sufficiently disgusted enough to switch to cable- which has its own set of annoyances. I'm on my second Surfboard modem, and I've seen the Adelphia tech out here two or three times... but when it works ( most of the time ) it sure is fast...

So far, I have learned two things from their tech- the secret cable modem address

http://192.168.100.1/

and "don't bother with that surge protector on the cable- if the lightnin' wants yer equipment, it's gonna git it..."

[The Duke]

One day in the future somebody's going to have an epiphemy and realize that there's a fundamendal difference between servers and workstations.

[sodiumodium]

sun figured that one out long ago ;)

---

One day in the future somebody's going to have an epiphemy and realize that there's a fundamendal difference between servers and workstations.

[dvwjr]

I can't figure out if you are having problems with Word, or Windows 2000 or Windows XP. Last I check the operating systems have nothing to do with text highlighting color.

???

dvwjr

[MarkL]

Microsoft Anti-spyware program and other such incentives only for XP users.

Actually, it works just fine with Win2000.

Mark

[MarkL]

Microsoft could save itself a huge amount of trouble by simply going to a yearly license program that charges per seat for access to all their products. No more wondering if someone has snuck a copy of Excel onto a machine or not.

They have had that sort of licensing available for a number of years. Your buddy in IT needs to tell those who make the purchasing decisions that they need a different vendor, if they can't even get the MS licensing right.

Mark

[johncatl]

The part about the surge protector is wrong. However, you should get an UPS (uninterruptible power supply) and plug your monitor, computer and modem/ethernet into that. It works better than a surge protector and eliminates some of the problems that are caused by power surges like hard drive corruption.

Microcenter in Marietta and Gwinnet had some suitable for the average PC for as little as $35.00-50.00, but it seems every weekend or so there is a good deal on one from most of the major retailers.

It's some of the best insurance you can get for the money and will help your system last longer. I'm partial to the APC brand but most of the ones out now are fine.

[sittnick]

I am the MIS Manager at my company and I DO NOT ALLOW Windows XP in the company. We are on a very tight budget, and Windows XP requires more processing overhead than 2000.

The MAIN reason I do not allow XP in the company is this:

MICROSOFT'S REQUIREMENT TO 'REGISTER THE PRODUCT AGAIN' (BY PHONE OR INTERNET) EVERYTIME I CHANGE OUT HARDWARE

Microsoft's successful efforts to make "ghosting" impractical have already made my life much more difficult. But I will be doggoned if I have to ask Microsoft "pretty please" everytime I pull an HD/memory/video card swap.

We also buy off-lease computers with Win2000 Pro licenses for less than the cost of a Windows XP license.

Microsft originally stated that they will support Windows 2000 until 2007. That has since been extended to 2010. Sounds good to me.

[KeyWest]

Do you have a linksys router? It can cause problems by dropping the Internet connection but everything looks fine, you just cannot connect- BTDT.

All it needs is to be reset which you can do on the status page of the router setup web page. You do not need to reset by powering down the router (but that will fix it also).

Thanks for the modem link.

[goldstategop]

You're allowed to make a couple of changes before you need to activate XP again. The anti-piracy measure is designed to prevent one from installing the operating system on multiple computers.

(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)

[sittnick]

The anti-piracy measure is designed to prevent one from installing the operating system on multiple computers. I understand the reason for it. I often make multiple changes with the machine. And of course, you have to register when you first set it up. (I want the option to do some of the prep without an Internet connection as well.) I suspect many other MIS Managers resent Microsoft's obnoxious "anti-piracy" measures. Their server licensing model stinks too. In most of them (there are several), they want a license paid for every computer hooked up to the newtork whether it uses or accesses the MS Server or not... including our old SGI boxes and Macs that do not USE the Win Server in any way.

[backhoe]

Do you have a linksys router? It can cause problems by dropping the Internet connection but everything looks fine, you just cannot connect- BTDT. All it needs is to be reset which you can do on the status page of the router setup web page. You do not need to reset by powering down the router (but that will fix it also). Thanks for the modem link.

I've got an Asante' FR1004, and sure enough, rebooting the router ( and sometimes the modem ) will often cure a dropout problem. It is a hardwired installation- and looking at the log is a sobering experience. At least every hour there are 5 to 20 or more "unrecognized attempt blocked" entries in it- port scans, I assume.

[backhoe]

Thanks for the info!