What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Windows XP?
The advantages of Windows XP are that it requires fewer system resources, it is easy to use and it is compatible with a wide variety of applications. The disadvantages are that it has compromised security, as Microsoft has stopped support for XP, it is difficult to buy and Microsoft has made it almost impossible for anyone to remove newer versions of Windows from a computer and replace them with XP.
Windows XP uses very little computer resources compared to Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8. While Windows 7 requires a 1-gigahertz processor with 1 gigabyte of RAM for a 32-bit system, and 2 gigabytes of RAM for a 64-bit system, Windows XP only requires a Pentium 233-megahertz processor with 64 megabytes of RAM, which is between 3 and 6 percent of the resources used by Windows 7. Windows XP is very efficient, and common applications typically run more smoothly on Windows XP than on Windows 7.
The main disadvantage of the operating system is security. Microsoft has discontinued security updates for XP, rendering it vulnerable to new virus and spyware attacks. The operating system is, therefore, unsafe for critical applications such as online banking. Also, the physical software is becoming difficult to find, although Microsoft still sells a user a license and activates XP upon request. What Microsoft does not do is provide an easy mechanism for removing newer operating systems so that they can be replaced with XP.
