WINDOWSS XP vs WINDOWSS 7 3
Comparison Based On Initial Cost
According to the research conducted by Microsoft, Windows 7 has a return on investment
(ROI) rate of 187% and a payback period of around thirteen months after deployment. In another
research done by Microsoft, XP has a ROI of between 90% and 351%. The average ROI was
203% and the payback period was roughly 13 months with some organizations recording
between 8 and 18 months. This can be attributed to the low initial cost of deploying Windows
XP. Windows XP works in computers with speeds as low as 300 MHZ as opposed to windows 7
which requires faster PC. Gillen, Selig, and Perry (2012) argues that although the ROI for
Window XP is higher due its low initial cost, companies clinging on to windows XP continue to
expose themselves to insecurity and hefty losses in the long term (McLean, & Thomas, 2010).
Ongoing Maintenance
According to Gillen, Selig, and Perry (2012), the annual maintenance cost of windows
XP is roughly $701 per PC compared to only $18 for windows 7. In addition, Microsoft stopped
offering any support services to Windows XP users in 2008. This implies high maintenance cost
since the users have to hire specialists to fix the operating system in case it clashes. Windows
XP lacks a troubleshooting tool which makes it possible to solve problems in Windows 7 without
an IT expert. In other words, the cost of maintenance is considerably low for windows 7.
Other Tangibles & Intangible Criteria
According to Gillen, Selig, and Perry (2012), windows XP results in extremely low user
productivity compared with Windows 7. A lot of time is wasted waiting for an XP system to
reboot, waiting for desk help to respond or when responding to security woes. Windows 7 is
more secure and takes roughly 23 seconds compared to Windows XP which takes up to 40
