Which Dell to get? XP + Win-7

My requirement is as follows:

I need XP-32 bit on this machine for about 1 year and after that I can install Win 7 and remove XP completely. no dual boot, no XP compatibility mode, no VM..

What are my options?

P.S. Edited after a couple of posts that showed that I needed to add more info.

We have XP/Win-7 licenses and do not need to get a laptop w/XP. As long as drivers are available from Dell to support 32-bit XP on the laptop, that would be fine.

 

You can't buy XP OEM with Dell computers anymore. You used to be able to purchase W7 with an XP downgrade option OEM through Dell's Business channel, but I don't think that is available anymore.

You can always buy XP separately from an online retailer who still has them and install it yourself.

Another option is buying a MS volume license of W7 with your Dell computer which gives you downgrade rights but is going to be more expensive and I'm not even sure if they can sell them in the Home channel.

What I recommend is get a MS Technet subscription which gives you the ability to install and run a whole bunch of MS products including older OS's for about $300 per year. It's a pretty good deal and would enable you to use XP as well as Office and other MS programs for testing purposes.

 

All of the current-gen (IB) mainstream Latitudes (E6x30 and E5x30) still have drivers for XP on Dell's support. You certainly can't buy it with XP, but you can install it on your accord.

 

Thank you for the info. I revised my original post to reflect that we do not need machine to come w/XP. just the ability to run XP on it and then next year, replace XP with Win-7.

Any particular E5x30/E6x30 we should look into? Any issues with Dell and Nvidia chips or overheating etc on these models that I need to look into? Would Lenovo be a better option than Dell?

Thanks as always for your assistance.

 

Sorry, this was unclear before.

The Latitude E5530 line is going to be the best bang for the buck in my opinion. We have stuck with this line since the E5500 because it has a good processor options, good resolution and wide screen. Haven't had a chance to use any of the E5530's so I can't comment, but the E5520's are solid laptops for working environments and the previous generation. Most of our engineers are using them to run multiple VMs and other design programs. And they are very cost effective.

If you can afford to spend a little more, the Precisions are better for graphics intensive applications and VMs. They support XP as well.

 

I mean, really depends on what you are looking for. I prefer a smaller ultraportable type, but a lot of people prefer a larger workstation type. Would generally not recommend a dGPU unless you need it. Buy an SSD with your extra funds.

If there are no specific Lenovo features that you want, Dell is typically an overall better value in the mainstream, especially if you can buy from the Outlet with a coupon. Dell's warranty and service are also way better than Lenovo's crappy depot/partner system.

 

This I disagree with. If you are based in the US, you are entitled to use IBM repair depot which is always fast and great, never had an issue. If you use an Lenovo ASP, yes it can be bad, but we always go through IBM for repair for Lenovo Think branded products.

Yes current generation Dell's can run XP but you shouldn't. You are severly limiting your hardware, and you can always just run Windows XP mode in 7 Professional or higher. It isn't XP but it's close enough.

 

Thanks for your input.

Like I mentioned, this is a constraint that I have - to run XP only on the system and after about 10 months, run Win-7. So the h/ware is going to be limited for a 'limited' time..

What I was also looking for was a way to save some money since we have licenses for both XP and Win-7 so if either Dell/Lenovo can provide a machine without a OS (and lower the price accordingly) that'd be great.

 

I was looking on Dell site and it seems that E5520 etc might also support XP as support page shows XP drivers for E5520. Is that not so or are these XP drivers only for earlier versions of E5520? Also, Latitude E5520 comes with DVD+/-RW. Do you know if this drive can burn Dual Layer disks?