Windows 7 or XP?

[CrispyAllsort]

I am looking to buy a netbook. There are quite alot of places selling the models with XP off cheap.

So...what are the benefits of windows 7? How much memory does it use compared to xp? I only really use my computer for the internet so don't want to spend extra money for something i wouldn't notice.

At the moment i am using vista and find it a bit annoying but not a big deal.

The problem with XP is that the updates are being/have stopped. That's not to say you can't still use it but if a new virus comes up, you won't be protected as well.

I have 7 on my laptop here and I love it. It's much simpler than Vista.
Not a clue on memory or anything like that I'm afraid.

XP is still being updated and will be for some time. XP will probably perform better on low spec hardware, but Win 7 should be OK.

The question is do you value the greater potential longevity of Win 7 over the better price and possibly better performance of XP?

I think it really depends on how much the difference is between the two. Win 7 seems to work OK with 2 GB of RAM, where XP works OK with as little as 500 MB RAM (plenty of older systems came with 500 MB, from Dell and so on).

Nowadays, many systems come with 1 GB of RAM (the poor uptake of Vista meant Microsoft extended the life of XP, and it was additionally licenced to run on Nettop machines such as the Asus EEE box, MSI Wind, and more recently the Acer Revo

(Nettop boxes are suitable for playing films on your TV, have a 1 GHz CPU - OK for doing single task at a time rather than running several different applications at once - and usually include 160 GB to 500 GB of disk space and wi-fi as standard). As well as XP, there were some Linux boxes, but quite soon after they came out, Microsoft must have allowed the manufacturers to include OEM versions of XP, while others like Dell were offering a 'downgrade' option (for a fee) to keep running XP.

Assuming this notebook might be replaced in 2 to 3 years, XP would (in my view) be just as usable as Windows 7, as many of the changes will have been cosmetic. If the price difference is under 50 quid it may be worth going for the Win 7 model (out of interest, which ones have you looked at please?)

One problem I had (before giving my Win 7 laptop to my sister) was that when I used a multimedia USB keyboard, on Win 7 it acted at intervals as if I had typed dozens of random characters, but works fine now it is back in an XP laptop. I have 2 or 3 of these multimedia keyboards and tried all, but all had the same problem, so the basic Win 7 driver may have a bug.

I'd add AVG (free) anti-virus with either XP or Win 7. Service Pack 3 (SP3) is still available for download for Win XP, if it isn't already installed, and various other small security updates for 32-bit systems will still be available for some time yet.

0 anti-virus

Been looking at this one this one and this one

I can't even find any of the xp ones noe i have mainly seen them in shops, would say price difference is £30-40.

They are all 1GB which was why i was wondering about memory. The samsung one is only 160ram, the others are 250ram.

Windows 7 is the best Windows operating system yet. It's the operating system that Windows should have been in the first place. I?m really pleased with it and can fully recommend it to anyone.

Read this for a comparison.

See this for another comparison.

A Windows 7 review

Buy the biggest hard disk and the fastest processor you can.

The one disappointing this is that because Windows 7 is a 64 bit operating system (which is a lot better) there are a few old programs that won?t run under Win 7 but you can run them under a Windows XP emulator. In my experience these were rubbishy old programs anyway!

Get Windows 7 any day!

Further to my last post, I've just read that 'Windows 7 starter' is a 32bit version - don't get it, get 'Windows 7 Home Premium' or above.

Windows 7 Starter is designed for netbooks as they generally use a lower power processor. DW has it on hers and it seems pretty good. There is some functionality missing but it's just the pretty stuff rather than anything you need.

I wouldn't recommend the full version of Windows 7 on a netbook as it will struggle. You'll find it will run very slowly.

The samsung one is only 160ram, the others are 250ram

Those will be the size of the Hard Drive - 160 GB and 250 GB.

Aha - found an XP ststem at www.okobe.co.uk at 208.xx quid

ASUS Eee PC 1001PX-BLK071X Seashell Netbook, 10.1", Intel Atom N450 / 1.66GHz, 1GB RAM, DDR2 SDRAM, 160GB HDD with Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition

There's also a white model at Handtec.co.uk - quickfind code 1001HAW - 213.xx pounds

Asus Eee Laptop 1001HA Seashell Netbook (1001HA-WHI003X)
Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz, 1GB RAM, 160 HDD, Windows XP, White

"Buy the biggest hard disk and the fastest processor you can."

Which is a problem when you're buying a smaller netbook, which is one reason why some people will still validly want Windows XP.

"The one disappointing this is that because Windows 7 is a 64 bit operating system (which is a lot better)"

No it's not "just" 64 bit, Windows 7 comes in both 64 and 32 bit versions.

No 64 bit is not "a lot better", the differences are slight and complex and most people with most machines will only notice problems with 64 bit and not the benefits.

64 Bit Windows is still catching on in the home market, and although it's a lot better than it was there are still difficulties with some drivers and programs and I'm really not sure I'd recommend it yet.

"there are a few old programs that won?t run under Win 7 but you can run them under a Windows XP emulator"

Yes you can, but that is pretty much a complete XP System running on a Windows 7 machine. There are performance implications to doing this, and I also think that you then have to worry about security for your virtual XP machine.

I'm not saying that Windows 7 isn't good, it is a whole lot better than Vista but it's not the complete answer for everyone.

"there are a few old programs that won?t run under Win 7 but you can run them under a Windows XP emulator"

It's also worth pointing that that neither of the Home Editions of Windows 7 (Basic or Premium) come with the Windows XP Mode, you need at least Windows 7 Premium for this to be an option.