Which is the best: Windows XP or Windows Seven?

Nowadays, when people buy a new computer they find out that the latest operating system provided by Microsoft: Windows 7, is already pre-installed in the pc. Here comes the problem: do they have to trust and start getting accustomed to it, or they have to go back to the familiar Windows XP? Is one of them better than the other? If you are a user of XP who thinks that your PC needs an update, the following points may also clarify your doubts when choosing the best option for your machine.

Windows XP was launched in October 2001 and it was a great improvement on the previous Windows 98. It introduced many changes, not only in the system itself, by solving lots of problems and making everything easier, but also in the interface, which was now more attractive and full of modern icons and bright colours. Its requirements were really basic compared with the powerful hardware available today. The processor had to be at least of 233 MHz, the RAM needed was only of 128 MB and the available space in disk had to be of almost 2 GB. By the moment of its first appearance in the technological market, these requirements were covered easily by investing some money (just to forget about having any problem for a long time).

After Windows XP, the Windows Vista was another attempt by Microsoft to show how technology was able to solve our problems and help us in our everyday life. It was only an attempt, and a failed one. Instead of solving problems, it caused more. The users started complaining since the very first time they turned on their computers. It is considered as the worst operating system in history! But let’s forget about this and pass on to better times.

Windows 7 has been available since October 2009, twelve months after Bill Gates left Microsoft. Its challenge was to make the users forget about the awful experience they had with Vista; and in spite of the initial and unjustified criticisms, it has survived and each day more people choose it. Its requirements are very different from the ones of XP, but we have to take into account that eight years have passed and the new hardware is much more powerful than in those times. The processor needs to be at least of 1 Ghz, the minimum for the RAM is of 1 GB, and the disk space of 16 GB. What is new about hardware requirements are the graphic cards. With XP, the graphics were managed with an inside-motherboard device, while nowadays, it’s recommended to buy a separate graphic card for a better performance. There are motherboards which have it included, but it ‘steals’ RAM to the system to work (and this is not the best option). As a conclusion, we still have to invest some money, and a bit more than in 2001, to have a PC that would be able to work with this new operating system. But, as I have corroborated, it’s better to invest now than to suffer tomorrow.

Let’s talk now about why changing our pre-installed Seven may be useless, and also, for those who are interested in updating their systems, why it may be nice and better to give it a try. First of all, remember that XP appeared in 2001, and it’s taken as an old system by the Microsoft Company, so they will stop selling it and the licenses will  expire in less time than you imagine. It will disappear very soon, while Seven has just been born! Take advantage of that, and also of the continuous changes and updates they keep working on, which will improve its performance and satisfy the users’ needs.

If you are a potential buyer of a new PC and you don’t know if it will work properly and fast with Seven, or if you have just bought one and you are afraid of it breaking down, don’t worry! The new machines are perfectly prepared to work with this system; and what is more, they will work better and faster with it. XP is a bit out of date compared with all the new components that keep on appearing every day; it has limits that Seven doesn’t, for example when talking about RAM: XP’s limit is 2 GB, while Seven’s is 16 GB (which is a lot more than what we need).

If you buy a new PC and you want to use your old printer, webcam, or scanner, you will be able to do so because their drivers are already installed in Windows Seven, so you just connect them and the computer will recognize them automatically. But if instead of this, you have your old XP and you buy a new printer, scanner, etc., you will have to install the driver manually or maybe you may find out that it’s not prepared to run in a system that is previous to Vista, for example. It’s a real headache when you realize that you will have to throw away your new purchase, or that you will have to change your operating system.

When talking about stability and security, Windows Seven is absolutely much better. Why? Simply because XP has been many years in the hands of hackers and people who spend their time ruining other people’s lives, so they have found many (and believe me when I say ‘many’) ways of creating viruses for this system. Its weaknesses are not a mystery anymore, and it has become really vulnerable. However, as Seven is quite new, they haven’t still found out how to reach its nucleus and so its weak points. We are a bit safer if we also have a good Antivirus, which is a basic need and the first program to be installed if you don’t want surprises later.

And the last good point I will focus on, and maybe the most interesting for me, is the option that allows users to go back to a previous state of the system if they have a problem. This is a great improvement, because in XP this almost didn’t exist. I say almost because you had the opportunity to create a ‘Recovery disk’ manually; but in the case of Seven, it’s automatic. Every time you install a program, the system creates a ‘point’ for future recoveries. This means that if you happen to have a problem or you come across a virus; then you can insert the Windows Seven installation DVD and choose ‘Restore System’. This option will allow you to go back to the point you have chosen, without losing anything except the later installations. This possibility has allowed many people (including me) to get back their data.

Summing up, Windows Seven, as any scientific or technological advance, brings with it new options, new characteristics, new ideas that tend to be (always) positive and useful for users. XP is not a bad system, I’m not criticizing it. I’m not telling that everybody should erase it from their PCs. I’m just trying to give some points to take into account when having to choose what is better for each computer. It all depends on the kind of PC that you have; that’s why the requirements are the first thing to look at when making a decision. Seven is better for some cases, and XP is better for some others. Technology is always improving and advancing, and it’s good to catch up with it so as to take advantage of all the possibilities it offers to the world.