As you may remember, even in 2011, I’m still installing XP for clients, but just so you’re aware, support for XP ends in August, 2014.
According to Microsoft Support Lifecycle, support for Windows XP will end on August 4, 2014. Most companies still on Windows XP are skipping Windows Vistafor Windows 7, which will probably still be the dominant operating system choice for businesses in 2014. If you haven’t started testing your programs for Windows 7 compatibility, now is the time. Worst-case scenario is that you’ll have to run your XP apps within a virtualized XP PC on your desktop, but that is a pain and can take up extra system resources. Windows 7 comes with a compatibility checker that runs on install, but that’s probably not the best time to test.
How much does Windows 7 cost?
At Amazon.com, Windows 7 ranges from $266.22 for Ultimate to $174.99 for Home Premium: