I guess my ego is as huge as any other professional in in-home computer technology. I don't get easily offended but I think I "easily offend". Oops!
I come from several forums and recently sent this forum to some of my clients because the tips, suggestions and definitions of basic to advanced computer lingo and skills is easy for the average computer to find on this site.
Getting into the forum was based on one intent. I don't like W8 and am part of a IT boycott group that comes down on M$ for releasing this new system that destroyed the continuity and familiarity of W8 to people over 40 years old. To me it's a crime, to others it's "something they must get use to" . Whether our boycott or anyone else's boycotts makes a different in the coming W9 OS remains to be seen.
Younger people (some) embrace the new look of W8, probably because it's different from W95 to W7. Something other than what their elders have used. Is W8 a cool OS? Not IMHO.
So BW has banged away at the keyboard to point out all his contrary thinking and I have stated in my original posts (IMHO) several times. Making a tough statement with IMHO should be clear to all that it's just an opinion.
Thanks for the warm welcome and I will stay away from directly communicating with BW. We are two RAMS (no, not memory 
) butting heads on every turn.
I'll have fun here and I'll extend my knowledge to anyone with XP, Vista and 7 whenever I feel I can be helpful.
ciao 
Have you actually tried Windows 8 as your main OS for any length of time?
I used Windows 8 and absolutely hated it - I actually went as far as smashing my Windows 8 Beta DVD in anger after Frisbee-ing it at a wall and that was after writing "Don't even bother" on it after trying the first time. I hated the OS and everything about it! But... Eventually I sat down and forced myself to use it by completely removing my Windows 7 install. At the time I tweeted "Once again I find myself trying yet another release of Windows 8 - Hopefully I can keep this one for more than 24 hours". At first I really struggled, I do agree that the jump was huge. But after using it for a while I realised that I actually liked the new features. For example... At first I saw the start screen as a bad idea designed for touch screens, but then I realised that it actually made sense to use the full screen, when you open the start menu, you are fixating on it, not multitasking alongside it so why only use a small part of the screen?
Boycotting an OS? That's one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard - Most people I've seen with Windows 8 didn't like it at first, they either got used to it and now like it (majority of people), installed modifications to bring back features like the start menu or downgraded to 7. This is the first time I've heard of someone actively trying to protest over changes to some computer software!
I have a lot of strong opinions about computer software, I like certain stuff and dislike others, but I don't spend my time protesting about it - If you asked even people that know me really well, they probably wouldn't know what software I hate (Except for ones where I have yelled "Bloody <software name>" out loud) - But I get on with it. If someone had a machine that was running a piece of software I personally don't like, I wouldn't even say anything (unless the software was dangerous e.g. a registry booster).
My best advise with XP is to not upgrade the system to either W7 or W8. The guts of the machine are just going to be lack-luster for newer technology.
While this can be the case with a lot of XP machines, much of the time the machine can be pretty decent, I'm currently sitting with a pair of laptops running XP, both with Core Duo processors - They could run 7 or 8 perfectly, probably faster than they do XP!
Then questioning others backup strategies? Really? Did you ever realise that other people have different needs to you? I also do not image my drive unless I am doing something very high risk. For me, the most likely reason that I'll need a backup is due to deleting/modifying a file by accident. In my life I have never experienced a total failure of my internal drive and I have only once lost my OS (Accidental incorrect command on a Linux machine when working late at night and tired... yep... "rm -rf /"). I have however needed to quickly access a file that I have accidentally deleted, this would be a real pain to recover from an image! And considering I can have a working Windows install done in an hour, not having an image isn't a big deal!
You need to realise that first impressions count. What has happened here is you have joined a forum where nobody knows you and started protesting about an OS that you personally do not like. Then calling yourself a 'computer maintenance expert'. While I'm not doubting that you are very knowledgeable, it's not a great idea joining a forum and in your first few posts shouting "Look at me, I'm an expert" Then when other members question your opinions, you bash them. For example: "You are a developer, not a computer maintenance expert." - BC_Programmer is one of the most respected and well known users on this forum. While technically yes, he is a developer mostly (as am I) - It's not like developers don't use software or don't have opinions about it!
