The Dutch Consumers Association has called for a boycott of Windows Vista, after the software giant refused to offer free copies of Windows XP to users who are having problems with Vista.

A spokesman for the Consumentenbond says that the product has many teething problems, and "is just not ready". The association claims it received over 5000 complaints about Vista. Many printers and other hardware failed to work, the association says, computers crash frequently and peripherals are very slow.

On Thursday the association met Microsoft Netherland to discuss the problems. But offering XP to users is not a solution, according to Microsoft, which notes that many new peripherals are developed explicitly for Vista.

However, the Consumers Association points out that Microsoft offers XP to business clients when they are having problems. To combat critics, Microsoft Netherlands launched a website on Friday which addresses many issues raised by the Consumentenbond.

In forums, many Dutch Vista users complain that the Consumentenbond is making a mountain out of a molehill. Many problems seem to occur on older systems or with older peripherals. ®

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