If you have a computer built after February 2007 (4.5 years ago) then you had to go out of your way to get an XP license. If your computer was built after july of 2008 (over 3 years ago) and you run XP, then you already own Vista Pro as sales of XP halted then, as all XP machines sold past that date use the downgrade rights inherent in OEM Vista Pro/Ult license.
My point here is if you own a system that is less than 5 years old that still runs windows XP, then you made a conscious choice to use old software that was going out of support. If you didn't know what that implied at the time(no support and no new software developed) then you have rather unfortunately found the consequences of using antiquated technology.
Edit: @ leggosboy
Though XP support is officially listed until 2014 - its only technically for netbook support. Real support hasn't really existed for a few years now, trust me on this one, I work software support.
Not entirely true, I can still get my hands on WIndows XP easy. It's just a bus ride and about 80 bucks in cash. They are OEM, not retail.
I think gamers need to unite instead of biting and baiting each other on these forums. This year alone, far too many games have been released buggy and unfinished. Excuses that my dog ate my finished game is so yesterday. We'll upload the 'right' one to Steam ASAP. Where ASAP means tomorrow, the day after or maybe next week, heck who cares we got your cash....bwhahahahahaha.... attitude.
Apologising means dick squat when you've already collected. Giving away a free game that is being replaced by the buggy mess in question is just PR bullshit, considering, the majority of people who bought SOTS II are highly likely to have already bought SOTS1. Way to ask your fans to bend over and take one for England eh?
Again, I strongly think we gamers really need to send a message, loud and clear to developers that we're tired of bullshit and we're not going to spend another cent on shovelware.
1. No more bullshit, i'm sorry I uploaded my homework instead of the game to steam
2. No more EULA that signs away our rights as a human being as well as our left kidney and first born. (go read the EULA for EA's Origin)
3. No more Expatchsions. Seriously fix the crap that should have been in the core game instead of making us pay for patches 1 and a half years down the road. хорошее горе!
4. And no more bullshit Day one DLC, that's obviously divided and quartered from the core game.
Like the WWF used to say and still say, If the Buying Stops.....No more sore buttholes!