I started out back in the days of Dos, now I'm running XP and soon will be going to a Mac.

Why dose windows need to start over every time a program is up dated?

 

Most of my programs dont require it, but sometimes the reason is so that the files that are currently in use during the updating process can be replaced by newer files.


Sorry to hear you are going to a Mac...

 

The Mac will ask you to restart after installing some programs too. I run XP Pro on my desktop and dual boot OS X and Vista on my MacBook Pro. For regular computing/daily use I prefer OS X but some of my software and games require windows. Both are good operating systems, Windows is more versatile and OS X is definitely ahead in the user interface department though microsoft is trying to catch up.

 

With the newest versions of Windows Installer applied, Windows XP reboots itself almost never, thanks to much smarter code that automatically refreshes the loaded drivers and support files to keep the computer running. Windows Vista and Windows 7 Beta seem to do this more efficiently as well. But nonetheless, a reboot now and again seems inevitable.