Vista is utter Crap. Windows 7 is pretty good. but it's not better than Windows XP, OSX or Linux.

Windows is just designed wrong, from the ground up, unless they start from scratch and use a "Virtual Machine" to run old apps I don't know how they can ever make windows "not suck".

All said and done, I'd use Windows 7 before I'd use Vista. Vista's memory usage is DOUBLE that of Windows 7, with no programs loaded (Vista about 1gb and Windows 7 about 512mb).

Windows 7 is the answer that M$ has been looking for...it's going to encourage alot of corporate customers and government agencies to migrate. I'm crossing over on launch, since vista was a step back from XP, imho.

And not being logged in with administrative rights helps out.

I doubt it, but I won't argue. I think that noscript can solve most everyday issues, and if not, I can scan my computer with my brain.

In my experience of managing around 300 end user PCs, most of which run Windows XP, the end user is the weak point almost 100% of the time. Nearly all viruses I have encountered were installed by the user through opening an attachment, clicking 'yes' to a rogue popup window, installing deceptive software, clicking a deceptive link & installing a 'codec', etc. The 'non-interactive' viruses referred to are the exception rather than the rule. As long as you're smart enough to keep your computer up to date by leaving automatic updates on, and don't click on everything you see like some sort of buffoon, you should be just fine. Just scan your computer with Malewarebytes anti-maleware, Superantispyware, etc from time to time to be sure. I usually also suggest that people use AVG Free for the on-access scanning for home use. This is not rocket science, just common (or maybe uncommon) sense. I'd be willing to bet you're probably not a 'zombie slave' lol.

^^yup in my experience, 9/10 time the problem exists between chair and keyboard.

That said, I'm using the W7 RC now and have been since release, and like you said, no problems.
Even properly integrates with older domains too, unlike Vista.
Good step up imo.

@ookaze
"(as viruses just can't work on Unix like systems like Linux)" - then please explain why Anti-virus software is available for Linux


and WTF is a shill?

LMAO, XP is vintage now, utter crap compared to modern OS's (including vista), OSX and Linux I won't even waste my breath on them......

I disagree with this. Due to Games for Windows, and Microsoft's virtual monopoly on computer gaming and dedication to evolving and innovative features, Windows will always be necessary for gaming, and has always had the coolest features. Once again, if you aren't a gamer, then why do you care about performance, and if you are a gamer, then you much upgrade to Win7 for Dx11 and the performance increase. The cool new features are just icing on the cake.

Not only is Windows great, it is necessary for the high-end gamer, and particularly, vista or 7 are necessary, due to DX.

One thing I've been impressed with, with vista, is Windows Media Center, and being able to play music from my laptop wirelessly over my 360. XP might have that too, but that is just something cool I've found out I could do with Windows, very recently. Also, Fallout 3, when you plug in a 360 controller, to a USB slot, the controls are defaultly made the primary controls, and they are mapped exactly as they are on the 360. Even the dashboard button pulls up GFWL and lets you download the expansions in a very cool dashboard like experience. Greatness.

Please explain to me how XP is better than 7, seriously, when I go from 7 back to XP, I feel like I did going from XP back to Windows 95. It feels like a HUGE technological step backwards for me now.

Compared to XP, 7 has:

1. Faster program launch
2. Better utilization of multi-core processors
3. Much superior built in multimedia functions
4. Better DirectX performance
5. MUCH more intuitive and faster search function built in, capable of federated searches of external web based services
6. More intuitive navigation due to the application based (instead of window based) taskbar
7. Easier multitasking by way of taskbar organization, Aero Peek, and multitouch capabilities (the first OS to have this)
8. Better memory usage than Vista, comprable memory usage to XP
9. Better out-of-the-box driver support than XP
10. Simpler hardware & printer installation
11. Simpler, more intuitive network setup
12. Better, more customizeable organization of data via Libraries (virtual folders that can aggregate external sources)
13. Better stability than XP or Vista
14. Better security than XP, without UAC being as intrusive as on Vista

Just a quick list.

My question was more about the performance rather than virus :P

So far we know that the speed (read and write) of the HDDs degrades with the time, Xp loves to put a lot of crap in the registry, and a lot of temp files...

We use CCleaner and TuneUp Utilities, but still, the PCs gets slow with a couple of months of heavy use (We are a bunch of devs, so no viruzes, downloaders, torrents or crap like that, just IDE tools), so yeah, I'm sorry but I can't believe this part "it runs better than when I bought it and it's NEVER been reinstalled", I would like to but I used the same tools and I am not a newbie with this...