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Tech reasons not to upgrade to XP

Tags:
Fixes,
Upgrade,
Windows,
Deactivation

Brien M Posey Tech Republic

Published: 10 Sep 2002 09:01 BST

One visit to the Microsoft Windows XP Pro Web site and you'll see countless reasons Microsoft gives for upgrading. I like Windows XP (no hate mail, please) and have already upgraded all of my Windows 9x machines to the new operating system. For others, upgrading just doesn't make sense. Many will have financial reasons for not upgrading, but I'll share with you what I find to be the best technical reasons for not upgrading to Windows XP.

Note to Microsoft bashers
Keep in mind that these are not the unsubstantiated reasons not to upgrade to Windows XP that you'll find at certain Web sites.Additional hardware requirements

Windows XP has more stringent hardware requirements than Windows 9x. For example, Microsoft recommends having a minimum of a 300-MHz processor, 128 MB of RAM, and 1.5 GB of free hard disk space on any system on which you plan to run Windows XP. Obviously, these are far beyond the requirements of the various versions of Windows 9x.

Even if you have a beefy system with plenty of processing power, memory, and disk space, there's still a chance that your system may not be capable of running Windows XP unless each of the system's components is listed on the Hardware Compatibility List.

Application incompatibility
Not all Windows applications will run on Windows XP. In fact, when you install Windows XP, the Setup program will present you with a list of installed applications that may not run correctly under Windows XP. Some of the items on the list, like antivirus software, are obvious, but expect a few surprises.

When I upgraded my primary production workstation to Windows XP, I found out that the Microsoft Phone System does not work with Windows XP. I had to spend three hundred dollars for a new phone system.

Security problems
Microsoft has worked hard to make Windows XP secure, but one potential major security hole it left in is the Remote Assistance feature, which allows users to send an invitation for help to the person of their choosing. The recipient is then able to assist the troubled user via remote control.

The problem with this feature is that users can ask anyone they want for help; they aren't limited to asking the help desk for assistance. The assistant has no more privileges than the local user, but the thought of a user allowing someone from outside the company to work on their PC is frightening, to say the least.

Product activation problems
Mandatory product activation is another reason for not upgrading to Windows XP. A lot of rumours are circulating about the way product activation works. For example, you may have heard that if too many different hardware components on your system are changed, Windows XP will think it's running on a different system and will conclude that the software is pirated. The truth is that if too many hardware components are changed in a system you may be asked to reactivate Windows. Windows won't simply cease to function.

However, the activation feature does prevent users from running a single copy of Windows XP on multiple computers or from removing Windows XP from one computer and installing it onto another computer. If the thought of not being able to run a user's OS on another system (legally, of course) or Microsoft's policing of its users through product activation annoys you, you might be happier with your existing operating system.

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