Dell Brings Back Windows XP as Option

In response to huge customer demand, Dell has brought back Windows XP Home and Professional as operating system options on a handful of consumer PCs. The computer maker, like most others, had largely switched its product lines entirely to Windows Vista.

The decision came after feedback on Dell's IdeaStorm Web site, where customers are asked what things they'd like to see the company do. Previous requests have included offering Linux as an option, and including OpenOffice rather than just Microsoft Office.

"We heard you loud and clear on bringing the Windows XP option back to our Dell consumer PC offerings," the company said. Four Dell Inspirion laptops -- 1405, 1705, 1505, and 1501 models -- will offer XP, as well as two Dimension desktops, the E520 and E521.

Dell earlier this month brought back Windows XP as an option for small business customers, but said it had no plans to do so for home users.

"Dell does not have plans to launch Windows XP for home users as the preference and demand is for the “latest and greatest” technology which includes Windows Vista," Tom West, Dell's director of small business marketing, wrote in a blog post before noting the proposal was on IdeaStorm.

Consumer-oriented Windows XP systems have been hard to find following Windows Vista's launch at the end of January. Microsoft has urged computer manufacturers to make the switch, and few expected much of a demand for the more-than 5 year-old XP. But many customers haven't seen much of a need to upgrade, especially with application compatibility problems and a lack of hardware drivers for Vista.

"Offer XP to everyone," one Dell customer from Texas named David wrote on the company's blog. "Vista may be the latest, but not the greatest. I would shy away from any computer manufacturer that forced me to buy Vista when the software and hardware I have don't work with it."