Is upgrading from XP to Windows 7 worth it?

Cheaper to just buy a PC with Windows 7 than paying for the Windows 7 OS DVD.


Walmart

I went through the same thinking as you did and decided it was easier and cheaper for me to buy a refurb from microcenter. Win 7Pro, 64 bit, 4gb ram etc... for 140 was cheaper then me upgrading my 32bit 2gb machine. I think the best part about it is it comes with just the OS..no trial or crud ware on it. Remarkable how fast it runs without all that junk.

rk911 wrote:

bgum wrote:
Stick with XP it is still being supported...

not my Microsoft. no more updates, patches or fixes. XP was a wonderful OS but I wouldn't put it online. it'll still be fine for offline use, though.

as for the OP...I would agree with the other post. you can still find new Win7 machines that can be upgraded to Win10 when the time comes.

Second this. I wouldn't put it online. Lots of people having pc's remotely locked from hackers overseas who demand a ransom. Once it happens, you pay up or have a boat anchor.

I updgraded my only Windows computer to Vista just to have a supported OS but I only use it for old games like you indicated and I don't do that very often.

bgum wrote:
Stick with XP it is still being supported...

not my Microsoft. no more updates, patches or fixes. XP was a wonderful OS but I wouldn't put it online. it'll still be fine for offline use, though.

as for the OP...I would agree with the other post. you can still find new Win7 machines that can be upgraded to Win10 when the time comes.

Why have you not upgraded to Win 10?

I have a laptop with Windows 7 and another with Windows 8 (hate that thing!).

Let me validate your feeling. I have 3 machines of my own and watch over another half dozen that come my way whenever they have problems like 5 minute boot time, 2 minute browser load time, etc. A couple of them are win 8, and I just hate it when they show up! It's always more difficult for me to do system debugging with win8, and making it worse, Microsoft just had to rearrange some of the debugging tools around. I prefer XP out of them all, although it's not black-and-white between XP and win7, with win7 having a couple of nice added features and being somewhat more stable. Win 8, I wish it would just go away, which Microsoft is helping with.

I should have clarified that I have a laptop with Windows 7 and another with Windows 8 (hate that thing!). It's just that occasionally I have cause to use the desk top. However, after my initial post I downloaded a program from Microsoft that checked the compatibility of the computer with Windows 7. The results indicated that I could only use the 32 bit version and that it Windows 7 is not compatible with my favorite flight simulation program (older version of X Plane). I've decided not to pursue the upgrade, as most of the advice give here has indicated. Thanks for all the replies.

Dump the Dell and move ahead a decade. Backup any files you want to keep and get a new machine with Win10 already installed. XP IS a dead duck, Win7 is good, but still years old technology but a lot of people still swear by. Agree with others an older computer may not support Win7 unless it's memory has been upgraded.

XP is no longer being supported by Microsoft. Other vendors are starting to drop XP support.

As everyone has said, it is time for a new machine. The other components (hard drive, motherboard, chipsets) can fail due to age and you would possibly lose stuff you had saved. Get another machine and get your stuff transferred. (Files,data,favorites,email addresses, etc etc).

Windows 7 is next in line to have Microsoft drop support. There will be a learning curve going to 7 or beyond. 8 is a jump, I have not looked at 10 yet.

It was hard for me to go from XP to 7 as I am a hands on programmer type as I spent 28 yrs writing software for large commercial companies. I like to know where everything is be able to manipulate the software. It took a while to find and implement the fixes to make 7 look more like XP.

You will have a bit of a shock when you upgrade.

Try finding an older machine on amazon with preloaded W7. Staying 7 years behind on an OS is always going to have issues.