Aged OS shuffles off clutching P45

Still not sure whether it's worth upgrading to Vista? We put XP and Vista through the ultimate face-off.

Climb the steps all the way to Windows guru status with our invaluable selection of tips and shortcuts for XP and Vista.

Don't be confused; this XP has little to do with Microsoft. It's what happened when software developers pushed the best practices of programming to the edge, to the extreme.

Dont be confused; this XP has little to do with Microsoft. It is what happened when software developers pushed the best practices of programming to the edge, to the extreme.

We never thought we’d see it happen, but now you can run Windows XP natively on a Mac.

Where's the #@$%? Device Manager in Windows Vista? Steve Polak exlains how to find all the system settings you know from Windows XP, in the sometimes confusing Vista interface.

We've put both mini-notebooks through their paces, and while Linux fans may disagree, the winner is clear.

Windows XP will pass another milestone on the road to retirement next week when Microsoft withdraws mainstream support for the operating system..

Microsoft's ever-evolving rollout of Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) continues as the company releases the update to XP Home Edition users who have enabled Automatic Updates. XP Professional Edition users will have to wait until next week to get the long-awaited update through Automatic Updates.

As Vista and Windows 7 share the same core code, Microsoft has decided to merely nudge up the version number (Windows Vista was 6) so that applications are tricked into thinking it's Vista they're dealing with

Keen to forget the PR nightmare that was Vista, Microsoft may have committed yet another blunder: Windows XP users will not be able to upgrade to Windows 7 without a totally clean install.

The Athlon XP 2700+ represents a significant leap forward for the Athlon line – it solves a long-term problem by stepping up the default frontside bus (FSB) speed from 266MHz to 333MHz. This means that the Athlon XP can finally run in sync with 333MHz DDR RAM. While most currently available Athlon motherboards support 333MHz DDR, there is virtually no performance boost between this and 266MHz DDR when running an Athlon XP with a 266MHz FSB. The extra speed offered by the RAM quite simply goes to waste, because the CPU can't keep up with it.

News that Microsoft won't budge on the June 30 cut-off for Windows XP sales isn't all bad - system builders might still be offering the old-faithful till 2009.

Windows 7 RC arrives along with beta of XP application compatibility tool.

Microsoft is rolling down the shutters on Windows XP, although low cost flash-based laptop vendors get a reprieve from being forced onto Vista.

Windows XP users may find themselves lost when it comes to Vista. PC Authority looks at the most useful configuration settings between them.

With the cut-off for XP sales fast approaching, what do you do if you're opposed to switching to Vista? Alex explains why you'd be best off with the "downgrade" option., and what it all means.

Leigh Dyer arrives in OS heaven with a triple-booting Intel Mac.