[EHaskins]

Originally Posted by squirrel

Eric, what necessary things can you do with Vista (or 7) that you can't do with XP?

That's the question that drives my upgrade schedule....which is why I din't start using XP until about a year and a half ago!

It depends on your definition of necessary.

Here is my quick list...

• My #1, the x64 version is actually good. (XP x64 isn't) If you have >4gb of RAM this is enough of a reason to use Vista/7.
• Find drivers using Windows Update actually works!
• I prefer the user directory structure over XPs.
• In general Vista, and 7, have significant security and reliability improvements over XP. I know Vista has a bad rep, but in my experience, and most people I know who have used it, Vista is more stable than XP.
• There are a huge number of improvements in the business network administration, but I won't go into detail since most people will never be aware of these improvements.
• While not necessary, I find the search features built into Vista increase my productivity.
• It's kind of a niche thing, but the tablet PC and touch screen support is must better than XP.
• IIS 7 for testing before deploying web sites/apps.
• Security enhancements in remote desktop.
• In my experience Workgroup networking is faster, easier, more stable, and more reliable.
• Windows Media Center is great when using a machine as media device.
• 7 has improved integration of biometric security devices.