Windows XP support

i just want to start of by saying, I dont want this thread to become a win xp vs 7 debate. I have used windows 7 and i like it but I hate aero and prefer the windows classic minimalistic theme. so I was thinking, why not just go back to xp?

I would like to know, do the new Thinkpads (T/L 420 and 520) support Windows Xp? Do all the functions of the laptop work? is battery life the same? power management/heat etc? the features of the new core i3 processors? would an ssd work?

is there a chance that windows xp would give even better performance/battery life than windows 7?


Thanks in advance for your help.

 

Your system, the ThinkPad L520 can support Windows XP as drivers are available for it on the Lenovo Support site. Since Windows XP is now over 10 years old you would expect the OS to feel snappy as the system requirements for XP in today's standards are pretty low.

However while I admire the OS for what it is, I don't recommend people going back to Windows XP due to:

- 32 bit OS limitation means that you can't meaningfully use anything more than 4GB RAM. While there is a 64 bit version of XP the lack of general driver support is a real issue for that to be a viable alternative.

- End of life support, all crtitical updates would cease by 2014 which is 2 years from now. If you plan to use your notebook for at least 3 years then this can be an issue.

- Since you have a SSD the lack of native TRIM support can be a problem which may lead to poorer SSD performance over time.

 

thanks for the reply. i didn't know xp didn't support trim. i will be using 7 on my system.

thread may be closed.

 

Honestly I don't think TRIM is such a big issue. I have the stock Lenovo image running on my Z61t, with the Intel X25-M G1 80 GB SSD which does not support TRIM.

Also, I'm going to say unless you have a specific reason for XP (legacy software/hardware), you'd best stick with Windows 7 and later Windows OS as XP has Swiss cheese for security, and given XP has been EoL for quite some time.

 

I'd second Tsunade in that the lack of TRIM support isn't a huge issue... unless you are writing hueg amounts of data everyday.

I'd also second Tsunade in that you shouldn't run XP unless you have a compatibility issue, etc.

I was die hard XP fan when Vista came out, and still a die hard XP fan when 7 came out... but I was glad to be off the XP boat when I retired my last XP machine a few months ago. 7 is just a lot more pleasant to use all around. For a short time, there were definitely some power and performance benefits to running XP over 7, but hardware is so far past the system requirements for Vista and 7 now that I believe those benefits are insignificant.

 

dont think there would be any critical updates after 10 years of polishing particular OS;

also MS might bite the finger and release TRIM support for XP. That would be nice, just as they released support for processors with more than one core inside.

the ~3GB RAM limit still remains as a valid reason, besides the polished interface of W7. Not that MS can not release support for even over 4GB RAM support with the 32bit XP via the physical address extension, but they are stubborn and would not do it, so that people keep buying next versions of Windows. But what can one do, business is business ...

 

Not everyone is on Service Pack 3, you'd be surprised. I saw a customer's Dell Dimension from like 2002 had no service packs (surprised it wasn't heavily infected). Also Microsoft should have pulled off the bandages for supporting XP in 2007. Unfortunately the business world kept crying and not paid to upgrade hardware/software licenses.

 

On a related note: I found that the XP virtual machine ("XP mode" or whatever they call it) that comes with w7pro works quite well.

 

there's so much stuff running on XP nowadays that most people dont even realize. For example there is tons of critical automation software that runs under XP that controls machines in factories that pump out product for the every days life. Those things can not afford to even restart the computers, so talking about upgrade to W7 is like a joke and not going to happen for quite a while, trust me. Once they make everything work as it should, they even disable updates as those may screw up stuff.

besides, 10 years worth of people developing stuff for particular OS is substantial, so it will take some time for things to move to 64bit windows.

not that I'm saying W7 is bad ..

 

hallo?

xp needs restart every 2-3 weeks... fragmentation... old kernel etc.

some companies do not want to spend some $$ on w7. end of story.
the good ones have w7-64bit!

P.S. when you dont need a reboot, install linux, this should fix your problem.

 

lol

1st - XP does not need to be restarted on every 2-3 weeks;

2nd - Spending one time for OS for the computers is not a big deal considering what the product is worth, and product is coming out on a non-stop basis. I'm obviously talking about manufacturing;

3rd - nobody said there's a problem, and the fact that there's no problem leads to no sense of upgrading;

4th - I bet you have never been in a mill to actually see what's going on.

 

these "companies" are using 386pcs with win 3.11 (with networking). we are talking here about USER and COMPANIES... not kiosks.